Piragis Northwoods Company Enews
July 1, 2011
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Greetings!
We wanted to first wish all of you a safe and happy Fourth of July. Summer has reached Ely bringing the sun and warmer temperatures. The water temps are now in the mid to high sixties. It is great weather to be on a canoe trip. 
Swimming, fishing, stand up paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking. So much fun you can't fit it all into the day. That's why you need a few of them just to relax and experience the Great Northwoods. Come up and visit Ely and take a Boundary Waters Vacation!
From the end of the road,
Sincerely, Tim Stouffer Piragis Northwoods Company
As silence falls on camp, sifting in with the darkness; the embers lie awake. Staring at us, they whisper and laugh; singing the old songs, in the fire tongue. The loon and the wolf join in. With the frog clan as a toothy chorus. Soon we stumble into sleep; yet they sing on. Spinning tomorrow's tale. TJS 2011 |
Can Boat Tape in your pack really be that important? Oh yeah!
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We love hearing from you guys. Notes and pictures from your trips rock! Ever wonder why we recommend you have boat tape along on your trip? Oh and by the way, it isn't just regular old run of the mill duct tape or something recommended by a primate. It's our special secret BOAT TAPE.
This from an outfitting client:
Just wanted to send you a shot of two happy campers. Love the kevlar canoes, and the rest of the gear was also top notch, as usual. Every year it seems like it gets easier, and at our age, how many things can we say that about? The advice about campsites was also much appreciated. The spring trip was new for us, but we decided we'll be doing our usual fall trip as well. Be calling you soon to arrange that. Have a great summer!
Steve and Cindy Broste Champlin, MN
PS: Also wanted to show you that the boat tape came in handy when we snapped a fishing rod in half. A green dogwood stick shoved into both broken ends, then two grooved wooden splints to bridge the break, all secured with gobs of boat tape did the trick. Wanted to have a picture of it with a big laker it had caught, but that was not to be.
Hey, our advice is pack it along next time and you can repair anything! It might not be pretty when you're done, but it'll work. For $6.99 a thirty foot roll, you can't purchase a cheaper more effective insurance policy.
Thanks for reading. STAY TUNED FOR MORE STUFF THAT WORKS from Your Friends in the Great Northwoods, Piragis Northwoods Company.
Call or email Drew or Adam to plan a trip into the Boundary Waters or Quetico wilderness in 2011!!!
Send me your trip stories and pictures: piragis webmaster
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Who is the new Outfitting Manager?
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Our long-time outfitting manager, Bert has retired as of the first of July. You may get him on the phone on weekends for a couple of months as he takes a few phone shifts, but officially he's warming his rocking chair. Well, not really, he's exploring the wilderness and surrounding areas of Ely by canoe. Thanks, Bert for all you've done over the years and all the fabulous trips you've helped people to plan. Drew Brockett, our other long-time canoe outfitting manager has taken the HELM (CONGRATS DREW!!) and lucky for us, Adam, my intern some of you may remember from a few years ago, has stepped in to fill the empty shoes (CONGRATS ADAM!!). Adam loves Ely and now he gets to move here and work full time, year round. Boy are we glad to have you. Now all of you can put a face to the name and be assured Drew and Adam are ready to keep doing what we do best: Making sure you have the best canoe trip ever!  |
Our Zip-Off Pants and New Camp Shirts are IN STOCK and SHIPPING DAILY!
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We apologize for the long delay, but we're stocked with our regular pants, zip off pants and our new lighter weight camp shirts, not to mention our super-light windshirt. If you ordered some earlier in the year, they are on their way to you as you read this. If you've been patiently waiting, now's your chance.
 | | Click Here for Piragis Zip Off Pants |
 | | Click Here for our 2011 Camp Shirt |
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News from the Outfitting Desk by Drew Brockett
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Latest bear reports:
Disappointment Lake: site #4, 6/26, very persistent and smart--knew which trees to check out, climbed over the canoe, whoofed
Basswood Lake, #95 or 96, 6/27 (opposite Washington Island)--when hit by a rock it ran at the person. (This site had been strewn with fish guts and food waste by an earlier group.)
Here is an overall summary (compiled by Tom Conaway) not including the two above:
From early May through early June the areas where there was bear activity were the BASSWOOD RIVER, from the sites above the upper falls through the lower falls area; and on PIPESTONE from Lewis Narrows down to Caribou Point. Both of these areas seem to have cooled off. We have had only one report from either area since the first week of June.
Starting the second week of June, there has been a reported up swing of activity from the middle arm of Knife and the middle section of Kek. A sow with a cub waylaid several parties and made off with a few food packs, some of which were recovered.
In both of these areas the bears that are involved have been described as persistent: very very focused on the task.
We've had no more reports on the Malberg bear since it tore the two tents in early June.
