New Trip Report posted by YardstickAngler

Trip Name: Saganaga to Ester Basecamp-A Rookie’s Tale.

Entry Point: 55A

Click Here to View Trip Report

Nice trip report, Yardstick! Glad you caught that laker, found your phone, and successfully adjusted the tarp and tent. Sounds like an all-around great experience...hopefully you're hooked and will return for more. :)

Oh I will be back! I’ve been spending a lot of time with the maps lately…dreaming, pondering.

Once I forgot my tent at home and didn't realize it until we were 10 miles into the park. I'm proud to say that we laughed it off and continued on with the trip. Just more stories to remember like your phone and leeches!

The tent! Oh wow…now that’s a really good story!

Loved the log "anchor"...gave me good chuckle. Thanks for a great report about a first-time experience. Your smile in each photo really showed the joy you felt! Congrats on a great 1st trip.

Thank you! I can’t tell you how long I looked forward to this, and yet how it still surpassed my expectations!

And that log had us completely pooped out!

Big smiles and big memories!

I have just two words for you: Kawnipi Lake.







You already know how to deal with Sag, especially the navigational issues. :-) In addition to some great fishing, here's a taste of what you might see:

Lynx canadensis aquaticus







And your friends at Tuscarora can give you expert advice as well:


Falls Chain to Kawnipi

Thank you! I will certainly keep this in mind for the day I make my maiden voyage into Quetico.

Lots of good memories from that area including my first trip (my report is posted here if you'd like to read it sometime). Your rookie day was very similar to mine in the sense that we both got lost navigating Saganaga and were shocked to find out we were paddling in the opposite direction from American Point. You had much better weather than we did on that trip. Glad you could get out there. Joe

Great report! Here's the beginning of more adventures. We started going to the BW 22 years ago and I'll never forget the first trip. So many incredible experiences and lots of opportunity to grow and learn. Thanks for sharing.

Ester Lake is such a great destination (especially if you can get one of the 'fab 4' sites nearest the channel to Hanson) Enjoyed hearing of your experiences and seeing the big smile on your face in the pictures. Thanks for taking the time to share your story and photos- it is much appreciated.
Here's to many more.

Thanks for sharing your first trip. It is always fun to see it through a first-timer's perspective. Plan on bringing the wife and kids when the kids are old enough. It is a great experience for them to get away from technology for a while.

Great report, thank you for sharing your first trip prospective. Paddling out on a flat calm Sag. is your BW first timer door prize and a Laker on your first trip, truly blessed.

Thank you for sharing! Good to know the water is still high. We are heading up next week - I haven't been to Boundary Waters in 30 years, so I'm a newbie. I forgot about the loons! Looking forward to hearing them again!

I'm also driving up from Kansas but luckily get to overnight in Des Moines before making the big drive. Hope to provide a good trip report when I get back.

30 years! I look forward to reading your report!

Thank you all so much. My wife isn’t much of a camper but I eagerly await showing the BWCA to my sons as they “age in” to it. Scouting the area and figuring out what works for their future trips is a big motivator for me.

My paddle partner was totally fired up to catch a Laker and I told him that if I actually caught one, I’d do a backflip. For all our fishing struggles, that fish just blew my mind.

So blessed. There’ll never be another first trip, but I can’t wait for the second!