New Trip Report posted by Ho Ho

Trip Name: Piwi Goes to Piwi.

Entry Point: Quetico

Click Here to View Trip Report

Note - I'm "publishing" this report one day at a time. I've posted Day 1. I'll post a message here as I add more days to the report.

UPDATE - The report is now complete.

Nicely done, as always, Bill. Love the photos. Looking forward to the next installments.

very enjoyable first day, can't wait for more.

Great start on your trip report, HoHO. Piwi has such a wonderful, intense face. Isn't it a joy, the animation and fun a good dog brings to both tripping and life! Looking forward to more--and great pixs, too!

Wow - Piwi is growing up!

Great report thus far!

Absolutely love this. Can't wait for the next one.

quote OneMatch: "Absolutely love this. Can't wait for the next one."

Go Piwi!! Can't wait to read about all her adventures!!

I am waiting for the next addition.

Awesome. Gives me a reason to keep checking the Board regularly.

Keep them coming!

Alright! I was afraid you had given up on trip reports. Awesome as usual. I hope to camp in Lost Bay my first night when I go in the fall.

Great Trip Report HoHo. I like the large photos. I also like the new style of Map. It has much better detail and clarity than the old style.
Nice to see photos of Piwi and how she has grown up.
Looking forward to further installments.

Love the story and the pictures - can't wait for more! Piwi is adorable!

Thanks for the feedback, everyone! Piwi is stealing the show :-)

I've posted Day 2 now. You can start at the beginning of the report via the link up top, or go directly to Day 2 via this link.

Nice report HoHo!

Where did you get the CFD for Piwi? I have a dog about the same size and may take her with me to Canada this year in late June for my trip w/ my daughter.

Paperwork for the dog into Canada? Just need the records and rabies shot records, correct?

Much enjoying the trip report, HoHo! First time I ever saw the word, "appurtenant" in a trip report (as in "beaver pond appurtenant to...next...Lake"). But then, I remember you saying, in another thread, that you were a lawyer :)

Love the report, love the dog, love the route.
We always refer to the rock outcropping on Side Lake as Pride Rock.

Especially fun to read trip reports of those you have met on the trails! Looking forward to the daily reports.

Thanks for the feedback so far!

Kiporby, the CFD is made by Ruff Wear (cute name, eh?) and we got it at Piragis, but I think you could find it other places too. Piwi has grown a big more since the trip and I think she may need a bigger one now. As for paperwork, my understanding is you just need the rabies certificate. Since we went through Prairie Portage where there is no customs station, no one actually asked, but that's what we brought.

"Appurtenant" also got comments from some of my friends on Facebook. I like words. :-)

canucanu2 I also plan to do a report of trip where we saw you. So many trips, so little time to write reports!

And now I have posted Day 3. You can go to it directly via this link, or start at the beginning with the link up top.

Very funny story of Piwi fetching the "big stick". I'm bringing my dog for her first trip in Sept. Was thinking of using a water resistant 1" pad under her in the canoe then having it double as a bed inside the tent. It might be a hassle on the portages though. Did you have anything under her in the tent or do you think it's not necessary?

Also am curious how her feet did? I was also thinking of bringing boots for her while traveling. A cut pad on a foot would be bad.

There's a real nice pic of Piwi standing in the trail next to corderoy with one of you at the lake in the back of her. This pic is suitable for framing. Real nice. Piwi is very photogenic. My border collie (as well as my previous one) always looks like she did something wrong when I snap her photo. But- I had an Aussie who was a natural in front of the camera like Piwi. BC's are very sensitive. :)

Young Piwi must have loved this trip! I love your pictures, gets me anxious and ready to go.

I am enthralled by the story of how you got your pup and the "adventures of Piwi" on the first of many big canoe trips! How you formatted your pics and story makes for an enjoyably easy read. Maybe I'm missing something at my feeble attempts at trip reports, but how does one get the pics to appear so large? The images are excellent and I agree with the post about framing one, if not many, of them!

At 63 years of age I reminisce about the Springer Spaniel I had as a kid that really made me feel complete as grew up through my "kid" life and as I developed into a young adult to help me journey through the woods and eventually I turned him into a pretty passable pheasant dog. Now, my wife is horribly allergic to dogs and cats so I read your story with a wistfulness of wishing it could be me having your adventures. In a round about way I'm saying I'm jealous of your situation and experiences. Can't wait to see the rest of your trip. Thank you for sharing this.

quote Zulu: "Great start to the Trip Report HoHo. I like the large photos. I also like the new style of Map. It has much better detail and clarity than the old style.
Nice to see photos of Piwi and how she has grown up.
Looking forward to further installments."

