Piragis Northwoods Company
105 North Central Avenue
Ely, Minnesota 55731
1-800-223-6565
www.piragis.com
April 13, 2009
Your Friends in the Great Northwoods

News from Piragis Northwoods Company and the BoundaryWatersCatalog.com:

Not so Common Trail Sense

Storms on Sturgeon
By Bert Heep


When we travel in the wilderness, weather will dictate what we do, when we do it, and how enjoyable it is in the process.  In short, there is nothing that controls and dominates a wilderness experience more than weather.
 
Wind, rain, lightning, heat, and cold all conspire to intensify our experience in ways that we often overlook in our normal everyday lives.   Wind will not keep us from going to work on Monday morning.  Well, maybe a tornado would make us a bit late, but you know what I mean.  However, if we wake up and hear the wind howling through the pines, waves crashing on the rocky shoreline, and peek out of our tent to see rollers coming across the lake that would make a surfer happy, the odds are pretty good that we are looking at a layover day.
 
When we are at home and suppertime rolls around we can prepare and eat our meal in a kitchen that is both comfortable and dry, even if it happens to be raining “cats and dogs”. However, preparing and enjoying a meal under a 10x12 tarp with a slanting rain that miraculously comes in from every direction, constantly moving things around to keep them dry, nursing a reluctant fire, and trying to keep the tarp from becoming a kite, presents a completely different experience.
 
At home we can watch the weather channel and get an idea about what the weather will be like for the coming week.  In the wilderness, it is a moment-by-moment situation. No weekly weather planner out there.  We find ourselves continually looking skyward at the type of clouds moving in, alert to changes in the direction and strength of the wind, and sensitive to sudden drops in the temperature.  Back in the “civilized” world we talk about the weather a lot.  Try to take notice someday of the number of comments we all make about the weather.  “Beautiful day eh?”  “Man, is it cold out today.”  “I had 24 below last night, how about you?”  “What is that yellow thing in the sky today?”  “Have you started building your ark yet?”  However, in the wilderness, we don’t just talk about the weather - we live it.  We know that our comfort and safety are directly affected by what is happening all around us.  The weather is not just a matter of conversation; it is literally a matter of survival!
 
Diane and I were vividly reminded of this truth several years ago while camped at a beautiful site on the west end of Sturgeon Lake. It was the end of June, and the past 10 days had been very cool, wet, and cloudy and we found ourselves wondering if summer would ever arrive.  We longed for warm sunny days.  We paddled down beautiful Jean Creek, entered a large bay on Sturgeon Lake, and were greeted by a stiff wind coming out of the southwest.  After grabbing a quick lunch at a beautiful pine studded site on the eastern shoreline, we decided to push on in hope of finding a site that would be more sheltered from the wind.
 
We checked out a few sites and found them too low and closed-in for our liking.  We favor sites with a high elevation, lots of rock, a good tent pad, a nice easy landing, and some white and red pine - not too fussy eh?  As we paddled to the southwest end of the lake we saw in the distance what looked like a good site. As we neared the island we realized that this was exactly the type of site we were looking for and were happy to find it unoccupied.
 
We landed our canoe, got out to explore the site and immediately knew that this would be our home for the night.  We all have had the experience of walking around a campsite, trying to decide if this one will be good enough, or if we should press on for something “better”.   Most often, even a questionable site becomes comfortable once the tent is pitched, the tarp strung, and there is a nice pile of wood by the fire ring; however, we knew this was a good one before we had the canoe unloaded.
 
We carried our packs up the hill and began walking around trying to determine where we wanted to pitch the tent.  No matter what the weather is like when we arrive at a site, we have made it our practice to always put up our tent and tarp immediately.  Delaying these tasks only invites unneeded stress if dark clouds suddenly appear on the horizon.  As we surveyed the site we concluded that the only good tent pad was beneath two majestic white pines.  Later on that night, we would find ourselves wishing that we had pitched the tent down in the alder and sweet gale that covers most of the shoreline of canoe country!  But, that’s jumping ahead in my story. 
 
I love thunderstorms.  Even as a small boy I can remember getting up in the middle of the night to look out of my bedroom window and being thrilled with each strike of lightning and loud crash of thunder.  I remember the smell of rain and the feel of a cool breeze blowing through the window after tossing restlessly on sticky sheets on a humid summer night.  As I got older, I would go out into my back yard to stand in the wind and rain and feel the storm all around me. My mother would yell out from the kitchen window, “Bert, get in here, you’re going to get killed!” Of course, my mother always thought I was going to get killed; that should tell you what kind of kid I was.  To this day, I still get excited about thunderstorms.
 
