Enjoying the trip you are taking us all along with. Too bad we couldn't also help you clear the blowdowns. :o) I always enjoy watching your trips. May you have many more great trips. Hopefully the rest of this trip and the future trips won't be so much work for you.
No shot gun? Wow when i saw all that blow-down i thought "hard work" there. Nice wild life and clever of you to tie down the canoe even it was on land upside down. I miss canoeing.
Survival Russia Thanks Lars! No shotgun on this trip - it was in a regulated Provincial Park with rules on no guns allowed. I took two cans of bear spray! :-) That canoe always is tied down. The really bad wind gusts in thunderstorms can lift and flip it easily. I read about canoe trips all the time where a boat gets blown into the water and drifts away. They are group trips, so another boat in the group can go fetch it. Us solo guys cannot risk anything.
Finally catching up on the series now that school is done this semester. It's great that you don't get upset and go with the flow even if the flow is upstream some days.
Barbarossa4U Thanks again B4U! Ya when solo, its an exercise in staying calm, because it can get stressful with all the work, and when stuff happens, so its best to chill out, and just plug away at it. I also sleep in alot and take late starts, to make sure I get enough sleep. I think solo travel takes more sleep because it can be mentally exhausting making all the decisions every day! Lots of sleep keeps me sharper I think. :o)
Wow some tough conditions. Might take some chainsaw guys to clear that area. Loved the moose!! Can hardly wait for your next episode!! It's like watching the serials back in the day.
Thanks AJT! the Park staff and Volunteers (Red Lake Outfitters) make it all happen with chainsaws. The Boreal is one big constant blowdown in motion! More in the series to come!
Thanks Rod! We have a far lesser moose density here than you do on the Island, so its a big deal to see an animal here. You must get somewhat bored of all the moose and caribou you see almost daily there, in your amazing landscape! :o) It seems like I see more and more bears every year!
The importance of being prepared for what you think will happen and having the skills to deal with what you do encounter is important. Great videos. My only complaint is they are too short. Waiting for the next one as I plan for my own trip this year. Thanks.
Thanks Rob! The moose are fairly dependable when its one of those sunny nice warm days and the wetlands are full of fresh veggies for moose! They get food, get out of the bugs, and stay cool in the heat.
Steintanz Thanks Tim! It looked really bad to me for a while, but I slowly picked my through it, and put the saw to work, and afterwards, it was not that bad. Could have been much worse! :-)
Thanks for the info re end of season canoe sales. Perfect opportunity to test paddle a craft for a week and possibly buy it used! I'm planning for a 7 day 6 night trip into Woodland Caribou Provincial park. I'll definitely let you know how I found the experience. Thanks for taking the time to share your practical skills & knowledge with those of us willing to learn!
I enjoyed the terrific scenery in this video, but I was really impressed by the camera work (framing and visual balance), the flow of your narrative, and your editing prowess. Altogether a great job! I am envious. Please,please,please show us a "bear banger" in action. Even if you need to visit the local zoo for demonstration purposes ;)
ADKHillyMan Thanks ADKHMan! You are too kind, I am kind of just a hack with a cheapo point and shoot that has a constant rattle sound on the mic! (I need to buy a real video camera!). Hey great idea for the bear banger demo. Its now on my list of things to video. They expire anyways, so might as well use them up making some big bangs!
Thanks LLB! I do enjoy the real back country off the beaten path. Its a great feeling to have gotten through that stuff - sense of accomplishment....and feeling lucky because it could have been way worse! :o)
Jeff Rogers Thanks Jeff! It was somewhat scary at the time, not knowing what is around the corner, maybe the mother of all log jams and portage bushwhacks from hell, and maybe I would have to turn around. But as it turned out, I made it through, and simple plodding along gets the job done! I get spoiled sometimes following the maintained trail networks, and forget that in the real back country, blowdown is the rule, not the exception.
Got myself into a very similar situation once when kayaking a river, it was a constant in and out of the kayak for about 500-600 yards. Of course I was only out on a afternoon kayak adventure and not a 24 day trip. Great footage and hats off to you for these long solo trips. Great courage...
NLGhostWolf Thanks NLGW! Luckily I could get out on many of the logs and haul over. It was tricky balancing on slippery logs, and when heaving over solo, the boat wants to go sideways on each heave, but I got'er done. I was also lucky the water was not low, otherwise I would not be able to haul over or under, and it would have been many nightmarish portages.
I've been enjoying your video's. I too enjoy the solo time spent in the woods. I enjoy going out with others too, but the time spent alone in the woods helps ground me and allows for more time to reflect and recharge my batteries so to speak.
Ugly stuff you had there! Just after the ice went out that year we were able to paddle over or around all of it. The water levels did not seem that high when we were there but you sure encountered rocks and down trees we did not have to deal with.
TheNorthwoodsman1 Thanks Martin! I watched your video before I went, and thought, hey no problem, just scoot around and over. Well the water levels changed this a bit! :o) It should get better as the trees settle down and get more waterlogged and sink more. Could be a new log jam in the making, but then a new portage or two gets born!
Thanks MO! I have had harder with death slog portages. This turned out not as bad as what it could have been. That plan B lake luckily had that site I could cut out.
+Jim Cyr Thanks Jim! That one was not too bad once I got through the blowdown. I have had much "worse", but worse is still a good backcountry experience - beats a day in the city!
Thanks SD530! The wetlands get even richer in the next installment. Lots of good moose food in that part of the Park. In WCPP its extremely rare to be on a campsite that is short of firewood!
Thanks Jeep! Algonquin is a good place to see moose down your way on a canoe trip. When I lived near there, my record on an Algonquin 8-day canoe trip was seeing 32 moose!
I have had two 8 and 10 day hiking trips through the eastern side of the park and saw .... none. I seem to be the only Canadian that has never seen one alive in the wild.
Moose are always a treat on trips, no matter how many you see. Sometimes they walk through my campsite at night! The blowdown is one of those potential trip enders in the really bad storms. It comes with the territory in the southern Boreal forest. I was lucky that I was able to pick my way through slowly. The nice thing about a long trip is that one can take one's time and deal with the elements as they come.
Awesome footage! I just keep thinking it must be tough to break out the camera in the midst of all that back breaking work. Looking forward to seeing more of your trip.
Thanks CDMD! It is hard to get that camera out! When hauling over the dozens of logs I had to deal with, I could not use it because I was always out stepping on a slippery log teetering over deep - too hazardous for the camera if i went for an impromptu swim! :o) I need GoPro type camera for the water-risk filming.
