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01/11/2023 02:21PM  
Got to wondering how many folks here have taken canoe trips before water filters, and stoves and silnylon and gps and...? This is not an argument against anything. I now own filters and stoves and take them and use them. But I spent a lot of days tripping in Minnesota, Ontario and Manitoba before I ever owned a filter or a stove.

Our canoes were heavy, our tents were both heavy, leaked were you touched them, and were not free-standing. I was canoeing for over 20 years before I ever brought a tarp. I drove to Flin Flon with a Rand McNally. No air mattress. I wore jeans and tennis shoes.

Some great trips anyway. Just curious how many others here have similar memories?
 
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01/11/2023 06:04PM  
Our BWCA adventures started 45 years ago. We have missed one year in that time because our kids summer schedules interfered. To make up for that we sometimes get as many as 3 trips in a summer. I feel cheated if we don't get at least 2.
 
cyclones30
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01/11/2023 06:32PM  
I'm only in my 30s and still remember drinking right out of the lake and having aluminum canoes and not great tents.
 
straighthairedcurly
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01/11/2023 08:55PM  
My first trip in BWCA was with an old army canvas tent...I can still smell it! Never filtered water, though water filters existed (only backpackers used them when drinking from mountain streams). We had white gas stoves for our Canadian trips...another smell that stays with me, especially after some bottles leaked into our food. GPS? I still don't use GPS, can't figure out why I would need to.
 
Ahahn366
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01/12/2023 12:51PM  
I can remember the cup tied to the alumacraft and the cured pork belly dad would have me humping out there.
 
01/12/2023 01:29PM  
My virgin trip into Quetico was in 1997. I wore jeans, t-shirt and tennis shoes. I used a small day pack, and a 5-gallon bucket for gear. The bucket doubled as a chair, so that was nice, but it was not fun to portage. We treated our drinking water with Polar Pure iodine crystals. Today, we filter it. Our cooking was done with Coleman dual-fuel burners so we wouldn't have to worry about fire bans. Still use them.

I quickly learned that camping in Quetico was nothing like camping and paddling streams in Arkansas. But I loved it so much, I soon invested in the proper equipment and have gone back almost every year since.

I could go on, but I won't. I'm just anxious to get back to Quetico in July after a few years off. Come on summer!

Terry

 
RetiredDave
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01/12/2023 05:42PM  
I first started canoeing with the Boy Scouts up at the Region 7 Canoe Base in northern Wisconsin in 1962. We drank from the lakes and slept in leaky canvas tents (yes, the smell of a canvas tent on a hot, sunny day - seared in my scent memories forever!) I hadn't yet grown my adult muscles and the heavy aluminum canoes and monstrous canvas packs nearly brought me to tears at times (and the leeches!) We cooked over open fires, told ghost stories around the fire at night, and learned so much about the great north woods and lakes, and ourselves. By the end I was smitten. First trip to Quetico was in 1972.

I finally started using a filter just a few years ago after joining this forum and reading the pros and cons. I do always filter now, but it wouldn't bother me to dip my cup in the middle of the lake if I needed a quick drink.

Dave
 
01/14/2023 09:54AM  
We did a 700 mile trip from Labrador to the Arctic coast using ungainly old town trippers, timberline tents. No stove, no gun in spite of the slight chance of a polar bear. No communication. We were on our own for 40 days. Navigation was with the queens 1:250000 scale maps. It was a giant river so we weren’t going to get lost. This was a scary trip, we were always in hearing distance of huge rapids or falls. Most not on the map. Only several groups per year would do this river. The Mounties were looking for a reason to not let us go. The prior year they recovered three drowning victims.

Besides our royalex canoes this was an old school trip. Very little information was available about this river. With todays technology a trip like this is no longer possible. I feel lucky that I was around before gps, radios high tech gear. Maybe I’m a stubborn Norwegian, I still frown on skate skiing. My 1941 canoe weighs 65 pounds and I don’t care.
 
01/14/2023 01:05PM  
jwartman59: " I still frown on skate skiing. "


Skate skiing in the BWCA/Quetico is sublime.
Absolute joy and freedom-soaring.
 
cyclones30
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01/14/2023 02:58PM  
Banksiana: "
jwartman59: " I still frown on skate skiing. "



Skate skiing in the BWCA/Quetico is sublime.
Absolute joy and freedom-soaring. "



I skate w/ my classic boots and skis when the conditions allow.

