2008 Father/Son Quetico trip**Heading in pics added 07/16**

[Wallidave]

Here's a short summary for now...

My son Alex and I arrived home from the Quetico and Seagull Outfitters
about midnight last night safe and sound from another
SUPER and SPECIAL trip.



We were towed to Hook Island by Seagull...portaged Silver
Falls and base camped on Saganagons.



Weather...warm enough temps that no one was cold
at any time of the day. Referring to a site that keeps
a history of the weather it looks like it rained everyday
but 1, the warmest was 78 with lows in the 50's. Even though
it rained almost everyday it was very intermittent except for
the day heading out when it rained just about all day long
into the next morning. It made for a very wet, muddy and
dangerously slippery portage going out yet felt refreshingly cool
while working up a sweat getting everything out. A few days
were windy enough to keep us wind bound on our campsite.



Bugs....when the mosquitoes were bad they were the worst I've ever experienced. I've always been kind of happy to say that I've never
been miserable due to a mosquito issue during my lifetime
but on this trip when they were bad they were horrible and I have to say I was uncomfortable. Our worst times were early morning before 9a.m andjust as the sun was hitting the horizon. My son Alex and I were
rooting for the numerous dragonflies that were patrolling our campsite
looking like stealth Blackhawk helicopters. Flies weren't much of a problem
at all. Ticks...Janice wasn't at the Ranger station, it was Lisa like last year. She reported a bad tick problem, however I believe we saw less then a half dozen for the entire trip.



Wildlife...let's see, numerous deer on the way up Gunflint trail(at night), bald eagles, foxes, river? otter, beaver, turtles, turkey vultures, snake, something bigger then a fox but smaller then a wolf, highlight a momma moose and her two new offspring....I know there's more I'll think of them in coming days.



Water...water temp was fairly cold for this time of year. My son tried swimming and when he got out after just a few minutes his legs were all red. Another tripper had a small portable depth finder with a gage and he said it was reading 52. To me it didn't feel that cold more like upper 50's. Well, it made for great drinking water. Report from a couple guys said Cache and Saganagons had the coldest water they experienced. When they were way up north on the falls chain it was warmer.

Water levels were extremely high, seemed like at least a 3 foot difference then last June. Silver Falls was a torrent. My biggest concern this year wasn't a big wind on the big lakes but the outflow at the end of the Silver Falls portage. That concern grew even worse when Lisa at the Ranger station informed me that even Janice the Ranger lady tipped trying to traverse this area. The concern on her face along with giving me other options to other parts of the park had me really second guessing trying to attempt this part of the trip. I'll have much more detail on this later but we managed to safely make the voyage.



Fishing...well if I had to give it a term I would give it a slow to picking up. I'm almost certain it was due to the cool water temps on Saganagons. Anyone going within the next couple weeks if the water temps continue to increase should have good to great success. I usually don't ask anyone what the fishing is like in order not to get any preconceived ideas or negative thoughts before I even start fishing, however this time I think I asked just about every group how the fishing was along with how the outflow was at the bottom of Silver Falls. 99% of the answers were slow or really slow which didn't really bother me much since AnglerEd and I will have outstanding fishing and still hear negative comments like those. The most optimistic we heard was from Lisa the Ranger gal who commented, "we're catching up".



Don't get me wrong we still caught plenty of fish but we didn't run into any feeding frenzies or easily cast anywhere and catch a fish. We both managed to catch some dandies also...My son Alex caught the biggest smallmouth of the trip at 21", I couldn't have been more happy for him My best was a 20" smallie and a 29.5" walleye along with a 27.75" & 26" walleye all taken on the same day in bright sunlight in very calm conditions. We both caught numerous chunky pike, 1 rock bass and I lost 1 laker. For some reason I

had a lot of trouble losing the bigger smallies on the barb less hooks. I'll have

much more detail and pictures on all this later.



Well that's it for now it'll take a little while to post the more detailed report depending on how busy work is Oh yes, and I'm still bringing too much gear and food, I really need to read this sentence before going next year



Dave

[Ed]

All in all it sounds like another good time Dave

[Wallidave]

Yeah Ed, we had a great time!

Oh, was your ear ringing, you wouldn't believe how much we talked about you. Every so often I'd remember something from one of our trips together and tell Alex about it. It got to the point where Alex kept asking me, "tell me more about Ed and your trips together". We spent one evening where the whole conversation was about different subjects about you and me, like the time on the radio show he couldn't believe it

Dave

[Ed]

Yeah Ed, we had a great time!

Oh, was your ear ringing, you wouldn't believe how much we talked about you. Every so often I'd remember something from one of our trips together and tell Alex about it. It got to the point where Alex kept asking me, "tell me more about Ed and your trips together". We spent one evening where the whole conversation was about different subjects about you and me, like the time on the radio show he couldn't believe it

Dave

[Scout]

Another great Report Dave...I cannot wait until my daughter is old enough to do a trip like that....until then...looks like she has to settle for Fox river cats and farmpond gills.
Scout

[Wallidave]

Here's a few pics from our recent trip to the Quetico

Biggest smallie of the trip which my 10 year old son C&R.


Released


Biggest walleye of the trip

Second biggest walleye


All fish released.

