Mid August/Tuesday entry for 3 nights moving every day and exiting where I enter.

I've had the Northstar Northwind Solo reserved at Sawtooth for over a week but have not decided on a destination yet.

From what's available on my entry day it's down to Baker or Kawishiwi. I've been on Kawishiwi itself a lot but not past Square. Last year I went from Baker to Jack w/ my daughter and 2 years ago in the fall my wife and I did a day trip from Sawbill to Cherokee but turned around right when we got there because whitecaps were coming right at us so I didn't see Cherokee at all.

Both areas will be busy in August but will one be worse than the other? I'm worried about 9 groups going in (as of now only 3 permits are booked my day) and 9 (give or take) coming out on the stretch of portages all the way to Polly. Last year Kelly was packed but Jack was very quiet but I'm assuming it's get busy again at the Temperances and Cherokee with people coming from Brule, Sawbill, etc.

Any input on either area for that time frame? My first solo I barely fished at all so I'm not worried about better fishing.

I'm excited to try a dedicated solo canoe for my 2nd solo trip! Last fall I used an SR Q 16 because of the dog and he rode very well so I'm giving the Northwind Solo a shot.

Is this truly a time for the dart like kanoes often suggests?

And Jan.... I know it's really not a solo yet since I'm bringing the dog ;)

Thanks

ohhh yah, and I'm not worried about traveling through the burn area other than maybe no shade on the portages for the dog if it's hot.

Baker to South Temperance to Cherokee to Sawbill back to baker, did this last fall with a layover day for wind, a 4 day trip all together.

I think Kawashi has better scenery so I would suggest that entry.

Well, I have no experience with Baker or August, but did enter Kawishiwi day after Labor Day a couple of years ago. I think you've read the report. I didn't have any problems on the portages - most have roomy landings and are not too difficult, especially true of the longer ones. The short ones don't take much time anyway. Get as early a start as you can. Here's a link to the pictures if you want to get another look at them.

I'm sure you'll enjoy the solo canoe and the 25-lb lighter load ;).

boonie... I enjoyed looking through the pics again :)

YES>>>>>> looking forward to 25 less pounds. I think I'll have everything in one pack since I'll have the dog up front for trim.

Looks like Kawishiwi it is. The 2nd of the 2 permits that were left for Baker when I started this thread just went by by. There are still a few left for Kawish on my entry day but all the days before I go are booked and the last 2 days that I'd be heading back towards the EP are booked so I'll be crossing paths with people at the portages. But I knew August would be busy. I just needed to do it because I had the days open and I didn't want to take a chance on not getting to do one in the fall. A trip in August is better than no trip at all. Maybe I'll even get 2!!!!!!!!

I think you'll enjoy the area, ducks. It's kind of an interesting paddle up through there to Polly and Malberg - you've seen the pictures. There's pretty minimal lake paddling up to Polly - mostly river paddling through open grassy areas and along the edge of the burn. Most of the portaging is right before Polly with the paddle across Townline annoyingly short so that it's almost one long portage.

My experience is that a lot of people only go as far as Polly and then a few go as far as Malberg. Then it thins out more. Get an early start at Kawishiwi if you want to snag a site at Polly. Malberg's a cool lake. And it's a nice paddle out one side to the river and back through the other side. If you decide to go all the way to Malberg the first day, you might consider going to Adams for the second night - beautiful lake.

I think you'll enjoy this one even more with the experience you gained on the first solo and the changes you've made. But I think it'll go by so fast, you'll be lusting after a longer one in the future ;).

If you come up with any questions I might be able to answer for you, just ask.

Are you still maybe going to take a couple of days later in the fall or is that it?

Thanks boonie...... With a 7:00 canoe pick up at Sawtooth I'm afraid the earliest I'll be paddling from the EP will be 9:00. It's a Tuesday so it should be quieter on the portages so I'm hoping to push for Malberg. My first solo I went 10 miles point a to point b not figuring double portaging and it took me about 5 hours. But if I feel like stopping sooner I'll do it. I love the go with the flow attitude :)

The fall will be a spur of the moment deal. Fingers crossed!!!!!