But that seems like it's only a rare time here or there when that's the case.

This winter getting enough snow to ski at all is the issue
 
01/14/2023 03:11PM  
Sorry for the Hijack.

In the area around Ely we usually get two to four weeks a year where the sun clears or crusts the snow on the lakes and you can skate for mile after mile- a four or five day canoe trip covered in an afternoon. It is some of the best skiing possible. Positively grin inducing.

Outside of the season of crust, skating requires a wide groomed trail. In general skating works best in the high twenties or on a solid corn base. When its colder classic rules. Dedicated skate equipment is a significant boost in function.
 
01/15/2023 11:10AM  
Banksiana: "
jwartman59: " I still frown on skate skiing. "



Skate skiing in the BWCA/Quetico is sublime.
Absolute joy and freedom-soaring. "



I see quite a few similarities between technology advances in canoe/camping gear and Nordic ski equipment. Many people are out skiing with their 1970s wood skis and could care less about the upgrades in most all areas of ski design. When I harrumph at skate skiers what I am critical of is the loss of knowledge on waxing and the intimate understanding of snow that classic requires. I love waxing for classic skiing. I’m heading out today and getting the wax right will be based on my 50 years of skiing.

Many people still enjoy the bwca with their heavy outdated aluminum canoes. People forget it’s the experience that matters not how high tech your gear may be
 
01/15/2023 12:29PM  
jwartman59: "
I see quite a few similarities between technology advances in canoe/camping gear and Nordic ski equipment. Many people are out skiing with their 1970s wood skis and could care less about the upgrades in most all areas of ski design. When I harrumph at skate skiers what I am critical of is the loss of knowledge on waxing and the intimate understanding of snow that classic requires. I love waxing for classic skiing. I’m heading out today and getting the wax right will be based on my 50 years of skiing.


Many people still enjoy the bwca with their heavy outdated aluminum canoes. People forget it’s the experience that matters not how high tech your gear may be"


I'm a dyed in the wool (and generally wool clad) classic skier. I believe skate skiing is easier to become skilled at though the aerobic barrier to entry can be troublesome. Most folks never really master classic- more shuffling around with long skinny shoes than skiing.

However your notion that skating does not require a knowledge of waxing is incorrect. Glide waxing for skate skiing is as detailed and experience driven as kick waxing for classic with the advantage that all the glide wax experience you glean makes your classic skis glide that much better. I skate when skating works better than classic. If classic is good that is my choice, but in these times of diminishing winter skating offers a way to get on the snow when classic is simply not feasible.
 
01/15/2023 01:00PM  
No objection to the hijack, I find this discussion interesting, but I do confess that I have no idea what you all are talking about. :-) Not much skiing in Arkansas, (except water skiing).
 
gravelroad
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01/15/2023 04:21PM  
Traveler: "No objection to the hijack, I find this discussion interesting, but I do confess that I have no idea what you all are talking about. :-) Not much skiing in Arkansas, (except water skiing)."


Next time around, you can shock your Razorback pals while you watch the Winter Olympics in 2026. They do not need to know how you came by this knowledge. ;-)

Skate Skiing Techniques Explained
 
MoosilaukeJohnny
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01/15/2023 04:47PM  
Back in 1976 when I guided out of Gunflint Lodge...we all just drank straight from the lakes and rivers. Never a problem with the water...but my "guide's tent" (basically a rubberized canvas tube), leaked like a sieve, and smelled horrible! Also it was not uncommon to heft 200 lbs. per carry (heavy boat plus heavy Duluth pack).

Back here with my wife two years ago to head up the Granite from Gunflint Lodge, we now had our lightweight Sawyer filter, great tent that did not leak, and a canoe that was light enough for these old bones to carry!

Will try to get up there again in a couple years (at age 70), for another trip!

 
Voyager
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01/16/2023 09:50AM  
My first BW trip was out of Moose Lake 1968. "Nuff said".
 
flytyer
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01/18/2023 01:50PM  
Yep, heavy canvas tents. Oh, the drinking water-in 1956 purify with Halazone tablets. Then wait 30 minutes, shake the bottle with lid partly open to 'purify' the threads. Tasted awful.
 
