New Trip Report posted by UncleMoose

Trip Name: Frost River, June 2006.

Entry Point: 50

Click Here to View Trip Report
wc-20060701-0555

Uncle Moose-Glad you saw the waterfalls and enjoyed lunch at that nice site on Cross Bay. Your report was outstanding. Glad you took the time to post it. The pictures are outstanding the report is top notch. It's also nice to see so many Stemless Lady Slippers. They are a fascinating orchid.

Thanks for the report!!!

I enjoyed reading your report nice job!

Thanks for the nice comments.

Bogwalker - Cross Bay was every bit as nice as you described. I appreciated your reports and guidance for that area. I just wish I could have made it to Snipe Lake for a night's stay like I had originally planned. It's in such a unique spot there, being so close to the two EPs and yet still lying off the main travel routes. After having seen Missing Link and Cross Bay now, I can only imagine that it's more of the same great scenery (but maybe with a bit less congestion). I suppose there's only so much one can do on any given trip - a good excuse to go back!

Wow! You've raised the bar for trip reports... and photography!

I really enjoyed your trip and appreciate the time and effort put into creating it.

Thanks!!

Wow is right! Great report and photos! Thank you for sharing.

Adam

I'm going to echo what everyone else is saying, this was a terrific trip report. The pictures are phenomenal and the report is extremely well written. In reading it you feel as though you're along for the ride. It's a great read, and not at all overloaded with technical information that can sometimes be a chore to scan. Wonderful job.

UncleMoose, I had a question about the foam strips near the bow of your canoe. I've seen that on one other occasion, I believe. Is that to help ease the pain of the bow paddler's knuckles?

I think these are used to pad the bow paddlers' knees. When the forward seat is positioned properly positioned, the bow paddlers braces against the bow (or floatation chamber) and this permits his/her knees to comfortably brace against the always hard (and occasionally hot) gunnels.

I always use them when canoe racing, and usually when paddling in the BWCA. These are simply foam pipe insulation pieces available anywhere. Note foam pipe insulation forward in this picture taken in May.

Beemer's correct.

This was my wife's "invention", and is just one of those recreational foam water noodle thingys cut in half lengthwise. They're hollow in the middle, so they fit snug around the gunnel.

She had been frustrated on previous trips with her knees rubbing and banging against the sides of the canoe. Last year, we saw somebody who had glued strips of old carpeting over the gunnels and along the canoe's insides. We wanted a less "permanent" solution.

For the most part, they worked great. A few times they slipped off during a portage, and by the end of the trip (some 35-40 portages?), one began to tear at one end.

But a good cheap removable solution that seemed to do the job ok.

Too bad there was no way to get Bungee dealy bob's to hold the foam noodles in place! Would have some how been fitting for your trip. LOL

Thanks Uncle Moose for posting the trip report! The report was incredibly well written, but even better (for me) was the incredible photography.

My last trip was 30 years ago, but some of those shots really brought back some vivid memories of the feels and smells and textures of the area that have grown dim over the years. I hope that they do the same for you some 30 years from now.

My next trip is in 3 weeks and I was already pretty excited about the prospect, but now I'm absolutely drooling over the idea of getting back up there.

Thanks again!

A new product idea for Old Scout. The "Clippy Dealee Bob".

There's one more Bungee Dealee Bob related thing that I forgot to include in the report. At one point, my wife needed a belt, so she linked together a couple of BDBs and made one. The possibilities are endless. ;-)

Thanks, Benutzer!

I work hard on the pictures for this very reason - to keep the memories fresh. The hope is that years from now, when I look back at them, they'll help reconnect all those nerve cells and bring back the feelings, scents and sounds.

Have a wonderful return trip, and be sure to fill us in with the details when you get back.

Bravo! Nicely done!

Very cool trip report and awesome pictures!!! We can't wait to get up there in a couple of weeks.

I absolutely love the report and the pictures. At first the length of the report sort of put me off reading the whole thing, but it was so well written I read it all and have to admit to really regretting not being able to get up there this year.

Thanks!

Yep, I have to admit I was a little worried about the length of it. Being my first report and all, I think I may have gotten just a tad carried away. At the very least, I figured it might make good bedtime reading for the sleeping challenged.

