Over two decades I did wilderness canoe trips solo and with many other family and friends. Didn't have the digital cameras that are available now. Many regrets that I only have memories or horseshit stills to remember my trips. I am now gonna watch every bit ofvideo that you've taken. I am now in my sixties and no longer able to take these trips so im goonna live vicariously from your videos and I thank you.
WOW! Glad UA-cam recommended this. A very worthwhile video for those of us who love canoe camping. Two knots that I find very useful are the mooring hitch which I use in the place of the bowline and I daisy chain the lines instead of using a rubber band etc. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of your trip.
Hi Mark! We are lucky here with the vast forested and wetland landscape, few people, and northern climate, and all that Shield country with all that water! More to come in the series...
Thanks OBuffalo! I will have to look up the mooring hitch. Daisy chaining works well too. To spool up the lines, I use the thumb and pinky, and do the cross over wrapping back and forth so that there is no twisting involved, then wrap a few times and cinch under the wrap line. I also recently switched out my lines to 2.2 mm Zing It, and been very happy with it. Not prone to tangles at all, very nice to work with, and very light.
Hey Karen, great tip on the hair bands! I will try that. This is my second summer with the Hilleberg. They say you don't have to seam seal it, and I have not, and it has remained 100% dry so far. The one fiddly thing is that when the fly is wet when packing up, one has to crawl inside and detach the inner tent and pack separately to keep it dry, but set up again requires that about 24 toggles be re-attached. But one gets into a rhythm and just does it, and its fine, although time consuming.
Good to see you thought it out & didn't over-extend yourself on the 1st.day.nice camp-site left untouched. glad we followed along,& look forward to part-2. Stay-Safe Happy Trails From Down East
Hoop: You have the back for these videos. It always makes me happy to see a UA-cam notification that you have posted a new one. Thank you for these efforts, I really enjoy them! Rick
Hi C-1. Some of that 17 days was weekends and the August 1st Monday Civic holiday, but it was 3 weeks away from the office, so I cannot complain! TBay to Ignace is 3 hours. Then its a 2-3 hour drive north on hwy 599 to the put in. Getting an afternoon start from home I like to overnight in Ignace at the Northwoods hotel to get up north to the put in really early and refreshed the next day (don't want a 6 hours drive to start). The Northwoods is great, really great restaurant.
Awesome! I used to do a lot of canoe portaging in my younger days. The longest was in 2001 & was approx. 200 klms long. It took us 7 days. I felt like an iron man after that - LOL. I've always liked wilderness camping, hiking and other extreme outdoor activities, but I think the canoe portaging was the ultimate. I can't wait to see the rest of your videos from this trip. Thanx for sharin'!
Thanks EB! I am traveling into Savant from the highway, then will hook into the Little Savant, then loop around back upstream on the Savant, hauling my boat up rapids, then close the circuit and back through to my vehicle.
Thanks Art! That's an old Trailhead Prospector I bought maybe 25 plus years ago, small 16 (15' 8"), in S-glass and kevlar composite. Heavy duty lay up, it weighs about 56 pounds. Unfortunately it has a shoe keel, but I solo paddle Canadian style leaned up (when not using the kayak paddle) so the keel does not interfere. It takes enormous abuse when I am skidding it on logs for take out and launching, and dragging it up rivers (which I will show later int he series) so I don't mind it.
I enjoyed watching all your 17 day solo canoe trip videos. I like your hot meal with the dehydrated food,it looked so good that I copied it down,including the Tex Mex seasoning of coarse. I also liked the way you did your camp fire,something to keep in my memory.That fire worked very well and easy to control.I will watch it again for sure. Thank for sharing your trip with us fellow canoeists.And remember"Keep your canoe upright and your paddle in the water" Thanks Again :-)
Thanks Tim! It rained nearly every day for the first 3/4 of the trip, which nixed some filming opportunities....which is maybe a good thing since I have tons of material to edit way down!
Hi there W.T how you doing? I'm happy to see you out on the water again...!! You have some new gear,looking forward to see how they suit you! Like everyone else looking forward to see you're following videos,those wild rice,and really what you do best and naturally...
Thanks Lonnie! It was a bit of a hard slog of a trip because there are many portages to come. I lost close to 10 pounds when I weighed in back home! But I saw some new country that is really cool. Wild rice country, which I will show later in the series.
Wow you lot over there really know how to do canoeing properly, I'd love to be able to get out there in me tub. Love these vids mate....can't wait for the next part... Cheers Griff Be Water My Friend
Takes me back to my canoe trip 4 years ago on the Kenai Peninsula here in Alaska. I don't do much of it anymore, but its a great way to explore. Have you ever canoed the Yukon?
