Not much detail.

The article is updated. Was a soloist and was wearing a PFD.

Darn. Ice out is only a few days old and it has already begun.

Some FB posts, but nothing informative. Yet.

Sorry to hear this. Its unfortunate but every year people run into major mishaps. Best to the persons family for this tragic loss.

Terrible news

T

sad news

so sad.so many people lose their life at that location.

2024-one year ago in May

USFS finds canoeist body-very sad


ELY — A canoeist was found dead by U.S. Forest Service employees in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on Saturday.

According to a news release from the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office, USFS employees reported the location of a capsized canoe on Iron Lake north of Ely in the BWCAW at approximately 2:17 p.m.


After investigating the scene further, the USFS employees found a deceased individual wearing a life jacket, and their gear floating near the canoe.

The body was removed from the area via seaplane.

So sad. Be careful out there my friends.

Sobering and humbling. Thoughts and prayers to all involved.

Fox9 news, twin cities, had a report this morning and showed a map that included the Iron Lake off the gunflint trail, where the campground is located. Their report was of a solo canoeist, gear and no life jacket.

Where do people get their news?!

Mocha: "Fox9 news, twin cities, had a report this morning and showed a map that included the Iron Lake off the gunflint trail, where the campground is located. Their report was of a solo canoeist, gear and no life jacket.
Where do people get their news?!"

WDIO Duluth reports that st Louis county responded to this event. There is a very deceptive current right before the portage on the iron lake side. Many canoes have swamped here. Deadly in this cold water

Mocha: "Fox9 news, twin cities, had a report this morning and showed a map that included the Iron Lake off the gunflint trail, where the campground is located. Their report was of a solo canoeist, gear and no life jacket.


Where do people get their news?!"

Star Tribune reported the guy was found in the BW with a pdf. Fox News? Nope.

Mocha: "Fox9 news, twin cities, had a report this morning and showed a map that included the Iron Lake off the gunflint trail, where the campground is located. Their report was of a solo canoeist, gear and no life jacket.


Where do people get their news?!"

Omg, say nothing if you can't get the facts
straight. Or say you don't know.

I feel lucky Old Bud was there when I flipped there in 2012 about the same time of year. Had he not helped me to shore I’d have been the same way. I too was wearing a life vest… but the current pushed me out and I couldn’t swim and when he got me to shore I couldn’t stand right away… bumabu… thank you brother!!!

BWCA individual I.D.

ELY — The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office on Sunday identified a canoeist found dead in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness as Robert Sydney James, 62, of St. Louis Park, Minnesota.

According to a news release from the sheriff's office, U.S. Forest Service employees reported the location of a capsized canoe on Iron Lake north of Ely in the BWCAW at approximately 2:17 p.m. Saturday.

Prayers to all concerned and family.

Hey Ben.. would you mind calling me about that particular area? I'm writing about this fatality for the outdoors pages of the Minnesota Star Tribune: 612-590-5973,
Tony Kennedy. Thanks!

jwartman59: "There is a very deceptive current right before the portage on the iron lake side. Many canoes have swamped here. Deadly in this cold water"

Can you expand on this? I'm heading that way in the fall and planned to cross the portage from Iron to Crooked. My understanding is that on the Iron side, there is a landing in the bay on the south side away from the main current channel. I had planned to just take that and play it safe. Am I understanding that option correctly as a way to mitigate the risk in this area?

I feel so bad for the family of this person and pray for the family/friends left behind.

Tomcat: "Yes you can avoid the turbulent water by taking the longer portage extension.

This thread address the portage extension around Curtain Falls. "

Thank you for confirming Tomcat, and the link.

I don't want to hijack the thread anymore than this. Again, my condolences to the family and friends of this person. Be safe all.

Very sad. Thank you for posting.

My sincerest condolences to the friends and family of this man. I hope it comforts the victim's friends and family in some small way that he died doing what he loved in one of the most beautiful places in the wilderness.

TonyK: "Hey Ben.. would you mind calling me about that particular area? I'm writing about this fatality... (deleted the rest)
"

Can we get a Mod to take this down? It's disrespectful.

Thoughts and prayers to all involved.

Eagle98mn and anyone going from Iron to Crooked...Take the "longer" route for the portage in the bay to the south. Not much longer but much-much-much safer. Countless times over the years I've gathered up gear-canoes-people that have tried to push through the Curtain Falls current to the landing in question, while fishing in the flow water away from the landing. People lose gear, scare everyone involved, put those that help in danger...just not worth it. Yes, I've made it through a number of time and saw others make it as well, but the risk isn't worth the reward.

Just before the portage landing there is a swath of relatively swift current adjacent to an eddy flowing towards the landing. Where the eddy and the current meet there is an innocuous looking fold in the water, a "horsetail" just a few inches high. If you get your boat on top of that horsetail it becomes very unstable while being subjected to flows in two different directions. Really easy to turn over as you try and respond to novel forces.

You can kind of see the current in this old YouTube video (timestamped):

Curtain Falls portage current

The first time we went through there, we dug in hard but did not make it. The eddy spun us around and we stopped paddling and let it push us back out.

The next canoe in our group did the same but didn't stop fighting which led to them being dumped.

Nice video. Easy to see how someone could get into a bad spot.

That seems like such a terrible spot for a portage, why don't they move it? Or at least make the other one an official mapped route?

plmn: "That seems like such a terrible spot for a portage, why don't they move it? Or at least make the other one an official mapped route?"

The longer route which begins in that little bay on Iron Lake is mapped on Mckenzie in addition to the shorter route that begins in the swift current. It's just a matter of choosing the route that fits your skill level and/or conditions and water levels

eagle98mn: "

jwartman59: "There is a very deceptive current right before the portage on the iron lake side. Many canoes have swamped here. Deadly in this cold water"

Can you expand on this? I'm heading that way in the fall and planned to cross the portage from Iron to Crooked. My understanding is that on the Iron side, there is a landing in the bay on the south side away from the main current channel. I had planned to just take that and play it safe. Am I understanding that option correctly as a way to mitigate the risk in this area?


I feel so bad for the family of this person and pray for the family/friends left behind."

Yes, there is an easy to find portage landing in the bay. That is always what I take when solo, no mater the time of year.

Pinetree: "so sad.so many people lose their life at that location."

. I’ve noticed that too. Beautiful location hides a deadly secret.