070: Duncan Lake

Episode Transcript

[0:00:29 – 0:00:33] SPEAKER_02: Welcome to Tumble Home, a Boundary Waters podcast.
[0:00:43 – 0:00:47] Adam: My name is Adam, and joining me here in Studio K is my good friend Eric.
[0:00:47 – 0:00:48] Adam: Hello, Eric.
[0:00:48 – 0:00:48] Adam: Hello.
[0:00:49 – 0:00:50] Adam: Couple of burnt out boys.
[0:00:50 – 0:00:53] Adam: I haven’t seen you since the last episode.
[0:00:53 – 0:00:53] Adam: No.
[0:00:53 – 0:00:54] Adam: Seriously.
[0:00:54 – 0:00:54] Adam: Really?
[0:00:54 – 0:00:55] Adam: Been a couple weeks here.
[0:00:56 – 0:00:57] Adam: For real this time.
[0:00:58 – 0:01:01] Adam: I, uh, yeah, it’s been, uh, it was just Labor Day.
[0:01:03 – 0:01:05] Erik: And the dust has not settled.
[0:01:05 – 0:01:07] Adam: The dust never does truly settle here anymore.
[0:01:08 – 0:01:17] Erik: Yeah, the anticipation of getting to Labor Day as it’s some kind of a demarcation of things slowing down.
[0:01:18 – 0:01:31] Erik: If you work up here as a seasonal or hospitality or outfitting or whatever, first thing you need to do is just get that idea out of your head.
[0:01:31 – 0:01:32] Erik: Yeah, yeah.
[0:01:32 – 0:01:36] Adam: I mean, it helps when you’re in the middle of August to be like, I just got to make it to Labor Day.
[0:01:36 – 0:01:37] Erik: Mm-hmm.
[0:01:37 – 0:01:44] Adam: And it sure is a slight step down, but it’s still really busy.
[0:01:44 – 0:01:47] Adam: I was having a rough day at work yesterday.
[0:01:47 – 0:01:49] Adam: I got the sniffles.
[0:01:51 – 0:01:52] Adam: I’ve just got this sinus thing.
[0:01:52 – 0:01:53] Adam: I’m not sick.
[0:01:53 – 0:01:57] Adam: My head hurts to the point where my teeth feel like they’re going to pop out of my skull.
[0:01:58 – 0:01:59] Adam: And we’re short-staffed.
[0:02:00 – 0:02:04] Adam: And I had somebody I know stop by and was like,
[0:02:04 – 0:02:28] Adam: oh hey you getting out and doing any paddling i was just like no he’s like well how about in like you know later in september i’m like probably not probably not yeah that’s how it feels right now on labor day but uh yeah no that’ll pass i just it’s labor day man i was just like i thought everybody was supposed to be going back home on labor day it was like one of our busiest days of the year
[0:02:29 – 0:02:35] Erik: You would think the day after Labor Day, a Tuesday, would be like just a ghost town.
[0:02:36 – 0:02:41] Erik: I was driving around in town this morning and then up the Gunflint Trail to go home.
[0:02:41 – 0:02:42] Erik: And now I’m back down here.
[0:02:42 – 0:02:45] Erik: I’ve been up and down the Gunflint Trail twice today.
[0:02:45 – 0:02:47] Erik: And it is just as busy as ever.
[0:02:47 – 0:02:52] Erik: There does not seem to be a break like there used to be.
[0:02:52 – 0:02:55] Adam: A lot of bozos and mozzies still around.
[0:02:55 – 0:02:57] Adam: But, of course, tumble home.
[0:02:57 – 0:03:02] Adam: is sponsored by the fine, fine friends of ours over on Patreon.
[0:03:02 – 0:03:04] Adam: They’re cool.
[0:03:04 – 0:03:05] Adam: The opposite of mozzies.
[0:03:05 – 0:03:07] Adam: Yeah, the anti-mozzie.
[0:03:07 – 0:03:09] Erik: Yeah, I think we’ve got… Tumble homies.
[0:03:09 – 0:03:10] Erik: Tumble homies.
[0:03:10 – 0:03:15] Erik: We’ve definitely got an episode coming out, I think, in the next couple of weeks that I want to do, which we’ve gotten requests on.
[0:03:16 – 0:03:17] Erik: And that’s just kind of like the…
[0:03:19 – 0:03:29] Erik: Boundary Waters adjacent content, which is just life in the Northwoods, what it’s like living up here, some of the pros and cons.
[0:03:29 – 0:03:38] Erik: I’ve gotten people that multiple times, again, have asked a day in the life of an outfitter, which probably would be a good time to do it.
[0:03:38 – 0:03:40] Erik: It’d be tough to do in the winter.
[0:03:40 – 0:03:41] Erik: Yeah, do it while it’s fresh.
[0:03:41 – 0:03:42] Adam: While we’re still in.
[0:03:42 – 0:03:45] Erik: But yes, thank you, friends.
[0:03:46 – 0:04:04] Adam: our good friends on patreon you know at the end of a long day it’s just uh nice to be able to sit down here in studio k and talk with you eric and uh and with our friends we got some commentary uh some email yeah to get to uh today i’m looking forward to hearing this a little bit of a
[0:04:05 – 0:04:29] Erik: some feedback on maps we’ve got yeah some loose ends to tie up in regards to maps uh just the way that we recorded it ended up with like a few responses on reddit that came in and then also a couple of emails that i thought were uh pragmatic and helpful to the conversation before we get to tying up the map ends we’ve got our beer sponsorship this week
[0:04:29 – 0:04:51] Erik: i could use one this is from matthew uh boy i don’t even know it’s probably like june when he dropped these off and there are a couple of i i figured that these would be good ones to pull out today because they’re summer beers yeah you know things are already turning towards fall i mean it’s just like
[0:04:52 – 0:04:59] Erik: Say what you will about whether or not Labor Day is a good point to mark on the calendar of things actually quieting down.
[0:04:59 – 0:05:02] Erik: But that may not be the case.