Allot of work while on vacation. Lol. Great wildlife footage W.T. Do any hot tenting videos this winter? Many thanks to you as always and looking forward to the rest of the series.
Thanks Dadgad68! I had a poor winter tripping season. I have one trip of footage from this winter, but will edit that after I get all this last summer stuff edited and posted - I seem to be perpetually about a year behind schedule! :o)
Wintertrekker Not to sound selfish but that's great though, means more footage for us to see. Must be a ton of work editing and such. I would have no idea. Always look forward to your winter treks. Sorry to hear your winter was rough. It was a brutal winter here allot of snow. Travelling was rough. No matter what the season i'll still be watching and i'm great full for your channel Wintertrekker. Thanks for the heads up on your winter trip and also for the reply. Take care.
Hiroyuki Ito Thanks H-I! The two pots are Evernew titanium non-stick: 1.9L deep, and 1.4L deep. These nest. I do not think Evernew makes the 1.9L deep any longer? Pity, it is a great size, very versatile. I drilled the tops just under the rim, and pop-riveted on offset tabs, and installed a wire bail handle into the tabs, and the deep dish lids are not affected since the offset tabs are bent out of the way. The frypan is the Primus LiTech fry pan (non-stick, very good and light), with the old fold-under handle that locks. The grill is the Purcell Trench Grill "Traveller" model - extremely light tubular stainless steel, strong. All great kit!
Wow Hoop! It's becoming a real adventure! being trapped with a bear around, brrr. Luckely you made through. I really love the wildlife over there! You don't have a moose bumper on your canoe, like trucks have?;-) Thanks for sharing, cheers, Mark.
Thanks Mark! The moose are generally chilled out and mellow in summer like this bull was. It might be a different story in the rut in late Sept/early October, where he could charge! :o)
Lots of wildlife this trip! Consolation for the challenging terrain. Made mention of this storm in my September 2013 vid in Nopiming PP on the Bird River. It was a mess alright and it was a record for power loss in the local area since moving here many years ago, some people out for 4 days after that early winter storm. The trail crews had done a great job of clearing portages and campsites, it would have been a major challenge had they not come through.
Thanks C! I was amazed at how well the portage trails had been cleaned up. Sabourin Creek and Thickewood Creek were the only major blowdown issues I had, but I managed to get through solo, so tandem teams would be easy out on the logs heaving over top. The rest of the portage trails on my route were all cleaned up well. Having traveled lots of crown land outside of parks, its standard to have to trim out tent pads now and again anyway, so it goes with the boreal territory. I would never travel that country without axe and saw even if all the trails were just completed. One big storm can change everything as we well know! ;-)
awsome. tricky blow down lots of easy fire wood tho right..;] what will happen to the lost site and blow down ? will the park keepers get on and re open it all?do you mark map locations and report it or what/ or is that really it..just left to momma nature? great videos as always, enjoyed greatly.
Thanks Stoo234! The Park knows alot about the blowdown, and has been sending crews out (although they have limited budget), and have been chipping away at it focusing on portage trails, and some campsites. Red Lake Outfitters also volunteers in the Park and does authorized work. I sent in my report of the areas that were impaired with blowdown. That campsite may be actioned by a crew, depending on their priorities. Regardless, a storm can happen at any time, so its always wise to carry a big saw and spare blade, and I always carry my axe which excels at de-limbing the "porcupine" tree branches.
my canoes are put away and it's a cold rotten night so i thought i would go back over some of you canoe trips to cheer myself up.in the process i came up with two questions. first have you ever run into such bad traveling that you just turned around and went back to the car and looked at a back up plan,or just went home. second have you ever thought about taking a small "back yard" chain saw? i'm not joking,most of the dead fall up there is going to be small black spruce and a minute with a saw would blast a path right thru. i also thought about that on your "bike and hike" to fix up a lake side camp. a saw and a few pulleys and rope would of cleared that in no time. just cold wet night thinking now back to another video.
+wetcanoedogs Thanks WCD's! (1) No I have never turned around due to weather or bad travelling. I research a route ahead of time, so I have a fair idea of what to expect. Extreme blowdown could turn me back, but so far I have been lucky that others have been out with saws before I got there. (2) Yes I have considered a small chainsaw. Others I know who travel un-maintained routes always carry a chain saw. On this trip in WCPP I was confident that the park crews had been out before me. They still have this creek to clean up, but I was able to make it through. On un-maintained public land on a lesser travelled route, the chainsaw is a good idea. The bike and hike trip was travelling as light as possible. On hindsight, a little Petzel climbing pulley, rope and some prussik cords for a Z-drag rig would have worked well.
was that canoe from redlakeoutfitters? If so was it a Souris River Prospector? We've spoken b4 about the best canoe to single handedly portage with gear. I've been looking at the Souris River carbon-tec but I don't have a lot of field experience and wonder just how light is too light for a canoe. I'm planning on a trip up in that area this year any thoughts on a series of lakes with Portages for say remedial skill level within the park?. dave
+Dave McMahon Thanks Dave! No that was my own canoe. Its an old Trailhead Prospector in a S-glass/Kevlar composite. I am not familiar with the latest Souris River boats, but I suspect my old boat is much heavier than the new light boats with state of the art materials that SR makes. Red Lake Outfitters gets new canoes every year for its rental fleet, and they have a variety of models, including many very light boats. RLO's sells their rental boats at the end of each season for some great prices. I don't know if RLO's purchases Souris River canoes? Give the owner Harlan a call for more info on the boats he will be getting in this spring, and be sure to ask him if he has any deals on last year's boats, or maybe he can bring you in a new boat just for you.
Great stuff as usual. Really inspirational. I'm looking forward to getting out there again this season. Three questions. First, what approach do you use up there for protecting your food from bears and other animals? In some of those spots, it seems hard or impossible to find a good hanging tree, for instance. Second, when going solo so far out, do you carry a satellite connection (e.g., SPOT or similar) for emergencies? Third and related, if your boat had snapped going over that first log, what would you have done? I can't wait for the next installment.
