News from Ely and the Boundary Waters

Piragis Northwoods Company

Outfitting Enews

March 7, 2012

Greetings!

The days are getting longer and it has me thinking about Spring more and more. It is great to wake up to the Sun. Remember that this weekend is DST :) Daylight Saving Time 2012 Begins March 11 - set your clock(s) forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday in March. Don't forget to change the batteries in your smoke alarms at the same time!

Our new catalogs have arrived at doorsteps. We have lots of great new gear like a knife with a fire-starter built into the handle, our fabulous new crawfish trap, chota hippies, a new safety axe, our favorite survival knife and some great new t-shirts (just to name a few). Remember we're here to get you ready for the fast approaching paddling season.

Drew, Adam, Delana, and Vidmar will be at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, WI for Canoecopia this weekend (March 9-11). If you plan on going to the show, be sure to stop by our booth.

We're excited about the new Spring growth. The new birth of something where all winter things have lain dormant. New trips, new adventures, new green. Especially in the area of the Pagami Creek Fire. This Spring will bring about things in the wilderness that only happen about once every 150 years. Once in a lifetime opportunities for us to experience new growth in nature, to see first hand re-birth in Wilderness. This excitement has spawned a trip idea. Our Fire Ecology Canoe Camping Trips June 23 - 29 and September 1 - 7, 2012. We're going to explore the wilderness like never before. Call us today to reserve your spot and remember we're limited to 7 or 8 spots to accompany our guide.

Think Spring, we'll see around the bend,

Sincerely,
Tim Stouffer
Piragis Northwoods Company 1-800-223-6565

A new Blog by Cliff Jacobson

We're excited to have Cliff as a regular contributor to our Blog as of today. He was so excited he fired off his first blog ever and I told him I'd include it in our newsletter. Happy reading!

Hello, my friends:

It's spring and the new round of canoe-camping shows have started. Last week (March 10) I was in Lansing, Michigan for the Quietwater Symposium. A particularly superb event this year, with over 3000 people in attendance, up about 100 percent from last year. What a rush! Mark Brown, from Chota, was there. He showed me a new pair of water boots called "Hippies" which look very interesting. Picture the Caney Fork boot with a knee-high neoprene liner and Gore-tex coverage to the hip. You can roll em down to knee-high, roll 'em to just "over-knee" or raise 'em up to function as hip boots. The Gore-tex liner should make them cool and comfortable. And the Caney Fork boot is tough enough for the meanest, rocky portages-much tougher than the Quicklace mukluk. The combination is also very light. This may be the best footwear for Canadian and Alaskan rivers where one does a lot of wading and lining. I wish these had been available when I was hooked on canoeing Arctic rivers.

Click here to READ THE REST OF our BLOG

Hear what our customers have to say

Thanks, Drew. We had a great trip, and you all were great, as always. Attaching a photo - from McIntyre, that teeny, one-acre island in the middle of the lake, where we once found tons of blueberries in a year when there weren't any anywhere else in Quetico. (Was it the Army worm year? , is that what you call them? We arrived after they disappeared but heard about them.) And in another year we took refuge there under a tarp - as huge, dark, fear-inducing, black-and-blue storm clouds that looked like an upside down funnel circulated over over heads.

Jack Bowie and Pat Minczeski Morristown, NJ

Hi Folks,

Thank you for helping make our trip a great success. Confidence in solid help from Piragis' outfitting staff was very important amid all the details of travel, our concerns over how well my nephew would be able to do with the portaging, dealing with our various gear and grub needs, etc. What we valued the most was your advice on routes and low water conditions. Adam suggested the option of going up to Beartrap Lake from the Mudro entry and that was perfect, with the time we had. Attached is a photo of us on Boot Lake. The smile on my nephew's face tells the story.

The MN 3 impressed us with its ability to handle us and our gear and still be light enough for this 53 y/o with a sore back to handle very easily on the portages. Nephew Jim paddled sparingly due to his mending arm, but the boat really is efficient, and my brother-in-law in the bow was like a kid enjoying the speed.

One last thing. We sure enjoyed the readings by the authors Saturday night there at Piragis.

So thanks again guys!

Regards,

Rob Flinn

Hwy 1 Detour

As of February 21, Highway 1 will be closed between Forest Road 424/New Tomahawk Road and just north of Forest Road 553. Motorists will be required to follow the posted detour. The detour will be in place for at least three weeks.

Click HERE for more details

Summer Retail Opportunites

Spend the summer on the edge of the Boundary Waters! We are currently seeking applicants for seasonal summer positions in our retail store. Please send a letter of application and your resume to our retail store manager, Michelle via email.