Great report as usual. There is no easy way to get to Side Lake, apparently, because heart stop hill was not fun either.

I agree with Zulu on the map display. Could you tell us what software you are using for the maps?

Thanks for the feedback on Day 3! Responses to a few questions -

We taped a section of closed-cell pad into the canoe in the stern as a place for Piwi to sit or lie down. It provides insulation and also better grip for her paws than the bare canoe bottom. (The insulation is probably not critical in mid-summer, but earlier and later, the canoe bottom would be very cold for long hauls over cold water.) We used duct tape to hold the pad in place, we had to retape it a couple times during the trip, but this way we did not have to mess with it at portages - it just stayed attached to the canoe. We used that brown and white pad that is in some of the pictures for Piwi's bed in the tent - it's the pad (without sides) of her old puppy bed from Pamida. That worked great.

No booties. Piwi's feet do not seem too fragile - even this winter she has not seemed to need booties. But she lives in the northwoods all the time, so her feet are exposed to the same hazards she encounters on canoe trips and the pads have gotten tough. A suburban dog might need some protection. From what I understand, a lot of dogs will reject booties. Piwi is pretty trainable and I think would get used to them if we needed her to wear them, but I figure that her natural paws are the best means of getting good traction so why mess with them unless you have a problem?

It's hard to say who enjoyed having Piwi along on this trip more - Piwi, or us. It's a win-win. I have not had a dog (or any pet) since I graduated from college and had to give up my rescue dog when I went to Germany for a year (she found a very good home, but it was heartbreaking). Adopting Piwi has been so great! And she has a good life living up here.

On the maps - my new GPS is a Garmin and their software package is called BaseCamp. I just selected the tracks and waypoints I wanted for the day to view in that software and then took a screen shot and used the screen shot as my map. The background map is from the Garmin "Inland Lakes Boundary Waters" set, which costs $$ but provides great coverage for the BWCA and Quetico and includes portage and campsite info. I think you would need a Garmin GPS to go this route, although other GPS lines probably have similar software.

And I have posted Day 4. You can start at the beginning of the report at the link up top, or go directly to Day 4 here.

Oops forgot to respond to bapabear's question about the pictures. I upload my photos to photobucket.com, then "hot link" to them in the report. I have to say I really like reading a report with the full-sized pictures, like TomT's or Spartan's. When I am reading reports with the little thumbnails hosted on this site, I sometimes don't click on the pictures because it takes too long (seconds!) for them to open in another window. Making large-format pictures standard in trip reports would be a great upgrade to this site. If you want more details on using photobucket and hot-linking, you can email me.

Thanks. I'm going to look into photobucket. If I get stuck I'll shoot an email. Ho Ho, time to include Piwi in the Profile Pic??? :)

Your trip reports are always formatted so well. Really enjoying the report, in part because I've been through some of that area.

I have been through this area any number of times and still learned something about some potential new campsites! The pictures get me so charged up and ready to go!

All my favorite places--great stuff!!!

As always Ho Ho.... GREAT report. Looking forward to the rest of the story.

Our dog Echo is close to the same age as Piwi so I love reading about her being a canoe dog while we work on getting Echo to be a good canoe dog.

I like the idea of duct taping the pad in the canoe. We didn't use one for Echo last year but for our trips in the future I'm planning on it and I didn't look forward to dealing with it on portages but your idea solves that. Do you have any pictures where you can really see the pad taped down? I can picture it in my head and there is one picture in the report that I can kind of see it but a picture speaks a thousand words. Thanks

Wait for it, wait for it, ................We want Day Five!

Glad to see that this trip report is being posted--and it is no surprise to me, of course, that Piwi is so photogenic! (I seem to remember lots of photos of her in MY trip report also.) Didn't realize I was missing her until I saw these photos; please give her a hug from me!

Great report, as always. Looking forward to the continuation.

Thanks for the feedback!

Ducks, I looked through the pictures and didn't really see one that shows the pad taped down, except like you say you can kind of see it in one of the pics already posted, but anyway it's pretty straightforward. Just make sure you get good duct tape - a lot of the stuff sold now is substandard and does not stay stuck on.

Spartan - Yes, you did take a lot of good pictures of Piwi!

And now I've posted Day 5. You start at the beginning via the link up top, or go directly to Day 5 via this link.

