Winter Camping: Destination Pickerel Lake in Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park, part of the greater BWCA (”Big Winter Camping Area“, according to Jim)
Winter Camping: Destination Pickerel Lake in Ontario's Quetico Provincial Park, part of the greater BWCA (”Big Winter Camping Area“, according to Jim)
A trip north is not complete without a stop in Duluth. The harbor was iced in with just a bit of open water near the lift bridge
Jamo, Tim, Jim & Jim making ready to depart from the Dawson Trail Ranger Station
Entering French Lake from the Dawson Trail Campground. No Lifeguards, no turning back!
Fast forward about 5 hours - making camp. We had pulled sleds 9.6 miles, across French Lake, down the Pickerel River and across eastern Pickerel Lake.
We first pitched the tent on the lake, then moved it off the ice on Monday, or “Camp Improvement Day”
Jamo and Jim on snowshoes, near our campsite and after camp improvements
Returning from a short walk down “Howling Wolf Bay”
Jamo and Tim set out Tuesday morning to establish an advance camp from which to reach Fern Lake
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Jim returns after chasing down the “young bucks“, and making sure they were adequately “fueled”
Bushwacking by snowshoe to an interior lake and wetland. Jim & Jim are just ahead, right of center.
A lost or confused vole?
Jim Holtz after an overnight low of -18 F.
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Wednesday we checked out a dam and stream between Pickerel and Bisk Lake. Tim and Jamo had planned to come this way.
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We followed Jamo and Tim's tracks down the 89 rod portage trail and beyond. There was open water on Bisk Lake near the mouth of the stream, so they had apparently abandoned their plan to reach Fern Lake and instead headed east to the Rawn Narrows.
Raven tracks
Wolf tracks on the sled trail
Returning to campsite on “Howling Wolf Bay” We're skiing in the snowshoe track from the previous day.
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The “Halfway House” Campsite, so named by Tim. This was the inaugural trip for the canvas tent and stove. It was pretty comfy, I'll admit. And warm, depending on your elevation within the tent and proximity to the stove.
Jim Holtz fueling the stove
View from Lookout Island
Rick on Lookout Island
Jim on Lookout Island
Grouse scat on Lookout Island
Pine Marten Midden on Lookout Island
Wolf scat - we saw a lot of it, and there's no question that they'd been feeding on moose!
Looking south to Emerald Island, from Long Island
Emerald Island
Looking west between Long and Emerald Islands
Bryophytes and Lichens
More Bryophytes and Lichens
Still more Bryophytes and Lichens
If only we could learn to adapt to extreme conditions as easily as these small plants and organisms!
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Dr. Colbert, Lichens and Bryophytes at the west end of Long Island.
Along the north shore of Pickerel - this area is revegetating after a burn, probably 12-15 years ago
A common sight along southern exposures. (That's a rock beneath the snow and ice)
Tracking wolves along the north shore of Pickerel Lake near Lookout Island. We'd hoped to come across a kill, or even get a glimpse of a wolf or wolf pack.
This was a heavily traveled wolf path, extending across the north side of Pickerel from near Long Island to Stanton Bay - about 18“ in width!
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Jamo and Tim return from the Rawn Narrows
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Friday Feb 8, on the return to French Lake
Tim, Jamo and Jim taking a break near the east end of Pickerel Lake. Jim Holtz is a couple hundred yards ahead, already tasting the steak he'll be having in Grand Marias!
One of the 26 ft Voyageur trade canoes used in the Annual “Long Live the Voyageurs Weekend” at the Dawson Trail Campground
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(Looks authentic, but it's not really birch bark)
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