Piragis Northwoods Company
105 North Central Avenue
Ely, Minnesota 55731
1-800-223-6565
www.piragis.com
February 18, 2010
Your Friends in the Great Northwoods

News from Piragis Northwoods Company and the BoundaryWatersCatalog.com:

"Hello. I have been wanting to write to you to thank you for the wonderful trip in July 09. I called you in February, and you gave me tons of advice on planning the trip, checked to see which routes had permits available, made specific suggestions about where to go and how long it would take on the route we chose, and then helped us choose an appropriate canoe, and gave us excellent advice about what to bring. Our trip was wonderful, thanks to your help and advice, and we can't thank you enough! Take care." Sue Turner


Getting outdoors and planning for Spring

News from the Outfitting Desk  by Drew Brockett

People are enjoying the Boundary Waters, even when the water is under the ice in most places.  Some of the Piragis crew enjoy cross country skiing day trips into some of your favorite summer entry points such as Moose River North and Lake One.  It’s a different world out there in the wintertime.  It can be so silent when the wind isn’t blowing.  The animals of the forest leave their tracks for snow travelers to see,  you don’t have to wait at a portage, and there are no bugs.  Can it get any better than that?  Come on up and see for yourself.  We rent skis and snowshoes for those of you who want to see what the BWCA is like during the Winter season.
 


The summer season is looking good and we thank all of you who have already booked your trip with us.  It never hurts to get things set early.  Remember, when you make your reservation with us early, you have better entry point options, can usually get the specific canoe that you have always wanted to try, and don’t get stuck without a motel room.
 
Permit Info
We can reserve BWCA permits for the entire summer now.  When you call, we’ll look at availability and then get the permit you want.  Some of you have been asking about the number of people on a permit.  The maximum number is 9 people.  Another question is this: Can you reserve a permit and change the number of people before the trip?  The answer is yes.  You can reserve a permit for 4 people and then add more to the party.  You can also change it the other way.  We may reserve a permit for you that has 9 people on it.  But, a few weeks before the trip, you only are going to have 6 people.  That’s ok.  The permit can be adjusted at the time we issue it.
 
Another important thing for BWCA permits
 The permit will have a Group Leader.  We are then able to put down some alternate leaders (up to three).  This can be very important.  For instance, if the group leader gets sick and cannot make the trip, then an alternate leader can sign for the permit.  If there are no alternate leaders on the permit and the group leader is not there, the permit cannot be issued.
 
Quetico permits are still on the “5 months in advance” system of reserving your entry point.  We are getting permits for mid-July at this time.  This is now starting to enter into the peak season for canoe tripping so if you are planning on heading into Quetico in late July or August, call us soon so we can get your permit at the first possible date.
 
Rental items you might not think of:
If you don’t like to be hanging out with the bugs at your campsite or donating blood when you weren’t planning on it, we have the perfect thing for you.  We have some large screen tents for rent.  There are two sizes: 10x10 and 15x15.  Now you can spend time outside your tent even if the black flies and mosquitoes are out looking for you.  These screen tents need to be reserved ahead of time and rent for $14 per day.  There is a limited supply so call today to reserve one.  Don’t be caught in your own tent all evening where you can’t enjoy the sunset or watch a loon, beaver or otter swim near the shoreline.  Call soon to reserve a screen tent for your 2010 adventure!
 
Food
Here at Piragis Northwoods, we understand that a canoe trip needs to have great food.  Our menu has a wide variety of choices from fresh food for your first dinner all the way to great snack options.  You choose what you want and we’ll make sure you get enough.  You won’t go hungry when we pack and plan your food outfitting.  Many people don’t want to bother with packing food so they leave it up to us.  You won’t be disappointed and you may even find some things that you enjoy at your own dinner table.  Here are just a few of the new options that we’ve added for 2010.
-- Cinnamon Muesli with Milk
-- Wraps
-- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
-- Tiramisu
See our complete menu options online: 
http://www.piragis.com/outfitting/menu.html

Service
Bert Heep and I have each day of the week covered.  We are here to answer calls and emails.  This is what we love to do - get people lined up for the best trip they can have.  Call during the week at your lunch break and we are here.  If you have to call on the weekend from home, no problem.  If you need help with permits and routing, canoe and gear rental, or how to even start planning a trip, we will give you the most attentive service and take care of you in a professional yet family friendly way.  You are not just our client, but you are now our friend.  Our slogan at Piragis is "Your Friends in the Great Northwoods" and we sincerely mean it.  Come in or call us and see what we mean.  You’ll have a great experience at Piragis Northwoods.