CRL
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01/18/2023 09:53PM  
jwartman59: "We did a 700 mile trip from Labrador to the Arctic coast using ungainly old town trippers, timberline tents. No stove, no gun in spite of the slight chance of a polar bear. No communication. We were on our own for 40 days. Navigation was with the queens 1:250000 scale maps. It was a giant river so we weren’t going to get lost. This was a scary trip, we were always in hearing distance of huge rapids or falls. Most not on the map. Only several groups per year would do this river. The Mounties were looking for a reason to not let us go. The prior year they recovered three drowning victims.


Besides our royalex canoes this was an old school trip. Very little information was available about this river. With todays technology a trip like this is no longer possible. I feel lucky that I was around before gps, radios high tech gear. Maybe I’m a stubborn Norwegian, I still frown on skate skiing. My 1941 canoe weighs 65 pounds and I don’t care. "


Love to hear more about that trip. Was it with Widji, Menogyn, etc. or a personal trip? And yes, I still rock a Timberline from time to time...
 
saltdog
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01/19/2023 08:31AM  
All the talk about heavy canvas tents and the smell brings back great memories of camping with my dad on Coxey's Pond in the early 60's. We filtered our water through a red bandana to get out most of the "squigglies"
 
01/20/2023 04:21PM  
My dad went camping in the BWCA in the late 70's, early 80's and they drank straight out of the lake. He used to tell me about how coolaid mix was important so they could dye the water and see the "squigglies" they needed to pick out. They would boil sometimes though too.

I don't think you can really compare then to now though. Gardia is easily spread by people and the water was actually safer back in those days. This is why they don't want people taking a leak too close to shore. This is why the whole argument of how people "used to" drink straight from the lake is flawed. Sure, it used to be safe to do so, but that doesn't mean it is still safe today.
 
01/20/2023 05:55PM  
I started in the pre-filter days. I now use a gravity filter with a back-up pump. On calm sunny days, I don't hesitate to dip mid-lake on larger lakes, but I always start the day with 2 full nalgines of filtered water.
 
01/21/2023 09:34AM  
A1t2o: "My dad went camping in the BWCA in the late 70's, early 80's and they drank straight out of the lake. He used to tell me about how coolaid mix was important so they could dye the water and see the "squigglies" they needed to pick out. They would boil sometimes though too.


I don't think you can really compare then to now though. Gardia is easily spread by people and the water was actually safer back in those days. This is why they don't want people taking a leak too close to shore. This is why the whole argument of how people "used to" drink straight from the lake is flawed. Sure, it used to be safe to do so, but that doesn't mean it is still safe today."


Beaver and other mammals not people are the main route of giardia transmission in the B-dub. There is little evidence that giardia is more common in the B-dub now than in the 70s- filters on the other hand are much more common. Also giardia is not spread through urine, taking a leak in the lake while unappetizing is unlikely to be a route for pathogen distribution.
 
01/21/2023 11:08AM  
Our first trip was in 1971 and if you read the trip report you will see that we experienced many of the things you reference. And yes, we drank right out of the lake.

Did that for a while. But then my husband developed end-stage renal disease and our lives changed a great deal: the kidney diet changed what we ate, and we were more careful about clean water. Fourteen years ago today he had a kidney transplant, and we kept on canoe-tripping for five more years after that. Now we just go stay for a week in a cabin on the Gunflint, and probably the water in the cabin comes from Poplar Lake. (filtered, I presume.)

Never experienced giardia. Never wanted to either. Easy enough to drink clean water, IMHO.
 
rick00001967
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01/22/2023 07:23AM  
Traveler: "Got to wondering how many folks here have taken canoe trips before water filters, and stoves and silnylon and gps and...? This is not an argument against anything. I now own filters and stoves and take them and use them. But I spent a lot of days tripping in Minnesota, Ontario and Manitoba before I ever owned a filter or a stove.

Our canoes were heavy, our tents were both heavy, leaked were you touched them, and were not free-standing. I was canoeing for over 20 years before I ever brought a tarp. I drove to Flin Flon with a Rand McNally. No air mattress. I wore jeans and tennis shoes.