Hi Brian. Yes a new camera on its first video shoot, but its still a point and shoot camera, so has its limitations. No swing out screen, so I never know if I am in frame or not. I noticed a camera noise throughout. I wonder if its the image stabilization or auto focus?
Great series - I love your canoeing videos! As a timid day paddler only, I live vicariously through your trips. That "cool sign" by the way is only a few hundred metres from my backyard. I'd love to see a map of your travels on this trip....
Thanks Quaddingsous! After 17 days on this trip I was just starting to get in shape! My longest solo has been 46 days in the arctic, and man I was in lean shape at the end of that trip!
Good stuff Hoop, just getting around to this series now. With the turn of the clocks on daylight savings I have a little something to look forward to during the extra time in my mornings with coffee the rest of this week! Lots of nice pieces of advice - like tie up your canoe even when its positioned upside down on the ground! --K
Oh ya, the Hilleberg! The final cost of that can cause a heart attack! Very expensive over here with shipping and duty charges. So far 100% dry, no leaks, and never seam sealed it. I may seam seal it one day, but they say it does not need it?
Thanks Northwoodman1! You may indeed recognize some features. I am headed into the Savant and Little Savant systems on this trip, and looping back around. The route was re-cut by Uncle Phils and crew about 3 or 4 years ago, and I stayed at some of the campsites they restored, with the signature capped fire pit and double log benches. Maybe some of your handiwork!
You inspired me to take the plunge and spend the money on what promises to be a well-made tarp. And what service, too -- a two-day turnaround on my order! Can't wait for it to arrive and for the rains to pour. It looks like CCS makes some great gear.
***** Hey Geoff, you made a great choice! The seams will need to be sealed. See the response to Jamez0117 below where I explained how I made a jig to make the seam sealing easier, and the trick of sealing it with talc/baby powder. The seam sealing is a one-time job with SilNet and it should last for the life of the tarp.
Thanks SC! Solo tripping is mostly what I do. If I was going with people, I would go with a self contained kit to be independent. The bugs did not give me a break! Oh they were bad in the evenings and during the rain inside the bush on portages. I use deep woods off in the 25% mix and it works well. :o)
Thanks S-210! I was in great shape when I got finished the trip! :o) During the trip the body hurt though - had many portages, but that's OK, portages make back country where almost no one goes!
Thanks Chardpp! Camera is new for this trip, a Canon G15. It has an annoying auto-focus or image stabilization sound it makes during video, which is a disappointment. My old G7 never had that sound. Takes great still photos though. Trousers are Fjallraven Barents trousers. Very expensive to import from Europe, but I really like them. Yes I do some hammocking, although when canoe tripping I take a tent because of the down time out of the bugs and rain that I like. I go on HF now and again :o)
Nice to get away and really hit the reset buttons out there, know the feeling. That's a great strategy, stay fresh for the first paddle, avoid overdoing it (as we're not in the 20s anymore ;) Do you carry in a sat phone or SPOT with you being you are solo and this isolated in the back country?
Thanks Tippacanoe21! I started and finished at a lake off the Pickle Lake highway. I got into Savant Lake, then did the portage into Little Savant, then looped around back up the main Savant River, and then retraced back to the lake by the highway. I got all the route info, including portage trails and some campsites, from Volume 2 of The Wabakimi Project's route info. They sell each volume for $35, but its well worth it. You can buy direct off their website at: www.wabakimi.org/maps/ Check it out. The money also goes towards the owner's costs to fund volunteer canoe portage crews to clear the routes and clean up the campsite from blowdown. The government does not maintain these crown land routes, its all users and volunteers!
I should have signed up for a govt job!? 17 glorious days in a row off, I'm jealous. Planning a 6 day canoe trip into the back country week after next so this will be a great primer. Remember your 3 day solo last year quite well as you were having problems getting off there. Great that everything is as you left it. Good walleye fishing there and plenty of blow down for firewood. How long of a drive is it for you to get up to Ignace from Thunder Bay?
Thanks AC! Its a cheapo Coghlans, but its the lightest I have found on the market. I have patched the tearing nylon material on top around the stress points, and it keeps on working!
Great to see you out there in the canoe again. But I scarcely recognized you in that opening shot without your facial hair. Guess we'll have to wait and see if you shave out there or are going to come out of this with a full beard 17 days later. Lookin' forward to seeing more in this series, - Martin
Starting to watch your series. Can't wait. Do you ever see or hear anything you can't explain when you are out in the middle of nowhere? Just wondering.
Thanks Mike. Glad to have you along for another series. I am a forest and wildlife ecologist for my job, so I study what happens out in the bush for my job. I also read my history of the travelers from the old days. I know many of the common bird calls and critter calls and sounds, so no, nothing much surprises me in the bush...except for the weather! I get caught in wicked thunderstorms sometimes that blow in out of nowhere. I have the occasional bear encounter, and had to use bear bangers a few times to scare them away, but otherwise the bears take off when I have bumped into them.
