Entered at Nym, to Batch., McAlpine, Quetico, Jean, over to Sturgeon, Russell, north to Pickerel, back to Batch. Great to be back! High water on most lakes, trees appeared to be growing out of water. Some lower rated campsites had submerged fire rings. Portages were all good. No significant problems, some take outs a bit further up the trail, some put ins a bit further inland.

A bit unusual in that not all lakes appeared to have noticeable high water, you could see rocks ringing some lakes.

The power of Chatterton Falls was something to behold! No issues with bugs. Then again, when temps drop to the low 40s part of the day, it's often not an issue. Came home and got eaten alive in my backyard.

Next trip not until early August, in the BWCA with a novice paddler. Stresses of finding an open site is not a welcome thought. Went consecutive days without seeing another per person in Q. Bliss.

Very nice, informative and concise trip report.

Thanks for the info. Will be covering similar ground in two weeks. Hope the rain ends by then…
AdamX

gonorth1: "Entered at Nym, to Batch., McAlpine, Quetico, Jean, over to Sturgeon, Russell, north to Pickerel, back to Batch. Great to be back! High water on most lakes, trees appeared to be growing out of water. Some lower rated campsites had submerged fire rings. Portages were all good. No significant problems, some take outs a bit further up the trail, some put ins a bit further inland.

A bit unusual in that not all lakes appeared to have noticeable high water, you could see rocks ringing some lakes.

The power of Chatterton Falls was something to behold! No issues with bugs. Then again, when temps drop to the low 40s part of the day, it's often not an issue. Came home and got eaten alive in my backyard.

Next trip not until early August, in the BWCA with a novice paddler. Stresses of finding an open site is not a welcome thought Went consecutive days without seeing another per person in Q. Bliss."

Thanks for the report.

I gather you had no problem paddling Jean Creek to Sturgeon as well as Deux Rivières? Jean Creek was quite a slog last summer. When we arrived 0n Sturgeon the first site we saw was a small site on an island with lots of bare rock. The water was so low it would really take a lot of volume in that large lake to raise it beyond the rocky shoreline.

Yes Argo, you are correct. We had no problem paddling Jean Creek and the Deux Rivieres. There is plenty of room to safely exit the canoe for each of the portages on Jean Creek.
Years ago I had paddled the Deux Rivieres. Encountering a large beaver dam we had to exit the boat, remove the packs, and pull up and over the dam. Last week I was looking into the water while paddling and realized we'd just paddled over a beaver dam. Can't say I recall easily paddling over a beaver dam with scraping or touching the dam . Last week given the high water and the fact that the water's direction of flow would be against us, I thought we may have to paddle more rigorously on the Deux Rivieres. Not the case at all, it was smooth sailing from Sturgeon to Twin Lakes.
The most strenuous paddling we had was on a tiny section of the Sturgeon. Traveling from west to east (more or less) we were on the north side of the 1.75 long island. Turning north toward Scripture Island there is a narrow section between the end of the long island and a peninsula directly across from the long island. Here there was a noticeable current flowing against us. Ninety seconds of strong paddle strokes brought back to calm waters.
No where did we see low lying bare rock such as shown in your photo. The only bare rock we saw was sloping high above the water line. Instead of low rock, we saw fully grown mature trees seemingly growing directly out of the water.
Lastly, the water is receding. At portages you can clearly see previous high marks. Regardless of water levels, safety and respect for any water are keys to an enjoyable north country canoe experience.

AdamXChicago: "Thanks for the info. Will be covering similar ground in two weeks. Hope the rain ends by then…
AdamX "

I'll be in the area. Leaving late Sat out of Nym.
Solo- red wood/canvas canoe.
Tom

tumblehome: "

AdamXChicago: "Thanks for the info. Will be covering similar ground in two weeks. Hope the rain ends by then…
AdamX "

I'll be in the area. Leaving late Sat out of Nym.
Solo- red wood/canvas canoe.
Tom"

We’ll keep an eye out for you. Paddling natural Kevlar tandem and solo. Two old big guys and one little old wirey guy. :-)

AdamX