[0:05:02 – 0:05:05] Erik: But the weather seems like it is following suit.
[0:05:05 – 0:05:06] Erik: Oh, yeah.
[0:05:06 – 0:05:08] Erik: It’s cooling off already.
[0:05:08 – 0:05:14] Erik: Just driving up here from 61, coming up on 14, like there are trees.
[0:05:15 – 0:05:17] Erik: Some of the maples have some color in them.
[0:05:17 – 0:05:26] Adam: I was out walking with the dog the other day, and I picked up my first bright red maple leaf off the ground here out in the old dog yard out back.
[0:05:26 – 0:05:28] Adam: We were taking a little walk.
[0:05:28 – 0:05:31] Adam: So yeah, fall is in the air, and there’s been some nice chilly mornings.
[0:05:32 – 0:05:35] Adam: I actually did have to start the car up and warm it up the other day, but…
[0:05:37 – 0:05:37] Adam: Yeah, I don’t know.
[0:05:37 – 0:05:40] Adam: There’s still plenty of nice, beautiful fall days ahead, though.
[0:05:40 – 0:05:41] Adam: For sure.
[0:05:41 – 0:05:43] Adam: We’re just kind of in a wet spell right now.
[0:05:43 – 0:05:47] Erik: It has also been a bit of a wet spell for sure.
[0:05:47 – 0:05:48] Erik: It’s a little soggy out there.
[0:05:48 – 0:05:49] Erik: The last two days.
[0:05:49 – 0:05:54] Erik: Last night I went to bed, it started raining, and I woke up and it was still raining.
[0:05:55 – 0:05:58] Erik: It was raining for so long that I woke up at one point and I was like,
[0:05:59 – 0:06:05] Erik: I don’t, because I’m still getting adjusted to sleeping in my new house that I don’t get to sleep in very often.
[0:06:06 – 0:06:11] Erik: I thought there was some kind of a fan system on because the rain was just so constant on the roof.
[0:06:13 – 0:06:18] Erik: But before we get too far down any more rabbit holes, let’s finish up this sponsorship from Matthew.
[0:06:18 – 0:06:19] Erik: Thank you, Matthew.
[0:06:20 – 0:06:21] Erik: Way to go, Matthew.
[0:06:21 – 0:06:22] Erik: This is Hopewell.com.
[0:06:23 – 0:06:47] Erik: outside voice mini pale ale it doesn’t come in a mini can no it’s a big can it’s a big can outside voice is an easy going pale ale fashioned for warm sunny days and the cookouts that coincide notes of tropical fruit lead the way followed by an undercurrent of citrus zest and mellow bitterness here’s to the remnants of summer my friend yeah cheers
[0:06:57 – 0:06:59] Adam: Fall summer is my favorite part of summer anyhow.
[0:07:00 – 0:07:00] Erik: Yeah.
[0:07:00 – 0:07:02] Adam: Yeah, this is like an orange on the can.
[0:07:02 – 0:07:04] Adam: It’s a really nice abstract citrus on the can.
[0:07:04 – 0:07:05] Adam: I do like the artwork.
[0:07:05 – 0:07:07] Erik: It’s like a big leaf.
[0:07:07 – 0:07:08] Erik: Yeah.
[0:07:08 – 0:07:11] Erik: Orange and maybe like a lemon, but a very abstract artwork.
[0:07:12 – 0:07:18] Adam: I thought at first maybe it was peaches, and I was like, this is going to be good because I’ve got some peach wine bubbling in the back here.
[0:07:18 – 0:07:19] Erik: Yeah.
[0:07:19 – 0:07:20] Adam: I scored a bunch of stone fruit.
[0:07:20 – 0:07:25] Adam: It’s mostly peaches, some nectarines, a couple of random plums in there.
[0:07:25 – 0:07:26] Adam: Nice.
[0:07:26 – 0:07:33] Adam: I started two last weekend during that rainy week, and the one here is doing fine, as you can see, Eric.
[0:07:33 – 0:07:38] Adam: Then the other day, I come in here, and it’s like the other one, the second one is like
[0:07:39 – 0:08:00] Adam: bubbling like a maniac like overflowing i’ve been making wine a long time i’ve never had one like volcano out as i say and so we moved it over to the utility sink and we took out some liquid to try and like alleviate the pressure and like that only made it worse somehow and then overnight last night it like blew the lid off the fermenter which is like a pretty firmly locked lid yeah
[0:08:00 – 0:08:01] Adam: Never had this happen.
[0:08:01 – 0:08:14] Adam: What I figured was I had been scoring a lot of halfway rotten stone fruit from work, and I usually cut it up, clean out the pits, clean out the really rotten stuff, and freeze it in Ziploc bags.
[0:08:15 – 0:08:20] Adam: So I did that with some, and then I got a bunch more, and I just bagged it and threw it in the fridge fresh.
[0:08:21 – 0:08:22] Adam: It’s the stuff that was never frozen.
[0:08:23 – 0:08:25] Adam: I’ve never just made wine from fresh.
[0:08:25 – 0:08:26] Adam: I always freeze.
[0:08:26 – 0:08:27] Adam: Yeah.
[0:08:27 – 0:08:30] Adam: And that usually helps kill off any nastiness.
[0:08:31 – 0:08:39] Adam: And I think something is, it’s like on turbo ferment with like extra natural stone fruit yeasts in there.
[0:08:39 – 0:08:42] Adam: So I think that one’s going to be a total loss, unfortunately.
[0:08:42 – 0:08:43] Adam: Total loss.
[0:08:43 – 0:08:45] Adam: That’s too bad.
[0:08:46 – 0:08:48] Adam: But anyways, this beer is delicious.
[0:08:49 – 0:08:50] Erik: It is very good.
[0:08:50 – 0:08:54] Erik: Let’s loosen up some tie-ins on the map question.
[0:08:56 – 0:08:57] Adam: We got a husky under the desk.
[0:08:57 – 0:09:01] Erik: Yeah, we got a real… Don’t touch my mic cord.