Thanks Christopher! (1) For bears, I use that big green plastic 60 liter barrel (with a backpack harness). It has an O-ring seal, and a steel clamp. I leave it on the ground. Hanging food can be difficult to impossible with the structure of Boreal trees. I never touch the outside of the barrel with any food smells on my hands. When packing up after a meal, I wash my hands before closing the lid and clamping it. Inside the food is multi-wrapped in ziplocks, and I do not carry any deli meats or bacon, since these are incredibly aromatic and smell will get through all the plastic bags, and maybe the O-ring. I carry lots of dried meat, but its dry ground beef and chicken, not very aromatic. (2) I carry a PLB (personal locator beacon), and a Sat phone. PLB is on/off and only for life/death or extreme health emergencies. The Sat phone is for the issues that do not require immediate military SAR to launch, and I can get other help. (3) If the boat had severely cracked, I have alot of duct tape (I carry a big roll), and I may have also had to use one of my pots to make pine/spruce pitch glue and using birch bark for patches, taking several days to effect an ugly repair. Splits for hull support could have been wired on using a drill bit I carry in my repair kit, or the awl on my multitool to make holes for wiring (I carry wire in my kit). I may have used the Sat phone to call in for a bushplane pick up if the boat could not make the rest of the trip. :o)
Hi Hoop, greatings from the Netherlands again ! Great new series, enjoying it. Must have been a satisfying day, wildlife on camera, you worked hard, different challenges. Whats for diner ?
Thanks G! Yes very satisfying when solo one can get through some difficult stretches, with lots of daylight to spare, and time to reflect on the day by the fire. The wildlife always makes the day. There were many more species seen not able to film. Dinner was the usual of one of my 7 home dehydrated dinner recipes (rotated over each week), that I add lots of olive oil to for a hearty fat rich, spicy dinner. And wee dram of whiskey ration to ease muscle strain. :o)
Hi Mack! Woodland Caribou Provincial Park has many interconnected multiple routes that you can mix and match in many possible directions. Routes are published on a Park map, so this is one of many that I am on. Fly-ins are currently possible in just about any place a float plane can land and take off. The Park is moving towards designating specific lakes for bushplanes to land, but right now its open to any lake to start and end. Very high lake density there.
'Mornin, Hoop; U Sure worked off some calories in this 1 . No shortage of wildlife. I'm Think'n that Beaver was E'n U;r Paddle, LOL Thanks 4 another great trip. Hoping U & Yours have a Blessed Easter Up-Yonder, Friend. Happy Trails From Down The Path A Piece ATB " T " " GOD BLESS "
Thanks James! It would have been way easier with two, that's for sure! One on each side of the many logs, heaving in unison, and weighing down the log even more with their weight would have been easier. It was tough getting the boat to move over the logs heaving just from one side. The wildlife was great in this section.
Wintertrekker I heard about the big blowdown in WC in 2012. I'm curious to see how much it affected the rest of your trip last summer; I decided to do Quetico last summer instead of WC, partially due to the fact that so may of the WC portages and routes had not yet been cleared.
Hi James. In 24 days I never had any problems on the dozens of portage trails I used, as they had all been cleared on my route. Part 3 was the only water-based challenges I had, and I was OK going solo. I think that all but the fringe routes have been well cleared and restored now, so you should have no problem in WCPP. Many main campsites were cleared, but there were a few sites that still have some blowdown, so its always wise to have a saw and axe, but that's a given for any year. A tree can fall on a campsite at any time.
I was describing to Briar how compass bearing doesn't help much when you have 3,000,000 miles of everything in front of you that make one go around. Oh man pine blowdown arggg. Try giant cedar with devil clubs. No way through at all & grizzly loves the bases of ones get hung up! No glad it is you I get annoyed enough now with downs on quad trail.
Tossdart Thanks Tossdart! At least we don't have that crazy devils club around here - that stuff is horrible! Ya following a bearing when trekking through the bush here is challenging. Always have huge piles of stuff to go around. The WCPP staff are great, as are Red Lake Outfitters volunteers, and they get onto these blowdowns very fast and all the trails were cleared when I was there, my only trouble was the creek, but I got through it solo, so groups should have no problem.
Well not shortage of fire wood but hell thats a bad case of eating to many beans if thats what the wind caused. Seems so much hard work for one person but nice area. you need chainsaw not a big saw lol or several scouts on a camping weekend
cr0cket01 Ha ha! Thanks C-01! The Boreal trees are shallow rooted, and this stuff just happens alot. We get lots of big forest fires too as the fuel load builds up. One big "disaster" after another! :o) But it makes lots of firewood, and the lakes are eternal. Chainsaws for sure are needed to clear the portage trails north of here. Full time summer job for crews.
Thanks L! Oh ya, firewood bonus! I had my standard cooking fire that night - it was so easy that I had the wood prepped, water boiled and meal done almost as fast as a gas stove. :o)
Thanks Chas! I have been watching many videos on the Silky saw models. Tempting! The big Katanaboy is getting mighty expensive and heavy, and the replacement blade is over $100 here. I have read about snapped blades many times, as people don't pull perfectly and sometimes push and jam the blade. I think the logs in this video would be better sawn from underneath like you said, and a big Silky is a good bet. I may buy a Silky Big Boy one day. Any advice on curved blade vs. straight blade?
You probably don't want a really big saw. If you are cutting whilst still afloat, somehow you have to anchor the canoe whilst you saw (otherwise you just move the canoe but don't cut wood), often you'll do this by holding onto the tree you are cutting, in which case you need a Silky you can use with one hand. The Katana is far too big. The BigBoy is designed for 2 hands but can be used with one. The BigBoy 2000 has a slightly curved blade. Generally you use a curved blade (a Zubat 330 is a great example) for pruning above your head or at least above waist level & a straight blade (say a Gomtaro 300) below waist level. You will often be cutting under water. Sometimes the curve is an advantage to get the angle you want & sometimes a disadvantage. The Big Boy 2000 is a good compromise, but I often carry a Gomtaro (straight blade) as it is cheaper, very capable & can be drawn from the sheath & used with one hand. This is good in faster moving water, where you are hanging on & cutting, so don't have two hands to open a BigBoy. Also good in rescue situations for the same reason. As a first saw if you are new to them, I'd probably try a Gomtaro. If you think the Silky's are expensive - well as long as you don't lose them (most are black & so I put some bright coloured silicone rescue tape on the handles to make them more visible, but the BB 2000 is yellow) or snap them, they will outlast a cheap saw by years. Even if you snap a blade, you have normally got a get you home, use-able length still. Alternatively the Samurai saws are quite a bit cheaper & pretty good. However ensure you get one that clips into it's sheath, some are just held by gravity which is no good for paddling. By the way I'm wondering if you can give me some advice - I'm looking for a Fly-In, paddle out trip involving ideally some moderate white water (Grade 2 or 3 max) & wilderness, with a good chance of encountering wolves (& ideally fewer insects !). Looking to do a trip in 2019 ideally. Any suggestions very welcome. Kind regards, Chas
Thanks Chas for the excellent details - great advice! Sounds like you have done some underwater sawing in your day. I experienced that issue of the rocking canoe, which was very problematic. Anchoring in that situation I was in would be impossible. If I went over and the boat was tied, I can imagine a nasty pinning issue in that current as well, even though the correct was not that strong. The BigBoy 2000 is on my list of gear to get now, as I have seen it used for winter camping as well with good reviews, and your advice is pushing me to try it out . I have to pay some recent gear debts and other debts off first. Let me think about your trip question for a bit and get back to you with some ideas soon.
