BWCA Permit Reservations Open January 29th

Permit Reservations Open Soon!

With the wind chill nearing -50 on my walk to work this morning, it seems difficult to imagine open water.  That said, the paddling season will be here before you know it.  Today, I just want to remind you that on Wednesday, January 29th, permit reservations will open for the BWCA.

If you have questions about picking a route or with the permitting process, Drew and I are here to help.  Call us at 800-223-6565.

Happy Planning

#16 to #19 through Iron Lake

#16 to #19 – 26 Miles (3-6 days)

Difficulty: Challenging

Points of Interest: View both river and lake systems, Rebecca Falls, Curtain Falls, Lac La Croix, Iron Lake, pictographs, Warrior Hill

Description: Enter at either #16 or #19.  This is a great route, but you have to be comfortable with longer portages.  Traveling the Stuart River is not easy.  You either start or finish, depending which entry you begin at, with a one and a half mile long portage.  It is a beautiful walk, but it is long.  If you are up for the challenge, this route is highly recommended.  You will travel through Stuart Lake, a great walleye lake.  For seclusion, you can stay at the only campsite on Rush Lake.  There is nothing quite like having the whole lake to yourself.  You will pass through Iron Lake, a great fishing lake.  Here, you can also check out both Curtain and Rebecca Falls.  To the west of Iron Lake, you will pass through Lac La Croix where you can see pictographs and Warrior Hill.  The Boulder Bay area is often a favorite place for people to camp.  The route will take you through Agnes Lake and through the Nina-Moose River, a great place to see wildlife.  Choose this route, if you don’t mind portages, enjoy paddling both rivers and lakes, are interested in fishing, and want to see some incredible waterfalls.

We want your feedback! 

We would love to hear what you think about this route. Have you been in this area before? What is your favorite part of this route? What is your favorite lake? Do you have a trip story you would like to share? Do you have any questions? Is this something you think you might try? Please comment below and join the conversation.

For more routing information, call us at 800-223-6565 

#16 to #23 through Friday Bay

#16 to #23 through Friday Bay – 40 Miles (5-8 days)

Difficulty: Moderate to challenging

Points of Interest: Rebecca Falls, Curtain Falls, Crooked Lake, excellent fishing on Crooked Lake and Iron Lake, wildlife, Lac La Croix pictographs, Warrior Hill

Description: Starting at either entry #16 or #23, this route passes through two of the most well-liked entries in our area.  On the #16 side, traveling along the narrow river you get a close-up view of the BWCA flora and fauna.  There is typically a good deal of animal sign along the river.  Moose and deer tracks are common, along with lots of beaver architecture.  This is a great place to see wildlife.  The Boulder Bay area has many great campsites and its location close to the Lac La Croix pictograph and Warrior Hill make it a nice spot to stop on a layover day.  The northern most stretch on this route takes you through some incredible fishing.  Both Iron and Crooked Lakes are renowned for their walleye, smallmouth bass, and pike fishing.  On Iron Lake be sure to check out both Rebecca and Curtain Falls.  South of Friday Bay, you will go through a number of small lakes.  This is a modestly challenging stretch, but usually very quiet and peaceful.  The path between Gun and Mudro Lakes is beautiful and well-traveled.  The fishing is pretty good as well, with Gun, Fourtown, and Horse Lakes being favorite spots.

 

We want your feedback!
We would love to hear what you think about this route. Have you been in this area before? What is your favorite part of this route? What is your favorite lake? Do you have a trip story you would like to share? Do you have any questions? Is this something you think you might try? Please comment below and join the conversation.

For more routing information, call us at 800-223-6565 

What do we do for Fun in Ely when it is 30 to 40 below zero?

A  couple of days after Christmas 2013 we went spearing.  It was a warm day and when we had cut our holes and Simon finished sawing through the ice Lucy pulled the block out with the tongs.  It was about 6 inches thick and had separated from a piece underneath that was about 11 inches thick.  The slush/snow in between had formed an air barrier of sorts that turned into a pocket I guess.  It was weird.