Great videos my friend, really enjoying this. I'll be embarking on a canoe journey to Mexico here pretty soon on my YT channel and am trying to gather any knowledge I can before I leave. Can I ask how big is your canoe?
Thanks TT! My canoe on this video series is a "small 16", actually 15 foot 8 inches. Its a 34 inch beam with mild tumblehome, which makes getting the hip over to one side more comfortable for paddling, and allows for a nice lean for classic Canadian stroke paddling. The depth is 14 inches in the middle, and the bottom is slightly round, which makes for a stable big water ride in a chop, and for fishing, fighting big thrashing northern pike. Best wishes for a great Mexico paddling trip!
cool video. I am thinking about doing something like this. im from the states and was wondering where I would be able to park my car while on the trip.
Thanks G! For provincial parks go to their websites or call them and they can give you info. For Crown land outside of parks, have a look at Google Earth and you can find bush roads or turn offs to park in. For this area I am paddling in this vid, you can get most of the info I used from The Wabakimi Project, which documents the Crown land routes surrounding the park. Check out the TWP's website and look for the route volumes 1-4. That's how I found this spot I am paddling in, inclduing a place to park. They sell them for $35 each, but I think they are a bargain, especially since their crews went through and cut out the blowdown. Please make note of Ontario's infamous "Green Zones", where non-residents are not allowed to camp without an outfitter. I don't think the area in the vid is a green zone, but you need to check. Ontario's MNR website will have a map of green zones. Also, non-residents need a crown land camping permit, which is about $10 per day or so. Call MNR or go to their website to look up details. (They don't make it easy for our American friends to come up here on crown land, unfortunately). For a park experience that has a similar landscape to where I am paddling, Woodland Caribou Prov. Park is fantastic. Red Lake Outfitters can set you up for a trip there, even if its just parking and a vehicle shuttle (check their website).
The noise could be image stabilization or auto focus. I certainly didn't notice anything like that in this video. The most obvious culprit in outdoor video shooting is the wind. Looking forward to the rest of the series. Perhaps getting your winter gear out for maintenance will be a catalyst to complete this video series before the start of the hard water travelling season. ;)
Hoop, can you share the type of camera you were using. As i recall, you had a new point and shoot camera. I know the wind noise was a problem as you noted, but the overall quality of the videos seemed fine to me. The camera is a gift for my Patti who broke the lens on her Pentax WG1. Have a great Holiday! FYI, you got great kudos from Kevin Callan on Facebook.
Hi OB42. My camera on this trip was the Canon G15. It does have that chronic clicking sound when the video is used. I have tried everything for settings, and can't fix it. I must have got a lemon, or the entire G15 line is a lemon. Hope they fixed it in their next models. Other than the audio disappointment, the HD video is quite good for a point-and-shoot camera. One of these days I need to invest in a "real" camcorder! :o) Ya a few folks have let me know about Kevin's kind words - very nice of him to mention my videos! :o)
openboat42 Thanks for replying. The G15 sounds good - I'll see if I can get a good price as the G16s are out now and the reviews weren't that great. Google+ is messing with me too. I tried to respond but on yours and all comments I'm seeing comments disabled. It appears they made changes for Androids and they aren't enabled yet. and I can't use it without going to the Chrome mobile apps as I've been using a tablet. Works fine on my PC. Are you anywhere besides here in case I wanted to drop you a line? Steve Shapiro/near Chicago
Thanks Hamish! I am working on the edits to part 2. Its going to be some boring portaging, and me blabbing away, but have to get that portaging done to get way back in, and in part 3 and beyond we will get into some nicer areas, some fish, blueberry fields, wild rice, and some wood prep and open fire cooking.
Thanks for those kind words Rick! I have a pile of work ahead to process all the video I shot. So it may take a while to get the entire series edited and posted, but I will be working on it!
Thanks Ken! I have seen untied canoes lifted up and tossed in the wind. Its a must-do rule for me! Hope you enjoy the series. I need to get back on the editing - I have several more parts planned!
Thanks Mike! The rubber bands are a fail - they break after one or two trips. The velcro is a good idea if you could find some small ones made to loop. But I think I may go with a micro bungee cord like a 1/16 inch thick if I can find some, which I can cut and tie to length quick.
Thanks Openboat42. In fact this summer I switched to ponytail hair elastics for the tie out loops and they worked perfectly! I larks headed them onto the tarp loop, then ran the guy line through the opening so that the hair elastic does not come off. Easy simple solution that was so obvious that it was easy to overlook! :o)
Wintertrekker Thanks for the reply. It's great that you take the time to respond to comments. It must be a time consuming task. Don't know if you saw my earlier post, you said Google was making it harder to reply, but when you set up your tarp, how are you attaching your prusik to the tarp. It appears you have a clip/carabiner attached to the end loop of the tarp.
