Piragis Northwoods Company

Outfitting Enews, April 11, 2012

Greetings!  

We've had some great Spring weather here at the End of the Road.  Several people have rented canoes and hit the ice-free waters of the Boundary Waters already.

The sun has been shining in Ely and we're expecting rain throughout the weekend.  Leaves are starting to burst forth.  It is the time for new beginnings, new life.   

10% off new Canoes & Kayaks until May 1

Until May 1st, we are offering 10% off and free delivery within 500 miles of Ely on new canoes and kayaks.  The paddling season is upon us and there is no better time to buy!  

Call Steve Schon at 800-223-6565 to get your new boat today.

Big Thicket

Cliff Jacobson 

Every spring I do an annual canoe trip with friends. This year we chose "Big Thicket National Preserve" on the Texas/Louisiana border. My friend, Larry Rice, canoed this route 30 years ago and deemed it delightful. Larry said the river was clear, the water quality good and there were abundant campsites with numerous sandbars. He described the scenery as more Louisiana than Texas, complete with water snakes, alligators and bald cypress trees. Big Thicket was (is) the last place where an Ivory Billed woodpecker was supposedly sighted. We figured to keep a ready camera-a photo of the big "double-tap" bird would net a fortune. There was also the thrill of knowing that during the Civil war, confederate deserters hid out in Big Thicket, where they vanished from society. Maybe we'd find some old war artifacts! It's easy to get lost in Big Thicket; just walk out of camp without your compass and you may be a statistic.

In January, 2012-a month before our trip-Village Creek, which flows through Big Thicket -was too low to canoe. We hoped for rain, but if not, we'd go anyway and just drag and cuss. Then, a week before the wheels rolled south, the clouds opened up and rain flooded the area. Indications were that the east Texas rivers were too high to paddle. But we'd planned this trip for a year and as experienced paddlers we figured we could handle anything.

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Cliff Jacobson is one of North America's most respected outdoors writers and wilderness guides. He is the author of over a dozen top-selling books on camping and canoeing. Cliff's methods have been tested, tried, and proven over decades of paddling experience. If you have been paddling a canoe for any amount of time you certainly have heard of him and most likely have one of his books on your bookshelf. If you are new to canoe/camping and want to learn how to do it right, Cliff is the guy you want to be your teacher. 

 
Steve Johnson had been guiding for Piragis Northwoods for over 25 years and he has built a reputation for being one of the best guides this canoe country has ever had. His knowledge, skill, physical prowess, and personality make him somebody that you want to have on a any canoe trip. Steve knows about flora, fauna, astronomy, fishing, and the history of this area and has the ability to make it interesting and easy to understand. He is a unique and incredibly interesting guy to be around. His enthusiasm and continually joyful spirit will rub off on you and make you happy to be doing whatever you are doing - even portaging. 

With these two guides working together you have a rare opportunity for an incredible canoe trip. It is too bad that we have to limit the group size to 7 because of permitting limitations.

There will be many opportunities for hands-on instruction in canoeing and camping skills; and times to sit around a fire and listen to these guys share experiences and expertise that has been honed over years of in the bush. You will be able to ask them questions and tap the vast knowledge they both have garnered after countless days on the water. Learning about paddling a canoe, stringing a tarp, making a fire in the rain, cleaning fish, making your camp secure for the night, dealing with bad weather, navigation, first aid, are just a few of the topics that will fill your days. You will come away vastly more prepared to be at ease and confident in the wilderness.

Both of these guys know how to prepare food in the wilderness. Maybe we can have a contest between them to see who prepares the best meal of the trip. After a day of paddling, fishing, and exploring you will be able to look forward to an excellent meal and warm conversation in a setting that will rival any you have ever experienced. Just think - this will go on for 6 days.

Make sure you bring your camera and catch these guys in action. Some day you can tell your grandkids or great grandkids that you took a canoe trip with Cliff and Steve. Enough said.

If you have been dreaming about a guided Boundary Waters experience with an opportunity to learn wilderness skills, this is your ticket. We take care of everything short of carrying you across the portage! Call Drew or Adam for more details and to sign up.  

Click HERE to see all of our guided group trips.

One of our first canoe rentals of the 2012 season. On the way to Hegman Lake for a few nights.

Permits

A Walk in the Burn

by Steve Schon

Last Saturday Ann (my wife), Amy (my co-worker) and I decided to take a ride north of Isabella to check out some of the area that was burned in last year's big fire.  We ended up crossing the bridge at the Island River entry point and then drove a little further and hiked the portage into Isabella lake.  On the drive there we passed in and out of areas that were completely burned, partially burned and barely burned.

As we walked through the burned areas our perceptions ran from destruction to rebirth.  Many ground areas were completely cleared of brush with new green shoots just starting to appear.  Among the dead trees, burned Jack Pines had their cones opened up and we could only imagine the millions of tiny seeds waiting to take hold among the new ash mineral soil. Many mature red pines had their bases scarred but looked as if they would survive, with fire scars to tell future generations their story. We saw a white-tailed deer running through the area and could pick up its white flag as it ran between the blackened tree trunks.  We saw signs of recent beaver activity and some wolf scat.  Life goes on.  Scanning the lake we could see shoreline that was burned and shoreline that was untouched.  We all agreed that we wanted to come back in a few months to see the greening up of the forest. 

Steve Schon

Here are a few photos from our walk:

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