Dave

[Chuck]

That sure was a good report, Dave, and also some good fish. I bet your son will never forget that trip. He will have a lot of interesting tales to tell his buddies.

[Ed]

DOINK!
Nice eyes Dave and I love the picture of the smallie in the water

[Nikster]

A TRIP OF A LIFE TIME!

He'll never forget it, There are some 10X12's there for your wall,

Great report & pic's, heck imo you could have added more photos. Campfire, scenic, etc., heck don't think you boring us.

[Ice fish 1]

what a great trip you and your son had thanks for giving us story&pictures to share in your canoeing adventure

[Wallidave]

Thanks guys, there will be more trip reports and photos. I took 800 digitals. Trying to get around to getting it all together...but ya know that 4 letter word " work " is real busy with everyone going on vacation.

Dave

[WaterGuy]

Sounds like a great time! I still have tons of fond memories of Canada trips my dad and uncle took me on when I was a kid.

I'm taking my 14 year old cousin to canada for his first trip next year and your reports along with Eds from the last couple years will have me seriously considering a quetico paddle trip.

[Don S.]

Good story and pics.

[Wallidave]

Well, I'm slowing but surely getting around to this, it's taking longer then I thought it would. Here's the report/story of our trip up north. Some might not find it interesting but we look forward to all parts of our vacation There might be some statements that seem out of place, keep in mind I'm posting this on the website of the outfitter we went with.

I can’t believe it’s been a week already since my son Alex and I came out of the Quetico. As I’m writing this, last week at this time around 4pm Alex and I were finishing up our huge traditional coming out meal at Perkins restaurant in Superior, Wi and getting ready for the final leg home to the Chicago area.

Last year for Alex’s first trip we did a short 5 day trip in order to see how he would like it. That trip turned out great and Alex would consistenly bring up something that happened on the trip over the course of the following year. So, after such a great and memorable trip last year we planned a little bit longer stay for this year which lasted 9 days and 8 nights. Some may feel this is too short also but I feel it’s just about the perfect length for me and my son was more then comfortable with it and didn’t once get bored.


All of this food didn't come along to our campsite most of the chips and all the drinks you see were for snacks on the car ride up. I think we went a little overboard



Thursday, June 19, 2008 after a year of planning (we started planning the day we were portaging out last year) Alex and I couldn’t believe the day had finally arrived to pack up the car and head north on our much anticipated vacation to the Quetico Provincial park. After some long hours and late nights the last couple days buying the food and getting everything set and packed we were both up early and on the road by 8:28a.m with Alex in charge of the trip log.


First stop was to top off the gas tank for $26.51. After only one wrong turn made by dad which Alex duly noted in the log we arrived in Osseo, Wi 323 miles away for another tank fill up for $33. As we arrived in Duluth, Mn we could see a T-storm off to the west which would be the harbinger of next 9 days. Nothing really ever too severe but just enough to keep things interesting and what would give Alex a reason to seemingly forever have one eye looking to the sky.


Stopped in Two Harbors one of my favorite north shore towns and ate lunch/dinner down by the break wall while overlooking the beautiful yet mysterious and ice cold Lake Superior.
After eating we checked out the historic railroad depot, equipment, tug boat, ore docks, and lighthouses and then treated ourselves to some
Dairy Q….MMMMMMMMMM!!!!



About 45 minutes later we made our customary stop at Gooseberry Falls State park to check out the falls, hike and explore the grounds.

This time we actually made it all the way down one of the trails to the lakeshore for some breathtaking views of the big lake, unfortunately though we had an offshore wind just like last year so we weren’t treated to any crashing waves and soothing sounds. However, being around 8-9pm there was only a handful of others around and very peaceful which was in stark contrast to what we found waiting for us on our return.(More on that later)


Highway 61 along the north shore of Lake Superior, I think I could just about drive this route daily and never get tired of the beauty and ruggedness of this road. Back on Highway 61 now getting close to Grand Marais I caught a glimpse of the full moon in it’s blood red color emerging from the surface of Lake Superior off to the east. Time for another quick stop for a few photos…ones that didn’t turn out quite as nice as I’d hoped for but still made for a fond remembrance of our trip up.


Arrived in Grand Marais around 11pm and filled up one last time @$27.50 before heading up the Gunflint trail. On the way up the trail we spotted numerous deer in the distance and off to the side of the road in our headlights. At one point we also saw what appeared to be some sort of animal bigger then a fox yet not quite as big as a wolf. What it was actually had to be left to our imaginations as it hurried off into the thick woods as we approached.

The Gunflint trail at this hour of the night felt nice and remote with only the occasional car heading the other direction. As we drove north I got the idea, instead of crashing in the car at the Seagull parking lot where there are more lights why not pull off in one of the darker and remote pull off areas as we get close. So that’s exactly what we did, we pulled off and parked at the Gunflint lake overlook which is just a short distance from Seagull Outfitters. No one else was there and it was dark and quiet. I have to say unlike last year where we spent an uncomfortable night trying to sleep in the car due to warmer temps and humidity this time we were able to get plenty of sleep with cooler overnight lows in the 50’s. I only stirred a few times over 6 hours but each time I had the unnerving feeling that when I opened my eyes a bear would be staring back through the window. LOL

That's it for the trip up and shouldn't be too long until I finish heading in day.

Dave B

[Ed]

I'm already jealous