Thanks for showcasing a great trip. I've been addicted to viewing it and admire your back country skills. On the part one where you rig your rain tarp, how are you connecting the last loop with your prusik? There appears to be some kind d of clip . Also, did you remove the video on what you carry on your trips? I did see it but somehow I cannot find it now. Same question about your r emergency fanny pack. I've made several trips -one solo- to the bwca and one to Woodland Caribou for two weeks. My main pack is about 60 pounds and i want to pare it down. This is without a day pack and a food lack. Trying to get to double portage.
openboat42 Hi Openboat! On the tarp I keep the prussiks on the ridge line, and I have a plastic clip on the end of the prussik loop. It clips to the ridge loop of the tarp. The clip is a 1/4 inch bungee clip that I simply threaded onto the prussik cord before tying it closed. I get the clips at MEC. Alternatively you could tie the clip, or mini biner, onto the end of the tarp and just leave it there, and clip it to the prussik loop. I did not remove any videos, but it may have been embedded in a video that has other topics, so maybe hard to find again. I cannot even remember! :o) My emergency fanny pack I have not yet made a video of its contents. I have been meaning to do that after many requests, but I keep forgetting! Its on my to-do list. I like to keep my day pack separate to hold all my must-have day to day items, like rain gear, fleece, gloves, bug dope, fire kit stuff, repair stuff and various tools, fish fillet bags, TP, hand sanitizer, sunglasses, etc - stuff I would want to get at without having to unpack the big gear pack. On short solo trips I double portage. On long trips under 3 weeks I triple portage because one portage is the food barrel and cook gear, and the gear pack is heavier with more stove fuel. On longer trips 4-6 weeks I have two 60L barrels for food and cook kit and these make a 4th portage. With dried food, plus nalgene bottles of cooking oil its standard to count on about 2 pounds of dried food and fat/oil per day, plus the weight of the food barrel and harness, plus cook kit.
Over two decades I did wilderness canoe trips solo and with many other family and friends. Didn't have the digital cameras that are available now. Many regrets that I only have memories or horseshit stills to remember my trips. I am now gonna watch every bit ofvideo that you've taken. I am now in my sixties and no longer able to take these trips so im goonna live vicariously from your videos and I thank you.
WOW! Glad UA-cam recommended this. A very worthwhile video for those of us who love canoe camping. Two knots that I find very useful are the mooring hitch which I use in the place of the bowline and I daisy chain the lines instead of using a rubber band etc. I am looking forward to seeing the rest of your trip.
Hi Mark! We are lucky here with the vast forested and wetland landscape, few people, and northern climate, and all that Shield country with all that water! More to come in the series...
Thanks OBuffalo! I will have to look up the mooring hitch. Daisy chaining works well too. To spool up the lines, I use the thumb and pinky, and do the cross over wrapping back and forth so that there is no twisting involved, then wrap a few times and cinch under the wrap line. I also recently switched out my lines to 2.2 mm Zing It, and been very happy with it. Not prone to tangles at all, very nice to work with, and very light.
Hey Karen, great tip on the hair bands! I will try that. This is my second summer with the Hilleberg. They say you don't have to seam seal it, and I have not, and it has remained 100% dry so far. The one fiddly thing is that when the fly is wet when packing up, one has to crawl inside and detach the inner tent and pack separately to keep it dry, but set up again requires that about 24 toggles be re-attached. But one gets into a rhythm and just does it, and its fine, although time consuming.
Good to see you thought it out & didn't over-extend yourself on the 1st.day.nice camp-site left untouched. glad we followed along,& look forward to part-2. Stay-Safe
Happy Trails From Down East
Lookin great so far man.
That tent looks real nice.
Hoop: You have the back for these videos. It always makes me happy to see a UA-cam notification that you have posted a new one. Thank you for these efforts, I really enjoy them! Rick
Hi C-1. Some of that 17 days was weekends and the August 1st Monday Civic holiday, but it was 3 weeks away from the office, so I cannot complain! TBay to Ignace is 3 hours. Then its a 2-3 hour drive north on hwy 599 to the put in. Getting an afternoon start from home I like to overnight in Ignace at the Northwoods hotel to get up north to the put in really early and refreshed the next day (don't want a 6 hours drive to start). The Northwoods is great, really great restaurant.
Great to see you're on another trip Hoop! Can't wait for the rest of the trip.... Bon Voyage...Rod
Hi JHypers. Alaska is a great place! No never paddled the Yukon. But I have done several 30-40 day solo trips in the Barrenlands of NWT and Nunavut.
