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02/23/2022 09:27PM  
Doing some dreaming about my solo this summer. Have a permit for LIS north. Have 2-3 weeks to spend, all depending on how much food I can squeeze into my 2 Major 2XL ursacks.

Any thoughts on this as a general plan? Will do a little fishing, but that's not my main focus. Like some solitude, don't like big water all that much. Little rivers are fun, but it will be the 2nd half of July, so can be starting to dry up. Never explored this area at all.
 
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iCallitMaize
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02/24/2022 12:08AM  
Looks amazing. I have one very similar mapped out. I will let someone with more experience comment on time allowances for this excursion. You can work with an outfitter (Andersons/Zups/etc) to resupply in Snow Bay on a specific date if you wanted.
02/24/2022 05:48AM  
What a great route and adventure. I assume you will go all the way north initially to take advantage of the prevailing winds on the big water - and to do less portaging when the packs are at their heaviest? Enjoy.
iwegean
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02/24/2022 07:34AM  
Great route, I did most of this exiting instead at Moose River North. Most unnerving part was the large open water area between Forty-One Island and Coleman Island....should have gotten an earlier start that day. Normal stuff. Start early when traveling.
YetiJedi
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02/24/2022 09:10AM  
Awesome trip! You should be able to do the route just fine in the time you have allotted. I'll second the previous suggestion to consider a resupply in Snow Bay and the idea to do the big water first, small lakes on your return. The smaller lakes above the Weeny PMA were a lot of fun for two of my daughters and me last spring in June. Really cool area IMHO. Enjoy your trip!

02/24/2022 09:57AM  
Great area & plenty of time. Might recommend day trips off LLC into Gun and Tak, which are both worth seeing.
02/24/2022 10:06AM  
That's a good looking trip. If you see the wind will be up you can cut through Gun and Takumich (SP) to LLC. Gun is very scenic with a nice high site in the narrows.

I would also recommend a stop on Finger. Most people go for the 4 star on the south side of the big island. When I was solo there in 2012 I took the smaller north side island site. It is perfect for a solo and has nice views up and down the lake with good sitting rocks at the shore.
Finger site.

02/24/2022 11:19AM  
It's been 15 years but the loop from LIS through the small lakes south of LLC down to Oyster and out Moose River North was my 2nd trip and first solo. It's still one of my favorites. I think you will enjoy it. I thought Steep was a nice lake and spent a night there. Are you aware of the "pictos" on west side of Rocky? I saw the LLC pictos on my first trip, a loop from Moose River North to LLC and back through Oyster.
airmorse
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02/24/2022 12:30PM  
Ill echo what others have said, nice area.

If you haven't yet, go see the mechanical portage from Loon lake to LLC.
yellowhorse
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02/24/2022 01:50PM  
Just curious what that webpage said for stats on miles and or time on this loop? Looks fantastic.
02/24/2022 03:04PM  
yellowhorse: "Just curious what that webpage said for stats on miles and or time on this loop? Looks fantastic."


63 miles paddling, 20 miles total portages with double portaging. I cut it into 14 short segments to get it to choose the route I wanted- in some cases it wanted to send me back up to the border instead of the small interior lakes.
02/24/2022 03:07PM  
Thanks for the notes on Gun, Steep, Finger, Rocky, etc. Just the sort of feedback I'm looking for!
EddyTurn
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02/24/2022 04:30PM  
I'll ditto suggestion on taking Takucmich-Gun route to LLC, especially if you don't like big water (and big motor boats on Canadian side). Takucmich sites are beautiful. If you have an extra half-day to paddle from LLC to Pocket, it's also worth it. 2 weeks for this route - in my opinion you are looking at REALLY short days, but YMMV.
MagicPaddler
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02/24/2022 04:37PM  
Cant tell exactly where your rout goes on LLC but there is a surprise if you are following the border. There is a place that is not passable in low water. If you look at google earth you can see the bottom. On the border challenge I paddled full speed into rocks at about 10:30 pm. I had done over 50 miles that day and wasn’t thinking the best. It is in the section where the border dips down for a short distance and is at the south west edge of Fortyfive Island. Nice rout I am doing something similar this summer.
cyclones30
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02/24/2022 06:25PM  
Great route. You will have plenty of time for layover days which is always nice. If you pushed HARD and single portaged....someone could do that loop in a week. So if you're taking 2 weeks or more that'll be awesome to take your time, do day trips to little side lakes and streams.

If you're doing the loop clockwise, as in going to LLC first I like that idea. Beatty portage is cool to see. Devils Cascade is a nice stop on Day 1 before you get to Loon also. If you're up for hiking the trail crosses right there too.

Snow Bay area is nice and good fishing. I don't think you'll have any issue with following the US shore of LLC as long as it's not a high wind day. There is an unmarked portage from Snow Bay to the east that cuts off going out to the main lake if it's a west wind you don't want to mess with.

To change your route up a bit at the end...when you get back to Loon at the end of the trip take the portage to Heritage creek and camp your last night or two on Heritage. New scenery, small streams, small lake not many see. I'd rather do that if I had time than re-trace my steps up and over the devils cascade portage and possible motor boats on Loon.
02/25/2022 12:05AM  
I agree with the others, it does look like a great route. Something similar is on my list (just not as long) as my previous attempt only got me to Devils Cascade. I enjoy going to the unique places, so I would recommend stopping at the chairs on Gebe

and as mentioned on rocky lake, the picto's

also, I really enjoyed the short paddle on Oyster - even though it was getting late in the day. I hope you have a great trip!
02/25/2022 08:43AM  
Lovely looking trip.

You mentioned solitude. Maybe check out the Weeny Lake PMA if you stay on Thumb Lake for a couple nights. Or get a permit and stay on Contentment or Brigand Lakes in the PMA.
02/25/2022 12:16PM  
paddlinjoe: "Lovely looking trip.


