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The Trip North:
Doing it the right way
By John Husar
 We were heading to the airport from a five-day sojourn in
the U.S. - Canadian boundary wilderness when I
asked our outfitter for tips.
Not for a trip like ours, which was perfect, but for folks who might be
thinking of their own canoe-camping
voyage in the north.
There was a long, pensive silence as the tires hummed. Finally, John
Schiefelbein wagged a finger. "What
they really need is to know for sure what they want to do," he said.
"That's easy," I replied. "They want to go canoeing in the Northwoods. They
want to camp and maybe fish
and maybe see some animals."
Schiefelbein shook his head. "A wilderness canoe trip is a lot of different
things to a lot of different
people," he said. "The idea is to craft a vacation that meets one's
expectations. Sometimes it's just not
possible unless an outfitter can understand each person's hopes in advance
and provide a little expert
direction."
Some people have unreasonable demands, Schiefelbein explained.
"They'll want to come in August and fish for lake trout, which are down deep
and hard to find. They'll want to avoid bugs at the
height of the bug season. They'll want to swim when it's still cold or camp
in solitude on a lake that happens to be a major traffic
route. They'll expect a permit for a restricted route long after all permits
have been issued for that period.
Schiefelbein ticked off endless possible conflicts. Some want to catch a lot
of fish, others only whoppers. Some come to avoid all
possible conflict with other humans, to watch birds, hear loons, look for
eagles, bears, moose, and wolves. Others would rather
bang around with 8 or 9 friends, singing through the nights.
The trick is to know what people really want and to route them in
appropriate directions," Schiefelbein said. "The poor outfitter is
the one who sends everyone the same way, on the milk runs, the automatic
routes of three, five or seven days.
"You need to treat everyone a little different. You do one thing for those
who want to penetrate a little history, say the Indian
settlements and ancient rock paintings known as pictographs. Something else
for those who want to plow through as many lakes as
possible. Something else for those who just want to base-camp and laze
around. Another thing for the avid fisherman. Another thing
for someone who wants to romp in waterfalls."
He shrugged. "Some want camps to face a certain direction. Some want light
meals of health foods. Others want bacon and eggs,
meat dishes. Others will gorge on fish. Everybody, when you get down to it,
is different."
Hence the art of the outfitter. Schiefelbein, a Chicago native, owns North
Country Canoe Outfitters, one of 19 custom canoe trippers
based in Ely, Minn. This is the best-known access point to the Boundary
Waters Canoe Area, that melding of 2.5 million acres of
lakes and forests along the border, but hardly the only place to go.
Wherever you head, it is wise to shop for an outfitter - not so much for
price as for reputation.
A drive along the main drag of Ely reveals the variety of services
available. Some are collections of metal canoes behind service
stations: Pay a pittance, help yourself and be on your way. Others have old,
heavy, dated equipment that you will rue when you start
portaging or pitching camp in minimum light. Shop around and you will find
you can get sound, modern equipment and advice.
The best time to shop, of course, is in the winter, when dozens of
outfitters have booths at the local sport shows. That's the time to
reserve a route and not have to take what's left.
At his place earlier, Schiefelbein produced a chart of permits released by
the Canadian government that showed most dates already
filled through August.
"People who reserve now to canoe in Canada have to start in the middle of
the week - and they can only have certain weeks,"
Schiefelbein said. "That's why we ask people to phone first. Then we can
tell them what's available. Any good outfitter will tell you
that. Always phone rather than write."
For those who are in the market here are a few more tips:
-
Pay the money for a motor tow (or float plane fly-in) to the isolated
lakes. You'll save a tremendous amount of time and energy
and have a much more fulfilling time.
-
Don't ignore the U.S. routes which are just as good as Canada's. The view
is the same on either side of the border. Many of the
U.S. routes are just as isolated, with just as excellent fishing.
-
Bring proper clothing, like sweaters and rain gear and long-sleeved
shirts for bugs. Be properly outfitted so you can see how it
should be done.
-
Never try to smuggle in cans and bottles. They're illegal and fines are
heavy. Let the outfitter provide appropriate food and
burnable containers.
-
Take a guide if you can afford one. Leave the routing to him. Remember,
of course, that all guides are not equal. But that, of
course, is another tale.
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