Anyway, back to Sturgeon Lake.  We had one of those great afternoons in canoe country.  We got our site all set up, did some reading and journaling, looked at maps to chart out our plans for the next few days, had a wonderful meal of bannock, mashed potatoes, and fish that I had caught earlier, and then went down to the shoreline with a mug of tea to sit and watch the evening sun reflect off the huge thunderheads that were forming to our south. 
 
As Diane and I sat there that evening, I mentioned that we were approaching the anniversary of the Fourth of July storm of 1999, which devastated large portions of the Boundary Waters and parts of Quetico.  We now affectionately refer to that storm as the Blowdown.   We have been told that a storm of that magnitude occurs on average every 100 years.  I recall thinking, what are the odds of another major storm this summer?  What would that do to the averages?  I would remember these thoughts later on that night. 
 
At 7PM we noticed dark clouds begin to form all around us.  The wind had picked up noticeably and the temperature had dropped dramatically. Off in the distance we heard the ominous sound of thunder.  Something was moving in fast and we knew that we were in for a blow. We hustled back to the site, battened down the tarp, made sure the canoe was secure and safe, and gave the tent a quick check to make sure the rain-fly was tight. As we crawled into the tent and zipped up the door, large drops of rain began to splatter all around us.  We looked at each other and smiled.  “Just made it!” I said. 
 
We began to settle down and get organized.  In our haste to beat the weather we had thrown everything in the tent very quickly.   We both commented about how grateful we were to have a good tent that did not leak.  We felt warm, secure and dry.  Good feelings in a rainstorm.  By 8 PM it was raining very hard and the wind had picked up to the point that it had our undivided attention. We found ourselves trying to visualize where the trees were around our tent and wondering if we were in harms way. Ever since the Blowdown we have been more conscious of the possibility of trees toppling in a storm, especially the big monsters that look as if they can weather just about anything.  The shallow soil in canoe country means that those roots don’t go very deep and the big white and red pines are not as invincible as they seem. 
 
It was very dark and getting darker by the second.  The thunder and lightning were getting closer, louder, and more frequent.  The time lapse between the boom of thunder and the flash of lightning was getting shorter and shorter.  Our tent, which I call “bombproof”, began to shudder and shake like it never has before.  Then the hail hit.  Watching a hailstorm from the safety of your living room is one thing; crouching in a tent while marble sized hailstones pummel you is another thing altogether.  Suddenly a strike of lightning that made the ground shake really got our attention.  Then another, and another, almost on top of each other - almost on top of us!  This is always a critical moment. Should we put on our rain gear and head for the low shoreline away from big trees or stay in the tent?  In recent years we have been more inclined to get out of the tent.  It is always tempting to stay curled up in a warm bag and hope for the best, but if you think about it, a thin layer of nylon is not much of a match for a falling tree or a direct lightning strike. This night, we chose to stay in the tent, but suddenly, this beautiful high campsite with majestic white pines all around us didn’t seem so appealing.  Why didn’t we stay in one of those low, closed-in sites we had seen earlier in the day?
 
I mentioned earlier that I love thunderstorms.  I still do.  Notice, that I never said they don’t frighten me, for at times they do; but most of the time I just feel stimulated by them.  This particular night on Sturgeon Lake, I was not stimulated!!  In fact, it is my belief, that anyone who says that they are not at times frightened by thunderstorms is either not telling the truth, or else they have never camped on top of a rock in the Quetico with only a thin piece of nylon between them and the raw fury of a storm.  To be in wilderness means that we get very intimate with the incredible forces at work in our world.  There is indescribable beauty to be experienced, but there is also terrible power to be respected.  These experiences keep us humble and aware of how puny we are in the scheme of things.
 
Gradually, things began to settle down.  The storm moved slowly to the east, the rain and wind let up and the sound of distant thunder began to lull us into a comfortable feeling as we relaxed and talked about what we had just experienced.  Soon we began to drift off to sleep, grateful for the calm that follows a storm. 
 
