How ya doin', Big John Galt, man of the north? Stay in the BWCA much longer and Minnesotans will expect you to emerge accompanied by big, blue ox.

Was blessed to have been able to meet and sit down with John Wednesday evening.Thoroughly enjoyed chatting with and getting to know such a kindred spirit & fascinating individual. Hoping to stay in touch throughout his winter campout.

Haha

Loving life, it's hard not to up here. Awaiting the delivery of a piece of gear before heading back in (likely ~30th though I don't have a permit yet). Trying to wrap my head around the gear I'll need for this winter & the budget it will require, very excited for the winter up here. Just picked a modest helping of berries, so good!

TuscaroraBorealis: "Was blessed to have been able to meet and sit down with John Wednesday evening.Thoroughly enjoyed chatting with and getting to know such a kindred spirit & fascinating individual. Hoping to stay in touch throughout his winter campout."

o

It was great meeting you as well - looking forward to the next time!

Write a book

What Stumpy said, but for a warm up, do an MPR interview.

Whatever you do, I'm happy to read that you're loving your wild life.

Stumpy: "Write a book"

A daunting prospect haha. I started putting pen to paper err fingers to screen a few weeks back though I set it down for a while after covering a bit of personal grief/regret which rocked me pretty good emotionally (funny how much more deeply things like grief process when trying to write about them). It is probably about time for me to pick it back up again. I was thinking about this after reading your comment last night & idk, I'm thinking if/when it is completed I'll just release it for free rather than trying to profit with publishing, sharing > zeros.

Will the first line of the book be "Who is John Galt?"

gotwins: "Will the first line of the book be "Who is John Galt?""

...
...
...
I may have to rewrite the start hahaha.
Of course, it starts with 'Howdy!' Lmao. Howdy starts the intro to the book, the first section though is 'How did I get here?', stemming from this song, which has been one of my anthems:

https://youtu.be/5IsSpAOD6K8

That is an excellent song. Also, I've never read Atlas Shrugged, just know about the first line of the book, especially after seeing it plastered all over women's yogapants bags from Leululemon.

gotwins: "That is an excellent song. Also, I've never read Atlas Shrugged, just know about the first line of the book, especially after seeing it plastered all over women's yogapants bags from Leululemon."

It's on leululemon pants? Wtf? Hahaha.

The book is a bit long & could have been shorter. There is a movie series of two/three movies which may be of interest to you.

That song fits so well when basically living out of a tent in the wilderness :)

One of my other jams: Its a beautiful day

It works wonderfully for days that are remarkable for both testing oneself & enjoyment. If it is sunny & pleasant, I give thanks. If it is rainy & buggy, I give thanks. Rain makes the sunshine that much more enjoyable & vice-versa.

Not on the yoga pants, but on the bags they would have at the stores. I guarantee 99% of their clientele had no idea what Atlas Shrugged was.

JohnGalt: "

gotwins: "That is an excellent song. Also, I've never read Atlas Shrugged, just know about the first line of the book, especially after seeing it plastered all over women's yogapants bags from Leululemon."

It's on leululemon pants? Wtf? Hahaha.

The book is a bit long & could have been shorter. There is a movie series of two/three movies which may be of interest to you.

That song fits so well when basically living out of a tent in the wilderness :)

One of my other jams: Its a beautiful day

It works wonderfully for days that are remarkable for both testing oneself & enjoyment. If it is sunny & pleasant, I give thanks. If it is rainy & buggy, I give thanks. Rain makes the sunshine that much more enjoyable & vice-versa. "

Loved the second jam, especially the unexpected cat "drop in" at 1 min 40. Sounds like the nomad life is treating you well. Hope we can cross paths sometime...I'll keep my eyes peeled for Black Betty.

It was a pleasure meeting up with both John Galt and TuscaroraBorealis on the 19th. Sorry I wasn't able to get a beer with you, but the service at Sir G's was so slow that night.... Good luck on your winter plans!

mirth: "It was a pleasure meeting up with both John Galt and TuscaroraBorealis on the 19th. Sorry I wasn't able to get a beer with you, but the service at Sir G's was so slow that night.... Good luck on your winter plans!"

Thank you, mirth!
It was nice meeting you as well, if only briefly.
I hope you & your troop had a blast :)

Our group of 16 were in Grand Marais this September when John Galt texted me. He was outside the restaurant. We had a great time talking to him. He has really nailed down self sufficiency in the BWCA. Looking forward to meeting with him again

He was a pleasure to meet at wing night as well… Very much the human being many try to be! May his winter be the best it can be…

Howdy ockycamper & nctry - Happy belated Thanksgiving!

Thank you for the kind words, it was an pleasure to make your acquaintance as well & I look forward to our paths crossing again in the near future.

ockycamper - How did your trip go? Did you have fine weather & catch stringers full of fish?

