Quetico dreams: Annual visits but year-round longing
We've been to the park 20 times. Yet in a park that is more than 1,800 square miles, we still find new places to explore every year. In September 2006 we paddled through a network of lakes near the Maligne River and never saw another human after the first day. That's a little unusual, but even in midsummer, other than near the entry points, you will only see the occasional paddler. Mornings with mist rising off the lake, bright sunny afternoon paddling over crystal blue waters, or evenings of brilliant orange sunsets - you sometimes feel that these extraordinary moments are for your eyes only. With only a limited number of entry permits available, the park's serenity is guaranteed.
With the solitude comes the silence. In this motorless environment, except for the occasional distant drone of an airplane overhead, you'll hear only nature - the haunting wail of loons, the chatter of squirrels, the cry of eagles and the howl of wolves. On windless days, the only sound you might hear is the dip of your paddle in the water. It is these things I dream about on winter days as I look out my window at our canoe, topped with a snowdrift, sitting on the rack.
Life on a wilderness trip is simplified. Within minutes of launching our canoe and paddling away from our car, all thoughts about home, work and daily schedules recede. Our focus becomes the map, the portages, our next meal and where we will make camp.
The first test is always the initial portage. Even though back home we are in the weight room every week, when that pack hits your back, it's always a shock. My first stride is usually more of a lurch than a step as I try to balance the load. Portages, however, are a big part of Quetico travel. Even though we once portaged only a dozen times over 10 days, typically we will face more than double that number of portages. Portage trails are marked on most maps, but don't expect signs marking trail beginnings. Instead look for small openings in the trees or old blazes made years ago on the bark of mature trees.
These paths through the woods are unimproved. Trail clearing crews periodically cut away fallen trees, but the rocks, mud and steep climbs will be there forever. Navigating these uneven surfaces with a pack on your back or toting a canoe on your shoulders often becomes an agility test. Sharing the route with beavers is a mixed blessing. Beaver ponds make for smooth paddling, but carrying gear, loading and unloading canoes in knee-deep muck, and trying to paddle in the trickle-size creek that oozes out of a well-engineered beaver dam is never fun. Unless your boots are knee-high, you will have wet feet all day.
The other half of your day is spent paddling in lakes. If your route takes you through small lakes, you will be constantly portaging. The biggest lakes like Basswood, Agnes, Pickeral, Quetico and Sturgeon are all more than 20 miles long. With flatwater or a light tail wind, impressive distances can be covered. When the wind blows in your face, however, it is like you are on an aquatic upper body treadmill as your paddle strokes seem to take you nowhere in a mass of whitecaps. At these times the lake is the boss and your best option is go ashore and make camp. Most years we spend at least one day hemmed in by wind. Unlike the Boundary Waters Canoe Area where campsites provide fire grates and pit toilets, Quetico campsites offer no amenities other than rocks piled up to form a fire pit.
During our first trips to the Quetico, I was fairly obsessed with bears. Reading an entire book devoted to tales of bear attacks just before my first Quetico trip may have spiked my anxiety. On our trips we've seen moose, deer, otter, beaver, mink, even a wolf, but have yet to spot a bear.
May and June are black fly months, and Memorial Day to Labor Day is mosquito season. Insect repellent will generally hold these winged biters at bay, but those who want their outdoor adventures bugless won't be charmed by Quetico.
Camping in such a wilderness area such as the Quetico is, in every sense, an outdoor experience. There is no indoors. You will share the experience with rain, insects, wind, heat and cold. Your preparation determines how well you cope. For people like us who spend about a month of the year camping in the backcountry, it makes sense to purchase your own equipment. A first-rate tent, top-of-the-line canoe, durable paddles, well-made packs and a reliable stove are essential when you plan to leave civilization miles away. If, on the other hand, you are planning your first trip or only do these trips occasionally, your best bet is to work through an outfitter. From these folks you can get everything you will need for a trip, plus help with planning a route. If you haven't done much camping of this type, I would recommend hiring a guide.
The park can be accessed from six entry points, three in Ontario and three in Minnesota (near Ely, Grand Marais and Crane Lake). Reservations can be made at ontarioparks.com. United States citizens entering the park through Minnesota must procure a Remote Border Crossing Permit that is also available online.
Even though we make only a once-a-year trip, rarely a week goes by when I don't think about that magnificent wilderness. When winter seems never ending, we spread out our maps, trace out routes for future trips, and dream about once again dipping our paddles into Quetico waters.
100TH ANNIVERSARY
Quetico Provincial Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area celebrate their centennial this year, marking a conservation milestone in cooperation between the Untied States and Canada that began in 1909. At that time much of BWCA was ragged open land abandoned by loggers after the clear-cutting of the forests. Unrestricted hunting had decimated the moose population, and beaver were nearly extinct after being extensively trapped a century earlier. The Quetico forests were still intact, but pressure was building to begin logging operations there.
Although the forests were protected, the first 50 years saw uncontrolled growth by the tourist industry. Fishing camps and lodges on Basswood Lake had daily mail service, provided double-decker houseboats and could accommodate more than 1,000 guests. Boats clogged portages and campers cut green trees for tent poles as well as left cans and bottles at campsites.
