New Trip Report posted by bear bait

Trip Name: The Kawishiwi

Entry Point: 37

Click Here to View Trip Report

report

Outstanding Photography! Thanks for taking us on your journey!

Yeah, those pics were a real treat and an inspiration. Some of my favorite areas in the BWCA are along the Kawishiwi River. You captured it and the wildlife who call it home, very well.

Wow, if my pictures are only half as good as yours on my trip, I will be a happy woman! Well, okay, 3/4 as good. LOL.

What's the story with the portage yoke? Did it get stolen while you were tripping?

Not only great pictures but very good composition! I really enjoyed looking at them. What kind of equipment do you use?

the portage yoke?

maybe i shouldn't say stolen, but i'm still pissed about it. since the canoe is a solo design you need a removable yoke, so after i made the portage from beaver to adams lake i removed the yoke and loaded the gear and was off to my camp on adams lake. when i arrived i noticed i had forgotten the yoke at the portage. it was late and the winds were picking up so i decided to wait until the morning to pick it up before i continued on to boulder and the 3 letter lakes. i got to the portage around 8am the next morning and it was gone. i thought for sure that if someone saw it they would just lay it off to the side like you see all the hats, fishing poles, and water bottles people forget. nope. gone. maybe it wasn't technically stolen from me, but who would think it wouldn't be missed and came back for. i mean it's a pretty essential peace of gear for the bwca. my canoe is light but like all canoes its awkward and painful to carry it any other way then on your shoulders. i rigged up my short spare paddle with some bungee dealees and wrapped my life jacket around it and it kinda worked. it dug into my neck and i kinked my back trying to compensate. my loop was over. i slowly made my way back by taking only 1 or 2 portages and then stopping for the night. fortunately i ran into some very simpathitic campers who helped me carry the canoe across a couple portages.

anyway, thank you all for your kind words for my trip report.

willy, i use a nikon d200 slr and nikon lenses; 80-400mm, 18-35mm, 50mm, 105mm macro. i also brought my old tripod with the 3rd section of the legs removed.

That is very weird...you'd think it would have still been there, for sure. Bummer!

Great pictures but 17 pounds or 15% of your total wieght (yes, I'm an accountant) was in camera gear. Not sure I would be willing to pack that much even if I could come anywhere close to your quality.

On my Merlin I use a cheap set of Menards Tool Shop ratcheting clamps to attach my yoke. They are tied to the yoke with about a foot of string to keep them from getting lost. When I remove my yoke, I immediately clamp one of them to the front thwart to keep it from getting left behind or getting separated from the canoe if I swamp.

jdevries,
if you think about it, 15% of weight in equipment you use 75% of the time your up there is pretty good. if i'm not eating, sleeping or pooping i'm out taking or looking for pictures. whereas my tent, sleeping bag, mat, pillow and long underwear are probably around the same weight and i only use those 6 maybe 7 hours a day:)

Lots of great pictures! I'm sorry to hear about the yoke. It's an odd thing for someone to take. Maybe they meant well but were confused? Who knows.

When I first started to go to the Quetico area in the mid-70s when I was 10, we carried Grumman canoes with two paddles wedged in the thwarts to create a flat surface to sit on your shoulders. I couldn't carry a Grumman like that at age 10, but I could a couple years later. When I saw a proper portage yoke a year to two after that, I thought it was cheating. Now there are nice thick pads etc. Obviously, you need something (two things, really) so that the canoe can sit evenly on both shoulders, but your report got me thinking about how we used to do that with just our paddles. Were we smart, or just dumb?

Very, very fine pictures.

Sorry about the yoke - strange that. Like Ho Ho I've carried 100# Grummen canoes with no yokes - just jammed paddles and a life jacket, no fun at all.

Beautiful pictures!

Stunning photos!! Bummer about the portage yoke :-(

Great photography!

Fantastic photos!

Beautiful pictures. This has caused another spike in my eagerness to get back up there.

nice report!

Great photos.

How did you calculate your average speed? Did it include portages?

Very good report and neat to read of your adventure. Cool Pics
SunCatcher

thanks

rafa, i bought a new toy before the trip - garmin 60csx, or as i call it, the stat tracker. i'd turn it on when i left in the morning and then write down the info as soon as i got to the next camp each day. yes, it does include the portages.