;->

I'm glad you enjoyed it.

This was an outstanding report, but the photos are AWESOME! What camera were you using to capture these? Very nice report!

As far as the pads for the bow paddler... 1 inch to 1.5 inch pipe insulation works well too... very easy to hold on with just a strip or two of duct tape... Keeps creases from forming on the side of bow paddlers knees. My wife loves them!!!

Bruce

Unclemoose...

Great report AND GREAT PHOTOGRAPHY....What kind of camera takes these pictures....I see you had a telephoto and tripod....
I just use those cheap disposables, guess I don't what to take a chance of dumping and losing or at least ruining my good photo equipment..

Your pics are excellent and could grace the pages of any magazine or wall !!!!

GREAT JOB !!!

Woodpecker

Uncle Moose I gotta say that this is an outstanding trip report. I have seen the accolades from others on this board and I cannot add much more to their responses. However, I do have question. You mentioned some pretty tough portages and my only frame of reference is the mile long one into Missing Link. Which portage would you say was the most difficult?

TR

Navigator and Woodpecker,

Thanks for the nice comments.

The primary camera is an original Canon 1Ds full-frame digital SLR (older 11MP model). A few of the photos were taken with a Canon Rebel (6MP DSLR), and a few were from a camcorder. I also typically bring about four lenses ranging from 16mm to 400mm with one either being a fisheye or maybe a macro (on this trip I brought the fisheye).

Sometimes I question our sanity when we lug the big camera bag and tripod over some of those portages, but when I get home and look at the pictures, it seems worth it. Next time, though, we may get a small point and shoot camera also, so we can have a camera always at the ready for wildlife or for pictures on portages and while paddling. It can be difficult and time-consuming to repeatedly dig into the waterproof pack for the big camera. On this trip, we didn't take near enough pictures between campsites.

Taking this stuff is definitely a risk, though. On our frist trip a few years ago, my wife and I accidentally drowned a camcorder. We learned the hard way about the importance of good waterproof camera cases.

Uncle Moose ~

Am I right in saying that that camera runs between $6K and $8K without the additional lenses?

It used to. The newer 16MP "Mark II" model will currently run you 7K for just the body. But I didn't pay anywhere near this, luckily. After the newer model came out, I bought an older, used 11MP model for *considerably* less on eBay. That saved me about the cost of two Souris Le Tigres. ;-)

Needless to say, the camera bag gets handled with a little extra care. However, these things are built like tanks and can take a bit of a beating. But unfortunately, they also weigh about as much as a tank.

TR,

When I think back to the toughest portages, three come to mind.

One would have been the 'boulder field' portage between Octopus and Chase, not because it was really difficult overall, but because that boulder field was very tricky and required time, patience and a lot of care.

Another would have definitely been the short, but steep up and down from Afton to Fente, especially at the end of a long day. The granite slopes on this portage are by far the steepest I have ever encountered. If I was measuring difficulty on a foot by foot basis, this would be my choice for most difficult.

But I think overall, the mile long portage from Tuscarora to Missing Link was the most difficult for me. It was a hot and muggy morning and the mosquitos were out in force whenever we stopped to take a break. The portage trail itself, although not too bad at any one place, still throws in enough variety of rocks, mud and elevation change to make its long length very grueling in general.

If I had the trip to do over again and could get a free pass over one of these portages, I would choose the mile long portage from Tuscarora to Missing Link (or I would invest in a Kevlar canoe).

Uncle Moose, again, WOW!! Fantastic report and absolutely gorgeous photos. We'll all be clicking back on this report!

What type of camera bag & tripod did you take? We have a fairly large backpack type bag, but I know it's not waterproof. Been thinking about a Pelican case (or two) for the next trip. (Our previous trip was pre-digital & we used the rollup-type dry bag then & weren't very happy with it.) Any suggestions?

Thanks, wolfwatcher.

The pack we're currently using is a Lowepro DryZone 200.

http://www.lowepro.com/Products/Backpacks/waterproof/DryZone_200.aspx

It's basically a large waterproof camera backpack. I does the job, but it's a little hard getting to the gear. You need to undo a latch and unzip two separate sections (the waterproof zipper section is extra tough).