[0:09:01 – 0:09:02] Erik: Crotch monster down there.
[0:09:04 – 0:09:26] Erik: part of the show arrow is definitely excited for this show hi arrow so let’s finish up basically um some responses that came in on reddit uh this is after the show yes people who got in late we it wasn’t even really late i think we kind of recorded a little early for especially after the last one that we we let ferment for a good two months yeah then the next question we went right away bam bam
[0:09:27 – 0:09:33] Erik: wild cards where it’s like we’ll just leave a question up for a month and then all of a sudden the next one we record two days after we post it.
[0:09:34 – 0:09:37] Erik: You never know what you’re going to get from these tumble homies.
[0:09:39 – 0:09:48] Erik: So, yeah, if this is your first episode, go back and listen to maps one and two because these are responses to that question.
[0:09:49 – 0:09:53] Erik: Basically, just what are your go-to methods for navigating out there, maps in general.
[0:09:54 – 0:09:59] Erik: And this is from user northbound underscore paddler.com.
[0:10:00 – 0:10:05] Erik: Late to the party, but maps are one of my favorite aspects of the BWCA.
[0:10:05 – 0:10:09] Erik: They’re interesting to look at in the off-season, and they’re incredibly important when out paddling.
[0:10:10 – 0:10:12] Erik: I’ve got a degree in geography.
[0:10:12 – 0:10:16] Erik: Wow, you should have been asking that question.
[0:10:16 – 0:10:18] Erik: Look at the big brain on Northbound Paddler.
[0:10:18 – 0:10:20] Erik: Underscore big brain.
[0:10:21 – 0:10:27] Erik: So maps are my livelihood and it makes me really appreciate high quality maps and cartography.
[0:10:27 – 0:10:27] Adam: All right.
[0:10:27 – 0:10:30] Adam: Well, this is a little more weight to this response already.
[0:10:31 – 0:10:31] Erik: Yeah.
[0:10:32 – 0:10:35] Erik: I saw somewhere somebody was like referring to us as like carto heads.
[0:10:36 – 0:10:37] Erik: Cardo heads.
[0:10:37 – 0:10:37] Erik: Yeah.
[0:10:37 – 0:10:40] Erik: I think that was what it was.
[0:10:40 – 0:10:41] Erik: Cart boy.
[0:10:41 – 0:10:41] Erik: Cart boys.
[0:10:42 – 0:10:47] Erik: I work for a utility as a GIS technician, which is computer-aided mapping.
[0:10:48 – 0:10:56] Erik: Using the software I have at work and a large plotter that can print on 36-inch wide waterproof paper, I make my own maps.
[0:10:57 – 0:10:58] SPEAKER_02: Nice.
[0:10:59 – 0:11:02] Erik: Yeah, what are you guys doing buying all your own maps?
[0:11:02 – 0:11:03] Erik: I just print my own.
[0:11:03 – 0:11:08] Erik: Data for these maps comes from the U.S. Forest Service and Minnesota DNR.
[0:11:08 – 0:11:16] Erik: It’s free, although not all of it is out to the general public without an inquiry directly to the Superior National Forest District Office.
[0:11:17 – 0:11:21] Erik: In my opinion, the U.S. Forest Service is the most reliable source for portage lengths.
[0:11:22 – 0:11:32] Erik: I spent about 10 hours getting the mapping template put together and now I can just change the extent of the software to whatever location I’m going.
[0:11:33 – 0:11:37] Erik: I verify things like rapids and other landmarks from other sources before printing.
[0:11:37 – 0:11:38] Erik: And I’m all set!
[0:11:39 – 0:11:47] Erik: A new trip requires about one hour of work, and I can customize the extent and zoom to exactly meet the needs of my trip.
[0:11:47 – 0:11:48] Erik: Custom scaling.
[0:11:48 – 0:11:51] Erik: Anyone with questions about GIS, let me know.
[0:11:51 – 0:11:56] Erik: There is open source GIS software available for anyone to do this.
[0:11:56 – 0:11:56] Adam: I have a question.
[0:11:57 – 0:12:02] Adam: Can you include the gravitational abnormalities of the underlying bedrock?
[0:12:02 – 0:12:04] Erik: Nobody that is not a patron…
[0:12:04 – 0:12:06] Adam: We’ll know what you’re talking about there.
[0:12:06 – 0:12:07] Adam: We’ll sign on up then.
[0:12:07 – 0:12:11] Adam: Sign on up and listen to episode… We’ll hope that piqued your curiosity.
[0:12:11 – 0:12:13] Erik: Yeah, that’s great.
[0:12:13 – 0:12:17] Erik: That was an entirely new and fresh take on maps.
[0:12:17 – 0:12:18] Erik: I just print my own.
[0:12:18 – 0:12:20] Erik: I want somebody out there who draws their own maps.
[0:12:21 – 0:12:22] Erik: That’s the next…
[0:12:22 – 0:12:28] Adam: I just go out and… Hand-drawn artisanal map on birchbark.
[0:12:29 – 0:12:33] Erik: All right, so that’s one of four.
[0:12:33 – 0:12:35] Erik: I’ll turn the computer here for you.
[0:12:35 – 0:12:38] Erik: You’re at the top one there.
[0:12:41 – 0:12:41] Adam: Okie doke.
[0:12:43 – 0:12:44] Adam: Sippy seven.
[0:12:45 – 0:12:47] Adam: Eight days ago now.
[0:12:47 – 0:12:48] Erik: Where’s the points?
[0:12:49 – 0:12:50] Erik: I don’t know.
[0:12:50 – 0:12:54] Erik: This is just directly off of my mailbox because it was going to be too hard to find.
[0:12:55 – 0:12:55] Adam: I got you.
[0:12:56 – 0:12:57] Adam: Unknown amount of points.
[0:12:57 – 0:12:59] Adam: We will determine the points later.
[0:13:00 – 0:13:00] Adam: Sippy seven.
[0:13:01 – 0:13:05] Adam: I primarily use the Gaia GPS app on my iPhone.