A lone report from Crab, in which a bear was spotted in a campsite from the lake as the party paddled away might qualify as a wildlife spotting.
Paddle On!!
Drew and the Outfitting Crew
Call or email Drew to plan a trip into the Boundary Waters or Quetico wilderness in 2011!!!
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Granite Gear Dry Sacks 30% Off until July 15
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Everyone needs different sized waterproof stuff sacks. These are just the ticket. We're offering our newsletter subscribers a special price. Save 30% on 7L - 25L Dry Sacks until July 15 while supplies last.
 | | Save 30% on DrySacks Click HERE |
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Big Photos from Jim Brandenburg all over small French Town
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Our friend Jim Brandenburg has been busy overseas and his photos are gracing the hillsides somewhere you might not expect. Larger than life as well!
Jim Brandenburg La Gacilly, France
A village taken over with outdoor photographs.
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Do you have friends that are interested in the Boundary Waters but don't know how to start planning their first trip?
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Let them know about us. We love to introduce people to the beauty of the Great Northwoods! Forward this newsletter to them or just have them give Drew or Adam a call!
We'd like to introduce them to Ely, Minnesota and the beauty of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The Boundary Waters is the perfect place to spend quality time with friends and family.
Have you recently connected with old friends on Facebook and are looking for a way to reconnect in person? A Boundary Waters trip holds the answer and the opportunity for an economical vacation. At Piragis our focus has always been on the best relationship we can have with our canoe trip clients.
We know this country because we paddle it ourselves. We'll start with getting your permit and canoes for your trip. We specialize in lightweight kevlar canoes and gear so you can have fun in the wilderness without breaking your back as you carry your canoe and gear between lakes. At Piragis, we can pack and route your whole trip including food if you want. We're flexible, so if you want to bring your own gear, we'll get you some of our 44 lb canoes or grab your permit for you. We're happy to be Your Friends in the Great Northwoods - a one-stop-shop and source for everything you need to know about the BWCA wilderness.
Having fun in the woods on the canoe trail doesn't require refined camping skills or extensive paddling experience! We spend time making sure canoe campers are comfortable with the gear and canoes before every trip. We offer shuttle service and tows to your wilderness entry points.
Our Rental system is the easiest to understand of any Canoe Trip Outfitter in Ely. If you want to rent everything you need for your trip from us the fee is simple $100 per person, per day. You bring your clothes and personal gear including fishing gear. If you want to rent a kevlar canoe or one piece of gear we price those things very reasonably per day. (A tandem kevlar canoe with a comfortable deluxe portage pad rents for 40 dollars a day and includes two lifevests and two kevlar paddles.)
We also offer guide service from some of the most experienced, knowledgeable and personable canoe country guides available. They've been travelling the Boundary Waters and taking clients on fishing and camping adventures for over three decades now.
"Equipment provide by Piragis was excellent, as usual... everything was new, and worked flawlessly - the staff that assisted us were equally superior. We were in and out in no time at all. Can't thank you enough for a quality trip. I have done a fair amount of traveling, and thus have some experience in grading performance. Piragis Outfitting is the best. Please advise your entire staff that all of their hard work does not go unnoticed - or unappreciated. Piragis put together a top shelf experience." See you next year! Mark D. O'Leary
Your Friends in the Great Northwoods,
Piragis Canoe Trip Outfitters, Drew Brockett and Adam Macht
1-800-223-6565
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Join us on FACEBOOK. Help us grow our Facebook followers. Share Piragis with your friends and click the old "LIKE" button.
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If you were a facebook fan of ours, you'd know that a moose was spotted
right in town Ely and what the latest specials were ahead of time.
We use Facebook to post quick news about Ely, special sales, fire-ban status in the wilderness, current events and fun stuff.
Thanks for your social media help and thanks for sharing us with your friends as we continue to promote Piragis Northwoods Company and the Boundary Waters Catalog and utilize all means necessary to keep you, our valued customers and trip clients, in the loop. |  |
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Your Friends in the
Great Northwoods | 105 North Central Avenue
Ely, MN 55731
1-800-223-6565 |
Day Pack SALE
"These backpacks have the best support system of any day pack I've ever used, making them the perfect choice for canoe trips, the daily commute or school." Steve Piragis
Ivar Revel Pack Dimensions: 19 x 12.5 x 8.5 in.
Capacity: 2000 cu. in. 40% OFF List Price: $95.00 Your Price: $57.00 CLICK HERE  Ivar Urban Pack Dimensions: 18 x 12 x 8 in.
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Capacity: 1460 cu. in. 40% OFF List Price: $85.00 Your Price: $51.00 CLICK HERE We Are Solar Powered Click the link above and you'll find a graph of our energy production and consumption here at Piragis in Ely. 
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