Awesome! I used to do a lot of canoe portaging in my younger days. The longest was in 2001 & was approx. 200 klms long. It took us 7 days. I felt like an iron man after that - LOL. I've always liked wilderness camping, hiking and other extreme outdoor activities, but I think the canoe portaging was the ultimate. I can't wait to see the rest of your videos from this trip. Thanx for sharin'!
Thanks EB! I am traveling into Savant from the highway, then will hook into the Little Savant, then loop around back upstream on the Savant, hauling my boat up rapids, then close the circuit and back through to my vehicle.
Wild rice. Very cool. My wife and I are always on the lookout for it, but have yet to find it.
-Martin
Great start to your trip Hoop looking forward to more. All the best.
Thanks Art! That's an old Trailhead Prospector I bought maybe 25 plus years ago, small 16 (15' 8"), in S-glass and kevlar composite. Heavy duty lay up, it weighs about 56 pounds. Unfortunately it has a shoe keel, but I solo paddle Canadian style leaned up (when not using the kayak paddle) so the keel does not interfere. It takes enormous abuse when I am skidding it on logs for take out and launching, and dragging it up rivers (which I will show later int he series) so I don't mind it.
I enjoyed watching all your 17 day solo canoe trip videos. I like your hot meal with the dehydrated food,it looked so good that I copied it down,including the Tex Mex seasoning of coarse. I also liked the way you did your camp fire,something to keep in my memory.That fire worked very well and easy to control.I will watch it again for sure. Thank for sharing your trip with us fellow canoeists.And remember"Keep your canoe upright and your paddle in the water" Thanks Again :-)
hi, me and my buddy dan from atikokan are watching your trip....cant wait for part two.
I like watching your videos. It's practical useful experience being shown in your trips. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Jay! The snow and ice is melting here, time for me to start planning the next trips!
Thanks Tim! It rained nearly every day for the first 3/4 of the trip, which nixed some filming opportunities....which is maybe a good thing since I have tons of material to edit way down!
Looking forward to more! I love sunset country in August.
Thanks Marc! Hope you are getting some good trips in this summer!
Hi there W.T how you doing? I'm happy to see you out on the water again...!! You have some new gear,looking forward to see how they suit you! Like everyone else looking forward to see you're following videos,those wild rice,and really what you do best and naturally...
Thanks Lonnie! It was a bit of a hard slog of a trip because there are many portages to come. I lost close to 10 pounds when I weighed in back home! But I saw some new country that is really cool. Wild rice country, which I will show later in the series.
Wonderful .... I did a similar trip in the Quetico some years back in my youth. Nothing like it!
Awesome to share the good times, it's the next best thing to being there which I wish I was. I love canoe trips.
Wow you lot over there really know how to do canoeing properly, I'd love to be able to get out there in me tub. Love these vids mate....can't wait for the next part...
Cheers Griff
Be Water My Friend
Awesome trip! SOLO is the only way I can camp... True freedom and peace of mind. Looks like the bugs are giving you a break too! ;)
Wow this looks like it will be an exciting series! looking forward to watching!
I needed that! Looking forward to more. I was with Uncle Phil in 2008 somewhere between the highway and Savant. Maybe I will recognize something.
Thanks Rod! More to come in the series!
Wow, excellent tent!
A bit of a wet start, as it looks - but I am really lookig forward to the other eposides of your trip
Takes me back to my canoe trip 4 years ago on the Kenai Peninsula here in Alaska. I don't do much of it anymore, but its a great way to explore. Have you ever canoed the Yukon?
Hi Hoop!
As allways I'm very jealous at your country and trips;-)
Looking forward to this series!
Thanks AC! Wow a 10 rating! Thanks again, hope you enjoy the series!
Thanks Sepp! Much more to come in the series!
Hi Brian. Yes a new camera on its first video shoot, but its still a point and shoot camera, so has its limitations. No swing out screen, so I never know if I am in frame or not. I noticed a camera noise throughout. I wonder if its the image stabilization or auto focus?
Great series - I love your canoeing videos! As a timid day paddler only, I live vicariously through your trips. That "cool sign" by the way is only a few hundred metres from my backyard. I'd love to see a map of your travels on this trip....
to do a canoe trip like this is one of my dreams, thanks for taking us with you, take care Taro
Thanks Quaddingsous! After 17 days on this trip I was just starting to get in shape! My longest solo has been 46 days in the arctic, and man I was in lean shape at the end of that trip!
Good stuff Hoop, just getting around to this series now. With the turn of the clocks on daylight savings I have a little something to look forward to during the extra time in my mornings with coffee the rest of this week! Lots of nice pieces of advice - like tie up your canoe even when its positioned upside down on the ground! --K
Oh ya, the Hilleberg! The final cost of that can cause a heart attack! Very expensive over here with shipping and duty charges. So far 100% dry, no leaks, and never seam sealed it. I may seam seal it one day, but they say it does not need it?
