Piragis Northwoods Company Enews
New Year's Day 2014
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Greetings!
Hello from the End of the Road, Ely, Minnesota. For the next 24 Hours we're increasing our Customer Appreciation Sale from 20 Percent to 21.25%. You, your friends and family, as many folks as you want to tell, can save 21.25% on all in-stock items from 10 am New Year's Day to 10 am Thursday, January 2nd.
After that things will still be on sale for 20 percent off for a few days (we don't know how many yet), but this special offer only lasts 24 hrs.
You must use code NEWDAYZ4 that's NEWDAYZ4 with a "z" as in zebra before the "4" to get your 21.25% OFF
Last year we did our end of the year Inventory counting duties at the end of the first week of January, but each day on the end of the sale was touch and go. The offer does not apply to items that are currently on sale and will not be applied to backordered items. The order cannot be backdated. It applies only to new orders placed now until the sale ends. AT 10:01 am Thursday, January 2nd, the
sale price will revert to 20% off. Happy Shopping.
Then you will use code MERRYX13again as many times as you like to save 20% as our gift to you in appreciation for you our best customers. We'll keep you updated on how many days are left in the sale, but don't wait. If you see something in stock, it might not be the next time you look. We won't be reordering during this sale time because pretty soon we have to count inventory and quite frankly, every item you buy on sale is one less item we have to count!
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Outfitting News
Your Friends in the Great Northwoods
New Guided Group Trip for 2014!July Walleye Safari - July 12-18Join us for wilderness walleye fishing at its best. This time of year the walleyes will be schooling up, and we know where to find them. There is nothing quite like enjoying the quiet serenity that only the Boundary Waters can provide with fishing pole in hand on top of a school of walleyes. Feast in the evening on the day's catch-fresh as you can get it. Escape from your everyday routine and lose yourself on a fishing adventure that you will never forget. Important Permit Dates Approaching:For the best chance to get the permit of your choice, it is important to start planning early. Now is a great time to grab your BWCA/Quetico overview map and start dreaming of your 2014 trip. If you don't have an overview map, contact us and we will send you one. Follow this link to request Trip Planning Information. Boundary Waters Permits:Permits for Fall Lake and Moose Lake can be obtained through a lottery. The lottery is open from 9:00am Central Time on December 17, 2013 to 9:00pm Central Time on January 14, 2014. After the lottery has run, all remaining Moose Lake and Fall Lake permits will be available on a first-come-first-served basis starting at 9:00am Central Time on January 29, 2014 All other permits can be obtained on a first-come-first-served basis beginning 9:00am Central Time on January 29, 2014. Quetico Permits:Permits for Quetico can be obtained five months in advance of your entry date. We will be starting to get June permits in January. Call today to make your permit reservation. Call us at 800-223-6565 and we will walk you through the permitting process and help you choose the route that best fits your group. Winter Rentals:We have all the gear that you need to enjoy the BWCA in the winter. Click HERE to see what we have available. And, don't forget the satellite phone. For $15/day grab a satellite phone for that extra sense of security. Call today for details. Happy Planning! Why choose Piragis Northwoods Company Outfitters? Contact us for more information about canoe trip outfitting and to begin planning your next canoe trip today: 1-800-223-6565 Drew Brockett or Adam Macht
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Old Tackle Portage
There's a portage that I found in the Boundary Waters that leads to one of the best fishing spots I've ever dropped a line on. It is exceptionally long and leads to a secluded lake without a secondary exit. That's all I'm going to say about that.
The way in isn't particularly difficult, it is just a very long walk. I remember the first time that I went I just carried my fishing pole and a water bottle, a pack of peanut butter/chedder crackers and couple of Mepps spinners. The tree roots grabbing at my sandals were minimal, but the bugs were horrific on a day that didn't boast much of a breeze at all. Under the canopy of lush green, early July was doing its best after a couple of days of rain, to strangle the breath out of me.
I was glad to be without the weight of the canoe on my shoulders, though about halfway through, navigating on fairly flat terrain, I began to think poorly of myself for that decision. I also remembered that I left my empty stringer tied to the thwart of my canoe.
There's a spot on every portage where you catch a glimpse of blue with diamonds sparkling from the sun on the surface up ahead, and you think to yourself, "there it is" and "I can make it" at the same time. Just before that point on this walk, I stopped for a drink and sat down on a chunk of granite to eat my crackers.