[0:13:06 – 0:13:16] Adam: I pay the subscription and have the NatGeo maps pre-downloaded on my phone for the whole BWCA, which work really well for navigation, portaging, and finding campsites.
[0:13:16 – 0:13:22] Adam: I also downloaded the US Forest Service 2016 base map along with a shaded relief layer as well.
[0:13:24 – 0:13:28] Adam: If you are a subscription level, you can then layer all three together to get a really nice composite.
[0:13:29 – 0:13:34] Adam: The US Forest Service map has all the campsites and the park marked, as well as the portages.
[0:13:34 – 0:13:37] Adam: The NatGeo also has the portage lengths indicated.
[0:13:39 – 0:13:45] Adam: If you want lake contours, there’s a USGS layer that has 5 foot depth intervals for many of the BWCA lakes.
[0:13:45 – 0:13:52] Adam: You can preload everything to your phone down to a very fine level of detail and use all the maps without cell service in airplane mode.
[0:13:53 – 0:14:03] Adam: I also download the campsite.gpx info from paddleplanner.com and can show or hide those campsite waypoints to my map in the Gaia GPS.
[0:14:04 – 0:14:07] Adam: I like being able to record the breadcrumb trail of where I’ve been.
[0:14:07 – 0:14:11] Adam: I also like seeing my speed and ETA to the next waypoint on my route.
[0:14:12 – 0:14:17] Adam: I bring a Goal Zero solar charger and battery pack to keep the phone charged.
[0:14:17 – 0:14:24] Adam: Of course, I also bring a paper map and a second backup paper map, always in a different bag than the other, and a compass.
[0:14:24 – 0:14:25] Adam: And I know how to use them.
[0:14:27 – 0:14:31] Adam: But I just prefer to use the GPS app on the phone over paper most of the time.
[0:14:31 – 0:14:40] Adam: Besides, I also use my phone as my camera, and for reading, so it’s coming along anyway, and ultimately cuts down on overall gear weight and bulk since it replaces those things.
[0:14:42 – 0:14:43] Adam: Yeah, those are some good points.
[0:14:43 – 0:14:46] Adam: And, you know, we rag on like cell phones and whatnot.
[0:14:47 – 0:14:52] Adam: And even I bring like my old S6 Active along as my actual park camera.
[0:14:53 – 0:14:55] Adam: I don’t have any of these fancy apps or maps downloaded to it, though.
[0:14:55 – 0:14:57] Adam: Maybe I need to consider this.
[0:14:57 – 0:15:02] Erik: I think that we had heard from some people last week, the Gaia app.
[0:15:02 – 0:15:04] Erik: Seemed like that one was mentioned before.
[0:15:05 – 0:15:10] Erik: Definitely more of the going right off of the phone than I remember.
[0:15:10 – 0:15:10] Erik: Yeah.
[0:15:11 – 0:15:12] Adam: I’ve never tried that.
[0:15:12 – 0:15:16] Adam: I mean, like I said, I’m already bringing it.
[0:15:17 – 0:15:24] Adam: At best, I have the little GPS tracking app on my phone just for like, it’s like a map my hike or something like that.
[0:15:24 – 0:15:25] Adam: Yeah.
[0:15:25 – 0:15:26] Adam: That’s not a very fine detail.
[0:15:26 – 0:15:28] Adam: This sounds like it’s way nicer.
[0:15:28 – 0:15:28] Erik: Yeah.
[0:15:29 – 0:15:31] Erik: I’ll go ahead and just read the last two because they’re pretty short.
[0:15:32 – 0:15:32] Erik: All right.
[0:15:32 – 0:15:34] Erik: This is from Aldi1.
[0:15:34 – 0:15:39] Erik: I use a Fisher or a McKenzie and sometimes both to get a different look at something.
[0:15:40 – 0:15:43] Erik: Islands and campsites are used as points of interest and help navigating.
[0:15:43 – 0:15:48] Erik: I’m always fascinated by how unsure I can be about what I’m seeing like a mirage.
[0:15:49 – 0:15:51] Erik: Then you turn a corner and voila.
[0:15:53 – 0:15:56] Erik: There it is, what you’re looking for.
[0:15:57 – 0:15:59] Erik: I got thrown, by the way, he spelled voila.
[0:15:59 – 0:16:00] Erik: How do you spell voila?
[0:16:00 – 0:16:01] Adam: W-A-L-L-A.
[0:16:02 – 0:16:02] Adam: Yeah.
[0:16:03 – 0:16:03] Adam: That’s how it sounds.
[0:16:04 – 0:16:04] Erik: Yeah.
[0:16:04 – 0:16:05] Erik: But anyway.
[0:16:05 – 0:16:06] Erik: How would you spell it?
[0:16:06 – 0:16:08] Erik: How it’s spelled, V-O-I-L-A.
[0:16:08 – 0:16:09] Erik: Oh, voila.
[0:16:09 – 0:16:10] Adam: Yeah.
[0:16:11 – 0:16:11] Adam: Of course you would.
[0:16:12 – 0:16:12] Adam: You’re very Euro.
[0:16:13 – 0:16:14] Erik: Very Euro.
[0:16:14 – 0:16:22] Erik: Then the last one here is a great way to just finish out the commentary from Ghost of Ed Abbey.
[0:16:23 – 0:16:26] Erik: Big miss if this episode isn’t named The Mapisode.
[0:16:27 – 0:16:28] Erik: Oh, man.
[0:16:29 – 0:16:29] Erik: Yeah.
[0:16:29 – 0:16:30] Erik: Well, it’s too late.
[0:16:31 – 0:16:32] SPEAKER_02: It’s maps, maps, maps.
[0:16:32 – 0:16:33] SPEAKER_02: Maps, maps, maps.
[0:16:34 – 0:16:35] SPEAKER_02: We’re all about the clicks.
[0:16:35 – 0:16:40] Erik: I really wish we would have gotten to three so that three episodes in a row could have just been maps, maps, maps.