Thanks Northwoodman1! You may indeed recognize some features. I am headed into the Savant and Little Savant systems on this trip, and looping back around. The route was re-cut by Uncle Phils and crew about 3 or 4 years ago, and I stayed at some of the campsites they restored, with the signature capped fire pit and double log benches. Maybe some of your handiwork!
Way to go brother !!! Hope you shot some footage. Take care...Rod
Good start to what I am sure will be an awesome trip. I see you've upgraded your video camera to High Definition now.
You inspired me to take the plunge and spend the money on what promises to be a well-made tarp. And what service, too -- a two-day turnaround on my order! Can't wait for it to arrive and for the rains to pour. It looks like CCS makes some great gear.
***** Hey Geoff, you made a great choice! The seams will need to be sealed. See the response to Jamez0117 below where I explained how I made a jig to make the seam sealing easier, and the trick of sealing it with talc/baby powder. The seam sealing is a one-time job with SilNet and it should last for the life of the tarp.
Thanks SC! Solo tripping is mostly what I do. If I was going with people, I would go with a self contained kit to be independent. The bugs did not give me a break! Oh they were bad in the evenings and during the rain inside the bush on portages. I use deep woods off in the 25% mix and it works well. :o)
Great vid! Looking forward to the series. Thanks for sharing!
Your name is Harlen, correct? Great work... thoroughly enjoyable submissions... I'm looking for Hillberg as well... Quality Handmade Shelters
Great video there buddy......enjoy your trip and stay safe!!!!
Thanks S-210! I was in great shape when I got finished the trip! :o) During the trip the body hurt though - had many portages, but that's OK, portages make back country where almost no one goes!
Nice video. Do you always tie your boat down at night?
Thanks Chardpp! Camera is new for this trip, a Canon G15. It has an annoying auto-focus or image stabilization sound it makes during video, which is a disappointment. My old G7 never had that sound. Takes great still photos though. Trousers are Fjallraven Barents trousers. Very expensive to import from Europe, but I really like them. Yes I do some hammocking, although when canoe tripping I take a tent because of the down time out of the bugs and rain that I like. I go on HF now and again :o)
I can't wait to see the rest!
Nice to get away and really hit the reset buttons out there, know the feeling. That's a great strategy, stay fresh for the first paddle, avoid overdoing it (as we're not in the 20s anymore ;) Do you carry in a sat phone or SPOT with you being you are solo and this isolated in the back country?
Thanks Barbarossa4U! Canoe tripping is what I live for in the soft water season!
Thanks PF! I will show some walleye in the fry pan too, starting I think in part 3!
Thanks Taro! I hope you enjoy the next in the series!
Thanks Jason. You will see much more canoe country is the series to come.
awesome.. looking forward for more. Thanks for sharing
Hey There! looks like a great trip! Would you be able to post a list of the lakes or maybe some sort of route map? Thanks for the series!
Thanks Tippacanoe21! I started and finished at a lake off the Pickle Lake highway. I got into Savant Lake, then did the portage into Little Savant, then looped around back up the main Savant River, and then retraced back to the lake by the highway. I got all the route info, including portage trails and some campsites, from Volume 2 of The Wabakimi Project's route info. They sell each volume for $35, but its well worth it. You can buy direct off their website at: www.wabakimi.org/maps/ Check it out. The money also goes towards the owner's costs to fund volunteer canoe portage crews to clear the routes and clean up the campsite from blowdown. The government does not maintain these crown land routes, its all users and volunteers!
Wintertrekker Perfect! I'll be sure to take a look. Been meaning to head up that way for a bit now. 2014 may be the summer!
I should have signed up for a govt job!? 17 glorious days in a row off, I'm jealous. Planning a 6 day canoe trip into the back country week after next so this will be a great primer. Remember your 3 day solo last year quite well as you were having problems getting off there. Great that everything is as you left it. Good walleye fishing there and plenty of blow down for firewood. How long of a drive is it for you to get up to Ignace from Thunder Bay?
Amazing my friend, have a good and save time! Great river and setup. ATB Sepp
Thanks Swedexoperator! More to come in the series!
Sure enjoy your trips and videos. Thanks
Thanks Jahhmin! More to come in the series.
hello just came across your vid and liked it so i subbed and am looking foreward to the rest of the trip.best wishes,john.
Thanks Kevin! More to come in the series.
I have that exact same camp stool you have from camptime, my favorite camp stool!
Thanks AC! Its a cheapo Coghlans, but its the lightest I have found on the market. I have patched the tearing nylon material on top around the stress points, and it keeps on working!
Thanks Rod! Caught some walleye too!