Hi again Chas. Regarding your canoe trip question: For fly-in, there are many opportunities across Canada. I would first ask, are you interested in the Boreal, Sub-Arctic (semi-barrenlands), or Arctic mainland (Barrenlands)? I have traveled in all these zones, and each provides a different benefit and cost. For wildlife viewing, especially the good chance of encountering wolves, the Sub-arctic and Arctic are the best bets. I have seen several wolves, including in, and I mean "in" my camp just outside my tent. All were very happy encounters. Barrenlands trips can involve all grades of whitewater, and usually everything can be portaged if you don't want to run it. The land is open without many trees in the way, or no trees, and you don't need a set trail except for very boggy or extremely rugged conditions. The hiking is spectacular - just a small hill hike can give you huge vistas like you are on top of a mountain, but its just a small hill - without the trees the views are really great, and you can see caribou, musk-ox, grizzly bear, lots of waterfowl, and maybe even a wolverine if you are lucky. The big cost of a sub-arctic or arctic trip is the transportation: extra time off work needed to drive up to the start point. And hotel and food along the way (e.g. Yellowknife, Fort Smith, or somewhere in northern Saskatchewan or Manitoba); and the cost of the float plane charter. For a Boreal Forest trip, its closer if you are driving (assuming you are not living in the far north already), and the fly-in costs might be less expensive. But the density of the trees in the Boreal negates any big vistas, except when you are on the lakes. In the boreal I have seen a few woodland caribou, black bears, and rarely a few wolves. But the wolves are very hard to see with the trees as thick as they are. I have heard wolf packs howl close by, but viewing the wolves can be rare. The boreal is usually so thick that set portage trails are needed around rapids - there may be blowdown, but in the organized parks they are usually cleared. For biting insects, unfortunately you are stuck with intense swarms of bugs everywhere, with the worst of the worst in the sub-arctic and arctic. However with the right clothing that mosquitoes cannot bite through, and with the use of DEET bug repellent (I use 25% Deep Woods Off), and rubbing in the bug dope into the skin around face, neck, wrists, ankles and lower legs, and always wearing a hat, you are good to go. Spritz down with bug dope for the call of nature also, or suffer the consequences! :-) I budget one 100ml pump spray bottle per week in the peak of bug season. Bug season may last 2-4 months, depending on weather and unknowns. I do not wear a bug jacket as they are too hot, and have too much reflection inside for seeing. I get along fine with the bug dope. I made a video on how I apply it on face and neck, link: ua-cam.com/video/DPwvTWGtS3A/v-deo.html In this video I am wearing the same clothing I wear on all canoe trips: I wear a dense weave Filson cotton Safari-cloth shirt (unfortunately no longer made), and Fjallraven trousers, both of which the mozzies cannot bite through. The Fjallraven regular G-1000 fabric is mosquito-proof. Let me know your zone of paddling preference and I can send some route suggestions.
Yes BB2000 would be great for winter camping, especially making big log fires. For cutting on the ground you can over-extend the handle which saves bruised knuckles, just keep the blade away from dirt & rocks of course. Other tips with this saw - find or make a simple bag to keep it in, the curved blade is not fully protected even when folded & could do with an outer sheath. But the Gomtaro is cheaper & still a good bet - also usually better on the water. Another trick with all Silky saws is that they are VERY sharp, so if you are moving thru light brush, soft stuff can be slashed with a swift movement of the blade (like a light scythe or machete). Take care not to bend or "pinch" the saw blade. You need to "read" the stress in the wood - understand what wood is in compression & what in tension. Generally cut from the tension side, but in windblown situations, the fallen trees can build up huge stresses. If so, you need to release these with care & keep well clear when it releases. People have been killed by not thinking about this. Because the saws are very sharp - a light touch on your skin will result in a nasty cut. So take care & ideally a glove on the hand that is not on the saw. At the end of the day these are the professional arborists tools of choice. The Zubat 330 is standard equipment.
***** Ha ha! The 2 dimensional camera does not capture the real severity of the blowdown. I have seen worse (like 100% blown down), but this one is a mixed bag of variable degrees of blowdown. But its all part of the adventure :o)
Enjoying the trip you are taking us all along with. Too bad we couldn't also help you clear the blowdowns. :o) I always enjoy watching your trips. May you have many more great trips. Hopefully the rest of this trip and the future trips won't be so much work for you.
Thanks Lonnie! Its always some work to get back into the good places - otherwise it would be over-run with tourists! ;-)
No shot gun? Wow when i saw all that blow-down i thought "hard work" there. Nice wild life and clever of you to tie down the canoe even it was on land upside down. I miss canoeing.
Survival Russia Thanks Lars! No shotgun on this trip - it was in a regulated Provincial Park with rules on no guns allowed. I took two cans of bear spray! :-) That canoe always is tied down. The really bad wind gusts in thunderstorms can lift and flip it easily. I read about canoe trips all the time where a boat gets blown into the water and drifts away. They are group trips, so another boat in the group can go fetch it. Us solo guys cannot risk anything.
Finally catching up on the series now that school is done this semester. It's great that you don't get upset and go with the flow even if the flow is upstream some days.
Barbarossa4U Thanks again B4U! Ya when solo, its an exercise in staying calm, because it can get stressful with all the work, and when stuff happens, so its best to chill out, and just plug away at it. I also sleep in alot and take late starts, to make sure I get enough sleep. I think solo travel takes more sleep because it can be mentally exhausting making all the decisions every day! Lots of sleep keeps me sharper I think. :o)
Wow some tough conditions. Might take some chainsaw guys to clear that area. Loved the moose!! Can hardly wait for your next episode!! It's like watching the serials back in the day.
Thanks AJT! the Park staff and Volunteers (Red Lake Outfitters) make it all happen with chainsaws. The Boreal is one big constant blowdown in motion! More in the series to come!
Right there with ya! Thanks again!
Thanks B-55! Glad to have you along!
It's good that your prepared!! Real nice bull moose!! Watch out for them bears!!