Contact Bert or Drew to start working on next year's permits and trips.
 Bert@piragis.com

Drew@piragis.com
800-223-6565



Catalog Items on Sale



MIOX Purifier
Item # C0070142
List Price $139.95
Your Price: $97.97
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,4314.html



Nimbus Great Northern
Item # G0060109
List Price $295.00
Your Price: $206.50
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,4423.html




Piragis 60 L Harness
Item # M0020016
List Price $99.99
Your Price: $69.99
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,7460.html



Piragis 30 L Harness
Item # M0020017
List Price $89.00
Your Price: $62.30
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,7481.html

Used Kevlar/Carbon Outfitting Paddle



List Price $129.00
Your Price: $99.95
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,7689.html



Save yourself or a loved one from wiping out on ice or packed snow!

Some of us have had to learn this lesson the hard way, and boy is it a painful one! Slipping on glare ice, black ice or hard packed snow on sidewalks or streets is no fun. It can be terrible and for older folks it can be life changing. Traction aids are big here in Ely, Minnesota. As the sun's rays get warmer with each passing day and begin to melt away the deep snow that much of the country has been receiving, ice shows up in places you don't expect. Get yourself a pair of Yaktrax Walkers or Get-A-Grips and keep them in your pocket. You can slip them on in seconds and turn a hazardous shuffle into a comfortable, safe walk. Call 1-800-223-6565 to get yours today or order online.



YAKTRAX WALKER
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,7760.html




Get-A-Grip
http://www.boundarywaterscatalog.com/browse.cfm/4,7763.html



JULY 4 - 5, 1999, "The Boundary Waters-Canadian Derecho"

We all remember the big storm that caused the "Blow Down". Did you know that these severe winds continued North and East and caused damage through Canada and ended up affecting even the State of Maine?


"As the derecho entered St. Louis County, a wind gust of 81 mph was recorded at the Chisholm-Hibbing Airport and the terminal building and hanger suffered damage. A semi-trailer truck was blown over on U.S. Highway 53 near Canyon which is just northwest of Duluth.


As the derecho raced into the Arrowhead region of northeastern Minnesota during the early afternoon of July 4th, many casualties would occur despite the normally low population density of this heavily forested area. Since it was Independence Day weekend, many people had traveled to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) to enjoy canoeing and camping in the region. Winds estimated at 80 to 100 mph moved rapidly through the area causing serious damage to 600 square miles of forest in the Arrowhead region. Tens of millions of trees were blown down (Figs. 2 and 3). Sixty people in the BWCA were injured by falling trees, some seriously. Twenty of those injured were rescued by floatplanes flying to lakes within the forest that were near the victims."

For more of the story, click here:
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/AbtDerechos/casepages/jul4-51999page.htm





Explore the Wilds of Africa
If Africa has been on your list, there is no better time to go and see it for yourself. I am working together with southern Africa’s most respected guiding company to produce a special trip to see the highlights of Botswana in April. Our small group of 8 will fly from Atlanta directly to Johannesburg where we overnight and fly on the next day to Maun on the edge of the Okavango Delta. Our guides from Wilderness Safaris meet us there and fly us by bush plane to the heart of the Kalahari at Deception Valley where the book “Cry of the Kalahari” took place in the 1970’s. Deception is an ancient river bed now dried up to a grassy valley teeming with antelope and the predators that rely on them for survival. There is no better African adventure story than the real life adventures of Delia and Mark Owens who lived here for 7 years as young zoologists studying and blending with the wildlife. Read the book and you’ll want to go.

