Search found 35 matches

by Spartan
Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:33 am
Forum: Canoeing, Kayaking & Fishing
Topic: Kayaking Video - Circumnavigating Isle Royale and all of Lake Superior
Replies: 4
Views: 7026

Re: Kayaking Video - Circumnavigating Isle Royale and all of Lake Superior

Thanks for the recommendation! My wife and I watched this over the weekend. What an amazing trip by these guys and what a great way to spend a summer. One thing I found disappointing is that they kind of glossed over the paddle from Minnesota out to Isle Royale (and back). That's like a 14-mile trip...
by Spartan
Mon Feb 04, 2019 10:06 am
Forum: Wildlife
Topic: Thoughts on how an ice bridge works
Replies: 5
Views: 2761

Re: Thoughts on how an ice bridge works

You can read here in this National Geographic article some thoughts of Rolf Peterson on the subject. It covered the time of the tracking of the Minnesota pair that crossed over, spent a few days, then returned home. Interesting article -- thanks. I hadn't read that one before. There was one report ...
by Spartan
Fri Feb 01, 2019 7:56 am
Forum: Wildlife
Topic: Thoughts on how an ice bridge works
Replies: 5
Views: 2761

Re: Thoughts on how an ice bridge works

As for why wolves would make the trek across the lake to Isle Royale, I was told once by a biologist that one reason animals leave their traditional territory is in search of food. As for how the wolves do it, test the ice, etc., I don't have a clue. But they do travel across the ice, that we know....
by Spartan
Thu Jan 31, 2019 3:16 pm
Forum: Wildlife
Topic: Thoughts on how an ice bridge works
Replies: 5
Views: 2761

Thoughts on how an ice bridge works

With the polar vortex in full effect this week, I started thinking about the possibility of an ice bridge forming this winter. That got me thinking about how this actually works for wolves and other animals to cross over to the island. I imagine that ice bridges form gradually, from the shoreline ou...
by Spartan
Mon Jun 27, 2016 5:42 pm
Forum: Trip Reports
Topic: Kayak trip 23-30 May 2016.
Replies: 7
Views: 5382

Re: Kayak trip 23-30 May 2016.

Nice! My wife and I have done a few 20+ mile days and have decided that about 18 miles in one day is our limit (depending on conditions of course). Any more than that and it is no longer fun...
by Spartan
Sun Jul 27, 2014 8:54 pm
Forum: Weather and Bugs
Topic: Bug report: July 19-26
Replies: 2
Views: 2888

Bug report: July 19-26

Wife and I just got back on Saturday from kayaking for a week (trip report to follow) and thought I'd give an update on the bug situation. Mosquitos are in full force right now. This was our fourth paddling trip and they were about as bad as I can remember. Permethrin on clothes, picaridin repellent...
by Spartan
Tue Nov 12, 2013 9:49 pm
Forum: Other Places and Parks
Topic: Apostle Islands
Replies: 8
Views: 4762

Re: Apostle Islands

My wife and I took a trip there in the summer of 2011. It's a cool place to paddle with opportunities for exploring but weather can be a big factor considering it is a lot of wide-open paddling on Lake Superior. We actually got stuck on one of the islands for a day due to rough conditions. (The mari...
by Spartan
Sun Sep 01, 2013 5:00 pm
Forum: Trip Reports
Topic: TR: 8/10-8/15/13 [Kayaking][RH - 5 Finger - McCargo]
Replies: 4
Views: 4335

Re: TR: 8/10-8/15/13 [Kayaking][RH - 5 Finger - McCargo]

Thanks! For the rudder, it was the swage at the end of the cable that slipped off. I must not have crimped it well enough when I installed the rudder (over two years ago!). I was able the thread the end of the cable back through the adjustment bolt at the end of the pedal track and tie it into a kno...
by Spartan
Sun Sep 01, 2013 12:35 pm
Forum: Trip Reports
Topic: TR: 8/10-8/15/13 [Kayaking][RH - 5 Finger - McCargo]
Replies: 4
Views: 4335

TR: 8/10-8/15/13 [Kayaking][RH - 5 Finger - McCargo]

For our third kayaking trip to the Island, we decided to spend our time in the Five Fingers area. Two words can describe how this mid-August trip had been different from our previous trips: COLD and CROWDED! Of course those are both relative terms, but the temperature hovered in the 50s and 60s, and...
by Spartan
Thu Aug 08, 2013 6:38 pm
Forum: Canoeing, Kayaking & Fishing
Topic: I am a Canoob, QUICK QUESTION!
Replies: 22
Views: 11375

Re: I am a Canoob, QUICK QUESTION!

HAHA! I was there almost exactly a year ago, and that SAME boat was in the same spot! Although - I don't think he was as tightly tucked into the portage cove. I do recall thinking "what the heck is that gigantic boat doing tied up at the end of the harbor with no one on it?" We did end up ...
by Spartan
Wed Jul 24, 2013 9:42 am
Forum: Trails & Campsites
Topic: Kayaking/hiking itinerary
Replies: 12
Views: 5168

Re: Kayaking/hiking itinerary

I agree with the others that that is a pretty aggressive schedule, especially with all those portages. Based on those times it sounds like you are taking the Voyager II over from Grand Portage...? If so, one option to consider is getting dropped off at McCargo or Belle Isle and start from there, rat...
by Spartan
Wed Jul 24, 2013 9:32 am
Forum: Canoeing, Kayaking & Fishing
Topic: Fishing Lake Ahmik and Lake Eva?
Replies: 5
Views: 4398

Re: Fishing Lake Ahmik and Lake Eva?

Thanks JJ and Mike. We are going in August so I will check it out and let you know how it goes.
by Spartan
Tue Jul 23, 2013 12:00 pm
Forum: Canoeing, Kayaking & Fishing
Topic: Fishing Lake Ahmik and Lake Eva?
Replies: 5
Views: 4398

Fishing Lake Ahmik and Lake Eva?

My wife and I are planning our next kayaking trip to the Island and we will be paddling through the Five Fingers area. Does anyone know if it is possible to hike into Lake Ahmik (from Stockly Bay) and Lake Eva (from Pickerel Cove)? And could I portage a kayak into either one of these? Thinking of tr...
by Spartan
Wed Jul 03, 2013 12:21 pm
Forum: Canoeing, Kayaking & Fishing
Topic: Water Shoes vs. Waterproof Shoes
Replies: 10
Views: 9095

Re: Water Shoes vs. Waterproof Shoes

My latest attempt at finding the perfect water shoe has been the Astral Brewer. I've had them for a few weeks now and have been wearing them around without major issues. I've gotten them wet a handful of times and they seem to dry out fairly quickly (a hell of a lot faster than the Sperry SON-R I pr...
by Spartan
Thu Apr 18, 2013 8:40 am
Forum: Weather and Bugs
Topic: Current conditions on the island (2013)
Replies: 48
Views: 21150

Re: Current conditions on the island

How much of an effect does a late spring arrival have on the moose population? I would think by the time anything starts growing (probably some time mid-May at this point?) they would be practically starving to death.