Great video - can't wait to see the rest.
Thanks Nate. It was a great trip, although tough going with all the portaging. I lost close to 10 pounds! :o)
Great to see you out there in the canoe again. But I scarcely recognized you in that opening shot without your facial hair. Guess we'll have to wait and see if you shave out there or are going to come out of this with a full beard 17 days later.
Lookin' forward to seeing more in this series,
- Martin
Thanks Martin! My face transforms during the trip!
Thanks Mike! For long canoe trips I always shed the whiskers at the start of the trip. But now I am back to normal! :o)
Thanks Melody! That is one of the cooler signs on Hwy 17! Route info will be upcoming!
Always look forward to these vids bro...excellent as always my friend
Starting to watch your series. Can't wait. Do you ever see or hear anything you can't explain when you are out in the middle of nowhere? Just wondering.
Thanks Mike. Glad to have you along for another series. I am a forest and wildlife ecologist for my job, so I study what happens out in the bush for my job. I also read my history of the travelers from the old days. I know many of the common bird calls and critter calls and sounds, so no, nothing much surprises me in the bush...except for the weather! I get caught in wicked thunderstorms sometimes that blow in out of nowhere. I have the occasional bear encounter, and had to use bear bangers a few times to scare them away, but otherwise the bears take off when I have bumped into them.
Just can't determine whether you put in at Fitchie or Pash. It's killing me awaiting the maps .; )
Great videos my friend, really enjoying this. I'll be embarking on a canoe journey to Mexico here pretty soon on my YT channel and am trying to gather any knowledge I can before I leave.
Can I ask how big is your canoe?
Thanks TT! My canoe on this video series is a "small 16", actually 15 foot 8 inches. Its a 34 inch beam with mild tumblehome, which makes getting the hip over to one side more comfortable for paddling, and allows for a nice lean for classic Canadian stroke paddling. The depth is 14 inches in the middle, and the bottom is slightly round, which makes for a stable big water ride in a chop, and for fishing, fighting big thrashing northern pike. Best wishes for a great Mexico paddling trip!
cool video. I am thinking about doing something like this. im from the states and was wondering where I would be able to park my car while on the trip.
Thanks G! For provincial parks go to their websites or call them and they can give you info. For Crown land outside of parks, have a look at Google Earth and you can find bush roads or turn offs to park in. For this area I am paddling in this vid, you can get most of the info I used from The Wabakimi Project, which documents the Crown land routes surrounding the park. Check out the TWP's website and look for the route volumes 1-4. That's how I found this spot I am paddling in, inclduing a place to park. They sell them for $35 each, but I think they are a bargain, especially since their crews went through and cut out the blowdown. Please make note of Ontario's infamous "Green Zones", where non-residents are not allowed to camp without an outfitter. I don't think the area in the vid is a green zone, but you need to check. Ontario's MNR website will have a map of green zones. Also, non-residents need a crown land camping permit, which is about $10 per day or so. Call MNR or go to their website to look up details. (They don't make it easy for our American friends to come up here on crown land, unfortunately). For a park experience that has a similar landscape to where I am paddling, Woodland Caribou Prov. Park is fantastic. Red Lake Outfitters can set you up for a trip there, even if its just parking and a vehicle shuttle (check their website).
The noise could be image stabilization or auto focus. I certainly didn't notice anything like that in this video. The most obvious culprit in outdoor video shooting is the wind.
Looking forward to the rest of the series. Perhaps getting your winter gear out for maintenance will be a catalyst to complete this video series before the start of the hard water travelling season. ;)
You know how to take it easy and enjoy life my good friend
Hoop, can you share the type of camera you were using. As i recall, you had a new point and shoot camera. I know the wind noise was a problem as you noted, but the overall quality of the videos seemed fine to me. The camera is a gift for my Patti who broke the lens on her Pentax WG1. Have a great Holiday! FYI, you got great kudos from Kevin Callan on Facebook.
Hi OB42. My camera on this trip was the Canon G15. It does have that chronic clicking sound when the video is used. I have tried everything for settings, and can't fix it. I must have got a lemon, or the entire G15 line is a lemon. Hope they fixed it in their next models. Other than the audio disappointment, the HD video is quite good for a point-and-shoot camera. One of these days I need to invest in a "real" camcorder! :o) Ya a few folks have let me know about Kevin's kind words - very nice of him to mention my videos! :o)
openboat42 Thanks for replying. The G15 sounds good - I'll see if I can get a good price as the G16s are out now and the reviews weren't that great. Google+ is messing with me too. I tried to respond but on yours and all comments I'm seeing comments disabled. It appears they made changes for Androids and they aren't enabled yet. and I can't use it without going to the Chrome mobile apps as I've been using a tablet. Works fine on my PC. Are you anywhere besides here in case I wanted to drop you a line? Steve Shapiro/near Chicago
Hi Steve. Ya Google+ is a nightmare. UA-cam was musc better before they messed with it. I hang out at the forums at Wintertrekking.com, username HOOP.
