Good question! The rangers at Churchill Dam offered to shuttle our gear past the rapids for us for $10. We originally weren’t planning to, but figured it gave us a bit of the peace of mind and allowed us to just focus more on running the rapids. Don’t get that option too often! Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

Thanks.

You are indeed! It’s beautiful country up there!

It really is a beautiful place! We went the last week of September into the first week of October. Great time of year if you’re up for some cooler temps. We hardly saw anyone at all. Felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it! Ah man, I want to go back, it’s so beautiful in fall! You’ll have an amazing trip. Are you planning to start at Johnson Pond or Chamberlain Lake, or somewhere else? I honestly don’t have anything in the way of dry suits yet. I’ve really been eyeing some but haven’t decided to drop the money on one yet. Typically I wear neoprene socks and shoes so my feet stay warm. I usually just wear something quick dry for pants since I tend to plan on being in and out of the water during lining. I don’t typically mind if my legs are wet during the day, unless it’s really cold out then I’m more cautious about being in and out of the water. But as long as I keep my core dry it doesn’t bother me to be wet during the day. I guess I’ve just kinda gotten used to it haha.

Thanks, that makes sense regarding quick-dry pants; will likely do the same. We have an AWW guidebook arriving in the mail today. We initially thought we’d start at Chamberlain Lake, but we really enjoyed your route, so we’re unsure. We’ll likely have our little Chocolate Lab (65 lbs) along with us, which affects canoe choice. Old Town Discovery 158 (heavy tank) if Lab comes along; or Old Town Hunter (much lighter) if Lab stays home. (Funny; our Lab, Stella, watched portions of your video when she heard familiar sounds, like geese)

@@rcote1234 you got it! If you have any other questions I can help with I’d be happy to share anything I learned from our trip. The guide books are super helpful! I did love doing Johnson pond and Allagash Lake. The creek was beautiful and it just felt really remote and secluded. From a canoe standpoint, I have a Nova Craft Prospector and it’s 85lbs. It did great and wasn’t too bad for portaging since none of them are that long. It’ll be fun having a dog along! I love that Stella watches part of it! I have two little Westies and they will watch some of the canoeing videos I watch and love all the sounds too. It’s funny!

That’s not entirely true. There are some frequently used, undesignated sites, and when we found those we stayed at them. But I spoke with the BLM and outfitters in the area and all of them said you can camp wherever as long as you are abiding by the regulations for LNT. They actually recommend camping on gravel bars when they are exposed partly for that reason. But there actually aren’t any designated campsites in Labyrinth Canyon.

@@Beyond_The_Treeline well I stand corrected.

Thanks! You should. It’s gorgeous. I’m currently planning another trip in the area for later this year. I love that region!

Yea completely aware of the laws for drones. No shots were taken in the BWCA, all in the SNF and I don’t even take the drone into the BWCA. I just take creative liberty for storytelling to intersperse the shots throughout the video. But I put that disclaimer in the description for anyone who’s curious :) Thanks for checking though!

Thank you! I’m glad you’re enjoying it! I’ll keep the videos coming :)

That’s amazing! I got to take my dad up for the first time last year and it was such a great time. Lots of good memories come each trip up there! Glad you enjoyed the video!

Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I love sharing these stories and connect with people over them, and I’m glad it’s inspiring! Thanks for the comment!

That’s awesome! You’ll love it. It’s probably my favorite area in the Pecos Wilderness I’ve been to yet. So glad the video helped with that motivation :) Thank you!

Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed it! Wow, how special to have grown up there. It truly is a gem of a place. I find myself continuing to go back to that area. It’s so beautiful and the peaks are so dynamic. Do you ever get to go back to visit?

lol 😂 Yea definitely learned that one the hard way. Should have scouted for sure! But made for an unforgettable run haha.

Thanks for the nice words! I’m glad you found it too! Thanks for watching along :)

Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it. The night sky was truly incredible out there! A few of those nights I sat up late just watching it all. Thanks for joining along!

That’s amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching along! I love connecting with people through these memories and hearing their experiences. You have a beautiful hometown! I loved all of northern Maine! I bet winter is a very special experience in the north woods. Thanks for connecting!

Thanks!

Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying it!

Thanks!

Thanks! So glad you enjoyed! Yea I had some issues with the video and had to repost it. So that’s why you’re seeing it pop up again. Thanks!

It’s called Bannock. Super easy to make. It’s just flour (1 cup), baking powder (1 tsp), salt (1/4 tsp), powdered milk (1/4 cup), and shortening (1 tbs). Then you can mix anything else in it you want like berries or dried fruit. Super good!

@@Beyond_The_Treeline Awesome! Thank you! It looked good and hearty! Thanks for the recipe!

@@HonRon211 it is! Especially if you add in some dried fruit and put some butter and jam on it. Have fun with it! Let me know how it turns out! If you have a cast iron, you can fry it too. Lots of options.

So glad you enjoyed it! It was a great trip. I’m glad you were able to follow along with us :) And yes, the drone footage was outside the BWCA, juts sprinkled it in to add some diversity. Thanks for watching!