Some great trips anyway. Just curious how many others here have similar memories?"


my family never did canoe trips. but we did a lot of tent camping each summer, which lead to a small tent trailer, then a hard shell trailer, and eventually to cabins.

but i remember well using the old canvas tents as you describe. we also had what we called an "add-a-room" which was the floorless canvas / screen tent for eating or playing games etc.

those trips of course had water avail at the campgrounds. and the old man used to use one of those old coleman two burner stoves with the tank you pumped up. same with the lanterns. he used to pump them so hard they would always go BOOM when forst lit haha. no one was allowed to be any where near him when he was doing it. oy.

i did my first quetico trip in grade eight at 14 yrs of age. we were the first class in our city to be allowed by the school board to do a trip like this for our grad trip. it was awesome.

but we had never even heard of water filters. it was actually my idea to eliminate one of the supply sacks by getting each kid (and adult) to carry their own cutlery, plate, and cup etc. i would keep mine on my belt (i am sure cuz i must have seen a pic of a voyageur doing it lol) and would just dip it in the lake when ever i was thirsty. no one ever got sick. if we had used tablets to sterilize the water, there would probably have been more harm from the chemical than there was from that water.

my tent partner steve and i were the last in line to get our rental gear. everyone had each taken a sleeping bag just for themselves. the outfitter only had one left. so steve and i had to share. we were the only ones. it was mid june. it was pretty cold at night. and like you, we had no mattress or pads. we were right on the floor of that tent. brrrr.

someone above mentioned using Koolaid. i remember doing that as well in quetico. we would make a big pot of it each night. we would only drink it at night so we couldn't see all the stuff in it. we affectionately called it "bug juice". haha

i waited til my son was also 14 to return to that park. we re-traced just part of the route i took at 14. it then took me 14 more years to convince him to go back to the park again.

all these years later i am happy to be starting to get back to camping. got my mattress, my down bag, my water filter, my mini stove and fuel, kevlar canoe (not the 19 foot 90 pound beasts we took when i was a kid) etc etc.

i am certainly enjoying my short trips into the bush each summer, and look forward to this year again. but i don't think any trip will ever be as special to me as my grade eight trip. i cherish those memories.
 
grand806
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01/22/2023 04:06PM  
First trip with Boy Scouts 1964? Indianhead Council out of St. Paul, MN. We were fortunate in that our leaders were knowledgeable paddlers so that we did not have to go to the scout camp trips. Remember getting cool water by submerging the biggest pot with a rope out in the lake. Also remember "deep sixing" all of our tin cans. Open front Baker tents with no bug screen. Heavy ass aluminum canoes even heavier if the "float" was water logged. Gunwale jumping races and one mile swim in open water.
Also learned about teamwork, leadership and planning.
Below is a map from our 1967 trip to Northern Lights Lake.


 
01/23/2023 08:37AM  
I took my 10 year old son to Northern Light Lake back in the 90s. That was the best fishing! He hooked what we both thought was a log and I was backing up the canoe to try to get the lure off when it started to move. About 15 minutes later I lost the biggest pike I ever saw when it jumped off my gaff.

The comments about kool-aid reminds me of Tang. That's what we always took. In my earliest trips as a kid I took Fizzies!
 
RetiredDave
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01/24/2023 05:42PM  
Traveler:

The comments about kool-aid reminds me of Tang. That's what we always took. In my earliest trips as a kid I took Fizzies!"


Oh my gosh, Fizzies! Now THERE'S a blast from the past! Maybe I wasn't sacred enough to turn water into wine when I was a kid, but Fizzies turned water holy as far as I was concerned. I would love to taste a root beer Fizzie one more time (just a small taste).

Dave
 
blackdawg9
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02/01/2023 07:21AM  
i'm 47 now, my first trip was at 22. back then we use alot of iodine. when i went back with my wife at 30. i brought a filter. i think i'd rather boil and use iodine on clean water. maybe i still bring a filter .idk
 
02/01/2023 09:05AM  
Lightweight gear, but I still wear jeans today and still drink straight from the lake when out and about. I'll filter in camp.
 
02/01/2023 06:26PM  
First 25 trips drank right from the lake, BWCA and Quetico. Never gave it a thought but also never had an issue. Next half a dozen started to be more cautious about where we got the water from. Last 15 or so trips, filter all the time. Not worth the risk, I hear it is not much fun to get Giardia.