Mid-week starts are nice and usually are quieter. Sawtooth will probably have you on the road pretty quick, but it's a bit of a drive out to Kawishiwi. I think I hit the water at 8:45 a couple of years ago on my solo and was well up Polly by early afternoon. I double portage and I'm not the fastest, but I move right along pretty steadily. You'll be on Polly in 4 hours or so.

One note for you- when you're looking for the exit out of Square, it really is back there - just keep going around that little corner.

quote boonie: "Mid-week starts are nice and usually are quieter. Sawtooth will probably have you on the road pretty quick, but it's a bit of a drive out to Kawishiwi.
. . .

One note for you- when you're looking for the exit out of Square, it really is back there - just keep going around that little corner."

Take this remark seriously -- I paddled in circles on Square lake for longer than I like to admit on my first trip through there. Had another boat not come out of the creek I would have been there a lot longer. When you come into Square from Kawishiwi turn around and look back so you will recognize it on your return trip.

Goat

Ducks heed OldGoats advice. Years ago I soloed [in a 17 foot tin can] up to Polly and spent a lot of time getting out of Square Lake, that river entry simply vanished, ended paddling back and forth on that shoreline several times before I found it. My advice is start saving for a true solo right now as you will WANT one really bad when you get back. FRED

Thanks for the Square advice you 3. When leaving Smoke w/ my daughter last month it took us a while to find the portage to Sawbill even though we had come in that way. It felt like we left the portage on the way in right in the middle of the bay and it ended up being way over to the side. The portage landing was well hidden in the bog when leaving the lake.

I think that you will really enjoy the Northwind Solo. I just returned from a great solo trip and rented the Northwind from Sawtooth Outfitters. I'm actually considering purchasing a Northwind after this trip.

I put a good number of miles on the boat and thought it was exceptionally stable, tracked well and really moved. I was also surprised how comfortable I felt fishing out of the boat in the evenings when empty of gear.

Also, they will let you pick up the boat and permit the evening before if you want to get an early start in the morning.

I picked up the canoe at 3pm and grabbed a lodge room at Lutsen Resort the day before my entry. That way I was able to be at my entry lake (Poplar) by 6:30 the next morning.

It added a one night hotel stay to the trip cost, but I thought it was worth every penny.

Enjoy the trip!!

Thanks Matt! How far did you get? Did you go further than Omega?

I would love to stay somewhere the night before ( I love getting on the water at first light) but it's not in the cards this trip. The earliest I can leave the day before the trip is 10pm so I'm going to sleep a few hours (ok.. maybe roll around and not sleep because I'm excited) and leave around 2am to make sure I'm at their door before 7am when they open.

When I was reserving my entry permit, I noticed that someone must have canceled a Lizz/Swamp permit for the same day. I decided to grab the Lizz permit instead of Meeds.

I paddled from the public access on Poplar and made my way through Lizz,Caribou, Horseshoe, Allen, Pillsbery, and ended up staying on the western most site on Henson the first night.

The site would not be ideal for more than two or three people and would not work well for young kids; but after some time spent making it "home" I actually ended up liking the site quite a bit (despite the climb up to the latrine). I had good luck catching fish right from the rock in front of camp.

I spent the next day paddling the entire shoreline of Omega--that is one pretty lake!!! Omega was completely empty, so I spent time exploring each campsite and taking pictures. I also headed down to Winchell to check it out, but only spent a a short time there.

I decided to layover on Henson and made my way back to Horseshoe lake via Gaskin the next day. I love Horseshoe lake and wanted to spend a night there. It's a busy lake, but I really like the feel of it--nice place to spend the last night of a trip.

It was a nice short solo scouting trip. I think I will try to take my daughter on a trip to either Omega or Banadad next spring.

That's interesting, MattM - when I laid over on Omega, I also circumnavigated it. It's got a lot of shoreline with all those arms. Really nice lake.

boonie,

I have always wanted to check out Omega. I was solo without any real plans; so I thought why not spend an entire day doing just that. Something about that lake just made me feel good.

That's sweet that Lizz opened up at just the right time.

I love Omega. We passed through on a daytrip several years ago and I keep wanting to get back there and camp at least one night there. I can't wait to hear about your daughter's trip.

