Funny how things work out sometimes. Only last June 1st I was fishing for lakers on Knife Lake when I looked down the lake toward the east and thought to myself, "I could paddle all the way to Lake Superior from here". Later that month while at home and hearing all the threats of a possible MN state government shutdown, I decided that if the state shut down occurred then I would take the opportunity to do a long trip to the BWCA.

I quickly started researching the "Voyageurs" route and came upon BWCA.com where I learned some valuable info. The state did shut down and on July 1st I launched my canoe at International Falls and paddled 300 miles to Lake of Superior completing it July 16th.
Right away I decided that that trip was too short and I needed to find a longer paddle route. I found one!

Alaska Adventure

In a way, you're all responsible for helping me dream up this trip- THANK YOU!!

Holy awesomeness, Batman!!!! Is this solo? And do you have a trip report of your 300-mile trip from last summer?

This should be in the main forum; everyone will want to hear about it. IMO.

Nola, at this point I'm planning it as a solo- it's hard to find good Robin's.

No trip report written for the Voyageur Route.

I figured posting this under this forum was the most appropriate. Besides, I'm only a 4-tree'er so I thought I better not make too big of waves over on the Big Board (just kidding).

i assume you took the grand portage as a part of the voyageur route. i have often considered trying to paddle the section of the pigeon river the the voyageur route bypassed. the more i have seen of it the more i understand why the natives and the voyageurs made the long portage. i still wonder though.

your alaska trip looks excellent. some sections look menacing. the chilkoot pass will pose a problem but obviously many have done it before. not sure about the bering sea, i guess this will quality as an adventure. the tides in cook inlet are wicked, but now you know.

BeaV, congratulations on your your shutdown trip.
I too am looking forward to hearing more about this Alaska trip and how it goes.
I agree, this is a better forum for it.

quote jwartman59: "i assume you took the grand portage as a part of the voyageur route. i have often considered trying to paddle the section of the pigeon river the the voyageur route bypassed. the more i have seen of it the more i understand why the natives and the voyageurs made the long portage. i still wonder though."

Yes, I did exit the Pigeon River at the Grand Portage. Definately miss the best part of the river doing this, but I figured the voyageurs knew best.

Wow! So what dates are you shooting for?? I loved the picture of your AK cabin. I look forward to following along with the trip!

quote BWPaddler: "Wow! So what dates are you shooting for?? I loved the picture of your AK cabin. I look forward to following along with the trip!"

BWP,
Right now I'm shooting for a April 1, 2013 start. This date is based on when I think the Yukon River will be ice free minus 2 months for paddling time up the Inside Passage to reach the Yukon.

My Cabin- I've been wanting to get back there for years to see what became of it. It's on a river with gold deposits so it's possible that miners have used it or moose hunters during the August moose hunt.

I wonder if one of my sisters might have an interest in checking out your cabin... two sisters live in AK, one near Talkeetna is pretty adventurous. Her cabin is slightly bigger than yours but still only about 300 square feet (no water or electricity). :) Is your cabin on public land now? Accessibly mainly by river or land? Or maybe you wouldn't want anyone else visiting...

quote BWPaddler: "I wonder if one of my sisters might have an interest in checking out your cabin... two sisters live in AK, one near Talkeetna is pretty adventurous. Her cabin is slightly bigger than yours but still only about 300 square feet (no water or electricity). :) Is your cabin on public land now? Accessibly mainly by river or land? Or maybe you wouldn't want anyone else visiting..."

That's cool that your sister is living the simple (probably not so simple if you ask her, though) life. She'd have to be adventurous to attempt to get to my cabin. Directions: from Fairbanks head north on the Haul Road 180 miles (about 60 miles north of the arctic circle) to the South Fork of the Koyukuk River. If you miss the river, Coldfoot is the next notable place you come to. From the Haul Road, it's 12 river miles upstream to a beautiful oxbow lake with big timber around it. Exit the river and go into the oxbow lake, past a couple of beaver dams and hidden under the big spruces is the cabin. Alaskans use jet boats to travel upstream. With a canoe it's 2 long hard days of lining or by foot 1 day (8 miles) hiking.

She's welcome to visit or use it (that's the Alaskan way). It's on public land but the river is claimed so she can't pan for gold. There's a notepad at the door to leave me a note, a mosquito proof outhouse about a 80 feet back in the woods, and grayling for lunch in the oxbow lake:)


The picture shows the river in the background, the oxbow lake in the foreground, and my cabin is lower right corner.

BeaV,

I am signed up as a follower on your blog site. I will be sure to get the word out to other
"Team Kruger" members as well. If there is any other way I can help with your "Alaska Adventure", please let me know.


Kim :+]]

BeaV,

Are you on Facebook? Anyway, I posted your blog link both on my and the Kruger Canoe facebook pages and have had a few hits already.

There is also a Kruger Canoe Adventure blog page and I am sure that a link to your blog will get added there before your trip begins. Do you have a delivery date for your new boat? I hope that it isn't too far out there.


