How to correctly enter and exit from Kevlar Canoes in the Boundary Waters

Like the man says, We Have the best gear and canoes available. Take care of our gear and it will take care of you! We guarantee it!  In our ongoing education series of videos for canoeing and camping we got Steve Piragis and Aaron Chick out on the water.  Check out the pristine new kelvar canoes... We start every summer with brand new equipment.  New Canoes, new kevlar super-light paddles, new lifevests, new tents, new cooking equipment and tarps.  Only the best for YOU!

Late Winter Crappies

My friend Bob and I headed out to one of our local hotspots this weekend to see if we could scare up some Crappies. I can't tell you where we went of course, but can say it was less than 15 miles from Ely and outside the Boundary Waters. After a short walk we arrived at our destanation around 5pm. The recent action has been best in late afternoon until dark.

We were in about 20 feelt of water and fished between 1' and 4 to 5' off the bottom. We were using minnows and meal worms on plain hooks, ice jigs, or rapala jigs. The action wasn't hot and heavy but we managed to pull a dozen or so fish onto the ice including a few small Perch. It was a cloudy afternoon with an occasional light mist and temperatures in the low to mid thirties. With a few fish spread out on the ice we had a Bald Eagle check us out as he flew overhead.

As it got dark and we headed back to the car we heard both Great-horned and Saw-whet Owls singing from the shoreline woods. Ice conditions have been varied and often slushy this winter but were excellant this afternoon. With the recent thaws and some rain there was a crust that just recently turned from treacherously slippery to easily walkable. This is my favorite time of the year for ice fishing with the longer daylight hours and moderate temps, and having a meal of crappie filets doesn't hurt either.

Spirit II - A great all-around canoe

I've decided to write a series of short blogs on Wenonah Canoe models, and hopefully pass on some good information drawn from my own experience, as well as feedback received from our staff, customers, and friends over the years. I'll alternate between tandems and solos and will cover a few kayaks as well. In no particular order I am starting with the 17' Spirit II. It is one of Wenonah's longest lasting models and like the title says "a great all-around canoe".

Wenonah Spirit II in Royalex Layup

At 17' long with 1 1/2" of rocker it is long enough to track well for easy paddling on lake trips, yet is short enough and turns easily for rivers. It has been in our rental stable for about twenty five years and is a favorite of BWCA trippers who do routes combining lakes and rivers. It has also been the choice of many fisherman over the years who appreciate it's stability and maneuverability. It is available in 3 materials and four different lay-ups.

The most popular is the kevlar ultra-light at 42lbs followed by the same hull in royalex at 69lbs. We offer both of these lay-ups in our rental fleet. Like all of our rentals we have these available for sale after every season. Give me a call if you would like to reserve one for your self. You can check out all the specs and prices on our website, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If you have some feedback on the Spirit II from your own experience that you'd like to share, leave a comment or contact me directly 1-800-223-6565.

Traditions...An Important Part of our Lives

In recent days I have been thinking about how important traditions are in our lives. Over the course of time we all develop traditions that take on great significance and value. Many of the traditions that we value have been passed down to us from parents and family members. Sometimes these traditons relate to food, special events or holidays, and for some of us, the love of wilderness and paddling.

I have a client who lives in Whitefish, Montana. He and his sister are planning a trip to Quetico this coming paddling season. John and Nancy had a father who instilled in them the love of wildeness and the love of paddling a canoe. Their father, and his twin brother were born in 1910 and lived in Memphis, TN. Here is a part of a recent email I got from John:

One day, if my sister and I ever get it typed up, I'll share with you the detailed log John and Jim kept of their Mississippi River trips. The logs are fascinating, but they are written in longhand, in a journal, and they do not photocopy very well. John and Jim were two of five sons, all of whom were Eagle Scouts (and there were two daughters). They both ran field hospitals (later called MASH units) in WW2 in northern Africa and in Italy. They were incredibly close -- called each other almost every day until my dad died first, Jim a year later -- and they loved the outdoors. My love of canoeing comes straight from my dad. Once you canoe in the wonderful country where you live, you are hooked for life, and John and Jim loved the trip we took there in 1968. They both played the mandolin and harmonica quite well, and on that trip Jim took his mandolin and John his harmonica, and they serenaded us around the campfire each night. One night while sitting around the campfire, on a powerful transistor radio we had taken, we picked up a crystal-clear broadcast from Memphis, where we all lived. I cant remember what station or program we were listening to, but occasionally, in the background, we could hear the whistle of the Southern Railroad! It was, to say the least, weird!

How cool is that? John and Nancy are trying to convince a few friends to join them on their trip and to aid in that process, Nancy has written a poem to entice them. With Nancy's permission, here is her poem:

“ . . . . . Come, my friends,
And let us seek a newer world
Where nature’s beauty is unfurled
And paddles ‘round canoes do swirl.
Push off, and sitting well, smite
The sounding furrows with delight
To sail beyond the sunset far
And sleep beneath the northern stars.
Our hearts lie where the northern pike
Incredibly and fiercely strike
And bend the rod like a full-drawn bow
As they struggle and leap from far below.
Where spruce and fir like steeple rise
In adoration to the skies.
Give us paddles and sleek canoes,
We’ll portage and explore the views
Of gleaming strings of wilderness lakes
All for the joy of adventure’s sake.
The fellowship of campfire tales
As we listen to the wind’s wild wails
And watch the path the gray geese fly
Across the moonlit Canadian sky,
Will lodge for life within our minds
And settle gentle like a tie that binds.

. . . . . with apologies to Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Dr. James G. Hughes and Dr. John D. Hughes, my uncle and father (twins)

Evidently, besides being avid outdoors men, they were Doctors, musicians, and poets.

What is your story? Is paddling a tradition in your family? Are you making it a tradition that you will pass down to your children? Tell us about it. We would love to hear your story.

Thanks John and Nancy for sharing a part of your lives with us. It makes us feel like we are a part of your tradition.


See you on the water...

Bert Heep

Women's Wilderness Adventure!!

Greetings to all you women out there who have been wanting to take a canoe camping trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This blog is for you!!!
Our Outfitting Department has many Guided Group Trips every summer, but for this write-up, we'll focus on the Women's Trip that we do. It's a great opportunity to experience a paddling adventure in the best canoe area in the world; so whether you are arriving solo or with some friends, you are sure to leave with vivid memories of everything you have seen and done.

The journey is fully outfitted (we use ultra-light Kevlar canoes), guided, and lodging for you is included. All you have to do is get to Ely on the arrival date. We take the worrying out of the trip planning.

The 2011 dates are July 9-15 and the cost is $1195 per person plus tax. A $300 deposit is required to reserve your seat in a canoe. We can only take seven clients so sign up soon!

July 9 - Arrive in Ely. Check in. Meet guide in the evening. Motel included.
July 10-15 - Paddle in the BWCA!!
July 15 - After we pick the group up, you will have another room at a motel.
July 16 - Head home after you have breakfast at a great restaurant in Ely like the Chocolate Moose.
So take a break from the humdrum and discover a pristine wilderness and maybe a little about yourself at the same time. Space is still available so grab a friend and come on up to Ely this summer.

Call Bert or Drew! 1-800-223-6565