The tide began to turn in 1964 with the passage of the Wilderness Act, followed in 1978 by the BWCA Act that banned motorized traffic in most of the area. In 2008, fearing the introduction of invasive species and looking to maintain quality sport fishing, live bait was banned in the Quetico and only barbless hooks were permitted.
Dave Foley is a regular contributor to Boundary Waters Journal magazine.
With the solitude comes the silence. In this motorless environment, except for the occasional distant drone of an airplane overhead, you'll hear only nature - the haunting wail of loons, the chatter of squirrels, the cry of eagles and the howl of wolves. On windless days, the only sound you might hear is the dip of your paddle in the water. It is these things I dream about on winter days as I look out my window at our canoe, topped with a snowdrift, sitting on the rack.
Life on a wilderness trip is simplified. Within minutes of launching our canoe and paddling away from our car, all thoughts about home, work and daily schedules recede. Our focus becomes the map, the portages, our next meal and where we will make camp.
The first test is always the initial portage. Even though back home we are in the weight room every week, when that pack hits your back, it's always a shock. My first stride is usually more of a lurch than a step as I try to balance the load. Portages, however, are a big part of Quetico travel. Even though we once portaged only a dozen times over 10 days, typically we will face more than double that number of portages. Portage trails are marked on most maps, but don't expect signs marking trail beginnings. Instead look for small openings in the trees or old blazes made years ago on the bark of mature trees.
These paths through the woods are unimproved. Trail clearing crews periodically cut away fallen trees, but the rocks, mud and steep climbs will be there forever. Navigating these uneven surfaces with a pack on your back or toting a canoe on your shoulders often becomes an agility test. Sharing the route with beavers is a mixed blessing. Beaver ponds make for smooth paddling, but carrying gear, loading and unloading canoes in knee-deep muck, and trying to paddle in the trickle-size creek that oozes out of a well-engineered beaver dam is never fun. Unless your boots are knee-high, you will have wet feet all day.
The other half of your day is spent paddling in lakes. If your route takes you through small lakes, you will be constantly portaging. The biggest lakes like Basswood, Agnes, Pickeral, Quetico and Sturgeon are all more than 20 miles long. With flatwater or a light tail wind, impressive distances can be covered. When the wind blows in your face, however, it is like you are on an aquatic upper body treadmill as your paddle strokes seem to take you nowhere in a mass of whitecaps. At these times the lake is the boss and your best option is go ashore and make camp. Most years we spend at least one day hemmed in by wind. Unlike the Boundary Waters Canoe Area where campsites provide fire grates and pit toilets, Quetico campsites offer no amenities other than rocks piled up to form a fire pit.
During our first trips to the Quetico, I was fairly obsessed with bears. Reading an entire book devoted to tales of bear attacks just before my first Quetico trip may have spiked my anxiety. On our trips we've seen moose, deer, otter, beaver, mink, even a wolf, but have yet to spot a bear.
May and June are black fly months, and Memorial Day to Labor Day is mosquito season. Insect repellent will generally hold these winged biters at bay, but those who want their outdoor adventures bugless won't be charmed by Quetico.
Camping in such a wilderness area such as the Quetico is, in every sense, an outdoor experience. There is no indoors. You will share the experience with rain, insects, wind, heat and cold. Your preparation determines how well you cope. For people like us who spend about a month of the year camping in the backcountry, it makes sense to purchase your own equipment. A first-rate tent, top-of-the-line canoe, durable paddles, well-made packs and a reliable stove are essential when you plan to leave civilization miles away. If, on the other hand, you are planning your first trip or only do these trips occasionally, your best bet is to work through an outfitter. From these folks you can get everything you will need for a trip, plus help with planning a route. If you haven't done much camping of this type, I would recommend hiring a guide.
The park can be accessed from six entry points, three in Ontario and three in Minnesota (near Ely, Grand Marais and Crane Lake). Reservations can be made at ontarioparks.com. United States citizens entering the park through Minnesota must procure a Remote Border Crossing Permit that is also available online.
Even though we make only a once-a-year trip, rarely a week goes by when I don't think about that magnificent wilderness. When winter seems never ending, we spread out our maps, trace out routes for future trips, and dream about once again dipping our paddles into Quetico waters.
100TH ANNIVERSARY
Quetico Provincial Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area celebrate their centennial this year, marking a conservation milestone in cooperation between the Untied States and Canada that began in 1909. At that time much of BWCA was ragged open land abandoned by loggers after the clear-cutting of the forests. Unrestricted hunting had decimated the moose population, and beaver were nearly extinct after being extensively trapped a century earlier. The Quetico forests were still intact, but pressure was building to begin logging operations there.
Although the forests were protected, the first 50 years saw uncontrolled growth by the tourist industry. Fishing camps and lodges on Basswood Lake had daily mail service, provided double-decker houseboats and could accommodate more than 1,000 guests. Boats clogged portages and campers cut green trees for tent poles as well as left cans and bottles at campsites.
The tide began to turn in 1964 with the passage of the Wilderness Act, followed in 1978 by the BWCA Act that banned motorized traffic in most of the area. In 2008, fearing the introduction of invasive species and looking to maintain quality sport fishing, live bait was banned in the Quetico and only barbless hooks were permitted.
Dave Foley is a regular contributor to Boundary Waters Journal magazine.