Re: Hiking/Camping Advice
It's long been an idea in the back of my head to do a canoe tour/remote camping/fishing in the Boundary Waters... any suggestions?
I've done many trips there going back to the early '70's.
SOme things I think are kind of unique and important in the BWCAW:
Bug dope
beg borrow or steal a Duluth Pack - they're amazing.
QUALITY rain gear. Gortex rules
If you like fishing, you can get buy with mostly lead head jigs and twister tails. A few floating Rapalas are usually productive as well. You will lose lures in those lakes but the fishing can be extraordinary.
Rope. Good strong purlon (climbing) for hanging the food pack at night and parachute chord for lots of other needs like clothes line and lashing gear in the canoes on windy days.
If you go during grouse season, buy a license and eat grouse. Bring a small shotgun or even a wrist rocket. They're every, really stupid and DELICIOUS
I'll think of other stuff and post again as needed
All of Gonzo's suggestions are good ones.
Here's a few more, from when I went with my Scout troop some years back.
Seconded on the Duluth Pack - some of the outfitters have them for rent, and you can buy them elsewhere. DON'T mess around with a frame pack. Also, bring more plastic bags than you think you'll need, since you'll want to double-bag your trash and food (and will want to seal your clothes inside a trash bag inside your Duluth Pack.) Get the most up-to-date maps you can, from REI or another reputable outdoor store (I have no experience with online retailers), and borrow a good hiker-style GPS.
Definitely look into an outfitter for equipment rental - I recommend
Gunflint Northwood Outfitters. They almost certainly have better canoes than your party owns (I recommend Kevlar or plastic/Royalex canoes over aluminum, since aluminum is noisy as hell), and they can supply you with packs, paddles and assorted other things if you forget something. Skip their food, since you can put together a balanced high-calorie meal for each day that's far more appetizing than theirs, but pack about half again as much food as you think you need. Bring at least three water filters (one per person wouldn't be too much), and many spare cartridges, along with some purification tablets and something like Gatorade powder.
Can't think of anything more right now.
Not trying to change your mind, but have you ever considered Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior? I've done that twice, and it's really something special. Besides the wolf and moose populations, there are 40 lakes on the island that have super fishing for walleye, northern and other species with very nearly zero fishing pressure. You're likely to see only 2-4 other people on any given lake. You can move a long ways through the island via lakes and portages, and there's a water taxi service that will drop you off or pick you up from darn near anywhere along the shoreline. Well worth checking it out. Drop me an email if you're interested in books or maps, and I'll see what I've got.
I've hiked on Isle Royale, and it's really pretty. Never canoed there before though, but it seems like it'd be easy to go around the eastern end of the island.