Thanks Rod! We have a far lesser moose density here than you do on the Island, so its a big deal to see an animal here. You must get somewhat bored of all the moose and caribou you see almost daily there, in your amazing landscape! :o) It seems like I see more and more bears every year!
There's not a big lot of caribou where i live but there are sure lots of moose!!
The importance of being prepared for what you think will happen and having the skills to deal with what you do encounter is important. Great videos. My only complaint is they are too short. Waiting for the next one as I plan for my own trip this year. Thanks.
Nasty creek! Nice moose, wish we would see some big wildlife on our trips! Great adventure!
Thanks Rob! The moose are fairly dependable when its one of those sunny nice warm days and the wetlands are full of fresh veggies for moose! They get food, get out of the bugs, and stay cool in the heat.
Right on Man! Can't wait for the next one!
Greetings from Germany
Thanks MHK&B! The next one will be up very soon!
That blowdown was one big mess! Good you made it through and even found an agreeable spot to set up camp ... really looked too bad at the beginning.
Steintanz Thanks Tim! It looked really bad to me for a while, but I slowly picked my through it, and put the saw to work, and afterwards, it was not that bad. Could have been much worse! :-)
Great video. I love your paddle. Looking forward to seeing more
Thanks Mike! That is a solid hard Maple paddle that I have had since I was 14 years old. Its been maybe my best gear purchase ever.
Excellent video! Reality of backwoods trips. Great shot of moose. Really enjoyed!!! KEEP THEM COMING :)
Thanks again NEKC! More to come in the series!
Thanks for the info re end of season canoe sales. Perfect opportunity to test paddle a craft for a week and possibly buy it used! I'm planning for a 7 day 6 night trip into Woodland Caribou Provincial park. I'll definitely let you know how I found the experience. Thanks for taking the time to share your practical skills & knowledge with those of us willing to learn!
+Dave McMahon Thanks Dave! Best of luck on finding a boat, and on your canoe trip plans!
I enjoyed the terrific scenery in this video, but I was really impressed by the camera work (framing and visual balance), the flow of your narrative, and your editing prowess. Altogether a great job! I am envious.
Please,please,please show us a "bear banger" in action. Even if you need to visit the local zoo for demonstration purposes ;)
ADKHillyMan Thanks ADKHMan! You are too kind, I am kind of just a hack with a cheapo point and shoot that has a constant rattle sound on the mic! (I need to buy a real video camera!). Hey great idea for the bear banger demo. Its now on my list of things to video. They expire anyways, so might as well use them up making some big bangs!
True wilderness! I love to watch you struggling haha. Take care!
Thanks LLB! I do enjoy the real back country off the beaten path. Its a great feeling to have gotten through that stuff - sense of accomplishment....and feeling lucky because it could have been way worse! :o)
Looks like the blowdowns added some unwanted adventure to your trip! Enjoyed the video.
Jeff Rogers Thanks Jeff! It was somewhat scary at the time, not knowing what is around the corner, maybe the mother of all log jams and portage bushwhacks from hell, and maybe I would have to turn around. But as it turned out, I made it through, and simple plodding along gets the job done! I get spoiled sometimes following the maintained trail networks, and forget that in the real back country, blowdown is the rule, not the exception.
Got myself into a very similar situation once when kayaking a river, it was a constant in and out of the kayak for about 500-600 yards. Of course I was only out on a afternoon kayak adventure and not a 24 day trip. Great footage and hats off to you for these long solo trips. Great courage...
NLGhostWolf Thanks NLGW! Luckily I could get out on many of the logs and haul over. It was tricky balancing on slippery logs, and when heaving over solo, the boat wants to go sideways on each heave, but I got'er done. I was also lucky the water was not low, otherwise I would not be able to haul over or under, and it would have been many nightmarish portages.
I've been enjoying your video's. I too enjoy the solo time spent in the woods. I enjoy going out with others too, but the time spent alone in the woods helps ground me and allows for more time to reflect and recharge my batteries so to speak.
Ugly stuff you had there! Just after the ice went out that year we were able to paddle over or around all of it. The water levels did not seem that high when we were there but you sure encountered rocks and down trees we did not have to deal with.
TheNorthwoodsman1 Thanks Martin! I watched your video before I went, and thought, hey no problem, just scoot around and over. Well the water levels changed this a bit! :o) It should get better as the trees settle down and get more waterlogged and sink more. Could be a new log jam in the making, but then a new portage or two gets born!
Looks like one of your harder days. Nice vid as always!
Thanks MO! I have had harder with death slog portages. This turned out not as bad as what it could have been. That plan B lake luckily had that site I could cut out.
Must've been the most difficult trip I've seen you do in a few years
+Jim Cyr Thanks Jim! That one was not too bad once I got through the blowdown. I have had much "worse", but worse is still a good backcountry experience - beats a day in the city!
What a beauty moose! King of the boreal forest right there.
Scott Matthews Thanks Scott! Moose are always nice to see, especially that close to the canoe!
Cool moose footage, he was a beautiful bull indeed. No shortage of firewood at that campsite, hahaha.
Thanks SD530! The wetlands get even richer in the next installment. Lots of good moose food in that part of the Park. In WCPP its extremely rare to be on a campsite that is short of firewood!
WOWWWWW,,,Thats some mean blow down,,,Great Video,,Awesome shot of the Moose,,Being prepared Saved ya there,,,Take Care
Thanks Mike! I always carry my saw and axe in the Boreal!
Great video. i started with Pt. 1 and ended up here while taking a lunch break. i'll move to Pt.4 later on.
+Wyomin' Po Boy Thanks WPB! Its a long series, hope it does not get too old as the series progresses. :o)
Loved the moose shot. Still have yet to see one of them myself.
Thanks Jeep! Algonquin is a good place to see moose down your way on a canoe trip. When I lived near there, my record on an Algonquin 8-day canoe trip was seeing 32 moose!
I have had two 8 and 10 day hiking trips through the eastern side of the park and saw .... none. I seem to be the only Canadian that has never seen one alive in the wild.
How neat to of been able to see the moose. What a nightmare all the blown down trees
Moose are always a treat on trips, no matter how many you see. Sometimes they walk through my campsite at night! The blowdown is one of those potential trip enders in the really bad storms. It comes with the territory in the southern Boreal forest. I was lucky that I was able to pick my way through slowly. The nice thing about a long trip is that one can take one's time and deal with the elements as they come.
+Wintertrekker I'm envious of this trip. I'm on part 8 of your videos now. I'm addicted to the BWCA but this looks great. Can't wait to watch more
Another great video. "Wildlife City" appeared to be right beside "Blowdown City". I cannot find these locations on my map ;-)
Thanks Mr. K! These little places are seldom shown on most maps. Look for "Walleye City" - its fairly close to that big famous town!
