Hi Everyone,

I’ve been planning a big solo trip for this spring, leaving in late May from Crane Lake and heading east along the border all the way to the Grand Portage and (hopefully) ending at the big lake.

I’ve done a fair amount of research on what to expect and some of the fascinating history behind the route. I was wondering if anyone has any bits of advice/info or has experience doing this route especially during this time of year? I know I’ll be passing through a lot of big water and I’ll have to be very careful with cold water. I’m planning on sticking close to the shore whenever possible and not pushing it.

I’ll be passing through a lot of great Lake Trout territory at a prime time and I’m hoping to fish as much as I can. We’ll see how much that ends up being, I have 16 days total set aside for this trip.

Also, I’d love to hear if anyone has paddled the Pigeon River this time of year. I’m happy I shouldnt have to worry about dragging my canoe through long sections of low water in early June.

I’ve gotten pretty much all of my food dehydrated and gear ready to be packed up for next month. To say I’m excited would be an understatement. Hopefully the ice is off of the lakes by May 23rd!

Have a trip planned for the 23, I’m 99% sure ice will be off!

Sounds like an epic adventure, LakerTaker! You've covered about all of the advice I can provide. It would be great if you could document your trip with a gopro or something so you can share your experiences with us later.

Best wishes for a safe and fun trip!

Definitely, I’ll be bringing a camera for this reason. Thanks!

When you get to the portage out of South Fowl into the Pigeon take time to go up to the overlook. I think you can see most of the way to Thunder Bay from up there. Leaving Fowl Lake the trail is a good climb for a ways. Just as it starts to level out there is a little used trail that heads sharply off to the right. The little used trail is the portage. The main trail goes up to the overlook.

That sounds great, I’ll have to do that. Thanks for the tip MagicPaddler!

Good Advice from Magic! He has been part of the Border Route Challenge, that happens every fall, several times along with his "too many to count" BWCA trips.
There are several veteran Border Route Challenge paddlers who could give you information. Send me an e-mail and I will link you up with the crew. You might want to check if the storms last fall and the fires last summer will affect any of your travel plans.

Sounds good, thank you Grandma L!