Looking around I noticed that I was surrounded by moss. Thick and green, it covered every downed tree, rock, and bump on the ground around me in all directions. I had noticed the slight decline of the path in the last five minutes or so, but it had been so gradual that it didn't register with me that I had followed the meandering portage into a cooler and more moist area.
Intermingled with the luscious green carpet were Pink Lady's Slippers that some call moccasin flowers. This brought to mind one of my favorite flowers from Illinois, the Jack-in-the-Pulpit that I used to find near Lady's Slippers and so I slipped off my sandals and took my bare feet out onto the mossy coated forest floor in search of a childhood memory.
Looking up from my search I saw that sapphire glint through the trees and overcame the urge to lie down with my head on a reindeer moss covered log and take a nap. I remember thinking at that point that I hadn't heard the buzz from a single mosquito, let alone those hoards that accompanied me after leaving the canoe, in quite some time.
Slipping on my sandals I returned to the decent, picking my way around rocks and making sure the tip of my pole didn't catch on the overhanging branches.
© Timothy Stouffer, December 30, 2013
All Rights Reserved
(a serial work of fiction -- tune in to future newsletters for more of the story and find out why they named it Old Tackle Portage.)
Once you've seen that twinkle of blue on a portage, especially a long one, spirits are lifted. I felt lighter and more refreshed instantly. It could have had something to do with the short respite I suppose. I have always found that rushing through portages is a waste. There is beauty all around and walking forest paths is something nearly all of us enjoy. Why not take some time to enjoy it. Frequently I'll put my canoe down out of the way in case someone else comes by, slip off my pack and stretch my back out.
Some of my favorite parts of canoe trips and indeed, life itself, have come to pass when I stopped to take a breath and took time to acknowledge my surroundings. This little day trip was turning out to be one of those times.
I had followed a tip from an old friend that was really nothing more than a few words dropped here and there in a trip journal that he let me borrow nearly a decade ago. It mentioned a nearly hidden portage that he had stumbled upon when he was looking for his route at dusk. He'd incorrectly taken the path that seemed right at the time, but went on and on, robbing him of precious daylight in exchange for the promise of an empty campsite on the next lake that would be home for the night. His notes indicate that he never actually made it to the lake that night. Dark descended and clouds rolled in covering up the stars. Dead batteries in his headlamp and no moon to speak of conspired to made it extremely dark in the woods and not wanting to roll an ankle or worse, he slept on what his notes referred to as a thick green carpet at the crest of a sharp decent. I can only imagine he spent the night where I'd just seen the moccasin flowers.
I could no longer see the lake up ahead through the trees and the path still led downward but it was beginning to level off again and I began to watch the path more closely, picking my way around encroaching tree roots and rocks.
The path itself had been closing in around me for some time. It was not at all what I would call well travelled or frequented. In fact, it seemed to thicken behind me, erasing my passage if that were possible. As I paused to take another pull at my water bottle, I remembered the scribbled note in the margin of my friend's journal that had drawn me to this spot in the first place.
Lightly scrawled as if it was an afterthought, he'd penciled in, "Old Tackle Portage" and drawn three stick fish <t))))))><. I'd noticed that throughout his journal he had referenced particularly good fishing spots with a stick fish symbol and a few notes about species or bait. This portage, wherever it led, had three fish. No mention of anything else.
When I looked up at Bricky (the only name I'd ever known him by) he just put his finger up to the side of his age-spotted, sun-tanned nose, pointed at me and winked an eye. Bricky was a friend of my father's, dating back to the Vietnam War and I knew just enough to know that the way he pulled his hat down over his eyes and put his feet up on the coffee table meant "that was all he was going to say about that." He was a loner, and with the exception of an occasional short evening paddle to catch some fish with my dad or even less occasionally myself, he only did solo trips. I'd never seen him wink at anyone.
Honestly I was surprised that he offered to even let me look at the tattered trip journal and so I simply raised an eyebrow and made a mental note.
A mental note that I'd forgotten about until my first trip of the summer found me on this route and near enough to try and satisfy my curiosity when I realized where I was.
Looking back there wasn't anything accidental about it.
© Timothy Stouffer, January 1, 2014
All Rights Reserved
(a serial work of fiction -- tune in to future newsletters for more of the story and find out why they named it Old Tackle Portage.)
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Your Friends in the
Great Northwoods |
105 North Central Avenue
Ely, MN 55731
1-800-223-6565
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