Now to find room for it all

[Odyssey]

Awesome organizing Alan. I'd cross colour contaminate by day 3, forget which colour is for what around day 4.
End up eating all day breakfasts by day 6. Mistaking kibble for gorp by day 7, finding out on the drive home.

 

[Alan Gage]

Awesome organizing Alan. I'd cross colour contaminate by day 3, forget which colour is for what around day 4.
End up eating all day breakfasts by day 6.

In my mind yellow (eggs) is the obvious breakfast choice and for some reason red seems like it should be dinner. So that leaves blue for lunch. Because of the amount of food it's not as organized as it looks. Crammed in wherever I can find room is dog food, bannock (works for any meal), hot chocolate, snacks, and oil. If I open the blue bag I know I'll find whatever I need in there to cook lunch but I'll have to sort through some other junk as well. It gets easier once the trip is half over and the volume of baggies to sort through has diminished. Then it will probably get hard again close to the end when I'll have barrel 6 bags to check just to figure out where the last container of oil is hiding.

Alan

 

[yellowcanoe]

Sigh.. we will be a week on Superior and a week on Georgian Bay. There isn't any dinner repetition and while lunches are usually the same and breakfast with three variations my 15 day supply of food looks like a trainwreck.
My York Box comes in at 25 lbs. And there will be extra in a 30 liter barrel where we will carry the stove and fuel ( non spillable)
The problem on big water non portage trips is there is always room for more. We dont have to carry water like in the Everglades.

We'll be following the shoreline of Lake Superior Provincial Park and circumavigating Killarney's Philip Edward Island.

 

[Iskweo]

You really need to start fishing on these long trips Alan. Consider it foraging. While you cant count on it for specific days, up there you can count on several days where it will supplement the food supply. Extra is always good.

Seeing as you are doing an in and out type trip maybe you could do a cache on the way in and retrieve it coming out. We have done that a few times to lighten up the load and extend our range.

Christy

 

[Jim Dodd]

Seeing as you are doing an in and out type trip maybe you could do a cache on the way in and retrieve it coming out. We have done that a few times to lighten up the load and extend our range.

Christy

​ Great idea, especially if the first part of your trip doesn't involve a lot of portaging, really big water, or predators that would rob you, and leave you empty handed.

 

[latremorej]

You really need to start fishing on these long trips Alan. Consider it foraging. While you cant count on it for specific days, up there you can count on several days where it will supplement the food supply. Extra is always good.

Seeing as you are doing an in and out type trip maybe you could do a cache on the way in and retrieve it coming out. We have done that a few times to lighten up the load and extend our range.

Christy

Yes, I was also thinking that a dinner of waleye or bass would go great with mashed taters and maybe dehydrated mixed veg. Can't always count on it but it would sure be a good change in diet!

I would bet that out of 40 days, you could easily catch dinner 5 times. I think leaving 5 or 10 dinners behind would make up for the weight of the fishing gear. If you catch some, eat them and leave out your packaged dinner. Unless you have planned your route to cover too many miles each day to allow for some smelling of the roses along the way, or maybe fishing isn't your thing and all. Everyone goes out there for their own reasons of course.... I like fishing, others like photography or just relaxing with a book.
Either way, I'll be jealous and looking forward to seeing your reports! Good luck on the water!

Jason

 

[Bioguide]

Nice job Alan. Question: I see you have some liquid container bags with screw caps. Where might one procure them?

Never mind... I found some.

 

[Alan Gage]

Yes, I was also thinking that a dinner of waleye or bass would go great with mashed taters and maybe dehydrated mixed veg.

Too far north for walleye and bass but I'll be on some world class pike, lake trout, and grayling water. If I listen real hard I can hear 17 year old Alan screaming obscenities at me and begging me to bring along 8 or 9 fishing poles and 3 tackle boxes. But I don't get any enjoyment from fishing anymore so other than a few jigs and spool of line in case I lose my food or run out I won't be doing any fishing.

Seeing as you are doing an in and out type trip maybe you could do a cache on the way in and retrieve it coming out

That's a tempting idea and one I'll have to give serious thought to. There's a 2 mile portage coming into Kasmere Lake and it would be nice to leave one load on the upstream side. Should be about 1 1/2 weeks from the starting point so I could leave the 30L barrel. Of course the concern is coming back and finding that a bear has gotten into or run off with the barrel. I wouldn't be quite as worried if it was only a few days but it will likely take me 2-3 weeks until I get back to the cache. The 60L barrel should be running on empty at that point and it's still a long ways from home to suddenly find yourself without food.

Question: I see you have some liquid container bags with screw caps. Where might one procure them?