BOOM!  I sat bolt upright and just about jumped out of my bag. Often the worst lightning is on the leading or following edge of a storm.  We assumed that this strike was on the tail end of the storm that had just passed through.  Wrong!  It was the beginning of another one.   In fact, during the next several hours, there would be 4 thunderstorms that would roll through one after the other.  There were brief respites between storms, but the parade was relentless. Needless to say, Diane and I did not get much sleep that night.  We both got weary of anticipating the next lightning strike and wondering if our high spot would take a direct hit. The tension was taking its toll.  Diane was quite frightened at one point, and while she claims that she never said this, I distinctly remember her crying out to me, “Bert, what are you going to do about this?”
 
Sometime during the wee hours of the morning we finally drifted off to an uneasy sleep.  We were awakened at 6:00 AM by yet another storm, which matched the others in its intensity.  We could hardly believe it.  When will this all end?  Our answer came quickly.  By 8:00 AM the sun came out, the sky was a clear summer blue and there wasn’t a cloud to be seen.  Go figure.  The day turned out to be one of those beautiful summer days that we had been longing for: warm, sunny, slight breeze out of the west, and not a drop of rain all day!  We had a leisurely breakfast of pancakes, Tang, and two cups of coffee! We took a great day-trip down Bentpine Creek, saw evidence of the logging activity that took place in this country during the early part of the century and explored March and Trail Lakes.  As we crawled into our tent that night, our hope was that the heavens would be quiet.  They were. We slept like babies. In fact, Sturgeon Lake was as flat as glass the next day and we paddled this beautiful gem in total calm. The storms of Sturgeon will live in our memories for a long time.  By the way, we still like campsites with a high elevation and lots of big white and red pines.  I can still hear my mother’s voice saying, “Bert, you’re going to get killed one of these days!”  She is probably right, but to tell you the truth, I can’t think of a better place to die.
 
See you on the water!

Call Bert or Drew today for help planning your next wilderness canoe camping trip.
1-800-223-6565 to reserve your permits, canoes and gear today.

Cliff Jacobson on a Canoe Country Classic:
BIRTH OF A LEGEND--THE STORY OF THE POIRIER DULUTH PACK

We know that Cliff has a wealth of experience on canoe camping trips. Perhaps more than anyone else. Today he explores a piece of classic gear that revolutionized the way we carry our gear in canoe country. Tradition is important and sometimes traditional gear is difficult to improve upon. True valuable gear, true valuable woods-sense stands the tested waters of time. This summer we're proud to be adding Duluth Pack's traditional canoeing packs to our portage pack corner in our retail store. Good things belong together and it will be great to stock the best of time-honored gear along with the best of synthetic cutting edge gear. We want to continue our long tradition of providing the best of the best in gear and canoes to our customers.


If you've ever paddled a fine wood-ribbed canoe, you know the joy of natural materials. So it is with traditional Poirier-designed Duluth packs of sweat-stained canvas and hand-oiled leather. Like L.L. Bean boots and a fine-ground axe, Duluth packs "belong".

To read the rest of the article, click here:
http://www.piragis.com/cliffjacobson/cliffjacobsonnotesv47.html

Special Sale on Blemished (cosmetic only) Canoes from Wenonah Canoe!
All canoes are structurally sound and fully warranted.

Contact us about arranging delivery for $75 to $300 depending on distance from here.

Call Steve Schon save on your dramatically-reduced-brand-new-canoe today!
1-800-223-6565

NEW Gear Spotlight - Ultralite Cot

For many years people have longed for a dependable, packable, lightweight cot that could change the way we spend our nights in the Boundary Waters. Comfort is KEY. Cots are comfortable, but they are Old School and they are heavy, RIGHT? Well, not anymore. Our new Ultralite Cot is fantastically comfortable, even for big guys and it packs to 16" x 5" AND -- it weighs less than 3 pound. Sleeping on the roots, rocky ground can be a thing of the past. Assembles easily. YOUR PRICE: $219.00



http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,7475.html

Now you can have your sleep and pack your cot too! This lightest ever, ultra-comfy cot assembles in 3 minutes.

The UltraLite Cot is the lightest cot on the market and packs smaller than an air mat (16" long by 5" diameter). Sleeping comfort is exceptional because the six bows with nylon feet and Easton aluminum tubing tension the fabric to cradle your body with bed-like comfort. It weighs less than 3 pounds with a big-man 325 pound weight rating. No end bars so tall campers sleep great too. No big muscles needed, kids are strong enough to assemble it.

