Our boat shuttle journey would begin Saturday morning at Crane Lake, located not far from the Canadian border near....well, it's not near anything really. How about this: it's 1.5 hours north of Virginia, MN. Anyway, most of us headed up the day before so that we could gather all our stuff and finalize our packing strategy.
Chuck and his wife Lori had volunteered to plan the menu, so by the time we left the Twin Cities they had already packed our food into one large container. Done! Amazing really. Left to our own devices, we bandits would simply eat jerky and mashed potatoes (and Mountain House Chili Mac with Beef of course), suffering severe cases of scurvy (and constipation) by weeks' end.
Each of us was given one Duluth pack (large square-ish canvas bags that fit well in canoes and have straps for portaging) for our personal gear. Well, except Gary. He was given special dispensation to employ 2-3 personal packs, but that's expected of our beloved "Gear Daddy." And who of us would dare cast the first stone? We all benefit from the extra gear that Gary brings.
So, the major decision left was what group gear to bring, including what we would bring for spirits. As for that, we had several options, from tequila to bourbon and beer, and one newcomer to the Bandit repertoire: Fireball cinnamon whiskey! Turns out the world in general has been turned on to this stuff for quite awhile now, but we Bandits live in an obscure world where craft beer rules the day. Alas, copious amounts of craft beer would be impractical for a trip such as this, but that didn't stop us (Joe, specifically) from packing some Surly craft beer in a special lightweight cooler. In the end, we brought it all, or more accurately, we brought whatever we could fit in the various metal containers we had. That also included Chuck's personal supply of boxed wines and brandy. Now, Chuck can have his wine, but he had to remember from our BWCA trip that his brandy was a personal favorite of Jeff's. Seeing how Jeff liked to unwind in the evenings, I wonder if Chuck had any intention of tasting his own brandy stash!
All but Jeff took off from the Twin Cities about noon on Friday, heading north to Voyagaire Lodge on the shores of Crane Lake. (Jeff would arrive later that evening.) Voyagaire is a beautifully refurbished resort hotel, and we arrived about 5 pm after a quick stop in Cook, MN to pick up our BWCA permit. Why BWCA? I thought we were going to Quetico! Yep, but since we would be paddling along the US/Canadian border for part of the time, we wanted the option to nab the best campsite on either side of the border, and still be legal about it.
After a bite to eat and a couple beers at the bar, we retired to our rooms to pack. One of the rooms had a large open space, perfect for laying out group gear. Gary and Chuck did most of the deciding/packing, except for the alcohol. That's where we all lent a hand, "researching", comparing notes, and further researching the various alcohol options, and in the end declared that it was ALL coming with us. Er, whatever was left that is.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Prologue
It had been two years since the Burrito Bag Bandits had gotten together for a high adventure trip. The previous trip to BWCA kept us in our home state, but still gave us the freedom of being out in the wilderness with just our planning and skills to keep us alive and safe. For our next trip, it was suggested we do something a bit more exotic to take us further into the BWCA, deeper into the wilderness than a couple of portages provided. Our trip leader, Gary, knew of a handful of resorts on the west end of the BWCA that would jet boat a group, their gear and canoes along the Canadian border (where boats are allowed, not on the U.S. side), and drop off at locations that give a group flexibility to enter BWCA (or the adjoining Quetico Provincial Park on the Canadian side) from a few different spots. These locations would take days to portage to from various entry points in the U.S. and Canada, so these boat shuttles get you deep in to "the shit" where humans are scarce, fish are abundant, and paddling and exploring are at a premium. In addition, a bonus was dangled in front of the unsuspecting Bandits - no portaging! From the boat shuttle drop-off point, we simply canoe a few yards across the border into the lakes of western BWCA!
Well, call it the ol' "Bait and Switch" (Joe does). In the early stages of planning, Gary decided to up the "wow" factor and take the Bandits into Quetico Provincial Park, which is even more remote and exotic than the BWCA. Need proof? Ask a Minnesotan about the BWCA, and you will get 100% acknowledgement. Ask them about Quetico Provincial Park, and most will look puzzled: "Quetico? Must be a cross between Quaaludes and Costco." Even if they know what it is, most people have no idea where it is. That included me and the other Bandits, complaining that we refused to ingest mind-altering drugs administered by a warehouse chain.
So, over the winter of 2014-2015 the planning conversation changed from "no portaging" to "a few portages", but still included the boat shuttle. The Bandits were still on board, knowing that our aging bodies were, well, only getting older, and if Gary could pull it off in his condition (recent cancer remission), we were too ashamed to back down. Except Joe, who jokingly laments to this day, "Where was I when these plans changed???" Must have been on one of his frequent visits to the beer frig.
All 6 of the 2013 BWCA Bandits were in, but there were some scheduling conflicts. Just like 2013, the best time was the week after Memorial Day, when visitors and bugs would be scarce, and fish would hopefully be biting. Weather? That's always a crap shoot in MN/Canada. In the end, Steve-O had to back out, leaving the remaining 5 Bandits to fend for ourselves. Steve is an animal when it comes to portaging - and fishing. We may not miss his fishing as much, but we would surely miss his portaging prowess.
That left Gary, Joe, Jeff, Chuck and Kevin to plan and execute the trip from May 30 - June 6, 2015.
After pouring over maps of Quetico, we decided on a circular route that would have the boat shuttle drop us off at one Quetico entrance point, we camp and portage through 8-10 incredible Quetico lakes over the course of a week, and have the shuttle pick us up at a different exit location.
Listen......there, did you hear it? Way off in the distance, a faint cry still echoing through the universe: "WHERE WAS I WHEN THESE PLANS CHAAAAAaaaaaaa........"
Well, call it the ol' "Bait and Switch" (Joe does). In the early stages of planning, Gary decided to up the "wow" factor and take the Bandits into Quetico Provincial Park, which is even more remote and exotic than the BWCA. Need proof? Ask a Minnesotan about the BWCA, and you will get 100% acknowledgement. Ask them about Quetico Provincial Park, and most will look puzzled: "Quetico? Must be a cross between Quaaludes and Costco." Even if they know what it is, most people have no idea where it is. That included me and the other Bandits, complaining that we refused to ingest mind-altering drugs administered by a warehouse chain.
So, over the winter of 2014-2015 the planning conversation changed from "no portaging" to "a few portages", but still included the boat shuttle. The Bandits were still on board, knowing that our aging bodies were, well, only getting older, and if Gary could pull it off in his condition (recent cancer remission), we were too ashamed to back down. Except Joe, who jokingly laments to this day, "Where was I when these plans changed???" Must have been on one of his frequent visits to the beer frig.
All 6 of the 2013 BWCA Bandits were in, but there were some scheduling conflicts. Just like 2013, the best time was the week after Memorial Day, when visitors and bugs would be scarce, and fish would hopefully be biting. Weather? That's always a crap shoot in MN/Canada. In the end, Steve-O had to back out, leaving the remaining 5 Bandits to fend for ourselves. Steve is an animal when it comes to portaging - and fishing. We may not miss his fishing as much, but we would surely miss his portaging prowess.
That left Gary, Joe, Jeff, Chuck and Kevin to plan and execute the trip from May 30 - June 6, 2015.
After pouring over maps of Quetico, we decided on a circular route that would have the boat shuttle drop us off at one Quetico entrance point, we camp and portage through 8-10 incredible Quetico lakes over the course of a week, and have the shuttle pick us up at a different exit location.
Listen......there, did you hear it? Way off in the distance, a faint cry still echoing through the universe: "WHERE WAS I WHEN THESE PLANS CHAAAAAaaaaaaa........"
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