Question to Ho Ho and others that "dog trip". What all do you have to bring for the dog's sake? Is there like a sack of dog food, the bed for the tent, the pad for the canoe, doggie PFD, anything else? How much space and weight does that all take? Just curious. I'll bet that the benefits of having your pooch along to enjoy in the wilderness offsets the extra stuff but was wondering what extra weight does it entail?

Still Love the pics and the story. Keep them coming.

That's a beautiful area between Khash and Marj. I have similar pics of the boardwalk from 2011. The pines are huge along those portages.

I'm also curious about doggie hygiene. My plan is to keep my digging trowel in my daypack so it's handy for burying # 2's. Did you have a plan for Piwi or did she go when she felt like it?

Also, would she fetch sticks if you threw them in the lake for her?

Did you stay on the southern island noted on your map on Piwi? I am not sure from looking at the map. I have been on Piwi at least a dozen times and can not place the campsite, which looked very nice. Awesome report again.

Thanks for the additional feedback, I appreciate it.

In terms of what we brought for Piwi, it was food, bowl, treats, bed, blanket (not really needed in summer), jacket (not really needed in summer), leash (rarely used), CFD, a brush, and a couple chew toys in the canoe that also were not needed. The only really significant item weightwise was food - Piwi eats more than four cups of chow a day. We might get a pack for her to carry her food in next year - she was too young this year.

As to cleaning up after her, we generally did not need to (hopefully I won't get hate mail after this). On portages she goes off to the side of the trail and I don't think it's any different from the wolves doing their business there. Likewise at campsites she goes off in the woods where people are not likely to wander. On a few occasions she pooped someplace that required action by us, and we could just use the toilet trowel we had along for us, or use a stick to fling into the woods, depending on how far from water we were.

GC - the site we stayed at on Kahsh was not the southernmost island that we paddled to on Day 5 - we checked that out but rejected it and returned to the island north of it. Our site was 11B on on the PCD.

And now I've posted Day 6. Start at the beginning via the link up top, or go directly to Day 6 here.

I'm thoroughly enjoying your journey .... can't wait for more!

Thanks for a thoughtful trip report. Great pictures and cute pup.

I, too, am uncomfortable being away from the campsite on day trips, but so far so good. Keep the story coming.

Ho Ho. Thanks for looking through your pics and checking and thanks for the tip on using the good stuff.

How many strips of duct tape did you use on each side? Just 1 or was it more? Does the tape leave a mess on the bottom of the canoe? the reason I ask is one of his trips this coming summer will be a solo and I'll need to rent a canoe for that one and don't want to leave a mess on someone elses canoe.

I really like this posting 1 day at a time thing. Really makes me want to come back and read the next day. Great job!

The dock at the Kahsh/Keefer portage would have been hard to miss unless it had been removed or washed away--here it was in 2010.

HoHo, I have camped on your Piwi island a couple of times, both when we got in late and left early. We camped on the other site each time and I did not really like the site much. I don't think I ever knew, or I have forgotten, that there was another site there. Thanks for the information, I hope to be on the lake again sometime this year.

I really get uncomfortable when I do a long day trip away from camp. It makes me very uneasy and extremely vulnerable. I virtually never do it as a result.

quote Springer2: "The dock at the Kahsh/Keefer portage would have been hard to miss unless it had been removed or washed away--here it was in 2010.


"

I don't recall seeing that dock in may of 2012 when we did that portage. No sign of it.

quote Kiporby: "

quote Springer2: "The dock at the Kahsh/Keefer portage would have been hard to miss unless it had been removed or washed away--here it was in 2010.



"

I don't recall seeing that dock in may of 2012 when we did that portage. No sign of it. "

Come to think of it we waited out a thunderstorm right there at the portage in June, 2012 and I didn't notice it either. The dock would have been in the upper left-center of this photo, right off the rockpile.

I know I have seen it before but I was through there on two different trips in late 2011 and did not see it.

I am enjoying the report and photos - nice aster picture.

I'm also uncomfortable with long daytrips, but then I trip in late Sept and the weather is highly variable and can change suddenly. It can also stay bad for a long time sometimes - not like a thunderstorm that blows through in an hour or so.

Thanks for the posts everyone. It's interesting to see I'm not the only one who gets a little anxious on day trips.

Also great to see pictures of the dock on Kahshahpiwi. We looked pretty throughly including under water and didn't see any sign of it. It seems like the big members would still be visible even if the dock broke up, so maybe it was removed. I wonder where it came from. I didn't think there were structures on the lake except the ranger cabin, which is far away.

