My four day canoe trip.

[Masteroffajitas]

Last Tuesday I went on a 4 day, 3 night canoe trip in the boundary waters of the Minnesotan/Canada border. It was pretty fun, in fact the closest I've ever been camping or canoeing is being on a camp ground next to a parking lot, or canoeing on what the state of Arizona calls a 'lake'(more like a man-made pond..) so this was quite an experience. I took the trip with my brother and we took alot of pics. But here are just some of the better ones, there was alot of work so I wasn't really focused on picture taking. Well, here you go.

Muddrow, our Launching point.

It doesn't look like, mostley because of my lack picture taking abilities, but that's a river leading from Muddrow, to Muddrow lake.

After an 80 rod portage you reach Sandpit lake, alot of this is used to logging area so you had to be careful about not hitting discrete logs poking out of water.

After a 160 rod portage, you reach Tin Can Mike lake. Nothing really special except for the funny name.

 

[undara12]

Is that an aluminum boat? I have always been told that you need a Kevlar boat to paddle the boundary waters because of the portages.

 

[Masteroffajitas]

Lily Pad flower.

Another from Sandpit/Tin Can Mike portage end.

Another From Tin Can Mike...

After a 90 rod portage you'll be at Horselake and the end of horse lake you reach horse river which takes you to Basswood lake, the biggest lake I've ever seen.

My first ever non blue gill, a perch!!

2nd Perch ever.

Lower Basswood lake.

Oooh Canada!!

Indian Graphitti.

 

[myright]

Excuse my ignorance... What is a 160 rod portage?


Sweet pics! What knives went with you?

 

[smcclown05]

Cool pics! Nice perch. Never fished for any but I love to eat em

 

[Masteroffajitas]

Ranger Cabin, pretty close to are camp sight, and a really nice fishing spot.

One of the three 'falls' located in sight of are camp site, very nice to fall asleep too.

My perch, walleye, and small mouth.

Dinner that night

Action shot of the nation's bird.

Some more falls.


The whole trip was really fun, but was alot of work. Sorry about the pics not being order, but alot wouldn't load. The last day was about 52 degrees and raining so not really ideal for picture taking. I got to see an otter up close, probably diving for fish remains. No knife pics, but I brought my mora clipper in carbon steel, spyderco native 3, my leatherman crunch and a no name fillet. I really wish I had an axe, I'll probably pick up a wetterlings before the year ends. If your woundering, the whole trip was a crude 24 mile oval or eye shape.

 

[iBlade]

cool trip!

 

[smcclown05]

How were the skeeters? I've heard they can get pretty bad up there during the summer. Sounds like it may have been cool enough to keep them at bay though.

 

[x39]

What a great trip and pictures!

 

[DWK2]

myright,

A rod is a 40th of a furlong (that's true, but I'm just joking). In more modern terms, a rod is about 5.5 yards or 16 feet, 6 inches. About 320 rods to a mile.

DancesWithKnives

 

[myright]

myright,

A rod is a 40th of a furlong (that's true, but I'm just joking). In more modern terms, a rod is about 5.5 yards or 16 feet, 6 inches. About 320 rods to a mile.

DancesWithKnives

Confusing.... Next time just say "it was far"

Learn something new every day, thanks:thumbup:

 

[DWK2]

In my book, just about any portage is "far"! At my age I really don't like carrying canoes and heavy gear. One of the reasons I like traveling by canoe is the ability to carry a bunch of comfort items without hauling them on my back.

DancesWithKnives

 

[Masteroffajitas]

Is that an aluminum boat? I have always been told that you need a Kevlar boat to paddle the boundary waters because of the portages.

If your willing to drop the dough. They save you about 10-25 pounds, but they cost more. It cost about an extra $100 from our outfitter for a kevlar. If we canoed every month it'd probably be worth it. We chatted with a guy who just threw his kevlar on his shoulders and away he went but it takes my brother about a minute to get situated.

 

[Masteroffajitas]

The skeeters up north were biting bad, they were pretty bold compared to the mosquitos in the cities. They'd watch thier comrades get smashed on my arm yet they'd keep coming.

 

[DWK2]

DEET works well for me on AK river trips. Does it work well on skeeters in your area?

DancesWithKnives

 

[Masteroffajitas]

It does, they'd hover but never latch on when I had alot deet on.

 

[Odaon]

That's awesome. I might have to do something like that in a kayak some day. great stuff, thanks for sharing.

 

[Snow]

Amazing pictures!! Man I'm jealous. That looked like an awesome trip. What were the most useful pieces of gear you brought? Being a first time canoist, any unexpected difficulties?

 

[schlotskey]

Thanks for the pics and post! Five years in a row I spent a month during the summer up in Quetico. Haven't made it back in years. Just packed pancake mix and lemonade mix (to get rid of the iodine taste, hadn't discovered other means yet)... fresh blueberry pancakes for breakfast... and all the perch, walleye, and smallmouth I could eat for lunch and dinner. Never purposefully fished for Northerns, but would usually pick one up just "trolling" paddling back to camp. I used an AL canoe too, not bad at all when you're younger. What did you think of the loons? See any otter or mink? Thanks again!

 

[Mistwalker]

Really cool pictures, great scenery!