Mark your calendars for Guided Wilderness Group Trips next year.

Hi folks! Our Guided Group Trips were a great success this past year and we are pleased to offer them again for the coming season. Here are the new dates for 2010. You will be pleased to know that we are keeping the cost of the trip the same as last year.
Maximum size for each group is 8 clients
2-4 clients – Cost is $1195 plus tax per person.
5-8 clients – Cost is $995 plus tax per person.

These trips are Guided by a professional guide and Fully Outfitted. This means you bring your personal clothing and toiletries and we do the rest. We also include lodging here in Ely the night before and the night after the trip. All permit fees and shuttle fees are included.

We are adding a new trip this year. Steve Johnson, has guided for us from the beginning of our operations. He has developed quite a following and reputation. He is extremely skilled, knowledgeable, and personable. We have had folks call up and request his services because so many others have raved about their experience with Steve. Well, here is your chance to go on a 6 day trip with Steve and learn many of the skills that he employs on his trips. Camp skills, navigation, survival skills, paddling techniques, first aid and emergency measures are a few of the areas about which Steve will share his expertise. You may not be a guide by the end of the trip, but you will be better equipped and knowledgeable about what it takes to be a confident and safe wilderness paddler. This trip will fill up quickly, so call us right away to book your spot on the great opportunity.


Guided Group Trips DATES for 2010

Wilderness Camping Skills Trip with Steve Johnson – May 15 - 21 NEW ($1395 1-7 people only)

The highlight of the trip was Steve Johnson as our canoe guide. He was great! We had utmost confidence in his leadership and he never steered us wrong.

Steve Johnson was a great guide, never intrusive or commanding, but always ready to help and participate in many, many ways - including bringing most of his vegetable garden with him! He was a master in turning a dried bag of stuff into a real meal - although, having freshly caught fish certainly added tremendously to our dinners.

Smallmouth Fishing Trip – June 12 - 18
Loon Trip – June 26 - July 2
Women’s Wilderness Adventure – July 10 - 16
Howl with the Wolves – August 21 - 27
Star Gazing Trip – September 11 - 17
Autumn Colors Trip – September 25 - October 1

Contact Bert or Drew to reserve your spots on our guided trips.
Bert@piragis.com

Drew@piragis.com
800-223-6565

A Tripper's Story: THE LOOP

Yeah! It was great! We completed the LOOP!
 
We got on the water at 6:45am and hustled through the lakes and Horse River. The one portage along the way was tough, but not too bad. The Horse was a little slow - few rocky spots and whatnot, but we managed. We finally came out on the other end around 1pm to the sound of the falls. We weren't really sure where to go, but we got to the little 12rd portage and got a few shots off of the falls. All campsites were open! But we ventured just a little further north of the falls and set up camp north of a little island. Went out fishing, back to the falls for more enjoyment (one campsite filled by then) and then back to camp for dinner. Stars were out but a little wind so no fire.
 
The next day we packed up and headed out by 10am. Past the pictographs (great cliff!!) and up and up and up. Table Rock, Wednesday Bay - the sun was out and it was really nice. There was a little headwind, but it really wasn't feeling that tough. We were hemming and hawing about staying north of Wednesday Bay, but Pete navigated us a little further to the top of Thursday Bay instead. He was feeling positive b/c of how far we'd gotten so he was sure we could make it. Luckily the site was open. We stayed on a west facing site for two nights and it was awesome! Sunny swimming weather, calm, caught some walleye, northern and bass, day-tripped to the little island on Thursday Bay and watched the sunset from a peninsula down from camp. Marvelous! I caught a walleye one morning and as it was coming up I was like - it's stuck on a tree or something. But nope - a northern had grabbed it sideways!! Then as I was fighting him I watched him take the walleye headfirst down his throat! I wasn't sure what was going to come of the battle - but kept reeling and suddenly, he just let go. Walleye for lunch - but not til after a tough headwind through Friday Bay! But we muscled it. Got to the campsite at the bottom of Friday Bay around 1. Setup, ate lunch, wind calmed down and we fished again. Then when our butts were sore, we just poked around at camp and a great Oregon-style rain started - a perfect little rainshower - straight down. Time for raingear! We stayed up late and had ourselves a fire and then saw lightning and storm clouds rolling in so we battened down the hatches. Lots of rain and thunder and lighting, but we had a good tent spot and it wasn't that windy.
 
Woke up to more drizzle, so we packed 'er up and headed to Moosecamp. Made it to the spot near the portage and it ended up being great. Wind died down once again and we setup camp, fished and had a nice fire and awesome dinner. And the last day was a wind miracle - complete tailwind from the north - pushed us out of Fourtown perfectly. Oh and we took Moosecamp Creek to Fourtown. It was a little hairy - a few dams and lots of lilypads. Some poor dudes were heading north on it and when we crossed paths one of the guys was like "so there is an end to this?" I was like - that's not promising! We've been on this thing forever already! But we came on this awesome little hawk - rough legged, i think - so that was worth the whole business. And once we got out it was easy. Drifted a bit and fished, but then it got so windy we just pointed her south. The clouds were rampant too so it was getting a little chilly with the Keens on. Then we finally got to the bottom of Fourtown and it's this crazy in-the-water portage. We had to pack up a few things - rods and whatnot, so that was funny. This couple and their toddler were trying to figure out how to manage and didn't see the path through the creek - so he dropped his canoe down the side of the hill. He felt dumb when he saw our plan. And what a headwind they were in for. Eeeesh. Then we got to that other crazy portage on that route - I think my coworkers call it Billy Goat's Gruff or something. Pete calls it the Double-Black Diamond! He was in shock that he made it through alive and that the canoe didn't take a nosedive over the side of the cliff. He was spent on that one.  Then one more really small portage and then a miracle - the SUN! The absolute SUN came out. Clouds had parted while we were billy goatin' it and Mudro Lake was peaceful and calm and SUNNY!! So that was just a sweet sweet ending to an awesome loop.
 
Wow, that's a novel. I should have just called! Thanks again for all the support - we had a blast once again.  We saw beavers, deer, hawks, eagles etc. etc. No bear evidence or moose sightings. And it was QUIET some nights. Like eerie - no crickets or anything. At the Thursday Bay site we had a friendly Hoot Owl nearby - that was fun.
 
Once a year just doesn't seem like enough. We both woke up at Moosecamp and were like - should we just go into Ely and restock supplies? We were just getting back in the swing! When we started up the path to the parking lot I was like "Civilization, bah humbug!" But I realized that civilization has provided me many of the amenities for camping - water filter, tent, vacuum sealed chicken :) hahaha.
 
Have a good rest of your summer and a great fall. THANKS DREW!
 
Rachel Eliason