Ducks, we may have used more than one layer of tape to make sure it stuck to the pad and the canoe, since they are wet a lot. I think we could see where the tape was on the canoe after we removed it, but I don't think it would stay visible long or harm the canoe at all. Maybe you should just ask the outfitter if they mind if you tape the pad down?

And now, I've posted Day 7. Start at the beginning via the link up top, or go directly to Day 7 via this link.

Great report,One of the most interesting portages to me was the one between Joyce and Kashawaphiwi(sp)lake it really feels like your in the boonies,with the flooded areas and the neat little lake in between. AS I have mentioned before,I myself and others,it seems like nobody explores the north end of Joyce lake. My next challenge,I am coming.

I was on Armin going the other way and looked and looked for that portage but couldn't find it. I had 2 different maps and each showed different locations. I ended up backtracking into Grey, then Yum Yum to get into Shan Walshe. Not exactly what I had in mind.

Thanks for the feedback again, folks. TomT, since we were going in the opposite direction this year, I can't say for sure about finding the portage going from Armin into Yum Yum, but I don't recall having a problem back in 2005, and it's not a very long portage either. I wonder if the landing was hiding behind a downed tree or something like that?

And now I have also posted Day 8. Start at the beginning with the link up top, or go directly to Day 8 here.

Piwi, meet Opie.

I continue to enjoy this trip report. Wow, that pic of Gray Lake is stunning! I stared at it for some time and plan to go back and enjoy it some more. Where you had lunch on South lake? I understand there to be no fire grates in Quetico or are there? The rock pile looks much like what I see in Bdub. Am awaiting the final chapter. Piwi really is a photogenic dog and I enjoy when he's in the photos.

My pictures of the waves never do them justice either; I suppose it's hard to make a "static" picture convey the "dynamics" of wind and waves.

Great report, as always. Nice to see Piwi in the wild. In defense of my hat- while admittedly ugly and unfashionable- there is no better sun shade for the head and shoulders than a white hat with a very wide brim.

Thanks for the comments, folks!

mjmkjun - Opie definitely looks like a Piwi sibling! What's his/her breed or is he/she a "mix" like Piwi pup?

bapa - our lunch spot on South Lake is marked on the map for Day 8. There are no fire grates in Quetico, but there are fire rings built by users at every campsite. Sometimes there is more than one, sometimes they are rebuilt or moved, and sometimes (like the one on South) they are large fixtures that seem to have weathered decades or even centuries.

banks - no apologia needed for the hat, now I can always identify you paddling from the distance!

And now I have posted the final installment of the report, Day 9. Start from the beginning via the link up top, or go directly to Day 9 via this link.

As always - the Gold Standard Trip report.

Thanks for taking the time to write this charming report and thanks to Piwi for being such a great model.

Cheers -

Awesome report, as usual!

Looked like Piwi (and both of you) had a great time.

Your comment about the waves not looking as bad in the photo as they did in person really hit home. I've noticed the same thing after some of our trips too. To the point of wondering what we were worried about at the time.

Thanks for taking the time to share your story & all the great photos.

quote Beemer01: "As always - the Gold Standard Trip report.


Thanks for taking the time to write this charming report and thanks to Piwi for being such a great model.


Cheers - "

Amen!

Nicely done. It's amazing how the wind plays such a big role in a Q trip out of Prairie Portage. I've only experience really bad broadside wind on Bayley Bay one time back in 1992. Now I count my blessings to get through there unscathed. It would really suck to get windbound there for a few days just starting out on a trip or trying to get out.

Looks likje you and David will have a permanent 3rd partner for all your future trips. Piwi appears to really dig the canoe camping way of life. I'm sure you will have many adventures together. I've had my own dog/dogs since 1998 and I don't believe I will ever be dogless in the BW either. My girl makes her maiden voyage in Sept. I just know she will do great.

Well, thanks for diverting a little bit of time for me each day of your trip and making these doldrum February days a little brighter.

BTW, you need to fix that last link. It doesn't work.

Awesome report as always. Thanks for taking us all along. It brightens my mornings to return every day for the next installment.

Can't wait for the next one. I am anxious to hear about your trip to Cherokee and beyond with the Spartans.

Thanks again Ho Ho! I agree with you and I will just ask the outfitter and go with their wishes. We will definitely tape the pad in our own canoe for our family trip!

Nicely done. Definitely a neat trip and a report that I eagerly waited for the next installment to show up. Loved the pics of Piwi in the canoe, especially sleeping under your legs. That is trust in your master. Were there ever any "moments" in the canoe with a dog on its first canoe trip?