It was fun pulling the sled across the lake, drilling the holes, cutting the block and setting up the black pop up.  It was great to be outdoors with my two oldest.  The way they took charge and knew how to handle the equipment, the way they worked together with smiles on their faces.

We sat together in the darkness, swimming some of our favorite decoys, our spear lines tied around our legs and peered over the edge of the ice down into the stained water.  Those 90 minutes before it became dark outside were some of the best moments of my year.

We didn't see a fish, but it didn't matter.  Perhaps you'll see a little of what I mean with the pictures.  After losing my Father just before Thanksgiving, I treasure simple things and times spent with family even more.  It was a good day, even if short.  The "catch" of the day was priceless for me.

One of Last Year's Fish

The Yoke Was on Us

The Yoke Was on Us

The year was 1975.  So, not that long ago.  It was only the best of times. 

We started our job at EPA’s Shagawa Lake Project on Memorial Day Weekend.   It was our first experience taking on a project of our own and being responsible.   Nancy was the technical partner; trained by the master of zooplankton feeding rates, Dr. Jim Haney.   I was supposed to be the theoretician; trying to make some sense of the data and design a good study.   As lowly contractors we got some meager lab space tightly guarded over by our new friends, the full time employees.   The study progressed well with only a couple minor mishaps involving a little radioactive P32 finding a hole in my rubber glove.  I slept a few nights with my arm over the side of the bed.  Can’t be too careful with one’s gametes.  We found Ely night life enticing, spending more than one evening on crawls up Sheridan Street lavishing in our new found freedom.  Hoping our boss doesn’t read this but we missed a couple of sample times in our diel study on the night of July 4^th after a visit to the then famous Legion Club later to be known as the Red Garter.  

So Ely was the oasis at the end of a long road from New Hampshire for me and my research partner.   We gained a best friend who worked at Canadian Waters that summer.  She was a blond Swede from St. Paul named Margot (but pronounced Margit) with so much Minnesotan accent we thought she was a recent immigrant.  After a week or two of hearing all the stories about the wilderness out our back door ( we lived in the basement of Shagawa Inn) we set off with Margot’s advice to explore the wilderness.  She was flabbergasted at our suggestion that we might camp on one of the wild islands of Shagawa.  After all, we had spent many hours in white lab coats in our Boston Whaler sampling the waters of Shag and kinda liked it.   After proper admonition, we found the portage to Hegman and off we went on our first wilderness trip.

My dad was a boat dealer in Massachusetts so when he heard that I was spending  a summer in Ely, Minnesota he told me about the ads he’d seen in Outdoor Life for years about the Canoe Country.   After loading up a ton of science gear in my Volvo I strapped on a Grumman to the roof and took off for the cross Canada highway to Grand Portage and the wilds of Minnesota.  The canoe turned out to be essential that summer as slowly the summer progressed and paddling wild lakes became almost as important as catching wild Daphnia and rotifers.   It was that first outing though that Nancy and I made a major discovery.   The trail to Hegman is wide and sloping and outfitted with steps for the uninitiated.   We hoisted the canoe on our shoulders, one in the front and one in the rear upside down and off we went.  On the somewhat jerky hike to the lake we met a fellow traveler climbing back up the parking lot carrying his canoe by himself from the middle of the canoe.  What was that?  A few more canoes at the put in had something like pads hanging off the center thwart.  That’s how Minnesotans carry a canoe?   Unheard of in New England where portages are just for the wimps who don’t run the white water.   It looked intriguing however and I called my dad as soon as we got back to the lab that Sunday.  As a long time Grumman dealer (since 1955) he said it was what is called a yoke and it just tightens down to the center thwart.  Dad had one on the shelves in Athol, Mass collecting dust for the past 20 years.   What a revelation!  In a week we had a yoke of our own and ever since the yoke has been on us.

Steve