Kim :+]

Hi Kim, thanks for your support and offer of help. I am not on Facebook. My canoe is scheduled for a spring completion. I can hardly wait to get my rearend in the Sea Wind to see what it can do.

BeaV

Thanks for those directions - I'll pass it on to my sister. I know her life is by no means "simple" in that little cabin. Arriving home from work to a house that is 17 degrees (or less) wouldn't be fun for long if you ask me. Worrying about jars of food freezing and exploding, liquids frozen solid, etc. LOTS of things you don't think about. She finally drilled a well last fall, so after the spring thaw she will have water available. Whee!

I've been up the haul road to the Circle - that was an adventure by itself (large rock flew at me from a southbound truck and my windshield shattered INSIDE the car).

I admire you for making this trip happen - it's gonna be fun to watch!

amazing adventure ahead of your, for sure. will be following along on your blog.

BeaV, any new developments to report? I guess the trip is still a ways off, eh?

I just checked the blog & it looks like he took delivery of the Sea Wind about 6 weeks ago.

How's the planning coming?

Hi Nola and Mirth,
A short update:

I'm taking a break from thinking and planning of the route. I'm more interested right now on the limits of my new Sea Wind and myself. Need to know how many hours per day I can sit in the canoe and how many miles I can average per day.

I paddle at least a couple times per week as well as other exercising trying to get in better shape and toughen up my hands. Usually I choose the days when the wind is whipping up. I'm really impressed with how well the boat handles the wind. Hoping to do some river paddling this weekend on the Snake River and St Croix River.

Have a BWCA trip scheduled in 3 weeks from now basecamping on Ensign Lake but will spend one day trying to set a BeaV-paddling-distance record. The rest of the time I will be catching and eating walleyes:)

Holy smokes, BeaV, you could be a Marvel superhero!!! The Paddler makes you sound like a Batman villain. Rover makes you sound like a canine. PaddleMan, perhaps?

quote missmolly: "Holy smokes, BeaV, you could be a Marvel superhero!!! The Paddler makes you sound like a Batman villain. Rover makes you sound like a canine. PaddleMan, perhaps?"

Missmolly, I figured you'd get a kick out of my next big adventure:) I definately don't want to be referred to as a villain or a dog! My paddling friends call me BeaV- I think I'll stick with that.

Just a quick update:

Only 2.5 months to go before the trip begins (planning a late March start) and busy thinking about route details, mapping, and food prep. Also, trying to figure out how I will resupply along the route.

I have reluctantly agreed to bring along a means for communication back home. I will be using a Delorme Inreach satellite communicator. It's very similar to a Spot device only it has the capability to allow 2-way text communications when paired with a Delorme GPS. It also has a tracking feature that I will have linked to my Blog to show my progress. Of course, this assumes I can keep enough battery power.

How are you getting out of Skagway? Flying from there or Whitehorse? You might be dismayed at the masses of tourists in Skagway..Dyea, a ghost town, has two nice primitive campgrounds. Its a few miles farther down the Lynn Canal..tides willing.

quote yellowcanoe: "How are you getting out of Skagway? Flying from there or Whitehorse? You might be dismayed at the masses of tourists in Skagway..Dyea, a ghost town, has two nice primitive campgrounds. Its a few miles farther down the Lynn Canal..tides willing."

I should be paddling into Skagway around May 20th. Need to check in at Canadian Customs and pull a Chilkoot Park permit. Need to find a pair of snowshoes suitable for crossing the pass and then paddle over to the start of the Chilkoot Trail. Is Dyea and the campgrounds you mention located on the west side of the Taiya River mouth?

What about a solar charger for keeping a spare set of batteries topped off?

quote BeaV: "

quote yellowcanoe: "How are you getting out of Skagway? Flying from there or Whitehorse? You might be dismayed at the masses of tourists in Skagway..Dyea, a ghost town, has two nice primitive campgrounds. Its a few miles farther down the Lynn Canal..tides willing."

I should be paddling into Skagway around May 20th. Need to check in at Canadian Customs and pull a Chilkoot Park permit. Need to find a pair of snowshoes suitable for crossing the pass and then paddle over to the start of the Chilkoot Trail. Is Dyea and the campgrounds you mention located on the west side of the Taiya River mouth?"

Dyea site is on the west side of the Taiya.
The USFS site is on the east side very near the bridge and the start of the Chilkoot trail

quote mirth: "What about a solar charger for keeping a spare set of batteries topped off?"

Hey Mirth, sorry for the late reply. Yes I will be bringing solar panel(s) to provide power along the way. I've just purchased three different panel and battery pack combinations but won't have much of a chance to test them to see what amount of power they can REALLY provide.

quote BeaV: "

quote mirth: "What about a solar charger for keeping a spare set of batteries topped off?"

Hey Mirth, sorry for the late reply. Yes I will be bringing solar panel(s) to provide power along the way. I've just purchased three different panel and battery pack combinations but won't have much of a chance to test them to see what amount of power they can REALLY provide."

You might want to check out some hand crank generators. Could be more sturdy than a solar panel, but looks like something to test out pre-trip to make sure it works with your devices.

Hand Generator