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Boundary Waters, June 2014

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Leaving tomorrow morning from southern Wisconsin for the BW. Entry at Lake One, looping around to Moose Lake via Insula, Fraser, Kekekabic, and who knows where else. Picking up a friend from Seattle at the Duluth airport - how convenient! Boats: Bell NorthStar set up as a solo, and a Hemlock Peregrine. Back out on the 20th. I hope I remember how to drive.
 
Back from the BW. Two solos, Bell NorthStar and Hemlock Peregrine. NorthStar handles better and is more stable, Peregrine is faster.
OK trip - no injuries, fights or drunken stupors. Summary by day:

1. Enter at Lake One, paddle to Hudson Lake. 5 portages, all under 40r.
2. Paddle to northern Lake Insula. 1 portage, 100r.
3. Layover, windy.
4. Paddle to Thomas Lake. 2 portages, 175r and 35r.
5. Layover due to wind and rain.
6. Ditto.
7. Paddle to Ima Lake. A couple of portages, 1 Class II rapids (avoided the portage), 1 slot that I lined through a few years ago. Forecast 10-15 mph wind, actual 25-30 mph, and we were on the windward end of the lake. Very difficult conditions for the Peregrine, not so bad for the NorthStar. I called it an emergency and we promptly got a campsite.
8. Paddle to Ensign Lake. 5 portages.
9. Paddle to Moose Lake landing - 8 miles of 10-15 mph tailwind. 1 portage of 11r, 1 Class I+ rapids (avoided another portage).
10. Was supposed to be our last day but we shortened the trip in order to avoid forecast 60% chance of T-storms. Very little rain but stiff winds. Good decision.
 
Sorry to read of the uncooperative weather.

BWCA is on my list - I have to get there.

I'm sure you'll share some photos after you shake out and get your gear properly stowed.
 
love it .. Gotta reread it.. Still converting rods to meters....some of us don't have a rod mindset... X5.
 
Thanks, folks.
YC, I always convert rods to meters and yards, too. A rod is 16.5 feet or 5 meters. So a 20-rod portage is the length of a soccer field, or a football field including one of the end zones. An 80-rod portage is 400 meters, or 440 yards, or a long par-4 golf hole. And so on....
 
Gavia,
Thanks for the wonderful report. I was particularly interested because I have a permit to put in at Snowbank the second week in August with a planned exit 7 days later at Lake One. Coincidentally, I'll be doing most of the loop you did but in the reverse direction, probably intersecting at Cattyman Lake and on to Lake One from there. I assume water levels in August are lower than you experienced.
Thanks again for the preview of my next trip!!
Regards,
Dave
 
Nope. Mine is see-through kevlar. But it weighs almost as much as FG boat - 52 lbs portage weight instead of a tad over 40.
 
I've never heard of see through kevlar. Looks more like fiberglass with a few areas of kevlar reinforcement. The weight falls in line with the fiberglass layup.

Alan
 
Well you can see through the sides of my Wenonah just fine with backlighting. Have to be careful not to be too Canadian.
 
I've never heard of see through kevlar. Looks more like fiberglass with a few areas of kevlar reinforcement. The weight falls in line with the fiberglass layup.

Alan

See-through is what I call it. It's also known as ultra-light. A lot of tripping boats are made that way.
I don't believe the NorthStar has ever been made in fiberglass.
 
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