Back in the day (circa 1972) blue jeans or overalls, cotton socks, 70 lb. canoes, 2 man Timberline tents and a heavy cloth/flannel bag with a half inch foam pad under it. Coleman 1 burner propane stove which worked great but heavy and bulky. Crappy leather boots with little support that got wet and stayed wet. Rain gear was a poly poncho which left a lot to be desired. Tarps to huddle under in a storm, never even heard of them. Flashlights were the 2 D battery plastic crap that threw out about a whopping 25 lumens if you were lucky and either the batteries ran out or the switch broke. The only thing that hasn't changed is my love of the Northwoods and canoe camping.

Nowadays we always set up some version of this water station to make sure we have plenty of available water at all times. Convenient as heck with minimal work and encourages good hydration which can be a problem for folks up there.







This allows for 18 liters of filtered water available at full capacity. Nice to have. We use a Platypus system and have 2 filters but our original filter is still going strong after many years. We backflush it religiously after each bag filtered and sleep with it if it is going to be around freezing at night.

Great to reminisce but things are better these days...for the most part.
 
02/01/2023 07:48PM  
First trip 1966. Aluminum canoe, canvas tent, a very heavy food pack with lots of canned food, no stove but a reflector oven and never even heard of a filter.

Just as enjoyable then. However, modern gear makes it easier, especially for those getting older.
 
02/01/2023 08:38PM  
I started in canoe country in 1983 but in 84 did a solo for the first time. I had no filter so was careful where I got my water. I had no pfd but a boat cushion instead. I used a Coleman peak one stove and had a real nice 2 man tent from Sierra West. No canoe packs but had a nylon duffel bag and a backpack, and daypack.

Cotton work pants, wool socks and converse high tops that never dried out.

 
02/02/2023 06:01AM  
Started in ‘99. Until recently dipped straight from the lake but had iodine and a water filter pump along in case.

Now just filter because with the gravity filters it’s just so easy so why not?

Giardia cysts sink, UV light kills them, so the ole adage getting your water in the middle of a deep lake is pretty safe. Still to this day that is pretty safe. But sometimes you are camped on a shallow lake or a river or maybe you are wind bound and in that case your risk goes way up.

There was a previous poster that said giardia is mostly from humans. I think in third world countries that is true…where it is most prevalent in the world…but in the BWCA it’s the ole beaver fever that will get ya. Running water, streams, rapids, shallower water, wind swept shore, areas of high beaver activity all put you at higher risk. So even when filtering be careful with where you get water. Wind/rapids current stir up the water raising the giardia cysts up to where it can be scooped up or ingested.

Even with filtering you could still get it by just swimming and ingesting water. Nothing we can do to be 100% risk free just try to reduce risk and have a good time.

T
 
02/02/2023 06:19AM  
Dipped for 20 years no issues :)

 
02/02/2023 07:00AM  
A1t2o: "My dad went camping in the BWCA in the late 70's, early 80's and they drank straight out of the lake. He used to tell me about how coolaid mix was important so they could dye the water and see the "squigglies" they needed to pick out. They would boil sometimes though too.


I don't think you can really compare then to now though. Gardia is easily spread by people and the water was actually safer back in those days. This is why they don't want people taking a leak too close to shore. This is why the whole argument of how people "used to" drink straight from the lake is flawed. Sure, it used to be safe to do so, but that doesn't mean it is still safe today."


The water was safer in the 70s? The 70s were peak environmental miasma. Raw sewage and belching smokestacks everywhere. Unkept sceptic systems and people bathing in lakes using regular soap were the norm. Mining and forestry practices paid far less attention to the environment than today.

I'm very sorry. But the 'things are worse now' mindset and attendant advocacy seems wholly unsupportable by observable facts. There are entire industries above and beyond the environment committed to fundraising off five-alarm fires that were brought under control or extinguished long ago. That is not to say that we can afford to take our eye off the ball. But we need to keep it real and keep it honest.
 
02/02/2023 08:08AM  
As Argo said…conservation and environment concerns were abysmal until the 70’s…you couldn’t go into the Mississippi River in parts of MN as you could see human excrement floating on top. People take way better care of the BWCA now than they did in the 70’s, not because we are better now, just more aware. I believe motors (not 4 strokes but gas leaking old models) were still prevalent in much of the BWCA in the 70’s and I believe there were actually more people going to the BWCA back then…I am not sure how you could come to the conclusion water was “safer” to drink back then?

