New Trip Report posted by dring

Trip Name: Mudro, LBF, Crooked, Papoose Creek Fourtown in a kayak.

Entry Point: 22

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Great report! I love reading about Friday bay. It puts me back there mentally.

I was so jealous of every kayaker I saw on the BW. I can hit 6 mph on a regular basis with my 13 footer. We were at best hitting 3 mph consistently with our 17' SR. Would have made our travel days that much shorter.

quote GearJunkie: "Great report! I love reading about Friday bay. It puts me back there mentally.

I was so jealous of every kayaker I saw on the BW. I can hit 6 mph on a regular basis with my 13 footer. We were at best hitting 3 mph consistently with our 17' SR. Would have made our travel days that much shorter."

How much do you really shorten your travel days, when you factor in portages? Do you travel mostly on big lakes where the extra speed makes a difference? And do you really want to minimize the time spent on the water? Maybe a canoeist just doesn't get it.... :-)

Nice report. I like a couple of things in particular:
"when you are doing a solo you need to be careful and strong"

That's soooo true. I also have to tell myself to slow down, especially early in a trip. Hurrying is as bad as complacency.

"I went a long way the first day to make sure I would not chicken out and return the next."

This seems to be theme lately among soloists here. I've experienced the pull to chicken out many times. But over time it gets weaker, so I guess it becomes a pullet ... no?

"Solos help you look inside yourself and can stengthen faith."

Amen, brother.

When you use a Mylar blanket do you find it tends to trap moisture?

Koda,
Yes the mylar can trap moisture, but the first night I had so many clothes on that I did not notice.

I know I would not chicken of the trip totally but I did not want to go any less than 4 days.

Good report! I really liked the pictures!

Nice report! Is that a homemade yoke set-up built into your pack?

Yes it is a homemade yoke setup. The only problem I have with it is the kayak has to be balanced right otherwise I have to hold the front of the kayak up to see well and my arms get tired.

quote Koda: "

quote GearJunkie: "Great report! I love reading about Friday bay. It puts me back there mentally.


I was so jealous of every kayaker I saw on the BW. I can hit 6 mph on a regular basis with my 13 footer. We were at best hitting 3 mph consistently with our 17' SR. Would have made our travel days that much shorter."

How much do you really shorten your travel days, when you factor in portages? Do you travel mostly on big lakes where the extra speed makes a difference? And do you really want to minimize the time spent on the water? Maybe a canoeist just doesn't get it.... :-)"

I do like time on the water, but our last trip was about 60 miles (adding portages and fishing trips). Ep 23 to Friday bay, then down basswood over to Ep 24. All big water. Not knocking the 17' SR at all, but a little more time relaxing would have been nice.

"Fixing my skirt in Canada", if I had a nickle every time I heard that.

Great report. Welcome to soloing. Next time will be much smoother.

Nice trip report. May I ask whose design is the kayak's?

Thanks for the Mylar blanket note. I bring a silk sleeping bag liner to add warmth to my setup. It weighs about a pound. I bet that Mylar blanket is mere ounces. Did you buy it or actually hang onto one from a road race?

I like the way you rapid-fire narrated everything as it happened. ANd I really like your list of lessons learned at the end of the report. What a great read. Makes me intrigued by Kayaks too-- the way they handle wind and waves. I am also impressed at your amazingly early mornings--and you dont even mention coffee. That is sort of a miracle.

The kayak is designed by Eric Schade it a from shearwater Boats. THe one I have is a Merganser 17.

Mylar blankets came from road races.

I believe when I am trekking or camping in the wilderness the mornings are the best time to fish see things and travel. I tried drinking coffee when I got married because I thought it was the grown up thing to do, but I never liked it much. If it tasted as good as it smelled I would love it. I have become somewhat of a freak when it comes to beverages. I drink water or once in a while beer. Thats it.

very nice trip report, going solo is the only way to go

dring, I was wondering how you portage your kayak? Do you prop it up on the back of your kayak or what? Thanks for a nice trip report

Dring,

Nice report and better yet nice boat. I built a Chesapeake 17 many years ago and have taken it to the BW on several occasions. Great trippin' boats stable and fast.



Do you have plans for the portage yoke or did you build it from scratch???

Nice TR. From Manitowoc also? I thought the closest person to me was Jackfish up by Green bay.

Nice boat.
I recently returned from my first BWCA trip and portaged my kayak. I, too, used a frame pack to carry the boat and found that a balance line run from bow to stern provides an excellent and easy way to alter the balance of the boat for an easy portage. The line can be held by your hand at any height, so arm strain is not an issue.

I plan to build a wooden kayak this winter, but am wondering 'bout storage capacity and hatch size. Did your gear get stored in hatches or on your frame on top of the boat?

Did you stain some of the wood or are those two different types of wood?

I did not stain the boat at all. Those were the natural colors of the wood. My hatches could have stored more but it was easier just to leave it in the backpack. I also connected a line to the rear of the kayak while poratging to keep the nose of the kayak up. I will go solo again in the future because of the way the kayak performed. Shearwater Boats Merganser 17.