Booked Kawashiwi this morning!!!!!! I can't remember the last time I reserved my permit more than 3 weeks before the trip. I think all I have left to do is buy food and pack.

Awesome.

Enjoy the the solitude and adventure before we head back to school. Be sure to let us know how it went when you return.

Have a great trip man!

I head out again from Bower Trout on 8/3 with my two nephews (ages 4 and 7); we plan to base camp on Swan Lake for three nights.

Matt....Let me know how Swan goes! I'm hoping to make that our destination for my daddy/daughter trip next year.

Summer has been flying by and August is only going to go faster. My brother and fam were home from Costa Rica the last 2 weeks. We head to Seattle for a week to visit my wife's sister and fam, then my solo, then my wife and I hit the Gunflint Trail for 5 days for our anniversary get away.

I will definitely report back after the trip. Looking forward to trying a dedicated solo canoe, a lot less weight in equip from my first solo, and most importantly some peace and quiet.

It's a good thing you're pretty busy between now and your entry, ducks, or the anticipation would kill you :). It might anyway. What day is your entry?

You are really going to like this with all the changes from your first experience, as well as the area you are entering. After this you'll just want to do a longer one, deeper into the BW.

Enjoy it, ducks!

Thanks boonie. The 11th. I really hope I can get a longer trip sometime. This trip I thought about making longer but my little ones birthday is that weekend so we are going to either use my uncles cabin or do a family camping trip for a family get away when I return from the solo.

ducks, if you are stuck with Kawishiwi, that's not a bad thing. Me and Doughboy made it to Polly in 4 hours no problem on a hot, humid day. Went on to Malberg and made it in 7 plus hours, started to get tired. Malberg is nice, you could even go on to River Lake. Night one on Koma, night two on River, night 3 back on Polly and out. Sent you an e-mail about the honey hole on River Lake for walleyes. Totally doable for you. Nice area, couple beaver dam pullovers on the river like stretch out of Kawishiwi. Travel through the burn area to Polly, very interesting. Portages are very nice paths, better than most in the BWCA and very moderate elevation changes all the way to River. Overall a pretty easy route. Have a great trip.

lindylair... I just finished replying to your email. Thanks so much for the great info. We got home from Seattle late last night and I hadn't checked email while we were gone. A little over a week until I go. I'm very excited.

Ducks,

If you get to River Lake, take an easy day trip on to Fishdance and check out the pictographs.

Best of luck on your trip, it is a nice area.

I'm packed and pretty much ready to go. I even have my "on the way home clothes" in the van. Now I have to keep busy for 4 days so I don't lose it :)

If I make it all the way to Malberg day 1 I'll probably camp there 2 nights with day 2 being a daytrip fishing the Kawishiwi River north of Malberg and River Lake and possibly Amber or maybe I'll even head to Fishdance for the pictos. If I pull up short of Malberg on Polly or Koma I'll probably head to River Lake for night 2. Either way I'll head back to Polly or maybe even closer to the EP for night 3. One nice thing about solo is I may end up doing something completely different and it won't bother me one bit.

On my first solo I had a lot of anxieties going into it and as of now my only one for this trip is log jams at the portages with pretty much a 2 lane highway from Kawishiwi to Polly with no turn offs to spread people out. All permits are pulled for Kawishiwi from now until the day after I exit. Hopefully I don't regret not picking an EP with a smaller quota.

At that entry point many stay on Kawishiwi, a good chunk stop at Polly and most remaining end at Malberg, pretty quiet after that.

There is a nice sandy beach campsite in the NW end of Malberg, a nice spot to base out of. About an 8 hour day will get you there, even with double portaging. Love your approach about not being bothered of what happens, regardless of how it works out, have a great time!

Sounds like a good plan, ducks - one you'll probably forget about after you get out there ;). Second solos are usually a lot smoother - you'll enjoy all the changes. I wouldn't get too anxious about the portages - many have good, spacious landings and plenty of room to put stuff aside. Most are good trails. There are one or two along the river going up, but they are short anyway. When I went in on Labor Day, there were more people than I've ever encountered, but everybody just went about their business and we all moved right along. Get an early start.

Have a great trip ducks!