We also have a Pelican case (#1500), but it wasn't quite big enough to carry everything for this past trip. Also, I'm not yet sure whether a briefcase would be a pain to lug around. Backpacks can be more convenient, I think.

All in all, I'm still rethinking how to pack the camera gear in the future. On the one hand, you want the stuff well protected, but on the other, you need reasonably quick and convenient access to it. I'd be interested in any good ideas you may come across.

The tripod was a special birthday present from my wife this year. It's a carbon fiber Gitzo 1227 (which was recently replaced by the 1257 model). It supports over 16 pounds of camera but weighs less that 4 pounds. It worked great for us.

Thanks Uncle Moose,

Appreciate the info. I'll check with Photo-spouse & let you know if we come up with any ideas. I've been trying to get him to buy a new tripod and the Gitzo is very nice, but he insists his ancient aluminum one is just fine -- and he carries it.

LOL. That's the key, "he carries it".

Come to think about it, Heidi was the one who carried the camera bag for most of this trip. So, hmmmm. Maybe that explains the light weight birthday gift. ;-)

WOW..... just WOW!!! What an incredible trip! Thank you for sharing it with ALL of us!

:)
Sandy

Uncle Moose-

Thanks so much for a very detailed and interesting trip report. Its always fun to hear what others have been through.

I too head up the gunflint trail to my destination in the BWCA and I really think it is a great area to visit.

Thanks again for the report and the terrific pictures.

Uncle Moose

I too long to see that first moose. Maybe next year. Great Pictures and Report

We plan to take two crews from our boy scout troop to the BWCA
in June of 2007. My question is could We send one crew the way you went and the other one counter clock wise the opposite way. Is the Frost River a flowage or a river with current?

redcanoe

The Frost flows east to west, but its current is light. It would be entirely reasonable to send groups in both directions, but going with the flow is just a little more convenient. Traveling east to west simply means a little more down-hill than up-hill on the portages, and other small advantages like going with the current at the many beaver dam pullovers, etc... Some of the portages may also be a little trickier to see and locate coming from the west (like at the 'boulder field' portage between Chase and Octopus). The biggest disadvantage, however, with going west to east is that you get the worst end of the steep portage from Fente to Afton going uphill.

But either way, if your scouts are experienced and have plenty of energy, they shouldn't have a problem going either way. At most, you might consider having some of the more experienced members take the west to east route.

Simply, Thank you. Do you need one more grateful tripper to crown you the King of Trip Reports? I think not but I will take your lead and put much into my report from my upcoming trip. My wife and I are taking the same route with one exception. I intend to skip that last long portage.

By the way. Do you have any pics of the Fente/Afton portage?

Enjoyed it thoroughly...thx for sharing.

Simon S,

I'm kicking myself in hindsight that I didn't get any pictures of that Afton/Fente portage. We brought larger SLR cameras with us which were usually packed away pretty good in a water-proof pack while we travelled. We were also in a slight hurry, as the day was rapidly coming to a close. More recently, we've started bringing a point-n-shoot camera so we can get more shots en route.

The one thing that I'm certain of is that you won't be carrying the canoe over this portage. It will need to be dragged or hoisted by rope. The good news, however, is that the portage is short. It just changes more vertically than it does horizontally.

Maybe someone else here has a photo or more they can add about this fun portage.

thanks uncle moose. now im happy i bought a royalex. :)

I know I left some green royalex behind.

Have a great time doing the Frost loop this spring. I don't know if you bring a camera or not, but if you do, post a shot of the portage if you pass by there.

Uncle Moose - I just took a break and went back..... just to look at your fantastic pictures again. Sigh. Thanks AGAIN for sharing!

i will plan on getting that pic UM.

AWESOME trip report and photography (as always!) unclemoo, love the snapping turtle pics!
tg

heres those pics UM. the the pic of approach does not do justice to the vertical thats really there.

Great pics!

Yep, that approach shot shows the easy part. The second picture is definitely much more representative of the challenge. This must have been extra fun doing it all by yourself. Leave any paint behind?

I noticed you posted a report. I'll go check that out now.

Welcome back.

fortunately the red royalex stayed intact....on that one anyway. :)