Awesome footage! I just keep thinking it must be tough to break out the camera in the midst of all that back breaking work. Looking forward to seeing more of your trip.
Thanks CDMD! It is hard to get that camera out! When hauling over the dozens of logs I had to deal with, I could not use it because I was always out stepping on a slippery log teetering over deep - too hazardous for the camera if i went for an impromptu swim! :o) I need GoPro type camera for the water-risk filming.
Allot of work while on vacation. Lol. Great wildlife footage W.T. Do any hot tenting videos this winter? Many thanks to you as always and looking forward to the rest of the series.
Thanks Dadgad68! I had a poor winter tripping season. I have one trip of footage from this winter, but will edit that after I get all this last summer stuff edited and posted - I seem to be perpetually about a year behind schedule! :o)
Wintertrekker Not to sound selfish but that's great though, means more footage for us to see. Must be a ton of work editing and such. I would have no idea. Always look forward to your winter treks. Sorry to hear your winter was rough. It was a brutal winter here allot of snow. Travelling was rough. No matter what the season i'll still be watching and i'm great full for your channel Wintertrekker. Thanks for the heads up on your winter trip and also for the reply. Take care.
Awesome video wintertrekker. I'm curious as to what your cooking set up is and what gear you use?
Hiroyuki Ito Thanks H-I! The two pots are Evernew titanium non-stick: 1.9L deep, and 1.4L deep. These nest. I do not think Evernew makes the 1.9L deep any longer? Pity, it is a great size, very versatile. I drilled the tops just under the rim, and pop-riveted on offset tabs, and installed a wire bail handle into the tabs, and the deep dish lids are not affected since the offset tabs are bent out of the way. The frypan is the Primus LiTech fry pan (non-stick, very good and light), with the old fold-under handle that locks. The grill is the Purcell Trench Grill "Traveller" model - extremely light tubular stainless steel, strong. All great kit!
Wow Hoop! It's becoming a real adventure! being trapped with a bear around, brrr. Luckely you made through. I really love the wildlife over there! You don't have a moose bumper on your canoe, like trucks have?;-) Thanks for sharing, cheers, Mark.
Thanks Mark! The moose are generally chilled out and mellow in summer like this bull was. It might be a different story in the rut in late Sept/early October, where he could charge! :o)
Lots of wildlife this trip! Consolation for the challenging terrain. Made mention of this storm in my September 2013 vid in Nopiming PP on the Bird River. It was a mess alright and it was a record for power loss in the local area since moving here many years ago, some people out for 4 days after that early winter storm. The trail crews had done a great job of clearing portages and campsites, it would have been a major challenge had they not come through.
Thanks C! I was amazed at how well the portage trails had been cleaned up. Sabourin Creek and Thickewood Creek were the only major blowdown issues I had, but I managed to get through solo, so tandem teams would be easy out on the logs heaving over top. The rest of the portage trails on my route were all cleaned up well. Having traveled lots of crown land outside of parks, its standard to have to trim out tent pads now and again anyway, so it goes with the boreal territory. I would never travel that country without axe and saw even if all the trails were just completed. One big storm can change everything as we well know! ;-)
Indeed! And don't forget the spare saw blade lol.
awsome. tricky blow down lots of easy fire wood tho right..;]
what will happen to the lost site and blow down ? will the park keepers get on and re open it all?do you mark map locations and report it or what/ or is that really it..just left to momma nature?
great videos as always, enjoyed greatly.
Thanks Stoo234! The Park knows alot about the blowdown, and has been sending crews out (although they have limited budget), and have been chipping away at it focusing on portage trails, and some campsites. Red Lake Outfitters also volunteers in the Park and does authorized work. I sent in my report of the areas that were impaired with blowdown. That campsite may be actioned by a crew, depending on their priorities. Regardless, a storm can happen at any time, so its always wise to carry a big saw and spare blade, and I always carry my axe which excels at de-limbing the "porcupine" tree branches.
Wintertrekker
awsome.thankyou.
my canoes are put away and it's a cold rotten night so i thought i would go back over some of you canoe trips to cheer myself up.in the process i came up with two questions.
first have you ever run into such bad traveling that you just turned around and went back to the car and looked at a back up plan,or just went home.
second have you ever thought about taking a small "back yard" chain saw?
i'm not joking,most of the dead fall up there is going to be small black spruce and a minute with a saw would blast a path right thru.
i also thought about that on your "bike and hike" to fix up a lake side camp.
a saw and a few pulleys and rope would of cleared that in no time.
just cold wet night thinking now back to another video.
+wetcanoedogs Thanks WCD's! (1) No I have never turned around due to weather or bad travelling. I research a route ahead of time, so I have a fair idea of what to expect. Extreme blowdown could turn me back, but so far I have been lucky that others have been out with saws before I got there. (2) Yes I have considered a small chainsaw. Others I know who travel un-maintained routes always carry a chain saw. On this trip in WCPP I was confident that the park crews had been out before me. They still have this creek to clean up, but I was able to make it through. On un-maintained public land on a lesser travelled route, the chainsaw is a good idea. The bike and hike trip was travelling as light as possible. On hindsight, a little Petzel climbing pulley, rope and some prussik cords for a Z-drag rig would have worked well.
was that canoe from redlakeoutfitters? If so was it a Souris River Prospector? We've spoken b4 about the best canoe to single handedly portage with gear. I've been looking at the Souris River carbon-tec but I don't have a lot of field experience and wonder just how light is too light for a canoe. I'm planning on a trip up in that area this year any thoughts on a series of lakes with Portages for say remedial skill level within the park?. dave
+Dave McMahon Thanks Dave! No that was my own canoe. Its an old Trailhead Prospector in a S-glass/Kevlar composite. I am not familiar with the latest Souris River boats, but I suspect my old boat is much heavier than the new light boats with state of the art materials that SR makes. Red Lake Outfitters gets new canoes every year for its rental fleet, and they have a variety of models, including many very light boats. RLO's sells their rental boats at the end of each season for some great prices. I don't know if RLO's purchases Souris River canoes? Give the owner Harlan a call for more info on the boats he will be getting in this spring, and be sure to ask him if he has any deals on last year's boats, or maybe he can bring you in a new boat just for you.
Great stuff as usual. Really inspirational. I'm looking forward to getting out there again this season.
