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My "not a trip" trip report.

Dave, have ever done the Island river in the fall? Transforms itself into a vast array of wild rice and not a lot of open water. Just amazing how different it looks from springtime.
 
Dave, have ever done the Island river in the fall? Transforms itself into a vast array of wild rice and not a lot of open water. Just amazing how different it looks from springtime.
No, this was my first trip there. I would have like to seen it before the Pagami creek fire went through the area.
 
Yeah, it must look different, I haven't been there since the fire but did go into lake 3 and 4 last fall and saw the fire damage there. The Island river area is a fun place. Camped a couple of times on the non-BWCA side, been the other direction too, camped on Isabella when my kids were small in October one year and got 14" of snow - the roads out weren't plowed and we almost didn't make it up a couple of hills. I also hiked the Pow Wow trail one fall but I guess it hasn't completely opened since the fire.
 
Well, since I gave up drinking coffee, cocoa, and anything else with caffeine or sweeteners in it, I have become a mint tea sipper on trips myself. Peppermint. But would like to hear how the wintergreen stacks up? Nothing better than sitting in my chair enjoying my hot beverage watching the water before sunrise while everyone sleeps. So peaceful.

What a beautiful "un-trip". I should print this up and remember the locations in case we ever have a BWCA trip where my husband's back is giving him trouble. He could suffer less and still have a good time. Doesn't look like you were mobbed by crowds, a pretty nice walk-in site, and you got to sink into the beauty of it all and paddle your canoe. Mission accomplished. And fantastic photos.
 
The wintergreen tea had a relaxing effect on my body and I slept very well. I bought some more wintergreen tea after I got home to share with my wife who also has aches and pains. It's pleasant to drink and seems to be some sort of anti inflammatory.

IMO early and late season are the times to visit the BWCA . Fall is my favorite time to trip there as most people have went home and most camp sites are empty.
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Wintergreen is related to aspirin and not everyone should partake,
I have a yard full of it. It grows by runners.
 
The whole 'bad feeling' thing is vastly under appreciated in my book of look backs... one 2nd visit to a site in Alaska was accompanied by a general feeling of dread... finally it got so bad we popped back to the car w all our camping gear and moved on an hour or two...the wife, my kids and their two cousins were not happy at all. On the next trip back to the same campsite, everything was fine... I never regretted (afterwards, anyway) moving...despite the looks of annoyance and disapproval. On an everyday level it tends more to be get off the highway and drive the longer slower backroads or just make time while you can...
 
I'm glad to read of others who trust their gut. I learned to do that a long time ago and haven't regretted it. Even if nothing horrible ends up happening, the end result can be a really nice trip like this one turned out to be. Thanks for sharing your non-trip with us. I think most of us would have felt so lucky to come away from this situation with what you experienced.

As for wintergreen; many years ago I had a massage therapist on a trip. We collected up a bunch of the leaves, crushed them up and then boiled them. The oils rose to the surface of the water and he skimmed them off. Everyone benefitted from those massages that night!!!

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

snapper
 
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