Wilderness Safaris is famous for it’s 60 plus lodges and camps in 5 countries of southern Africa. We’ll leave the high priced luxury camps to others and WS will guide us on a true African tent safari as we all visualize it with a bit of luxury of our own. Tent camps will be our home for two weeks as we fly from location to location to get the best of Botswana and maximize our time in the field. I’ll let the photos to show you just how comfortable this life will be. It will be early up every morning to see as much as we can when animals and birds are most active. We’ll have opportunity to walk in the private concessions that W.S. oversees within the national parks. Because WS has special privileges in the parks we will be able to drive at night to see even more when the big cats are hunting. Over the course of 14 days our privately escorted group will stay in 4 camps, record up to 200 bird species, the big 5 of African game species and a dozen different ungulates in desert, forest, marsh and dry savanna habitats. There is no place in Africa that has this diversity species and quality of wild land. Botswana is one of Africa’s success stories with one of its highest per capita GNP and living standards. 40% of its land is protected for nature and the government is building a future economy with ecotourism at the core of a plan to feed its people and protect the wildlife.

I hope you find the photos attractive. Please use the links to learn more about our partners in this adventure. I did my first trip to Botswana in October. Driving over 2400 miles we visited the public areas of these same parks. I soaked up some of the most marvelous sights I’ve ever seen on that trip. It all made me want to go back as often as possible. This trip is designed to get much more out of two weeks by flying between locations to save time and staying in extremely comfortable safari tent camps within the private concessions of the parks where we’ll have more freedom and solitude.

If you think you’d like to join me in April in Africa please call anytime or email me with your questions. The group is open to adults in good health and with an adventurous spirit. Maximum group size is 8. Itinerary starts in Johannesburg on April_. Clients are welcome to fly to Africa a day or two early to adapt to the time zone. The cost includes all in country flights starting in Maun and ending in Livingstone, all meals, drinks, guides and camp staff. Return to the US on April 15.

Trip Cost per person from Maun $6588.

Estimated Cost of Airfare on Delta from Atlanta $1600 rt

Steve Piragis will be happy to answer questions and talk trips! For questions, please contact him by phone at 1-800-223-6565 or email: steve@piragis.com.


for many more pictures and a sample itinerary, click here:
http://www.piragis.com/africaadventure2010.html



What if you've never been on a canoe trip but would love to go?

All it takes is one easy step! Call us toll-free at 1-800-223-6565
These are some of the things we’ll talk about:
Trip Dates:
Determine your vacation dates and give us a call or send us an email. This is the hardest thing you will have to do. We will do everything else for you.
Permits:
We will help you figure out what Entry Point is the best for the kind of trip you
want and get your permit.
Routing:
After we get your permit, we will send you a map and help plan your route. When you get to Ely, we will share all the information you need for your route.
Outfitting Needs:
Full Outfitting - You bring your clothing, camera, fishing gear, period. We do the rest.
Partial Outfitting - Just need a canoe? A tent? Food? You can pick ala carte. We have the best gear and we'll teach you how to use it.
Lodging in Ely Before and After your Trip:
We will make reservations for you.
Shuttles:
Need a ride from the airport? Need a shuttle to and from you entry point? We have you covered.
Fishing Licenses, Tackle, and Advice:
Get them all here at our store.

Forget anything?
We have a full-service canoeing and camping store full of everything you will possibly need.
The Boundary Waters Catalog



Winter Rental Gear -- Used only one season -- On Sale Now

Each year we sell our Winter Rental Gear. It is a great opportunity to get fantastic deals on experienced gear that has been carefully used and well maintained.


Medium Snowtrekker Stove $170
Large Snowtrekker Stove $178
Snowtrekker Shortwall Tent (8' x 11') for 2-4 people $800
Snowtrekker Crew Cab Tent (9'8" x 12'8") for 3-5 people $900
The North Face Dark Star Sleeping Bags. -40 degree Regular length. $215
X-Country Skis with bindings $100
X-Country Skis without bindings $75
Package Deal Skis, Boots, Poles $165
X-Country Skis with Berwin Backcountry Bindings (fit your packboots) $130
Light Touring Skis 198 cm (for 180 lbs plus) Like NEW $108
Ski Boots $50
Poles $15
Kid's Skis - K'booms $50.00
Kid's Poles $20
Redfeather Guide Snowshoes:
8 x 25 $140
9 x 30 $145
10 x 36 $150

Email Michelle to reserve your used Winter rental gear today. We'll start letting you pick up your gear on March 15th.

Michelle@piragis.com
800-223-6565

We still have some summer rental gear left from last season, call or email Drew today to purchase canoe camping gear and get ready for your summer trip.
Drew@piragis.com
800-223-6565

Thanks to our Newsletter Sponsors Below!