I’m so glad to hear that! Glad the content is adding some motivation and knowledge to your trips. I’ve learned and gotten lots of inspiration from others on KZbin, so I’m glad I’m able to pass along some of that to others. That’s awesome to hear about your trips with your sons! That sounds great and winter tripping gives a whole new perspective that I love. Glad you’re getting to experience more of it too! Thanks for watching!

Thanks I’m glad you’re enjoying them! Yea I get that for sure. That’s something I’ve definitely had to figure out for me too. Some redundancies can be good, and then others I’ve found are just simply unnecessary. Like you mentioned, I find it hardest when I have multiple pieces of gear that I enjoy using for say fire starting or cooking. To help with that, I’ve started to really decide ahead of time which piece of gear would be best for the kind of trip. It doesn’t mean I never use the other ones, I just end up swapping them for different kinds of trips. But then sometimes I just go ahead and bring the extra weight because of the joy of using the gear. My French press is a great example of that. I could just do instant coffee, but that’s just not as fun haha 😊 Thanks for commenting! I love connecting with people through these videos. Glad you’re enjoying them!

Oh great idea! It’s way stronger than normal laces. No need to worry about those breaking on trail! Yea it’s wild what all you can come up with uses for paracord. Thank you so much! I’m glad you’re enjoying the videos!

Yea good point for sure. I guess I can’t speak too much to that, but I’d be interested to look into that. I can’t remember ever recalling an article that ever distinguished by gender and the difference in center of gravity. But it would make sense that the weight distribution might benefit from a slight different organization. I’ll look into that.

That is great advice! Tents are a good example of that. The worst feeling is to roll into camp a little late as the sun is setting and trying to figure out how to set it up haha. Definitely not ideal!

Thanks!

So glad you enjoyed the video and that it pulled you into it! I love this area too and keep coming back to the Pecos myself. It’s a special place for sure. Thank you for watching and commenting!

Absolutely! I’m not 100% sure because I didn’t grab a GPS pin, but I’m pretty sure it’s about a mile past the Erbie campground a little after river mile 45. I think it’s that sharp 90 degree bend in the river. There a creek running into the Buffalo on river left and it’s a pretty easy walk up to that ledge. Hands down it was one of our favorite spots on the river to camp. Not too much space to spread out, but the view was incredible. I hope you can find it and end up camping there sometime. If you do, let me know!

@@Beyond_The_Treeline awesome thanks for responding planning on doing about 50 miles starting in the morning and going to try and make that our first stop I’ll report back Tuesday or Wednesday. Love your videos keep them coming.

@@willjohnson9498 that sounds awesome! Definitely let me know if you end up camping there. Love exchanging stories with others! Thanks for watching them, I’ll keep them coming!

Thanks! I have a few pieces of Snow Peak cookware and they are great. I’ve always wondered about the stove. Glad you’re enjoying the content! Thanks for commenting and chatting. That’s my favorite part of this is sharing experiences and discussing with others. I’ll keep it coming!

@@Beyond_The_Treeline Agreed, I have been very happy with my Snow Peak stuff, I have a few things. Good quality and seems to last. Do you have an Instagram page?

@@decoeric definitely. I don’t have an instagram right now. I used to but really prefer telling stories and sharing experiences through video right now.

Thanks! Yea I love Klymit. Great brand and very affordable. You do a lot of bikepacking in addition to paddling?

@@Beyond_The_Treeline I would not say a lot.. Maybe once a year. I do love to cycle, but I have had some bad luck bikepacking to the point where I don't find it super fun.

@@decoeric gotcha. Never done it myself but it seems like a lot of paddlers are into cycling too.

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks! It truly is amazing. I can’t say I’m not a bit jealous you live that close 😊 Do you get up there very often?

@@Beyond_The_Treeline Yes! multiple times a year. We love to day trip and just get out on the water and paddle around, fish and just relax. For longer trips we love to go in at Sawbill, that area is beautiful. If you haven't give that one a try next time there are a couple really nice loops out of there.

@@decoeric that’s amazing! I have family in the Twin Cities so I get up to MN several times a year and to the BW at least once a year. If I’m lucky twice. Would absolutely love to live closer! Sawbill is beautiful! I did a May trip last year from Sawbill up through Cherokee and Long Island, out to Winchell, down to Brule, and back to Sawbill. Absolutely gorgeous. I love how you get a little of everything off Sawbill - rivers, small lakes, big lakes, etc. On my list for the future is doing the Louse River. But this fall I’m hoping to do a loop off of Poplar. I’ve done several trips off the Gunflint but not explored much of the eastern side south of the gunflint. Any recommendations for that or other routes I should do in the future? You have any trips planned so far for this year?

