Boundary Waters, Trip Reports, BWCA, Stories

Ten days in WCPP
by PortageKeeper

Trip Type: Paddling Canoe
Entry Date: 08/20/2012
Entry & Exit Point: Other
Number of Days: 10
Group Size: 4
Trip Introduction:
This was my third trip into WCPP, at the Leano entry point.
Report
Got back from WCPP yesterday after a ten day trip.

This was my third time in... all at Leano. Roads going in were fine with a full size van. I would not try a standard vehicle on this road now. You may get through with lots of caution, but it's still going to be hard on the vehicle. There were three other vehicles in the lot when we got there... all full sized pickups Four of us in the group, paddling Bell Northwinds. Had a great time, with no particular agenda. Took the bottom route into M Hat this time to avoid the portages coming in from the east, and would do that again. Stayed at the top of the 'hat' this time... great site with beach and roomy, but buggy. Continued out the west end to Aegean and S. Aegean looping back to Paull and out to Bunny. Three layovers with a few small day trips. The wind was in our favor most of the trip, which was uncommon on most of my other trips. Water levels were average so we didn't have issues there. Camp comments... If you are using two or more tents, do your research. You may have a tough time finding a suitable site without prior knowledge of their locations. The new WCPP map is set to be available soon, and it should include camp sites. Gear comments... Three slept in tents, while I used my hammock, with no regrets. We used Bogs Sawyer gravity filter which worked very well, though I believe it is better suited for two, than four. WCPP water is much cleaner than BWCA water, and is less likely to clog any filter. The menu was largely M House, so most water was boiled in my Jetboil Sumo cup. This was also used to heat dish water. Used only 2.5 large canisters for that, but some 'cooked' meals were prepared on an Optimus Nova. GPS... I used my Garmin Oregon 300, and that was a big help, as I had all camp sites and portages loaded on a section of Garmin Cdn topo. It helped especially when we were finding our way through S. Aegean with a driving wind at our backs. Menu... As said, mostly M House meals, and some Knor type meals, with chicken. Some instant oatmeal breakfasts, but the big hit was Ova Easy eggs with shelf type bacon and cheese. Lunch was either tuna/chicken and pocket bread or tortillas, or cheese and salami on tortillas... gorp etc. Brought two tarps, but only really set one up, three times during the trip. We saw more people than in the past, though it still only averaged out to about one group of two, per day. We were wind bound one day on Aegean, though that was a layover day anyway. Wildlife... Didn't see any caribou, saw one big bull moose on Amber, saw a very large flock of sand hill cranes which surprised us, saw one porcupine swim across a channel. Travel... They are resurfacing sections of the road on the way up, so allow for some short wait times. All in all, it was a successful trip with great company! Many thanks to Bogs for volunteering the wear and tear on his van again, and for driving the whole way up and back! Thanks to Jim for cooking great breakfasts and lots of camp cheer, and to Larry for the 600 + photo's taken during the trip that should be available for viewing once processed!