Things are going well on my end. Made it safely back to my winter camp yesterday after visiting friends/family for Thanksgiving. Stopped by Costco & filled my SUV to the gills. One more trip to town for some remaining groceries/etc. & I should be set for the season.

JohnGalt: "Howdy ockycamper & nctry - Happy belated Thanksgiving!


Thank you for the kind words, it was an pleasure to make your acquaintance as well & I look forward to our paths crossing again in the near future.


ockycamper - How did your trip go? Did you have fine weather & catch stringers full of fish?


Things are going well on my end. Made it safely back to my winter camp yesterday after visiting friends/family for Thanksgiving. Stopped by Costco & filled my SUV to the gills. One more trip to town for some remaining groceries/etc. & I should be set for the season.











"

I am totally impressed with your set up. Where are you camped at?

The group that met with you broke into 3 camps. We caught the most fish this year we have in years. The guys in my camp brought back 9-10 large small mouth and walleye every day they went out. Very nice weather.

We will be back up there September 3rd week next year. Would like to meet up with you again and hear about your adventures

ockycamper: "I am totally impressed with your set up. Where are you camped at?


The group that met with you broke into 3 camps. We caught the most fish this year we have in years. The guys in my camp brought back 9-10 large small mouth and walleye every day they went out. Very nice weather.


We will be back up there September 3rd week next year. Would like to meet up with you again and hear about your adventures"

Thanks :). A good deal of gear selection was based upon the wise advice of members on this board &, so far, it has been perfect. My camp is off of Moose Lake Road, closer to the road than the lake to be nearer to the outhouse haha.

Good to hear you did well with the fish & had fine weather :). Third week of Sept next year I will likely be in the process of reassembling my winter camp, assuming this winter goes well. We will need to keep in touch & perhaps I can make my way to meet up with you lot again before your adventure begins.

ockycamper:

I am totally impressed with your set up. Where are you camped at?


The group that met with you broke into 3 camps.

From what little I know of John I bet he has cameras watching his place and driveway in with his starlink.

Wow, I was going to say John you need to change your name. But the Happy Glamper I think is already taken… haha!!!

Stay warm and safe. I may come find you in the spring!

JohnGalt: "closer to the road than the lake to be nearer to the outhouse haha."

I honestly don't get the drift. Nearer to who's outhouse?

ha ha

uqme2: "

JohnGalt: "closer to the road than the lake to be nearer to the outhouse haha."

I honestly don't get the drift. Nearer to who's outhouse?

ha ha
"

Why Santa’s outhouse of course!

LindenTree: "From what little I know of John I bet he has cameras watching his place and driveway in with his starlink."

Lmao...Opsec

nctry: "Wow, I was going to say John you need to change your name. But the Happy Glamper I think is already taken… haha!!!
Stay warm and safe. I may come find you in the spring!"

Guilty as charged haha. If I'm going to be camped in one spot for half the year, I'm going to make that camp comfy :). Thank you for the well wishes & looking forward to seeing you in the spring if it comes to pass!

uqme2: "
I honestly don't get the drift. Nearer to who's outhouse?
ha ha
"

'My' outhouse, of course! I'm camped at a closed-for-the-season campground & the owners winterized the plumbing, so my latrine is a luxurious outhouse.



Had a bit of a whoopsie earlier today. Fortunately, the melted bit is unimportant & it was a relatively cheap lesson. The rain cap spark arrester had become clogged over time &, as I have an in-line spark arrester, I removed it this morning. Got a fire going & didn't consider that the stove pipe would get so hot as it had been running colder due to restricted airflow at the cap. I allowed myself to get distracted with the damper open & the pipe was cooking when I noticed it was a bit warm haha.

Glad you are settled in. I hope there are some great Auroras for you to photograph!

Looks like the beginning of a burnt marshmallow on the tent!

I’ll let you know when I’m in town this winter.

What a great set up! You are obviously well prepared.

You might not know this, but Bear Paulsen and his wife and son are wintering in the BW as well right now. I'm not sure, but I think they might be on Gillis. I believe they went in early Oct and are coming out at the end of Feb.

It would be fun if you somehow crossed paths. They would be a great hang.

Have a wonderful time in there.

Zulu: "Glad you are settled in. I hope there are some great Auroras for you to photograph!
Looks like the beginning of a burnt marshmallow on the tent!
I’ll let you know when I’m in town this winter."

Thanks Zulu!
Last night was touted to be a good night for the aurora though I did not see any with the naked eye when I stepped out at random points throughout the night. The moon was pretty bright & I think that played a part. Idk if it is just my perception, though it seems that whenever there are media reports of potential aurora the air traffic seems to pick up on those evenings, I'm assuming it is folks taking a flight to try & see the aurora though I could be making something out of nothing..