[0:16:40 – 0:16:44] Adam: Yeah, maps, maps, maps.
[0:16:45 – 0:16:47] Adam: Maybe next year we’ll do a maps-isode.
[0:16:48 – 0:16:52] Adam: I think it’s one of these topics that we can revisit not maybe every year, but semi-annually.
[0:16:54 – 0:16:54] Erik: For sure.
[0:16:55 – 0:17:02] Erik: And then just to really truly wrap up the maps conversation for now, a couple of emails I got.
[0:17:02 – 0:17:03] Erik: This one’s from Dave.
[0:17:04 – 0:17:11] Erik: Interesting bit of information from him in regards to McKenzie maps.
[0:17:11 – 0:17:14] Erik: We’d always just assumed that they were just named after the Explorer.
[0:17:14 – 0:17:15] Erik: They’re not.
[0:17:15 – 0:17:17] Erik: They’re named after Rod McKenzie.
[0:17:18 – 0:17:18] Erik: Oh, Rod.
[0:17:18 – 0:17:19] Erik: Yeah, he created the maps.
[0:17:20 – 0:17:23] Erik: This is, quote, just retired this summer and sold the company.
[0:17:24 – 0:17:31] Erik: He is happy that the new owners will be able to take it to the next level, particularly related to technology and the website.
[0:17:32 – 0:17:37] Erik: So there are many updates and improvements coming downstream related to McKenzie Maps in the next few years.
[0:17:38 – 0:17:39] Erik: We will see.
[0:17:39 – 0:17:43] Adam: I love the term downstreaming as a verb.
[0:17:44 – 0:17:45] Adam: Well, I guess he didn’t use it.
[0:17:45 – 0:17:45] Adam: You know what I mean.
[0:17:46 – 0:17:46] Adam: Yeah.
[0:17:46 – 0:17:47] Adam: It’s an action.
[0:17:47 – 0:17:48] Erik: Yes.
[0:17:48 – 0:17:50] Erik: And then one last bit of information here.
[0:17:50 – 0:18:00] Erik: This I will – I think I’ve been in the last few episodes, months, a little lazy on like, yeah, we’ll just put it in the show notes.
[0:18:00 – 0:18:01] Erik: Like I’ve been putting nothing in the show notes.
[0:18:01 – 0:18:02] Erik: Yeah, yeah.
[0:18:02 – 0:18:05] Adam: But this one I definitely – Who has time for that?
[0:18:05 – 0:18:06] Erik: This one I will.
[0:18:06 – 0:18:07] Erik: Empty promises.
[0:18:07 – 0:18:31] Erik: This is from Jared, who is the one, I think, of the two people who are behind the True North Map Company, who sent along some information and some links to some wall maps that they are also producing that look really cool, kind of along the lines of the one we’ve got here in Studio K. But is it like a tapestry wall?
[0:18:32 – 0:18:33] Erik: No, it’s paper.
[0:18:33 – 0:18:34] Erik: It’s not, yeah.
[0:18:34 – 0:18:41] Adam: I thought it was going to be like linen, like you’re hanging out in your buddy Roscoe’s living room in college.
[0:18:42 – 0:18:43] Adam: You know what I mean?
[0:18:44 – 0:18:45] Adam: Tapestries.
[0:18:45 – 0:18:46] Erik: Yeah.
[0:18:46 – 0:18:51] Erik: Yeah, no, so it’s basically, it’s like a big, yeah, it’s a big printing of like the Bodgewaters and Quetico.
[0:18:52 – 0:18:52] UNKNOWN: Ooh.
[0:18:54 – 0:18:55] Erik: Yeah, so we’ll put links to that.
[0:18:55 – 0:19:06] Erik: I think he said that the big Boundary Waters and Quetico paper wall map is still a little bit out in terms of production, but it looks beautiful.
[0:19:08 – 0:19:09] Adam: Why didn’t we start a map company?
[0:19:10 – 0:19:10] Erik: We still can.
[0:19:11 – 0:19:14] Erik: I think we could with the Danielson scale portages.
[0:19:14 – 0:19:14] Erik: Oh, yeah.
[0:19:14 – 0:19:16] Adam: Danielson portage meter.
[0:19:16 – 0:19:18] Erik: Yes, which I don’t think we’ve fully explained.
[0:19:18 – 0:19:20] Erik: Maybe that’s what we’ll talk about in the bonus episode this week.
[0:19:20 – 0:19:21] Erik: The Danielson scale?
[0:19:21 – 0:19:23] Erik: Tumble home after hours.
[0:19:23 – 0:19:27] Adam: I think we should discuss that when we do the Laos River recap episode.
[0:19:27 – 0:19:27] Adam: Oh, sure.
[0:19:27 – 0:19:29] Adam: Because that’s where it was really truly fleshed out.
[0:19:31 – 0:19:45] Erik: But anyway, that would be the one thing that I can add to the – not to discredit people that make maps, but at the end of the day, it’s just a bunch of – it’s different colors and printed on something other than paper or whatever.
[0:19:45 – 0:19:53] Erik: There is – I could add a level of detail in grading the portage difficulty on the scale.
[0:19:54 – 0:20:11] Erik: So I will add the two links that he shared to some wall maps that they’re making, which if you are a paddler of the Boundary Waters and or Quetico and you’ve got some space to do it, a wall map will greatly increase your quality of life.
[0:20:11 – 0:20:12] Erik: You need one.
[0:20:12 – 0:20:18] Erik: They are just beautiful things to daydream with and have as a companion.
[0:20:18 – 0:20:18] Adam: And behold.
[0:20:19 – 0:20:42] Adam: yeah absolutely it really opens the mind yep so it will open your third eye of the navigation eye the map eye yeah so that’s it for maps for now i think the i’m glad we got to a couple of those what about mappitude mappitude it could be a good episode title mappitude yeah these boys got mappitude i think we do
[0:20:43 – 0:20:44] Erik: Yeah, sure.
[0:20:46 – 0:20:46] Erik: All right.