Quiet sleeping -- no pins, bolts, or rivets to squeak. You sleep floating above rocks, sticks, roots, water and snow. All materials are impervious to salt water and sunlight. The 3-layer laminated ripstop fabric won't stretch, sag, or rot. Sleep cool in hot weather with breezes under you, or use any foam pad on top for winter insulation. The Ultralite Cot doesn't leak and won't go flat in the night.

Set the Ultralite Cot across a slope and sleep great on camp sites that would make you slide off a foam pad. 24"wide by 74" long. Includes a ripstop nylon carry bag. Lifetime warranty. 3.2 lbs packed weight. 325 lb weight rating. Made in the USA.

Outfitting Update

 
There are still plenty of permits available throughout the summer, but a few entry points are getting full during certain peak times. If you are thinking about a trip up here, please plan sooner rather than later. That will give you the best chance of getting the permit you are looking for.

Enhance your Boundary Waters adventure by hiring one of our guides! Learn more about camp set-up, paddling and portaging techniques, fishing and wildlife, BWCA history, and navigation. Plus, get ready to find out about some fun cooking ideas and hear some great stories. We need to “reserve” our guides just like a permit or canoe, so give us a call and we’ll add a guide to your reservation.

"Our guide was incredible. From explaining the history of the BWCA and its people; to teaching us about plant, trees, and animal life; to fishing tips and canoe technique; to teaching how to conduct low impact camping; to instilling in my twelve year old nephew that he "can do this," he made memories for each and every one of us. This trip reminded me once again the added cost of a guided trip evaporates when compared with the enhancement to the experience.

We had unbelievable wolf howling on Lac La Croix on Wens. morning, they were right across the bay from our camp. Across the bay. Think of that! I could see the big Alpha Male in my mind as I listened to those howls! I won't ever forget that morning.

And the night before, Steve had us lay on the rocks along the waters edge as he put out the camp fire. We watched satellites race across the sky - satellites crossing above us in the clearest sky I have ever seen - don't see that where I live, to many city lights!

Cameron caught a fish - Steve cleaned the fish for dinner - few minutes later, a Bald Eagle swooped down in front of us with his talons extended and picked it up, off the rock. We all stood there with our mouths open! Could not believe what we had just seen, and the camera was sitting on a rock twenty feet away. In hindsight, its more important that we each have it in our memories, rather then on a film card.

Cameron, age 12 was so excited for the entire trip we could hardly hold him back, including when he ran into the mud on a portage. If Cameron thought he could walk on mud, he learned NOT! Steve then taught us how to make a "bridge" with the canoes to get our packs, and each of us, out into open water. Without Steve, we would have surely turned around, looking for another route.

Equipment provide by Piragis was excellent, as usual! Everything was new, and worked flawlessly - the staff that assisted us were equally superior! We were in and out in no time at all.

Can't thank you enough for a quality trip. I have done a fair amount of traveling, and thus have some experience in grading performance, Piragis Outfitting is the best. Please advise your entire staff that all of their hard work does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. Piragis put together a top shelf experience.
See you next year!" Mark D. O'Leary

Gear Spotlight



We are renting Tundra Tarps this year. These are the wonderful screened-in tarps and are perfect for any summer month, but especially the buggy times. The Tundra Tarps will give you a great place to hang out when the mosquitoes and black flies are being a nuisance. We will have them in the 1.1oz silicon/nylon fabric in two sizes:

15x15 and 10x10. The rental in 2009 is only $14 per day! We have a limited supply so call today to reserve one for your canoe trip!



Guided Trips Spotlight:
This summer we've created two new canoe country guided group trips. Each year we offer several Guided Group Canoe Trips throughout the paddling season. These trips are Guided and Fully Outfitted. This means all you have to bring is your clothing, personal toiletries, fishing gear, and we do the rest. We provide lodging in Ely at the beginning and the end of the trip, permits, shuttles, guides, and all of your equipment.

Trip Costs
2-4 Clients....$1195 plus tax
5-7 Clients....$995 plus tax

Star Gazing Trip September 19 - 25, 2009



Loon Trip June 20 - 26, 2009



Call Bert or Drew today to reserve your spot on one of these trips today or for help planning your next wilderness canoe camping trip.
1-800-223-6565 to reserve your permits, canoes and gear today.

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