I just returned from the Bower Trout to Swan Lake trip with my two nephews. They did a great job and had an absolute bast! It was their first camping trip and they can't wait to go back. They are tough little 4 and 7 year old farm boys, so they handled everything like champs.

We were able to get my favorite site on Swan. The site was large enough for them to explore the woods on the point and the walk a sandy shore all around the point. We day tripped to Vernon; its a long and overgrown portage, but very easy.

We only saw one one group during the whole trip, so that was cool as well.

I think it will be a great destination for you and your daughter next year.

I will send you some pics once I get them on the computer.

Can't wait to hear about your trip.

Awesome Matt! Glad to hear it and thanks for the info. I can't wait to see the pics.

I'm jacked and ready to go. I forgot about my other anxiety and that's if the solo canoe will work and be big enough with Echo. This will be our first time in a true solo. My first solo we were in an SR Q16. If it's not working out I'll just not go as far in and I'll still have an awesome time. Kawishiwi Lake is a special place because I took take my FIL to the campground there a few times while he was battling cancer.

I'm back and had a great trip. I'll post pics and more info at the end of the week because we are packing up and taking the kids to my uncles cabin for some lake fun to celebrate my little one's 8th birthday.

Here's some quick info.

I love the Northstar Northwind Solo. It's a great canoe and I wish I could go buy one. It's goes straight as an arrow even with me paddling but yet it turns on a dime in the tight twisty streams and the stability is amazing. It handled a 90 lb lab no problem. Early on he thought he could turn around in the cockpit like he did in the SR Q16 but there wasn't enough room for him to do so and 2 times he was trying to turn around to face the bow and he got stuck with 1 paw the water and 3 in the canoe and we didn't flip. He figured out that wasn't going to work and didn't try to turn around again the rest of the trip. Oh and 30 lbs and 30 in wide makes it such a breeze to portage. The lightest canoe I've portaged before that was 40lbs.

I made it to Malberg on day 1 in 6 hours but then it took over an hour to find an open campsite. I was exhausted from 1 hr of sleep and a 2am departure to get to Sawtooth by 7am. I stayed there 2 nights on Malberg and the last night on Kawishiwi Lake. It took me 5 hours to get from my Malberg campsite to my site on Kawishiwi.

That's a route I'll save for "quiet time" if I do it again. I knew it was going to be busy and it really was. On my day going to Malberg it wasn't bad I only met 2 groups on portages and didn't pass any in the narrow streams but most campsites were occupied including Malberg. On the way back to Kawishiwi there were lots of people on portages (big groups), and in the streams it was like driving on a 2 lane highway with a constant flow of canoes going by me the other direction.

I had a lot of fun and got to see some new and beautiful territory.

Thanks for all of the advice and input!!!!

ducks-

Glad your trip went well! I'm not surprised you liked the Northwind solo - just a little wider and a little more rocker than the Magic.

The problem with Malberg is that once you get there, it's bigger than you think because of all the long skinny arms; you'd have to do a lot of paddling (miles) to check it out all out. Too bad you didn't have more time - I'll bet if you went north of Malberg, you wouldn't have seen more than a couple groups.

I'll bet this solo was a lot easier and more fun with all the dropped weight and changes - easier portaging, paddling, etc.

I'm looking forward to that trip report and pictures.

Thanks boonie. Yes it was much easier than the 1st solo with the changes I made. Looking forward to even more changes to #3 :)

Yes, It was a lot of bouncing around once I got to Malberg especially when that tired and hungry. The people at the high narrows site said the nice beach site in the north central section was taken so I skipped that area of the lake (not checking the other 2 sites) and went all the way to the North West beach site by the portage to the Kawishiwi River and it was occupied so I had to go all the way back to the North Central area and I ended up at a nice site (1040) back in the corner of that area of the lake. If I would have just checked those 2 sites the first time through ;).

On day 2 I day tripped to the Kawishiwi River and River Lake to do some fishing and I only saw 2 groups traveling through and the 4 campsites I saw were all empty. It was much quieter up there.

Hey ducks,

Glad to hear you made it back safe had a great trip. That really is an awesome canoe.

I sent you an email with some info on Swan lake for your future daddy/daughter trip.