[0:20:46 – 0:20:50] Erik: I don’t even know if we’ve mentioned what we’re actually talking about this week.
[0:20:50 – 0:20:51] Erik: This week’s content.
[0:20:52 – 0:20:53] Erik: Well, it’s in the title.
[0:20:53 – 0:20:54] Erik: Yeah, at this point.
[0:20:54 – 0:20:54] Erik: We don’t need to.
[0:20:54 – 0:21:02] Erik: You’ve been hanging around for 20 minutes just waiting to get info on Duncan Lake.
[0:21:02 – 0:21:04] Erik: Are you ready to just keep moving on?
[0:21:05 – 0:21:05] Adam: Yeah.
[0:21:05 – 0:21:06] Adam: Oh, yeah.
[0:21:06 – 0:21:06] Erik: No breaks.
[0:21:07 – 0:21:09] Adam: I was trying to come up with a clever way to say that.
[0:21:09 – 0:21:10] Adam: No loon bleeps.
[0:21:11 – 0:21:12] Adam: You darn Duncan.
[0:21:13 – 0:21:14] Adam: You darn Duncan.
[0:21:14 – 0:21:15] Erik: You darn Duncan.
[0:21:16 – 0:21:23] Erik: Boy, it’s been a while since we’ve done a full lake review episode, and I don’t know how we’ve not had Duncan as a lake.
[0:21:23 – 0:21:26] Erik: It’s right in the backyard, super popular.
[0:21:26 – 0:21:28] Erik: We’ve got a lot of experiences out there on it.
[0:21:28 – 0:21:28] Erik: Yeah.
[0:21:29 – 0:21:30] Erik: Do you have anything?
[0:21:30 – 0:21:33] Erik: I think we usually start with just like first thoughts on it.
[0:21:33 – 0:21:35] Adam: Yeah, it’s weird shaped.
[0:21:36 – 0:21:38] Adam: It doesn’t fit in the rest of the Vento unit.
[0:21:38 – 0:21:46] Adam: If you look at it on a map, it’s odd shaped, and I’ve always felt that it creates odd winds because of its unusual shape.
[0:21:46 – 0:21:49] Adam: It doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the puzzle over there, does it?
[0:21:49 – 0:21:50] Erik: No, it doesn’t.
[0:21:50 – 0:22:00] Erik: It definitely does allow, because of its bulbous size or bulbous shape and size, for just about any wind to be troubling.
[0:22:00 – 0:22:01] Erik: Any wind can be tricky.
[0:22:01 – 0:22:02] Adam: Yeah, a couple of tentacles.
[0:22:03 – 0:22:03] Erik: Yeah.
[0:22:04 – 0:22:13] Erik: So the first thing that always comes to mind for me, and I don’t know why this is just me, is I just don’t like the name of it.
[0:22:14 – 0:22:14] Erik: Duncan?
[0:22:15 – 0:22:17] Erik: I’ve never really liked that name or word.
[0:22:17 – 0:22:20] Adam: Yeah, like it’s right over there by, you know.
[0:22:21 – 0:22:34] Adam: between daniel and duncan you know and they kind of go together i guess is the two entry points that are near each other there but yeah of the two i’d obviously prefer daniel just because it’s so close to danielson
[0:22:35 – 0:22:35] Erik: Well, yes.
[0:22:35 – 0:22:37] Erik: So Daniel’s is, yes.
[0:22:37 – 0:22:43] Erik: I like Daniel’s Lake, Moss, Partridge, Rose, West Bearskin.
[0:22:43 – 0:22:44] Erik: They all sound like lakes.
[0:22:44 – 0:22:45] Erik: Duncan just, I don’t know.
[0:22:46 – 0:22:50] Adam: It just reminds me of that toy shop from Home Alone 2, Duncan’s Toy Chest.
[0:22:50 – 0:22:51] Adam: Wow.
[0:22:51 – 0:23:01] Adam: The only Duncan I can think of was just like Sir Duncan the Tall from the short trilogy of George R.R.
[0:23:01 – 0:23:03] Adam: Martin, which is an excellent trilogy.
[0:23:03 – 0:23:04] Adam: Everybody should read that.
[0:23:05 – 0:23:05] Erik: Yeah.
[0:23:05 – 0:23:07] Erik: So if your name is Duncan, I’m sorry.
[0:23:07 – 0:23:08] Erik: I just don’t.
[0:23:08 – 0:23:08] Adam: I would like it.
[0:23:08 – 0:23:12] Adam: I’d be okay with it if they just changed it to Sir Duncan Lake.
[0:23:12 – 0:23:15] Adam: S-E-R. S-E-R. Sir Duncan.
[0:23:16 – 0:23:17] Adam: Or just Duncan the Tall.
[0:23:18 – 0:23:18] Adam: No lake.
[0:23:19 – 0:23:20] Adam: No lake.
[0:23:20 – 0:23:21] Adam: I’d be okay with that too.
[0:23:21 – 0:23:22] Adam: But yeah, I agree.
[0:23:22 – 0:23:23] Adam: The lake name is underwhelming.
[0:23:23 – 0:23:25] Adam: Underwhelming lake name for sure.
[0:23:25 – 0:23:26] Erik: Right off the bat.
[0:23:26 – 0:23:30] Adam: Plus, it’s just like I’ve seen it’s an entry point lake.
[0:23:30 – 0:23:34] Adam: So I’ve seen like things like I get in there and you see like six kayakers.
[0:23:34 – 0:23:35] Erik: Yeah.
[0:23:35 – 0:23:36] Adam: Just wandering around.
[0:23:36 – 0:23:38] Adam: And so I don’t know.
[0:23:38 – 0:23:44] Adam: And then, yeah, I actually have never camped on Duncan myself.
[0:23:45 – 0:23:55] Adam: So I guess there, you know, just as we said on previous episodes, like when you actually camp in a campsite, that increases the grade and like the impression of the lake in your mind.
[0:23:56 – 0:23:59] Adam: So it just doesn’t have that bump for me.