Three questions. First, what approach do you use up there for protecting your food from bears and other animals? In some of those spots, it seems hard or impossible to find a good hanging tree, for instance. Second, when going solo so far out, do you carry a satellite connection (e.g., SPOT or similar) for emergencies? Third and related, if your boat had snapped going over that first log, what would you have done?
I can't wait for the next installment.
Thanks Christopher! (1) For bears, I use that big green plastic 60 liter barrel (with a backpack harness). It has an O-ring seal, and a steel clamp. I leave it on the ground. Hanging food can be difficult to impossible with the structure of Boreal trees. I never touch the outside of the barrel with any food smells on my hands. When packing up after a meal, I wash my hands before closing the lid and clamping it. Inside the food is multi-wrapped in ziplocks, and I do not carry any deli meats or bacon, since these are incredibly aromatic and smell will get through all the plastic bags, and maybe the O-ring. I carry lots of dried meat, but its dry ground beef and chicken, not very aromatic. (2) I carry a PLB (personal locator beacon), and a Sat phone. PLB is on/off and only for life/death or extreme health emergencies. The Sat phone is for the issues that do not require immediate military SAR to launch, and I can get other help. (3) If the boat had severely cracked, I have alot of duct tape (I carry a big roll), and I may have also had to use one of my pots to make pine/spruce pitch glue and using birch bark for patches, taking several days to effect an ugly repair. Splits for hull support could have been wired on using a drill bit I carry in my repair kit, or the awl on my multitool to make holes for wiring (I carry wire in my kit). I may have used the Sat phone to call in for a bushplane pick up if the boat could not make the rest of the trip. :o)
nice video as always
fingerlakeshiker Thanks FLH!
Hi Hoop, greatings from the Netherlands again ! Great new series, enjoying it. Must have been a satisfying day, wildlife on camera, you worked hard, different challenges. Whats for diner ?
Thanks G! Yes very satisfying when solo one can get through some difficult stretches, with lots of daylight to spare, and time to reflect on the day by the fire. The wildlife always makes the day. There were many more species seen not able to film. Dinner was the usual of one of my 7 home dehydrated dinner recipes (rotated over each week), that I add lots of olive oil to for a hearty fat rich, spicy dinner. And wee dram of whiskey ration to ease muscle strain. :o)
So did you make this route, or is it one that is already designed that includes a fly-in option? This looks like quite the adventure.
Hi Mack! Woodland Caribou Provincial Park has many interconnected multiple routes that you can mix and match in many possible directions. Routes are published on a Park map, so this is one of many that I am on. Fly-ins are currently possible in just about any place a float plane can land and take off. The Park is moving towards designating specific lakes for bushplanes to land, but right now its open to any lake to start and end. Very high lake density there.
Very nice Hoop. I got excited when you came upon the moose.
Question: do you ever go swimming on your trips?
OK, never mind about the swimming question...Part 4 answered that.
Fun watch.
Thanks C-20!
Great videos, can't wit the rest of the series.
uğur aksoy Thanks UA!
'Mornin, Hoop; U Sure worked off some calories in this 1 . No shortage of wildlife. I'm Think'n that Beaver was E'n U;r Paddle, LOL Thanks 4 another great trip.
Hoping U & Yours have a Blessed Easter Up-Yonder, Friend.
Happy Trails From Down The Path A Piece ATB " T "
" GOD BLESS "
Thanks Terry! Happy Easter to you too, and hope the bunny brings some chocolate eggs for you to find! ;-)
Wintertrekker ha ha Lots 4 Grand-Chil'n !
tough getting through the blowdown creek solo. Would have been easier with two! At least you were rewarded with some wildlife...
Thanks James! It would have been way easier with two, that's for sure! One on each side of the many logs, heaving in unison, and weighing down the log even more with their weight would have been easier. It was tough getting the boat to move over the logs heaving just from one side. The wildlife was great in this section.
Wintertrekker I heard about the big blowdown in WC in 2012. I'm curious to see how much it affected the rest of your trip last summer; I decided to do Quetico last summer instead of WC, partially due to the fact that so may of the WC portages and routes had not yet been cleared.
Hi James. In 24 days I never had any problems on the dozens of portage trails I used, as they had all been cleared on my route. Part 3 was the only water-based challenges I had, and I was OK going solo. I think that all but the fringe routes have been well cleared and restored now, so you should have no problem in WCPP. Many main campsites were cleared, but there were a few sites that still have some blowdown, so its always wise to have a saw and axe, but that's a given for any year. A tree can fall on a campsite at any time.
Wintertrekker Thanks a lot; I am re-studying my WCPP maps.
I was describing to Briar how compass bearing doesn't help much when you have 3,000,000 miles of everything in front of you that make one go around. Oh man pine blowdown arggg. Try giant cedar with devil clubs. No way through at all & grizzly loves the bases of ones get hung up! No glad it is you I get annoyed enough now with downs on quad trail.
Tossdart Thanks Tossdart! At least we don't have that crazy devils club around here - that stuff is horrible! Ya following a bearing when trekking through the bush here is challenging. Always have huge piles of stuff to go around. The WCPP staff are great, as are Red Lake Outfitters volunteers, and they get onto these blowdowns very fast and all the trails were cleared when I was there, my only trouble was the creek, but I got through it solo, so groups should have no problem.
Well not shortage of fire wood but hell thats a bad case of eating to many beans if thats what the wind caused. Seems so much hard work for one person but nice area. you need chainsaw not a big saw lol or several scouts on a camping weekend
cr0cket01 Ha ha! Thanks C-01! The Boreal trees are shallow rooted, and this stuff just happens alot. We get lots of big forest fires too as the fuel load builds up. One big "disaster" after another! :o) But it makes lots of firewood, and the lakes are eternal. Chainsaws for sure are needed to clear the portage trails north of here. Full time summer job for crews.
on the upside, no shortage of firewood!
Thanks L! Oh ya, firewood bonus! I had my standard cooking fire that night - it was so easy that I had the wood prepped, water boiled and meal done almost as fast as a gas stove. :o)
Try a Silky SAw (say BigBoy 2000) and cut from underneath in those blowdown situations. So much easier & faster than a bowsaw.
Thanks Chas! I have been watching many videos on the Silky saw models. Tempting! The big Katanaboy is getting mighty expensive and heavy, and the replacement blade is over $100 here. I have read about snapped blades many times, as people don't pull perfectly and sometimes push and jam the blade. I think the logs in this video would be better sawn from underneath like you said, and a big Silky is a good bet. I may buy a Silky Big Boy one day. Any advice on curved blade vs. straight blade?