Thanks Hamish! I am working on the edits to part 2. Its going to be some boring portaging, and me blabbing away, but have to get that portaging done to get way back in, and in part 3 and beyond we will get into some nicer areas, some fish, blueberry fields, wild rice, and some wood prep and open fire cooking.
Thanks for those kind words Rick! I have a pile of work ahead to process all the video I shot. So it may take a while to get the entire series edited and posted, but I will be working on it!
Thanks Ken! I have seen untied canoes lifted up and tossed in the wind. Its a must-do rule for me! Hope you enjoy the series. I need to get back on the editing - I have several more parts planned!
Hey Wintertekker awesome video. What is the size of your yellow tarp there?
Oh wait never mind, I saw someone else ask a similar comment, and you answered.
Thanks Mitchell! More to come soon.
Love the tarp setup (I intend to copy it) but instead of the rubber bands for handling the line maybe some Velcro straps thanks for the video.
Thanks Mike! The rubber bands are a fail - they break after one or two trips. The velcro is a good idea if you could find some small ones made to loop. But I think I may go with a micro bungee cord like a 1/16 inch thick if I can find some, which I can cut and tie to length quick.
That's a better idea lets go with that. Done deal.
Wintertrekker I use women's poytail elastics. They also work well for securing g my fishing rods under my twarts. They are easy to find and cheap!
Thanks Openboat42. In fact this summer I switched to ponytail hair elastics for the tie out loops and they worked perfectly! I larks headed them onto the tarp loop, then ran the guy line through the opening so that the hair elastic does not come off. Easy simple solution that was so obvious that it was easy to overlook! :o)
Wintertrekker Thanks for the reply. It's great that you take the time to respond to comments. It must be a time consuming task. Don't know if you saw my earlier post, you said Google was making it harder to reply, but when you set up your tarp, how are you attaching your prusik to the tarp. It appears you have a clip/carabiner attached to the end loop of the tarp.
Thanks TBFY! There will be more!
Thanks Mr.Fishlots! And there will be some walleye making an appearance later!
Thanks for showcasing a great trip. I've been addicted to viewing it and admire your back country skills. On the part one where you rig your rain tarp, how are you connecting the last loop with your prusik? There appears to be some kind d of clip . Also, did you remove the video on what you carry on your trips? I did see it but somehow I cannot find it now. Same question about your r emergency fanny pack. I've made several trips -one solo- to the bwca and one to Woodland Caribou for two weeks. My main pack is about 60 pounds and i want to pare it down. This is without a day pack and a food lack. Trying to get to double portage.
Oops, imeant i have a gear pack CCS) and a food pack. I combined my day pack into the other two.
openboat42
Hi Openboat! On the tarp I keep the prussiks on the ridge line, and I have a plastic clip on the end of the prussik loop. It clips to the ridge loop of the tarp. The clip is a 1/4 inch bungee clip that I simply threaded onto the prussik cord before tying it closed. I get the clips at MEC. Alternatively you could tie the clip, or mini biner, onto the end of the tarp and just leave it there, and clip it to the prussik loop. I did not remove any videos, but it may have been embedded in a video that has other topics, so maybe hard to find again. I cannot even remember! :o) My emergency fanny pack I have not yet made a video of its contents. I have been meaning to do that after many requests, but I keep forgetting! Its on my to-do list. I like to keep my day pack separate to hold all my must-have day to day items, like rain gear, fleece, gloves, bug dope, fire kit stuff, repair stuff and various tools, fish fillet bags, TP, hand sanitizer, sunglasses, etc - stuff I would want to get at without having to unpack the big gear pack. On short solo trips I double portage. On long trips under 3 weeks I triple portage because one portage is the food barrel and cook gear, and the gear pack is heavier with more stove fuel. On longer trips 4-6 weeks I have two 60L barrels for food and cook kit and these make a 4th portage. With dried food, plus nalgene bottles of cooking oil its standard to count on about 2 pounds of dried food and fat/oil per day, plus the weight of the food barrel and harness, plus cook kit.
Thanks Bradlee180! More to come in the series.
Thanks Joe! That tent is nice, but its bloody expensive! It does have some drawbacks, which I will mention in Part 2.
A quick question. How much weight are you carrying on this trip?
Thanks Karen!
Thanks Stillhunter! More to come. I gotta get to work on the editing!
My friend bushman wildhiking has one and loves it but man are they expensive! but if you use it as much as you do prolly wroth it!
Thanks Yuchiwoodsman! Part 2 just uploaded!