[0:23:59 – 0:24:01] Adam: I mean, I’ve paddled through it how many times?
[0:24:01 – 0:24:01] Erik: Countless.
[0:24:01 – 0:24:05] Erik: Yeah, that actually, now that I think of it, I didn’t up to this point.
[0:24:05 – 0:24:09] Erik: I don’t know how or why, but I have also not camped on Duncan.
[0:24:10 – 0:24:12] Erik: I have visited every campsite.
[0:24:12 – 0:24:15] Erik: I have paddled it at least a dozen times.
[0:24:15 – 0:24:19] Erik: I’ve got multiple hard and soft water experiences.
[0:24:20 – 0:24:23] Erik: I’ve got a rescue operation where I got lost.
[0:24:23 – 0:24:24] Erik: I’ve told that story.
[0:24:24 – 0:24:25] Erik: Yeah, yeah.
[0:24:26 – 0:24:30] Erik: So there are a lot of things that have happened to me out there, but that also might be why.
[0:24:30 – 0:24:31] Adam: That’s why it’s been overlooked.
[0:24:32 – 0:24:35] Erik: I don’t have as much of an affinity to say good things about it.
[0:24:35 – 0:24:43] Erik: Not that there’s anything wrong with it, but there’s nothing that I don’t have like that experience of like the nice sunset or a night around a campfire on Duncan.
[0:24:43 – 0:24:45] Erik: It’s mostly just been like a travel lake.
[0:24:45 – 0:24:46] Erik: Yeah.
[0:24:46 – 0:24:48] Erik: For sure.
[0:24:49 – 0:24:56] Adam: That’s definitely a big part of it is probably why it’s been overlooked so far and has fallen all the way to the end, the second half of season two.
[0:24:57 – 0:24:57] Erik: Yeah.
[0:24:59 – 0:25:01] Adam: Like basically what is a home lake and a home entry point.
[0:25:01 – 0:25:03] Erik: Yeah.
[0:25:03 – 0:25:15] Erik: So I think before we do campsite reviews and then share some of the stories that we have from the lake, let’s give you a little bit of some black and white access information, entry point information.
[0:25:15 – 0:25:16] Erik: How do you get there?
[0:25:17 – 0:25:43] Erik: uh duncan lake itself this is always a confusing um point of entry um along with like liz north foul um what are some other ones that are maybe crocodile um because there are some entry points that the name associated with it is the entry point and that’s the lake you put in on so like
[0:25:43 – 0:25:48] Erik: Clearwater Lake entry point, you put in on Clearwater, then a mile down the lake, you’re in the park.
[0:25:49 – 0:25:49] Adam: Right.
[0:25:50 – 0:25:53] Adam: This is like, a lot of people are like, it’s the Bearskin, West Bearskin entry.
[0:25:53 – 0:25:54] Erik: Yeah.
[0:25:54 – 0:25:59] Adam: But you really, you don’t actually cross in on Bearskin.
[0:25:59 – 0:25:59] Adam: No.
[0:26:00 – 0:26:00] Erik: No, you don’t.
[0:26:00 – 0:26:17] Erik: Like, you put your canoe into West Bearskin, but you don’t actually enter and, like, actuate your permit until you get out of the canoe on the northwest bay of West Bearskin and start portaging into Duncan.
[0:26:18 – 0:26:18] Erik: So…
[0:26:19 – 0:26:32] Erik: most people will enter in on the Hungry Jack Road side of West Bearskin, which makes for a very short paddle, just kind of right around the little point there.
[0:26:33 – 0:26:41] Erik: Otherwise, when it’s nice and clear water is involved in the shuttle, we usually just drop people on the east end of West Bearskin.
[0:26:41 – 0:26:45] Adam: You get to experience the entirety of West Bearskin, which is a beautiful lake.
[0:26:45 – 0:26:59] Erik: Yeah, and usually what I tell people is unless the wind is really blowing out of the west, by the time you drive all the way back out to the Gunflint Trail, back down Hungry Jack Road, and put in down on the far west side of the lake, you would be paddling…
[0:26:59 – 0:27:01] Adam: So you don’t get to buzz Minosian then.
[0:27:01 – 0:27:03] Erik: Yeah, you don’t get to paddle right by the…
[0:27:04 – 0:27:21] Erik: kumbaya session that they’re having down there on the by their tapestries tapestries yeah uh so just in terms of access and entry point it is a technically a west bearskin put in
[0:27:21 – 0:27:38] Erik: and a bit of paddling before you do hit entry point 60, Duncan Lake, which has three permits per day from May 1st to September 30th, and a 75-rod portage between Bearskin and Duncan.
[0:27:39 – 0:27:40] Adam: It’s a beautiful garden walk of a portage.
[0:27:40 – 0:27:41] Adam: It is a garden walk.
[0:27:42 – 0:27:51] Adam: This one is lined with massive pine trees and old pavers that kind of define the trail almost.
[0:27:51 – 0:27:55] Adam: It clearly used to be almost a road of a portage.
[0:27:56 – 0:28:23] Adam: and a gentle up and then you intersect the caribou rock trail itself and then uh at the uh at the highest elevation point and then kind of a gentle down back into duncan so pretty easy portage pretty easy portage and it is an extremely it’ll be a green on the danielson scale yeah i would say uh for sure like a green what did we ever say the numbers was one to five
[0:28:24 – 0:28:28] Adam: No, I think we were just going to use the portage, like actual listed length.
[0:28:28 – 0:28:29] Adam: Just coloring.
[0:28:29 – 0:28:30] Adam: Just color code the difficulty.
[0:28:30 – 0:28:31] Adam: Sure.
[0:28:31 – 0:28:33] Adam: Well, there’s cats out of the bag now.
[0:28:33 – 0:28:35] Erik: Yeah, there’s no need to add the length.
[0:28:35 – 0:28:36] Erik: Add a second number.
[0:28:36 – 0:28:38] Erik: Just color in the portage.