You can’t get Giardia from urine…and by the way in the 70’s it was okay to pee in the water. It was considered normal not frowned upon.

T
 
02/02/2023 11:27AM  
Yes...I was amazed back in the 1970s when we could put our face in the water and drink!!
I grew up just outside Chicago and I was afraid to even go in the water of the Des Plaines River and even Lake Michigan because of the pollution.
 
02/02/2023 12:27PM  
I can attest that having giardia isn’t real fun. Was on a trip and we were treating water, but I made the mistake of brushing my teeth with a cup off shore out of somewhat stagnant water. As soon as I did that I had a bad feeling, and a week and a half later, oh boy, that was something I’ll never tempt again. Went you to the doc, I knew what it was, and got 4 huge pills that I took all at once, killed it right away, but not after another trip or two to the bathroom. Best to leave it there.
 
gotwins
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02/02/2023 09:28PM  
Traveler: "I took my 10 year old son to Northern Light Lake back in the 90s. That was the best fishing! He hooked what we both thought was a log and I was backing up the canoe to try to get the lure off when it started to move. About 15 minutes later I lost the biggest pike I ever saw when it jumped off my gaff.


The comments about kool-aid reminds me of Tang. That's what we always took. In my earliest trips as a kid I took Fizzies!"


I did the same route in 1993 as a senior in High School! We had more than 9 in our church youth group, so we had to do Northern Lights Lake rather than the BWCA like the rest of our church groups did. We had a blast! I often times wonder if it would be as fun today as it was back then. We checked into Canada customs on a little island, i think we just had to have birth certificates back then. That trip was my first time sleeping out under the stars, one night there were no bugs and we had a great campsite with a gently sloping granite rock, and we pulled our sleeping bags and pad out and just slept on the rock. Sleeping under the stars is one of my favorite things after that trip!
 
02/06/2023 09:57AM  
My first trip was a week long in 1976:
1. sleeping bag was HUGE - did not roll up very small - did not have a sleeping matress
2. Drank right out of the lake, did not even boil the water for drinking
3. All cooking was done over the fire - put dish soap on the bottom of pans so we could clean off the black soot.
4. Did not have a tarp for cooking, etc. if it rained, you got wet
5. I miss the lake signs and canoe rests
6. You had to know how to use a map
7. Dehydrated food is so much better now.
 
MarshallPrime
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02/06/2023 12:40PM  
My 1st trip was in 2005.
17 trips later...

Used big sleeping bags....Now small, a little bigger than a gallon of milk.
Used a white gas stove, suitcase-style...now small ISOButane 1 burner backpack stoves, 2 per trip usually.
Drank right out of the lake....Still do, never a problem, just be smart. Never Boiled water to drink...ever. Collect from deep water, NEVER near shore/by river or stream
No camp chair or Canoe Seat....now BOTH
Used old heavy, army-type A Frame tent...now a light Nemo 4 person tent.
Used a kodak disposable camera...now my phone.

Those seem to be the major changes.
 
JohnGalt
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03/08/2023 02:16AM  
jwartman59: "We did a 700 mile trip from Labrador to the Arctic coast using ungainly old town trippers, timberline tents. No stove, no gun in spite of the slight chance of a polar bear. No communication. We were on our own for 40 days. Navigation was with the queens 1:250000 scale maps. It was a giant river so we weren’t going to get lost. This was a scary trip, we were always in hearing distance of huge rapids or falls. Most not on the map. Only several groups per year would do this river. The Mounties were looking for a reason to not let us go. The prior year they recovered three drowning victims.


Besides our royalex canoes this was an old school trip. Very little information was available about this river. With todays technology a trip like this is no longer possible. I feel lucky that I was around before gps, radios high tech gear. Maybe I’m a stubborn Norwegian, I still frown on skate skiing. My 1941 canoe weighs 65 pounds and I don’t care. "


Your experience reminds me of Lure of the Labrador. I was quite disappointed to find that the destination lake is now a reservoir. It seems the past is disappearing under the weight of the present...
 
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