You probably don't want a really big saw. If you are cutting whilst still afloat, somehow you have to anchor the canoe whilst you saw (otherwise you just move the canoe but don't cut wood), often you'll do this by holding onto the tree you are cutting, in which case you need a Silky you can use with one hand. The Katana is far too big.
The BigBoy is designed for 2 hands but can be used with one. The BigBoy 2000 has a slightly curved blade. Generally you use a curved blade (a Zubat 330 is a great example) for pruning above your head or at least above waist level & a straight blade (say a Gomtaro 300) below waist level. You will often be cutting under water. Sometimes the curve is an advantage to get the angle you want & sometimes a disadvantage. The Big Boy 2000 is a good compromise, but I often carry a Gomtaro (straight blade) as it is cheaper, very capable & can be drawn from the sheath & used with one hand. This is good in faster moving water, where you are hanging on & cutting, so don't have two hands to open a BigBoy. Also good in rescue situations for the same reason.
As a first saw if you are new to them, I'd probably try a Gomtaro.
If you think the Silky's are expensive - well as long as you don't lose them (most are black & so I put some bright coloured silicone rescue tape on the handles to make them more visible, but the BB 2000 is yellow) or snap them, they will outlast a cheap saw by years. Even if you snap a blade, you have normally got a get you home, use-able length still.
Alternatively the Samurai saws are quite a bit cheaper & pretty good. However ensure you get one that clips into it's sheath, some are just held by gravity which is no good for paddling.
By the way I'm wondering if you can give me some advice - I'm looking for a Fly-In, paddle out trip involving ideally some moderate white water (Grade 2 or 3 max) & wilderness, with a good chance of encountering wolves (& ideally fewer insects !). Looking to do a trip in 2019 ideally. Any suggestions very welcome.
Kind regards,
Chas
Thanks Chas for the excellent details - great advice! Sounds like you have done some underwater sawing in your day. I experienced that issue of the rocking canoe, which was very problematic. Anchoring in that situation I was in would be impossible. If I went over and the boat was tied, I can imagine a nasty pinning issue in that current as well, even though the correct was not that strong. The BigBoy 2000 is on my list of gear to get now, as I have seen it used for winter camping as well with good reviews, and your advice is pushing me to try it out . I have to pay some recent gear debts and other debts off first. Let me think about your trip question for a bit and get back to you with some ideas soon.
Hi again Chas. Regarding your canoe trip question: For fly-in, there are many opportunities across Canada. I would first ask, are you interested in the Boreal, Sub-Arctic (semi-barrenlands), or Arctic mainland (Barrenlands)? I have traveled in all these zones, and each provides a different benefit and cost. For wildlife viewing, especially the good chance of encountering wolves, the Sub-arctic and Arctic are the best bets. I have seen several wolves, including in, and I mean "in" my camp just outside my tent. All were very happy encounters. Barrenlands trips can involve all grades of whitewater, and usually everything can be portaged if you don't want to run it. The land is open without many trees in the way, or no trees, and you don't need a set trail except for very boggy or extremely rugged conditions. The hiking is spectacular - just a small hill hike can give you huge vistas like you are on top of a mountain, but its just a small hill - without the trees the views are really great, and you can see caribou, musk-ox, grizzly bear, lots of waterfowl, and maybe even a wolverine if you are lucky. The big cost of a sub-arctic or arctic trip is the transportation: extra time off work needed to drive up to the start point. And hotel and food along the way (e.g. Yellowknife, Fort Smith, or somewhere in northern Saskatchewan or Manitoba); and the cost of the float plane charter. For a Boreal Forest trip, its closer if you are driving (assuming you are not living in the far north already), and the fly-in costs might be less expensive. But the density of the trees in the Boreal negates any big vistas, except when you are on the lakes. In the boreal I have seen a few woodland caribou, black bears, and rarely a few wolves. But the wolves are very hard to see with the trees as thick as they are. I have heard wolf packs howl close by, but viewing the wolves can be rare. The boreal is usually so thick that set portage trails are needed around rapids - there may be blowdown, but in the organized parks they are usually cleared. For biting insects, unfortunately you are stuck with intense swarms of bugs everywhere, with the worst of the worst in the sub-arctic and arctic. However with the right clothing that mosquitoes cannot bite through, and with the use of DEET bug repellent (I use 25% Deep Woods Off), and rubbing in the bug dope into the skin around face, neck, wrists, ankles and lower legs, and always wearing a hat, you are good to go. Spritz down with bug dope for the call of nature also, or suffer the consequences! :-) I budget one 100ml pump spray bottle per week in the peak of bug season. Bug season may last 2-4 months, depending on weather and unknowns. I do not wear a bug jacket as they are too hot, and have too much reflection inside for seeing. I get along fine with the bug dope. I made a video on how I apply it on face and neck, link: ua-cam.com/video/DPwvTWGtS3A/v-deo.html In this video I am wearing the same clothing I wear on all canoe trips: I wear a dense weave Filson cotton Safari-cloth shirt (unfortunately no longer made), and Fjallraven trousers, both of which the mozzies cannot bite through. The Fjallraven regular G-1000 fabric is mosquito-proof. Let me know your zone of paddling preference and I can send some route suggestions.
Yes BB2000 would be great for winter camping, especially making big log fires. For cutting on the ground you can over-extend the handle which saves bruised knuckles, just keep the blade away from dirt & rocks of course. Other tips with this saw - find or make a simple bag to keep it in, the curved blade is not fully protected even when folded & could do with an outer sheath. But the Gomtaro is cheaper & still a good bet - also usually better on the water. Another trick with all Silky saws is that they are VERY sharp, so if you are moving thru light brush, soft stuff can be slashed with a swift movement of the blade (like a light scythe or machete). Take care not to bend or "pinch" the saw blade. You need to "read" the stress in the wood - understand what wood is in compression & what in tension. Generally cut from the tension side, but in windblown situations, the fallen trees can build up huge stresses. If so, you need to release these with care & keep well clear when it releases. People have been killed by not thinking about this. Because the saws are very sharp - a light touch on your skin will result in a nasty cut. So take care & ideally a glove on the hand that is not on the saw. At the end of the day these are the professional arborists tools of choice. The Zubat 330 is standard equipment.
Come on, you just wanted to play a game of pick-up-sticks ;-)
***** Ha ha! The 2 dimensional camera does not capture the real severity of the blowdown. I have seen worse (like 100% blown down), but this one is a mixed bag of variable degrees of blowdown. But its all part of the adventure :o)
Wintertrekker
Just kidding ;-) I actually know how severe such a "game" can be. Take care.
Andreas