Story:
We had 5 goals beginning this trip.
1. Enjoy early spring in the Great North Woods.
2. Discover the condition of the old logging roads.
3. Learn to use our GPS units to navigate in the wilderness.
4. Determine if these trails/old roads continued to be used.
5. See Western Lake.
We accomplished all but the last. In the summer we will bring our two sons back into the "Little Indian Souix Wilderness". We'll make a day trip to Western to renew our friendship with this lake after 30 years.
For this trip we laid aside our traditional Duluth Packs and acquired high tech hiking packs. We packed and ate freeze dried food (aside from the bagels, peanut butter and cheese which we took on our day hikes.) We did not, however, discard our army surplus woolen attire as the photos show!
Wool is tough, warm when wet, and dries quickly. However as our sons say, it does make us look like old guys.
However, I remind them even with the latest synthetic fabric we would still look like old guys. Only, we would look like old guys in high tech.
We had 5 goals beginning this trip.
1. Enjoy early spring in the Great North Woods.
2. Discover the condition of the old logging roads.
3. Learn to use our GPS units to navigate in the wilderness.
4. Determine if these trails/old roads continued to be used.
5. See Western Lake.
We accomplished all but the last. In the summer we will bring our two sons back into the "Little Indian Souix Wilderness". We'll make a day trip to Western to renew our friendship with this lake after 30 years.
For this trip we laid aside our traditional Duluth Packs and acquired high tech hiking packs. We packed and ate freeze dried food (aside from the bagels, peanut butter and cheese which we took on our day hikes.) We did not, however, discard our army surplus woolen attire as the photos show!
Wool is tough, warm when wet, and dries quickly. However as our sons say, it does make us look like old guys.
However, I remind them even with the latest synthetic fabric we would still look like old guys. Only, we would look like old guys in high tech.
Tips:
We obtained an entry permit for Crab Lake from the Forest Service. We also designed this first day to avoid private property at the Tamarack Lake end of the Wolf Lake Road which has a gate. We bushwhacked 1.3 mile from a logging area just outside the gate to meet the old road.
We followed trails/old roads not officially designated for hiking. Therefore they are not particularly scenic nor challenging in change of elevation as other BWCA hiking trails might be. Finding designated campsites (a condition for entering this wilderness) requires some difficult bushwhacking.
We obtained an entry permit for Crab Lake from the Forest Service. We also designed this first day to avoid private property at the Tamarack Lake end of the Wolf Lake Road which has a gate. We bushwhacked 1.3 mile from a logging area just outside the gate to meet the old road.
We followed trails/old roads not officially designated for hiking. Therefore they are not particularly scenic nor challenging in change of elevation as other BWCA hiking trails might be. Finding designated campsites (a condition for entering this wilderness) requires some difficult bushwhacking.
Tags:
BWCA, Phantom Lake, Crab Lake, Wolf Lake Road, Minnesota, Ely
BWCA, Phantom Lake, Crab Lake, Wolf Lake Road, Minnesota, Ely
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