New Trip Report posted by DanCooke

Trip Name: First BWCAW canoe trip of 2012 for me.

Entry Point: 47

Click Here to View Trip Report

Nice report!

I'm sooooooo jealous! Your report has definitely "whetted" (pun intended) my appetite to get out on the water. And that right soon!

The south shore of Winchell must be a popular place for moose when they're shedding their antlers? I found one there as well when we passed through a couple years back.

Had to be a few tense moments after falling through?!? Glad it all worked out OK. Amazing how well the proper clothing performs! We got wet last spring & were thankful for our clothing performing as advertised.

Thanks for taking the time to share your story & photos. It's much appreciated.

I enjoyed the report.

What are paddling? Have you replaced your flashfire?

Wow! Glad you're ok. There's apparently still enough ice over there on the Gunflint side to make things interesting. It otherwise sounds like you had a great trip, and I really enjoyed all the wonderful photos. Heidi and I are hoping to finally travel this route in July. We first attempted it back in 2006 but had our permit canceled the day before we were scheduled to enter because of that Red Eye Lake fire. We're planning on all that ice being gone by July!

Thanks for the report, Dan.

Looks like a Wenonah Kanyak to me. I'd be very curios to hear how it performs and how you like it. Also awesome trip report looks like a very challenging but rewarding trip through the snow/ice/ and fickle spring weather. Wish I could be in the BWCAW instead of NYC right now. Maybe this fall!

The canoe is a Wenonah Wilderness Kevlar layup. It has a Cooke Custom Sewing Canoe cover installed on it. This is my third BWCA trip in the Wenonah Wilderness. It is a very stable solo canoe. I prefer kneeling and using a single bladed paddle(either straight or Bent); the sitting as low as the Canyak is set up for would bother my back too muchfor me to have fun.

Great report Dan, thanks for sharing. You were right a chuckle but more a sigh of relief. Tell us about those paddles, dont see any markings.
CB

Great pictures!

Nice trip report. Thank you for writing it and sharing it with us. Those early Spring trips are some of the best out there.

Thanks, Dan, for a great start to the paddling season. Glad you're falling into the ice didn't cause any hypothermia problems. That can be scary stuff.

Is that Gaskin site the one with the log stairsteps going up to it?

thanks dan, very nice trip and report with some challenges thrown in too.

Thanks, Dan, interesting trip. I'll be visiting some of that area this fall.

Great report during a unique environment! Thank you for sharing!

Hey you fell thru the ice! and lived!

Cederboy, The paddles are a Pat Moore Cue and a Zaveral Bent shaft, both carbon fiber paddles. first time I took this combination.

OneMatch, The Gaskin site is the first one west of the bay that leads toward the Winchell Portage. It appears they used the throne path as the start of the fire line they used to combat the Redeye burn. I was fortunate not to total submerse myself, and I have had the good fortune to have practiced over 6 times cold water recovery.(controlled situation where we jumped in a hole in the ice and they had to change clothes and continue on with skiing or snowshoeing) I sure was glad I did not need to break ice all the way back to shore or it could have gotten a bit more edgy.
boonie, If you are going to do a fall trip, the small puddle of to the east of Horseshoe has quite a grove of Tamerac that really turn a awesome color. Horseshoe has some as well and there was quite a large stand on the far east end of Allen. Just look out for moose hunters in October, as they like those areas as well.
Merlin, I have not replaced my Flashfire. I had sold my cover off it so I took the wilderness.
TuscaroraBorealis, This was my only shed i have pulled out of the water. I had Left a 60" rack/skull on Whitacre back in the 80's as it was to massive to consider bringing out.
Uncle Moose, Lt me know if you want guide service, i would be happy to show you my old stomping grounds..

We too well be going to this EP in the middle part of July. It's nice to see pictures of the lakes that we will be traveling on. Great trip report and great pictures and I'm glad everything worked out the way it did for you.

Nice report Dan... BTW, I'm the guy that bought that Lean2 early on at the Symposium. Set it up for the first time today. I really like it. I'm waiting to actually use it. But will take it with next week to Washington to see my kids just in case I can stop along the way and camp a bit.

Ben

Great report, Dan! That blowdown on the Lizz portage was there in late October when we came through as well.

Must have been quite a refreshing dip you took! Glad you were schooled in self recovery... could have been scary for someone less experienced.

Thanks for sharing, great report/pics!

You're supposed to stay out of cold water. Glad all went well.

Quite the adventure, thanks for sharing it.

I hate it whenever I forget my pants someplace too.

Thanks for the info on the tamarac, Dan - it's one of the things I'm looking forward to after Bear Bait's (?) photos of them last fall in that area. I'll try to remember a blaze orange vest for the last couple of days of my trip.

you got big kahoona's walking on that ice.

quote bwcasolo: "you got big kahoona's walking on that ice."

They turned into little ones once they got wet :-)

WOW ! Nice looking trip and report.

A trip this early would give me white hair and beard.

Good looking picture of a Lean in action, do I see some new modifications. Could this be a new prototype of a new and improved Hybrid Lean +

The fall through the ice was from being a bit to confident or just wanting to get off it quickly. The cold was not to intense. i was more concerned about how long of time and how much energy it may take if I had to break ice all the way back to shore.
Testing a possible idea on the shelter. Karen and I used it last August when we spent 9 days backpacking on the wonderland trail.

That was way cool!

Nice report! I got the shivers reading the part of the struggle to get out of the water. I'm glad things worked out!

Now that was an adventure! Thanks for sharing the report and great pictures. I just hope I would remain so level headed if I broke through the ice like that.

That was a true "between seasons" trip. Man, I know I never would trust my abilities to do a trip like that. Very cool to read about though.

I also like visiting old places and campsites of long ago days. It's sad but enjoyable as well. Thanks for posting and the pics too.

Glad it wasn't an extreme test of your gear. At least you can laugh about it!
Potential new Lead look interesting! Need an independent tester???

butthead

Boy am I glad your camera survived! (you, too, of course!) Loved the pictures - what a treat to be up there PADDLING in late March! You can tell that story for years to come.

I can only imagine what you were thinking as that ice gave way...

Dan, you are a different kind of crazy. A normal crazy human would have succumbed to hypothermia if put in the same situation. If this was part of your "product testing", I'd like to buy the first straightjacket you put on the market. Kidding aside, thank you for the report and the photos. I was in the Winchell, Omega area last year and your images stir up some beautiful memories. Thanks!

I love that area-Winchell is one of my favorite places on Earth. Thanks for sharing your chilling adventures!

Looking back at my falling throughthe ice, I never got that cold. Never shivered at all. The snug fitting light weight wool long underwear did a good job of keeping the water from interchanging next to the body, and after wringing out warmed quickly. Even with al the snow the first day I had brought the right mix of clothes that worked extreemly well.
I was glad to have set down safely the camera, to save my shots of Winchell. I do have insurance on it so if I had taken it for a swim I could replace it.
butthead maybe later this summer testing may be ready. Contact me.

Sounds like a heck of an adventure! I thought I had been saving up for a Lean 2 Plus, but it turns out I'm saving for a Baker 2 Plus!

What a start to the canoe season! I think Winchell Lake is gorgeous and I love Omega Lake but have never had the chance to "walk" on it. Glad your fall through the ice had a good ending to it. Thanks for sharing your story.

Natural beauty,excitement, danger, solitude and serenity. You found it all on your trip. Thanks for the report Dan.