Sue Is Still On Her Canoe Trip

Sue is still on her canoe trip so I have volunteered to fill in for her so you regulars of her blog know what is happening at the Gunflint Lodge. My name is Peter, and along with my wife Jeannette, have been a guest at the Lodge, since Sempterber 5th. We are from California so this is a big change of scenery for us. I was last in the Boundary Waters 18 years ago and have been trying to get Jeannette to join me on another trip for many years. This year she agreed and I chose the Rustic & Plush Combo package at the Lodge as the best way to acclimate her.

It allowed us to spend two days in the area doing day trips, so we could practice our paddling and portaging. Then we could come back to the Lodge at night for a good meal and to sleep in a nice cabin. Since we are both over 60 we wanted confidence before heading out for a three day canoe trip in the Quetico. After two days we felt prepared and left on Friday with our guide, Brian Gallagher. The weather Friday morning was cold, windy and overcast. We were concened that a storm was on the way, but fortunately it blew over by the afternoon. We set up a base camp in Cache Bay in mid afternoon just as the sky was turning blue and the sun coming out. Since then the weather has been gorgeous. Plus, we have probably only seen two mosquitos.

Our time in the Quetico was absolutely fabulous. We are not interested in fishing so spent our time exploring lakes where we hoped moose would be hanging out. We found some magnificient no name lakes that the Ranger said had probably not been visited in the last two years. From the way the portages looked she was probably right. Gliding around these lakes is something that you need to experience because words don't do them justice. They were great areas for Moose, but even though we were quiet and searched in the right spots we didn't get the thrill of seeing them. But we sure tried.

Having our guide Brian along made the trip so much more enjoyable. He has been a guide for 20 years so he knows the area very well. He took a solo canoe so he didn't help us with the paddling, but he wanted to do the cooking, clean the dishes and carry the canoe on portages. So while the trip was hard work, he gave us a chance to relax and save some of our energy. Plus, he gave us a lot of information about the area.

We came back to the Lodge yesterday and today took another day search near Little Iron Lake, an area that is known for Moose. It was beautiful and we didn't see another canoe, nor did we see a Moose. However, just being there was a joy and besides not seeing a Moose gives us an excuse to come back.

I also want to say what a great time we have had hanging around the Lodge. The employees can't do enough for you and go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. The food is excellent and there is plenty of variety.

So needless to say we have enjoyed our visit to the Gunflint Lodge. In fact Jeannette is now talking about coming back next year. She loves canoeing and being in the wilderness.

I wasn't asked to write this blog, and we are not getting anyting for it, but I just wanted to share my experience with others who may be thinking of taking the same type of vacation. If anyone has questions or wants to share their experiences at the Gunflint Lodge with us feel free to send us an e-mail message to pfechh@aol.com. We may even see you here next year.