Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Trip Planning Forum :: 2022 Border Route Trip Invite
|
Author | Message Text | ||
Grandma L |
|
||
Grandma L |
|
||
Mocha |
|
||
BeaV |
Average age is probably 40 and 50's but some younger and some older. There are 3 people over 70 that return year after year. I think all have some paddling experience, most have done multiple BWCA/Quetico trips, and a few are experienced adventure racers. Mostly all look like average Joes and Jills but all seem to have something that can't be seen. Physical conditions that are unsuitable- hmm. Being healthy, in shape, good balance, able to paddle a boat for long hours, able to portage trails are all good things to know or be. But having experience, strong will, and a reason to achieve can overcome what others may deem "unsuitable". This thing is a Challenge afterall. Physical or medical conditions that are different than a normal paddle trip- blisters on hands and less so, on feet are very common. Sore muscles and/or joints. Sleep deprivation. Becoming dehydrated. For those who push harder, physical exhaustion, lessoning of coordination, and mental issues. Gear and food- I'll skip this....except to say whatever works for you. Group makeup- lots of solo paddlers but most common is probably 2-4 people in a group. A small group is most ideal because you can share the load, the chores, and have moral support. My group slowly grew over time, up to 8 people one year. Only one was a prior friend and the rest were strangers. Lots of teams are made up of family, friends, and coworkers. Some groups paddle together, adhoc, after the Challenge starts. Other advice- make sure to stay at Grand Portage until the end of the event to cheer on other finishers, celebrate, eat real food, and swap stories with new friends you will make. Kindrid Spirits is the logo of WaterTribe. |
||
Grandma L |
|
||
merlyn |
Thanks again, Merlyn |
||
Voyager |
|
||
BeaV |
walleyejunky: "just a question....but how many days would you figure it would take from Moose Lake entry to get to Lake Superior for 2 average paddlers and portagers? " straighthairedcurly's reply is right on..."it really depends" I would say that an average tandem boat should figure 30 miles per day is a good estimate. Packing light and traveling for 10 hours steady without wind or wave issues. |
||
BeaV |
Mocha: "Decontaminated from what?" Zebra Mussels are the culprit here. The Park Service says they were found in Rainy Lake and they're trying to slow the spread eastward. |
||
BeaV |
Grandma L: "check out the Water Tribe site and sign up or send me an e-mail for more information. If you're thinking of doing this trip, now is the time to do as Grandma L says in her post above. We're setting up shuttle reservations soon and knowing a head count helps. Looking over Recreation.gov as of now shows 2 permits for Friday 9/2 and 3 permits for Sunday 9/4 for Little Vermillion Lake Entry Point. This is the entry point for both the Kruger/Waddell and the Voyageurs Challenges. Here's a pic of the 2020 Kruger/Waddell Challenge paddlers at the start. |
||
CatchMe |
|
||
BeaV |
Grandma L: "Less than a week before the start of the 2022 Border Route Challenges." I'm both excited and nervous at the same time! |
||
straighthairedcurly |
|
||
plander |
|
||
Conchistador |
|
||
Mocha |
|
||
Hockhocking |
|
||
Guest poster |
Mocha: "Decontaminated from what?"Zebra mussels,quagga mussels,and what ever invasive aquatic badboys might be clinging to your hull,if u love the B-Dub you always clean hull before entering if u have been in unknown waters |
||
BeaV |
1) Kruger Waddell Challenge- 260 mile route International Falls through Voyageurs Nat'l Park and all the BWCA 2) Voyageurs Challenge- 205 mile route Crane Lake(or Little Indian Sioux North as an alternative start) though all the BWCA west to east 3) Moose Lake Challenge- 125 mile route Ely @ Moose Lake A group called WaterTribe is setting up the details and making shuttle arrangements. More details are given at the WaterTribe website at the link below. The above start dates are going to be flexible due to Entry Point permit availability. All the challenge routes finish on Lake Superior at the historic Grand Portage Fort. The route to be followed should generally be the international boundary with Canada. Of course, longer routes are fine and maybe needed if the wind is blowing hard when you want to paddle one of many big lakes. All participants who need shuttling help will equally split shuttling costs. WaterTribe has a customized satellite tracking map that will show all groups as they progress along the route. This is why each group needs to bring and use a Spot or an InReach. This is an unsupported challenge. Unsupported means no preplanned assistance such as a support crew, phone calls to home for navigation assistance, and food resupply. Take what you need from the start. What really makes this a challenge is the time constraint component. The harder you push the greater the challenge. The first recorded record was set by Sir George Simpson of the Hudson’s Bay Company and his hand-picked team of Voyageurs in the 1800's during the fur trade era. Feel free to express your interest in doing this and post any questions you may have here or you can email me direct. Grandma L from this site is also available to help with questions and with keeping us organized. Post here if you’re looking to form a team, join a team, or have room for someone to join your team. The WaterTribe site is where you register and see the current roster list. WaterTribe |