@@Beyond_The_Treeline HA, I am a creature of habit. I pretty much do the same old same old up there. Sawbill up to Cherokee, or over to grace or over to burnt. I am not very original. This year we just bought a little teardrop style camper, so we are going to spend a lot of time investigating the Superior National Forest campsites, especially the ones that butt up to the BWCA. So more day trips over for us this year. We will do a late season run out of Sawbill. I love going that first weekend in October when there are no quotas and you can just go. The weather can be cold, but we have done a trip leaving Friday and coming back Sunday and didn't see another person, plus no bugs! I am sure you have seen them, but one of our favorite things are the Pictographs on South Hegman out of the Ely area. That is a lovely day trip for us and I love the hegman chain. I would love to paddle Whale Lake near Eagle mountain but I can't find a good way in there other then a REALLY long portage which I am not sure I am up for. :-) Next time your in the TC reach out, will buy you a beer. Would love to hear more about your adventures!

@@decoeric sounds fantastic! That’s actually something I’d love to do if I lived closer is exploring the campgrounds and “off the beaten path” parts of the Superior National Forest. So have fun with that camper and let me know if you find any good gems! Oh that’s sweet! I’ve done one first week of October trip and absolutely loved it for all the reasons you just mentioned. That’s actually the timeline I’m thinking this year. Still haven’t locked anything in, but if I’m up that way we should definitely grab a drink at TC! I’d love to connect! I’ll have to check out some of those areas you’re talking about. Honestly I haven’t really explored any of the pictographs in the area and I really need to. And for the current, very rough plan, I’m thinking about coming up that first weekend of October and paddling that second week. So probably get up there on the 5th and head in on the 6th. I’d probably get out on the 11th would be my guess. So if timing works out for both us, we should definitely meet up!

That’s awesome! Yea great canoeing options all around you it sounds like. I’d like to get back up to the northeast, it’s so pretty!

Glad you’re enjoying the videos! That sounds great. Just getting out is so nice. Are there good areas to canoe around you?

Thanks! Glad you’re enjoying them. I need to look into the Svens again. I’ve been using Silky, and I like it a lot, but I hear people raving about Sven too.

Yep! That’s it. Somehow in my research ahead of time I had no idea that rapid existed. So it caught us off guard lol. But a fantastic set! I want to go back and scout it better and run it more. I’ve spent a lot more time on the Upper Buffalo River so that last stretch was definitely new to me. It is gorgeous and quite different from the upper. Would highly recommend paddling that stretch!

What do you use for footwear? I've been wearing waterproof boots for winter kayaking but looking for something better. @@Beyond_The_Treeline

@@themarcusallen I’ve been using the NRS Paddle Wetshoes. Those paired with some neoprene socks have done the trick for me for the past 5 years. They’ve held up way better than I expected them to through long paddle days and many portages. I also recently got the Xero Aqua X. I like the barefoot feel and these things are designed to dry really quick. So I’ve loved those. Still pair them with neoprene socks to keep the warmth though. One thing to keep in mind with the neoprene shoes, you’re always putting on wet ones in the morning. But with these Xeros, they dry so fast!

In the summer I love a perfectly fitted pair of vibrato fivefingers but have been looking for a good winter option. Will check those out! @@Beyond_The_Treeline

Thank you so much for watching along! I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thank you! I try to allow the sounds of nature to carry as much as I can. That’s a good portion of the experience while out there and I want to be able to capture as much of that as possible. I actually recently invested in some better audio equipment, so hopefully I can capture more of that in the future 😊 That’s great! The area is so beautiful. The BWCA is definitely a place I return to a lot. I’ve been wanting to make it up to Quetico. I’ll have to make it up there soon. Any recommendations for routes in Quetico? I’ve been looking into the Falls Chain a lot recently. Always up for suggestions! Haha skipping the portage definitely allowed for some good views and memories! That was my first bull moose to see in the BWCA. Very cool coming across them while paddling! I hope to see more. Ah the pictographs! Yea I totally meant to go looking for those and then forgot when we were out there. I’m pretty sure there are some on Rocky Lake too, so I missed them all haha. Next time I’ll have to be on the lookout more closely! Thanks for commenting! I always love connecting with others who are passionate about wilderness.

⁠​⁠@@Beyond_The_Treelineunfortunately my Quetico experience is limited to border areas like Saganagons in from Saganaga at end of Gunflint. My brother has explored more, as well as Woodland Caribou Provincial Park which he prefers. Pictographs are ethereal. Spooky to sit in a canoe and put your hand on a 10 thousand year old red hand painted on rock. Go back. Publish more. Leave the can home😉.

@@Rollinghillsfarmsmn gotcha. Well if I make it up to Quetico, you’ll see a video about it for sure. Yea I’ll have to go back and look for the pictographs for sure. That sounds incredible! Thanks, will do! Yea, it totally slipped my mind about the can. I was so focused on not bringing glass that I totally forgot that cans weren’t allowed either 😬 Note for the future!

Thanks!

Hey, thanks so much!

Yea I was glad to catch it! We didn’t get in till late so when I setup the timelapse I wasn’t sure what all I’d be capturing with the movement of the sky. So that was a cool surprise. Glad you liked it!

Yea it was so beautiful! That was my first time in Maine and I want to go back and explore more! It’s such an incredible state.

2 different Maines , Sebago is a great area but the County is a different place

@@recentlyretired ah yea I see, right outside Portland. The the state changed a lot from south to north. Cool to see the transition.