You mentioned solitude. Maybe check out the Weeny Lake PMA if you stay on Thumb Lake for a couple nights. Or get a permit and stay on Contentment or Brigand Lakes in the PMA. "


Anyone been to contentment or Brigand recently?
02/25/2022 05:03PM  
Contentment is pretty straightforward. I recall getting out of the canoe 20 feet too soon on Thumb (go as far back as you can wedge the boat), but there is a faint portage trail to follow up the hill to Contentment.

The campsite on Contentment still had the fire grate as of two years ago however it showed no signs of use in recent years. Did not see a latrine. What's left of that site, and there is not much, is sloped. Not sure a tent is realistic there, but there may be other options around the lake.

I have not been to Brigand.
YetiJedi
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02/25/2022 10:33PM  
MagicPaddler: "Cant tell exactly where your rout goes on LLC but there is a surprise if you are following the border. There is a place that is not passable in low water. If you look at google earth you can see the bottom. On the border challenge I paddled full speed into rocks at about 10:30 pm. I had done over 50 miles that day and wasn’t thinking the best. It is in the section where the border dips down for a short distance and is at the south west edge of Fortyfive Island. Nice rout I am doing something similar this summer."


Much respect for a 50-mile day. Way beyond my physical abilities but...I daydream of such excursions!
jillpine
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02/26/2022 03:50PM  
Hi DWG - looks amazing! I can't comment beyond the Oyster - Hustler area, but my brother loves these smaller lakes south of LLC, and said what cyclones30 about clockwise. If wind from the north on LLC, the southern shoreline can be a stinker (paddling in the lee). Start early or paddle in the night! :)
Are you taking your dog?

campnfish
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02/27/2022 01:01AM  
You could take a detour south of Eugene into fat, lake trout and clear as a swimming pool and only one campsite, doubt you see anyone else there. If you feel like cutting some miles you can take the unmanaged portage in the Northwest corner out to slim. Although personally I would go back out to Eugene and finish the route you have shown, I thought that fat to slim portage was not remotely fun. Also, when you hit loon if the wind is high be careful, that lake was nasty when I went through it last.
02/27/2022 09:56AM  
jillpine: "Hi DWG - looks amazing! I can't comment beyond the Oyster - Hustler area, but my brother loves these smaller lakes south of LLC, and said what cyclones30 about clockwise. If wind from the north on LLC, the southern shoreline can be a stinker (paddling in the lee). Start early or paddle in the night! :)
Are you taking your dog?


"


Yes, Amelia is coming along. She loves the canoe, and the company on a long solo is nice.
02/27/2022 09:57AM  
campnfish: "You could take a detour south of Eugene into fat, lake trout and clear as a swimming pool and only one campsite, doubt you see anyone else there. If you feel like cutting some miles you can take the unmanaged portage in the Northwest corner out to slim. Although personally I would go back out to Eugene and finish the route you have shown, I thought that fat to slim portage was not remotely fun. Also, when you hit loon if the wind is high be careful, that lake was nasty when I went through it last."


Will have to check out Fat, thanks!
Wayouttroy
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02/27/2022 02:14PM  
campnfish: "You could take a detour south of Eugene into fat, lake trout and clear as a swimming pool and only one campsite, doubt you see anyone else there. If you feel like cutting some miles you can take the unmanaged portage in the Northwest corner out to slim. Although personally I would go back out to Eugene and finish the route you have shown, I thought that fat to slim portage was not remotely fun. Also, when you hit loon if the wind is high be careful, that lake was nasty when I
went through it last."

The portage from Slim to Fat is a adventurist workout, took that portage last June, I took a pack first to see what I was getting into, I tripled portage, lots of downed trees to navigate, path is well worn, 3.5 hours later I was on Fat and done for the day.
Deeznuts
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02/27/2022 07:34PM  
I have done two separate loops entering ep14. The loop I did last year was as following:
Day 1: EP- Hustler lake (14 miles)
Day 2: layover day hike up to pageant lake (8ish miles)
Day 3: Hustler- Gebe we stayed at the site below the stone chairs and captured a picture of an amazing rainbow ball that formed in the middle of the lake
Day 4: Gebe to Takucmich via LLC we got extremely lucky the wind held off until the evening. This stretch of LLC is absolutely gorgeous but you can get turned around with all the little islands
Day 5: Takucmich- eugene (we pushed to fat but the site was taken. Fat was our destination lake for the trip and I'm sad we missed out)
Day 6: Eugene- Loon (we chickened out on the unmarked portage from fat-slim so I can't comment on its difficulty but I heard it is decently easy to follow)
Day 7: Layover day. We stayed at what we have affectionately called the snakes site. The were garter snakes all over it. It's the last site on the left before it narrows into the river. Flat landing spot, excellent tent pads with great tree cover. Only rated 2 star on pladdle planner but we really love it and visit every trip
The trip was about 50 miles total and we would have definitely taken more layover days if we could. We saw a fair amount of people along the route we took but it wasn't overly crowded and we only had trouble securing a site 1 day. We averaged about 2-3 other group sightings a day.

Next trip planned early june 2023. The loop I've chosen is about the same length. I'm trying to talk my group into venturing into the PMA from thumb down to pageant and out the Soiux-Hustler trail but I have a feeling none of them will want to attempt it as I know it is a complete bushwack past brigand.Hoping to get a tad more seclusion on our next trip. Good luck!
07/09/2023 01:38PM  
I would be interested to hear an update on how this trip turned out!
07/09/2023 06:03PM  
noahj: "I would be interested to hear an update on how this trip turned out! "


It was great! There's a trip report I found my thrill on blueberry hill
 
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