It does kind of look like burnt marshmallow haha

Looking forward to seeing you if you make it up this way :)

OneMatch: "What a great set up! You are obviously well prepared.
You might not know this, but Bear Paulsen and his wife and son are wintering in the BW as well right now. I'm not sure, but I think they might be on Gillis. I believe they went in early Oct and are coming out at the end of Feb.
It would be fun if you somehow crossed paths. They would be a great hang.
Have a wonderful time in there."

Thanks :) Being camped in one place at the edge of the BW has its advantages - one being not needing to take everything down & move it haha.

I was unaware of the Paulsens being in the BW for the winter. That is pretty impressive if they are staying in the BW proper, harvesting wood alone would be a tremendous chore. I'll need to look up Gillis & see if it would be feasible. Last I looked, Moose Lake hadn't frozen up yet. I imagine the late ice-up has interrupted more than a few travel plans.

Edit: Just checked the map & Gillis would be quite the hike from Moose.

The Space Weather Aurora site predicted a good show earlier yesterday then lowered the prediction in early evening. The media appeared to not get that message and hyped it all evening.

Tonight’s prediction has a bit more promise as of now.

I hope to get up there for Ely Winterfest or sooner. We could have lunch. The restaurants are few but I always liked the lunch specials at Grand Ely Lodge.

See you!

8:02pm Space Weather predicting just got better! Hope you see them!

Yo John, As others have said, Awesome setup! And apparently you are learning some lessons along the way. Do you have power and running water too?
It will be very interesting to hear of your winter experience next summer on my annual visit to the BW. I'm definitely carving out a day for a campfire visit with you and some whiskey. Though it might be a good single malt scotch that I prefer.
Enjoy your winter camp. It's much more luxurious than any winter camping that I've done. Though we might have had that much firewood for the bonfire. (and a magnesium engine case or two)
Tim

BonzSF: "Yo John, As others have said, Awesome setup! And apparently you are learning some lessons along the way. Do you have power and running water too?
It will be very interesting to hear of your winter experience next summer on my annual visit to the BW. I'm definitely carving out a day for a campfire visit with you and some whiskey. Though it might be a good single malt scotch that I prefer.
Enjoy your winter camp. It's much more luxurious than any winter camping that eve done. Though we might have had that much firewood for the bonfire. (and a magnesium engine case or two)
Tim"

This post prompted a memory. We ran into some guys in the BWCA that did in fact have running water. They ran a hose from the lake to the tree their gravity filter was in. Had a battery operated pump that filled the grey water bag. When it was running low, they turned on the pump to fill it back up.

We bring Ankers charging bricks with us. But I think John has Ecoflow Delta inverters. I have two Deltas at the house but they are way too heavy for me to bring up.

okee dokee

I know that many, maybe most, go to the BWCA to see how many miles they can cover and go ultra light. For myself and some of the guys in our group, it is a "testing ground" for gear that we would like to try out in a wilderness setting of a survival/prepping nature. That's why John and his adventures so interest me. I think we can learn a lot from him on how to be self sufficient if the need arose.

ockycamper: "I know that many, maybe most, go to the BWCA to see how many miles they can cover and go ultra light. For myself and some of the guys in our group, it is a "testing ground" for gear that we would like to try out in a wilderness setting of a survival/prepping nature. That's why John and his adventures so interest me. I think we can learn a lot from him on how to be self sufficient if the need arose."

Agreed... John already has good wisdom on things. But if he shares real life issues with equipment, portages, and other things. He will increasingly be a good source of things that not only work... but total failures.
My spring trips were usually geared towards dry running my winters adjustments to my gear, food and my fitness. As we age our need to adjust even our trips to our abilities may rise... unless your magicpaddler... haha!

Big John Galt, how is it going with this cold period the last 7-10 days? Staying warm?

Nodakpaddler: "Big John Galt, how is it going with this cold period the last 7-10 days? Staying warm?"

Howdy Nodakpaddler!
As expected, the pine marten & squirrel were not very active recently, though they did stop by a couple of days ago. While the temp has definitely dropped, being fairly well acclimated has made it not too big of a fuss. If I was out hiking or something I'd want to toss on some long johns & I wear gloves now when getting wood though the cold hasn't posed any significant issues thus far. The Arctic Oven tent has been great. I imagine a traditional, single-walled, tent would be far less comfortable as I can see the frost which is being kept out of my living quarters & am thankful that it is. Most difficult recent issue has been keeping perishables at the proper temperature - my coffee creamer is a block of ice every morning, even though I now keep it just inside the door of the tent. An inside cooler is on my to-do list though I cannot say I am in a rush to do anything these days, it is quite blissful to be in this little enclave away from it all.
It was funny the other day when the pine marten stopped by. It stuck its head into the air intake of the tent & glanced around. It caught sight of my coyote fur hat & I've never seen it move so fast haha.
Also, the performance of the Starlink receiver has been impressive to me. I still have not turned on the snow-melt feature & there is a big icicle connecting the dish to the ground. No issues with service, thankfully.
Hope you're having a great new year - Cheers!

John Galt was a great American movie.