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late October solo

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I have not been out since early september and missed a couple of beautiful opportunities so when this one came along I jumped on it. Karin was nice enough to let me take her Highlander so last Friday morning I loaded up and took off for Pine Falls and the Maskwa Project. The plan was to head upriver to portage #4, camp there, and open up the trail. My reality was a bit different. It seems that it was the grandfathers that planned this trip,not me. I just executed. Which turned out to be a good idea...lol.
 

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I managed to get on the water by noon and it was a lovely day to paddle. I felt good as soon as the first stroke hit the water and with a tailwind the Huron wanted to run. Too soon I arrived at the first port and was greeted by...a downed tree, tabernac. I got out the saw and hacked it out of the way but it took more out of me than I had bargained for. I got onto the second leg after a little rest break and then headed down the second port to find....another tree across the trail. This is an 800m or so port, partly up a steep hill and I had 4 carries. Not happening. Or at least, not any good reason to happen. I decided ( or maybe the grandfathers did) to camp right there. There was even a nice spot where I stopped. Go figure. So I cleared a site, cut some chairs off the downed tree and made a table to eat at.
Camp came together really well and I got the trail cleared and sat down for lots of breaks in the process. No stress.There was a glass of Crown Royal and coke in there too. Steak and eggs for supper. Some fishing after. Nice night paddle. Pretty hard to beat that. It was an early night though and I went down like a ton of bricks.
 

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Thanks for the report and photos. You guys definitely have more rugged terrain and obstacles up your way then what we face in the Adirondacks. I think I like your locales more than ours; although there's a lot more work involved in your trip (LOL).

That's all for now. Take care and until next time....be well.

snapper
 
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Saturday came without any of the rain forecast and it was warm...tshirt weather. My travelling companions were there too...the black flies. I debated moving upriver or even day tripping to clear the port at #4 but in the end opted for some more fishing and some hiking on the quad trails that are all through that area.Good decision again. I had taken my new .22 with me and in the process of putting a few rounds through it a lone grouse stumbled into a hail of lead. That was supper with rice and mushrooms. Not a bad sceario.
You may notice my new North Face Stormbreak tent. I have been waiting all summer to try it out and it did not disappoint. Very roomy, big vestibules and easy to set up. Light too. It is a winner.
I made a small firepit along the edge of the river, and a fridge to keep things cool ( in the water) and just basically wandered the trails, cleaned up both ends of the port I was on and took a nice lazy day. I had supper and then a hike and came back and burned some wood with a cup of Crown beside the river and watched the sun go down.
 

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Great trip report, and photos !
Love the chain saw table and chair !
You can cook for me any time ! I love eating right of the pan !
Thanks !

Jim
 
Beautiful boat! Nice pictures! Great camp furnitures and good eating!! Look like a nice trip!! The moving/white water we see is there any way to line that or paddle it even? Is it too shallow? I'd try anything before portaging!!
 
Really good stuff. Great photos!! But ... Oh. My. Sweet. Cheesewhiz. The roast bird supper is incredible!! That's good livin'.
Thanks for this. The Grandfathers clearly like having you around.
 
Husqvarna, the parent company of Poulan, sells a little chain sharpening guide that I have gotten quite used to. They offer the same thing on the Poulan Pro website, here:

http://www.poulanpro.com/us/parts-accessories/chainsaw-tools/file-kit/581562002/

I believe that there are different models for .325" pitch and 3/8" pitch and for 5/32" and 7/32" files. It may be that the file size doesn't matter, I'm not sure. I've gotten into the habit of touching up my chains after each use and it seems to help. I also found out that the clearance needs to be filed even on new chains so that they will throw chips instead of sawdust. I've been using Oregon chains, but I have a Husqvarna chain that seems to be holding up much better. I think that the teeth on the Husqvarna chain are harder. My Oregon files just skate across them. I tried one of the Husqvarna files that came with the sharpening guide and it had a much better bite on the cutter.

A stump vise might be handy to hold the bar while filing the chain.

I didn't set out to use the Poulan or Husqvarna saws, but I had a Poulan Wood Shark given to me. I let it sit for several years before I finally got it out and used it. It's now the saw that I get out first. I cut up a 50 foot Poplar tree with it yesterday. I felled the tree with a bigger saw, but used the Wood Shark to limb it and cut up the trunk.
 
Snapper...maybe not more rugged, but less used.The bush here was not as thick as other places I go. It was almost like a Southern Ontario hardwood forest with lots of open space between the trees. It is Shield country though, lots of pool and drop.

The furntiure was rather an inspiration. It is the thing I miss most out there...no chairs. So, problem solved. I am not really an LNT kind of person. My camp is my home and I like all the comforts of home that I can get.

Snow? REally. Dont be slinging four letter words at me. Although, if I bought a sled..........

Canotrouge...I am not good at reading water. In fact I suck awfully at it. It is fairly shallow with lots of strategically placed rocks though and my boat is made out of canvas and thin wood. It would be fun with a plastic canoe or kayak though for sure.

I am pretty sure the grandfathers get a kick out of me Brad. Once I learned to pay attention, they help me all the time.


This was a really great trip for me. Maybe that is all I will get from here on in. Instead of 50 km and 9 ports, it will be 3 km and one port. As long as I can still get out. What I am discovering is that I dont need half as much food as I take. What feeds karin and I for 10 days will last me a month. So a 3-5 day trip starts to get easier. I am really grooving on this afternoon nap thing too.Sometimes, being older can be good.
 
I find Oregons to be a bit soft too. I had a Stihl chain that was pretty hard...I cut a lot of wood with that one. I like my saw but if I had it to do over I would buy a Stihl. Having the correct file and knowing how to use it makes a huge difference. Since I haved gotten better technique it has made life a lot easier.

I have to admit to only taking one full tank in the saw with no extra fuel or oil. Its just easier again.
 
Christy, that's an interesting photo with the canoe, the chainsaw and the mysterious smooth groove running down the center of the picture... canoe looks great, very nice color, off-white exterior and dark brown interior.

I have to ask, what is that groove... it looks smooth enough to be man-made although it can't be that. Is it a worn-in moose trail... or a weathered crack smooth in the bedrock... maybe I'm too far south to recognize these things. Thanks for any explanation...
 
Thanks, the Huron is light yellow outside, like a flat fall leaf yellow...how appropriate.

Ok...That is a rut from Quad tires. I know it sort of looks rocky and is what you might expect in the Shield but it is very dry mud with some tire ruts in it. There is a lot of clay here and it is nasty when wet but dries hard as rock.
This is crown land so it is not really all that remote, it just looks that way. I hardly ever see other people up there other than quadders. Personally I like to walk the trails nice and quiet like.
 
Christy I enjoyed the TR and the pics.. that rut looks like an ankle killer. I'd be afraid of it on one pass.. never mind five!
 
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