Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: First timer
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pswith5 |
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zootownboarding |
Jackfish: "Hey Zootown... welcome to the board. Lots of great paddling folks here who are willing to share thoughts and information on canoe tripping. Ask questions, read responses, and just basically interact with people in the threads. You'll be surprised at how willing people are to help new people going on their first trip. yes have a permit registration. north fowl lake |
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zootownboarding |
pswith5: "Where are you from?? I enjoy talking about bwca over a beer. I am in twin cities. Pete" hour west of the cities. I'd be down for a beer or two as long as I don't have to drive deep into the cities. |
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merlyn |
Check out the forum, everything that concerns you has been addressed many times and it has tons of helpful info. I would also suggest watching some You tube videos on using a compass and especially anything by Cliff Jacobson. |
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lindylair |
I would encourage you to consider a different entry point with small to medium sized lakes, if available. It's all beautiful up there, some areas are just more user friendly and safe than others. Not sure what might be available on your proposed entry date but if there are a few choices, ask for advice, I am sure you will get some good ideas. Smaller lakes are also easier to navigate on which seems to be a concern. As said, large or small, stay found and you won't be lost. |
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boonie |
zootownboarding: "portaged through low water for a few hundred yards. all of my gear fits into 4 20L wetbags and a backpack. we run hammocks. so 2 two bags and sling over each shoulder and wear the backpack. carry the kayak. or do two trips. as far as food. going to run peak backpack meals since they are good. rope them up in a tree or ideally between two trees far apart. The first trips I did I had trouble with the measurement of rods - 320 rods = 1 mile, so 80 rods is a quarter mile, etc. A lot of the portages are from lake to lake and not along a river. Some can have significant elevation change, but you can get some sense of it from the contour lines on the map. I think you will find the navigation not difficult. |
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Aldy1 |
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zootownboarding |
I am looking at planning a trip into the BWCA in July. The only other time I've been there is with the Boy Scouts at Okpik in wintertime. Over the past two years, I've kayaked MN river trails, doing 30-plus miles a day. We have our own equipment. I'm struggling with planning a route and figuring out how it works. If nothing is marked, how would I know my location? If someone who is experienced would like to chat, I'd be interested. Thanks! |
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scramble4a5 |
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billconner |
I never forget thinking after my first trip that it was much simpler and easier than I thought it would be. |
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boonie |
Go here to familiarize yourself with the regulations and to check permit availability. You will need an overnight paddle permit. They are specific to a date and place of entry, and are limited. For many dates and entries there may be none available, so don’t spend a lot of time planning a route until you check permit availability. After that, plan a route and reserve a permit. If you need more help, just ask. |
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zootownboarding |
Aldy1: "North Fowl is basically a river trip, right? You'd be following the Pigeon River east. Just do a loop down through Clearwater and back via the pike lakes. Easy. " isn't north fowl also through little John, John, royal river, north fowl lake, moose lake, mountain lake, Clearwater lake, pine and back to MacFarlane? |
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Canoeinggal |
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EddyTurn |
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Jackfish |
Question: You said you're going in July. Considering that July begins this week, do you have a permit yet? If so, which entry point? |
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boonie |
If you get a chance to meet Pete for a beer he would be very helpful. It might be useful to have your maps with you. |
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zootownboarding |
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zootownboarding |
freeandcold: "For navigation a map is all you need. I would recommend a compass… I've been fine navigating in the mountains of new mexico with a map and compass. also bringing my small gps (lowrance H2O) with as a backup. I've been overthinking this, just trying to cover bases. |
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boonie |
zootownboarding: Go to maps and entry points tab at top, select entry points, select your entry point, read information including trip reports and discussions. To plan a route - how many days and how far each day. The simplest route when new is an out and back, but you have decent options for a loop. Doing a point-to-point would be your most complicated. I assume you are using a kayak vs. a canoe: what’s your experience with portaging and what’s your plan for portaging? What method do you use to protect your food from bears? |
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Gaidin53 |
What everyone else has said about navigation makes sense. Get good maps. Study them before the trip and know the route with everyone knowing the plan for the day. Have a back up plan if the initial plan is too much for you to do. Navigating really isn’t that hard just work to always know where you are at as you are moving on the maps and the water. Go through before the trip and label the good campsites. I’m going to recommend taking a canoe on this trip as opposed to a kayak. Cliff Jacobson talks about it in his books but that is up to you. I know people do it on paddle boards as well and that is pretty impressive so other forms of transportation work. Ryan |
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freeandcold |
The trick is to get oriented and calibrated with the map vs what you “see”… calibrated mentality for the scale. Go point to point. The points, bays and islands are your reference points. Using topography along the shore can help… it really helps with finding portages. Thant being said, I use a compass to check and stay on course so to speak. And it generally takes me a bit to get calibrated with the scale… is “that” the next point on the map or “that”… Generally, if you can figure out N, S, E and W (actually, if you figure out one of those the rest should become apparent… if not, get a GPS and some batteries LOL). Also, what has worked for me almost universally for about 40 years is that generally the direction you need to go in is into the wind…. (Most of my experience is in the Quetico, but I’m seeing similar trends in the BW) |
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mjmkjun |
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