Thanks for your answer to the fire grate question. I've not been to Quetico and feel it's time - soon. I got a late start in life with the canoe tripping thing and realize all that I've missed by not starting earlier!

Thanks for a wonderful trip report. They are the best and must take a considerable amount of time to put together. I always feel as though I am riding along in the canoe. The pictures are tremendous.
Thanks, looking forward to your next trip!

Thanks for following along, folks!

When does Piwi post his side of the story?

quote Ho Ho: "Thanks for the comments, folks!

mjmkjun - Opie definitely looks like a Piwi sibling! What's his/her breed or is he/she a "mix" like Piwi pup?
...
"

(quote edited for space)
Opie is a mix, which I found abandoned on uninhabited backroad at about 8 wks old. He's been imprinted with a profound sense of shyness when taking meals.....which is odd as none of other dogs can steal his toys, stolen socks or 'cookies'.

I'm glad you guys found each other. I bet Piwi would love him! (She, by the way, is not shy about anything!)

quote bapabear: "When does Piwi post his side of the story?"

When does Piwi post her side of the story? :)

Ever wonder what's going through a dog's mind at any given time? I think it'd make a weirdly wonderful trip report. Just saying.

I did notice on your first trip report with your new pup you had a really good pic of the pad taped to the bottom of the canoe.

Piwi told me she is holding out for a seven-figure book advance before she releases her "tell-all" version of the trip. Nonetheless, I sneaked a peek at the manuscript. It went something like this . . . "run, jump, smell, squirrel, sit, run, run, run, sit, sit, sit, swim, stick, dads, squirrel, squirrel, treat, dinner, tired, bark, swim, . . . "

Glad there was a better picture of the pad in the earlier report. (I had fun rereading it after you commented on it and brought it to the top.) We used a larger section of pad on the Quetico trip than last May because Piwi had gotten bigger.

bapabear... thanks for pointing that out about the picture of the pad. Ho Ho. Those pups sure do grow fast don't they! Echo is 85 lbs now. We've always liked big dogs but for canoeing, especially solo, I think it may have been a better idea to have gotten a girl. All of his sisters are 60 lbs now.

Ho Ho, I think you got Piwi's manuscript about right, except it needs a few more sticks in it. LOL!

Nice....always enjoy your reports and pics.

Nice report. Thanks for sharing. Good job giving the dog a home.

T

Finally got around to reading your report Bill. As usual, a superb job of telling your story and taking us along with text and photos. I just got on this site today for the first time in a long time. Nice to refresh my "memory". The lure was voting on a favorite photo. You know I'm a sucker for photos. ;-)

I like the country you went through although we haven't traversed some of the smaller lakes. Last time we came south out of Kash there was still some water in the pond and by extending the hike a bit we could still paddle much of the pond.

Due to the hip replacement we had to cancel our trip last year and I'm starting to get some real BW/Q withdrawal pangs. The bad news is that it's accelerating its decline, but we have a permit for paddling the Bowron Loop in late July. Hope I can get along on that, but the knee is problematic. I know it's going to have to be changed out this fall at the latest.

Anyhow...that ol' Piwi is a good looking pup. Would like to have seen the point on the Trumpeter. ;-)

Well, I've gotten absolutely nothing done today (and yesterday) because I've been reading your wonderfully well-written, beautifully photographed trip reports. Good thing winter storms have been heading through here for the last couple of days or I'd have no excuse!

Great reports! My No.3 Son has a French Bulldog, named Eggo, that has the same white coat with black freckles underneath. I have to be honest...Piwi is cuter, but Eggo's snorts are rather endearing to me.

Thanks for the additional feedback, people! Thoughts are turning to this year's paddle season . . . just have to have several feet of snow melt so that several feet of ice can start melting . . .

This is really killing me--my favorite lakes, portages and campsites--you hit most of them, and for the first time in 20+ years I'm not headed up north with my buddies this spring (they're going with out me). My shoulder's shot and needs to be replaced so I'm trying to nurse it a while longer, and my son and his family have moved to Seattle and I need to get out there with grandma and explore the Pacific NW. Maybe a quick trip this fall? It's still winter in Iowa--brutally cold today--below zero windchill. Here's my favorite springtime photo from McIntyre Lake.

I always look forward to your reports. The writting and pictures are so descriptive. Piwi sure adds a lot to the adventure!

Love reading your trip reports! Especially with Piwi!