I've been getting them from Rum Runners: http://www.rumrunnerflasks.com/

I was a bit leery when I got them last year so the first thing I did was fill one with water and squeeze as hard as I could with my hands to try and burst a seam. It passed so I stood on it (170 pounds) and it still held. Then a bounced a little and still no leaks. Good enough for me.

The 32oz. flasks have a larger opening that you can pour into. The smaller 8 and 16oz. bags have a smaller opening that you need to fill using a funnel.

I used a few to carry denatured alcohol for my stove as well. The denatured alcohol did some funky stuff to the plastic (cloudy and bumpy) but here it is a year later and I see I still have two of them sitting with alcohol in them and they haven't leaked yet. Maybe I'll give one a stress test and see if it still holds up.

Interestingly enough the bags with denatured alcohol began to "deteriorate" only a few days into the trip and I was very concerned about them letting go well before completion. But once they got ugly they never seemed to get worse. 27 days into the trip I got my resupply bucket and in it was one more flask of denatured alcohol. It had been packed for over 30 days but was in an airtight bucket with gamma seal lid and the plastic looked perfectly clear and healthy. But after living in the gear pack for a couple days it turned cloudy and bumpy as well. I'm guessing moisture plays a component.


Alan

 

[Odyssey]

Caching or hanging the final food barrel 1 1/2 weeks into the trip wouldn't worry me. I'd count on having ample food to last beyond that for safety reasons; but the extra weight for the first part of the trip would be a real downer though. Supplementing meals with fish sounds practical (and relaxing and yummy) to me.
I'd also leave myself a small treat of some kind. Something to lift the spirits. Something to carry me the final leg home.

 

[Mihun09]

You really need to start fishing on these long trips Alan. Consider it foraging. While you cant count on it for specific days, up there you can count on several days where it will supplement the food supply. Extra is always good.

Seeing as you are doing an in and out type trip maybe you could do a cache on the way in and retrieve it coming out. We have done that a few times to lighten up the load and extend our range.

Christy

We left a 30 litre barrel on an island then made our way through another 8 or so portages including one 1.8k long. It was beneficial for sure. Less bears where we were than you will likely encounter though Alan.

Do you know yet which way you are getting into norther Saskatchewan, through Manitoba at all?

 

[Qayaq]

I like your route choice Alan. I spent the summer of 2010 prospecting and staking claims just north of Nueltin, between Angikuni and Henik Lakes. It's one of my favourite areas, right at the edge of the treeline. That year the large herds of caribou came through the area around the middle of August. I suspect the timing of the migration had something to do with your schedule. I hope you get to experience the caribou on this trip.

I'm sure you know that you're quite likely to encounter at least one snowstorm at the end of August and into September.

 

[Alan Gage]

That year the large herds of caribou came through the area around the middle of August. I suspect the timing of the migration had something to do with your schedule. I hope you get to experience the caribou on this trip.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high in case I miss them but I've certainly got my fingers crossed.

I'm sure you know that you're quite likely to encounter at least one snowstorm at the end of August and into September.

I've been reading Downes' journals of his travels in this area in the late 30's and early 40's. Much of his traveling was done in July and the 1st half of August. I do a lot of shaking my head and muttering to myself about what I'm getting myself into when I hear of the weather he was encountering at that time of year.

Do you know yet which way you are getting into norther Saskatchewan, through Manitoba at all?

I leave in a week so I suppose I should figure this out pretty soon but I'm still not sure. There are a few different routes and they all look like a wash in terms of time and mileage. I'm tempted to take the route through North Dakota since I like the prairie and haven't spent much time there. I'd like to stop by and see you two but I know the way I am behind the wheel at the start of a trip and I'm not going to want to take the time to stop and chat. How about on the way back? I should be a little more relaxed at that point and not in such a hurry to reach my destination.

Alan

 

[Mihun09]

I understand the need to get where you are going on the way there. I'll be like that late September. Depending on when you are coming back, would love to have you stop in, but, September 17th we start our road trip south east to Ontario, 2200km one way to pick up a canoe. Family visiting in the mix with getting 2 canoes. Likely over 5000km of travelling in two weeks.

My Mom came out to visit about 4 years ago for a weekend, but I haven't been back to see my family since I moved out here 7 1/2 years ago.

 

[Bothwell Voyageur]

If you make it back in one piece there are a few others in the Winnipegarea who would happily by you a malted milk or two and maybe take that used canoe off your hands.

 

[Mama]

Thanks for posting the updated photo. This is really nice. You've got it down to a science. I will look forward to any trip report or photos you decide to share, this is going to be an amazing 45 days.

 

[latremorej]

Yes you definitely have the food bag down .. I wish I could get it like that. Heck, I wish I could take a trip half that long. I probably spend more time on my food bag and I only can get out for a week at a time!

Jason