||
airmorse |
|
||
Grandma L |
Currently, 17 paddlers will meet in Ely on September 2, 2022, for the final meeting and paddler dinner of the 8th annual Border Route Challenges, before heading out to their entry point. The plan is to complete their Challenge and be at Grand Portage by Saturday, September 10 for the awards dinner and celebration! Follow along. Tracking of paddlers will be on watertribe.com. Check the "Tracking" section. |
||
Grandma L |
Watertribe.com water tribe |
||
walleyejunky |
My son loved traveling the border and he might get really excited about a potential trip like this. |
||
straighthairedcurly |
walleyejunky: "just a question....but how many days would you figure it would take from Moose Lake entry to get to Lake Superior for 2 average paddlers and portagers? We had no problems whatsoever doing a Mudro entry to Lower Basswood Falls...up to Crooked...and down thru Gun/Fourtown back to Mudro. It really depends on how many miles you can travel in a day (combined with some luck to not get wind bound or stopped due to lightning storm. The Moose Lake entry for the Border Route Challenge has a Saturday start and finish by the following Saturday. It is about 125 miles so need to average 15-18 miles a day. But people have done it in much less time as well. |
||
straighthairedcurly |
BeaV: "Grandma L: "Less than a week before the start of the 2022 Border Route Challenges." +1 |
||
Voyager |
|
||
MN_Lindsey |
We just left our annual trip to Voyageurs National Park (in a motor boat), and Namakan was CHOP CITY! Granted, we were far out in the middle near the international border, and I would imagine paddlers are much closer to shore where its a bit calmer. Good luck paddlers. Following online. |
||
BeaV |
One important update for those paddling or thinking of paddling the Kruger/Waddell Challenge- the Park Service has closed the Gold Portage for all travel going east out of Black Bay of Rainy Lake. All watercraft (canoes and kayaks included) going west to east must use the Kettle Falls Portage and must be decontaminated by Park staff before being allowed to enter Namakan Lake. This route will add close to 7 miles of additional paddling over the shorter Gold Portage former option. Plus you will be paddling on Rainy Lake for a lot of miles with potential for wind/wave issues. Rainy is a BIG lake and dwarfs the biggest lakes of the BWCA. We will also have to time our arrival at Kettle Falls to coincide with the Park Service decontamination station open hours, whatever that will be come September. |
||
cmanimal |
walleyejunky: "just a question....but how many days would you figure it would take from Moose Lake entry to get to Lake Superior for 2 average paddlers and portagers? We had no problems whatsoever doing a Mudro entry to Lower Basswood Falls...up to Crooked...and down thru Gun/Fourtown back to Mudro. My wife and I did it in 7 days, paddled 6, hiked out the Grand portage on the 7th. In general we were on the water between 7and 8 and arriving in a site between 2 and 3. So definitely not a race pace, or schedule. we had about 4 hrs. of weather delay on the trip, and we single portaged. One item that was more of a challenge than I expected was the legal transit between the two sections of the BWCA. |
||
Grandma L |
|
||
merlyn |
What, in your opinion, is the average age of the participants, physical conditions that would make the challenge difficult, impossible or unsuitable. (I assume people doing this are already canoe trippers and don't have serious medical conditions) Are age, weight a consideration? Average Joe or superhero? What are some of the potential physical or medical problems that crop up on the BRC that you wouldn't find on say a 6 or10 day BWCA route vacation. Does anyone have a gear list or info on things like pack weight, sleeping system, food prep? Do you pack as a team or by personal preference each on their own? What works and what doesn't. Are there people who solo? 2 person, 3,4,5 person teams? I assume most teams are made up by friends but are some pick-up teams? Any information, insights or experiences is appreciated. Merlyn |
||
Grandma L |
Give it a try - sign up on watertribe.com |