[0:28:38 – 0:28:39] Erik: Yeah, that’s a green 75.
[0:28:40 – 0:28:41] Erik: Into Duncan.
[0:28:41 – 0:28:44] Erik: So it is an extremely popular entry point.
[0:28:44 – 0:28:50] Erik: I think we talked in the campsite episode about how the people that ended up on the parking lot couldn’t find sites out there.
[0:28:50 – 0:28:50] Erik: Right.
[0:28:51 – 0:28:56] Erik: Regularly filled campsites, regular bear activity.
[0:28:57 – 0:28:58] Erik: It’s just one of those lakes.
[0:28:59 – 0:29:20] Erik: that gets a lot of use because of the ease of access and I think over the course of this podcast we have talked at length if you add up all of the little conversations about this topic which is you know accessibility and seclusion are anathema to each other they don’t exist like if it’s easily accessible it’s going to be popular and
[0:29:21 – 0:29:33] Erik: So if you want to put a lake on the list in terms of easily accessible and quiet, it really doesn’t exist, especially in July and August.
[0:29:34 – 0:29:35] Erik: Right.
[0:29:35 – 0:29:43] Erik: And then you just throw into account the existence of Rose Falls and the stairway borders on the north end, and you’ve got day trip traffic.
[0:29:44 – 0:29:47] Erik: It can honestly feel busy out on Duncan.
[0:29:47 – 0:29:47] Erik: Yeah.
[0:29:47 – 0:29:48] Erik: Yeah.
[0:29:48 – 0:30:00] Erik: And that’s a sentiment that I hear, you know, returned from people that go out and spend a trip out on the lake or just even traveling the lake.
[0:30:00 – 0:30:07] Adam: I feel like this is a lake where you will often have to kind of float and wait to use the portage.
[0:30:07 – 0:30:08] Erik: Oh, yeah.
[0:30:08 – 0:30:11] Erik: The stairway portage is probably up there.
[0:30:11 – 0:30:16] Adam: There’s a lot of good parking up at the stairway portage, but I multiple times had to wait to use the 75 portage.
[0:30:18 – 0:30:18] Erik: Oh, that one too.
[0:30:18 – 0:30:23] Adam: Either way, you know, either waiting to go into Duncan or getting out to go out, you know.
[0:30:23 – 0:30:25] Adam: There just always seems to be traffic at the landings.
[0:30:26 – 0:30:28] Adam: More than any place I think I’ve ever been, that one.
[0:30:29 – 0:30:31] Adam: I think it is because of Rose Falls and rightly so.
[0:30:32 – 0:30:32] Erik: Yeah.
[0:30:32 – 0:30:33] Erik: No, for sure.
[0:30:33 – 0:30:39] Erik: And it’s, I would put the stairway portage up there in terms of busiest portages in the park.
[0:30:39 – 0:30:40] Adam: Yeah, stairway portage has like
[0:30:40 – 0:30:42] Adam: literally like parking for 30 canoes.
[0:30:42 – 0:30:52] Erik: Yeah, it’s got to be up there with like prairie, basswood falls, some of those ones that’ll fall into basswood, those ones with the wheels that you can take.
[0:30:52 – 0:30:53] Erik: So…
[0:30:55 – 0:30:59] Adam: Yeah, there is an alternate route in which I’ve taken this one.
[0:30:59 – 0:31:05] Adam: I think I’ve only taken this one in ice fishing times in the winter.
[0:31:06 – 0:31:08] Adam: In the winter.
[0:31:08 – 0:31:17] Adam: You can get into Duncan also from Moss from the south, and that’s a bit of a shorter one at like 54 as we’re showing here.
[0:31:18 – 0:31:25] Adam: A 54-rod portage, I have this little tiny bay on the north side of Moss, and then it kind of follows the creek down from Moss.
[0:31:25 – 0:31:26] Adam: It’s a beautiful portage.
[0:31:26 – 0:31:29] Adam: It’s one of the prettiest portages, actually.
[0:31:29 – 0:31:39] Adam: And if you didn’t have to do the crazy up-and-down roller coaster portage into Moss to access Moss, it would be…
[0:31:39 – 0:31:40] Adam: It would be the way.
[0:31:40 – 0:31:52] Adam: It would be the way in because it’s pretty nice and like there’s some, you know, if there’s some big pine trees on the Bearskin to Duncan Portage, there’s some like gigant, jagundo pine trees.
[0:31:52 – 0:31:52] Adam: Yeah.
[0:31:52 – 0:31:56] Adam: I think there’s a cedar tree on that portage that’s got to be a thousand years old.
[0:31:58 – 0:31:59] Erik: That’s a fact.
[0:31:59 – 0:32:00] Erik: That’s a fact.
[0:32:00 – 0:32:01] Erik: That’s a cedar fact.
[0:32:01 – 0:32:02] Erik: Go out and check that out.
[0:32:02 – 0:32:18] Adam: Yeah, it’s a cool little portage, and then you come out on that southern bay, and then there’s some pretty interesting reef structures around the tiny island, and generally thought to be a good spot to ice fish, depending on how the wind is sitting.
[0:32:19 – 0:32:22] Adam: You know, Moss is a pretty heavily ice fished lake too.
[0:32:22 – 0:32:29] Adam: And the deal there is you can like snowmobile into Moss and then park basically at the portage.
[0:32:30 – 0:32:32] Adam: And then you, you really only enter at the beginning of the portage.
[0:32:32 – 0:32:37] Adam: So as long as you leave your snowmobile on the ice, then it’s an easy walk down to Duncan.
[0:32:37 – 0:32:37] Adam: Yeah.
[0:32:38 – 0:32:39] Adam: So a lot of people do that in the winter.
[0:32:40 – 0:32:42] Adam: I doubt that portage gets used very much in the summer.
[0:32:42 – 0:32:45] Adam: And I honestly have never, I’ve never used it in the summer.
[0:32:45 – 0:32:47] Erik: It would get used that much in the summer.
[0:32:48 – 0:32:48] Erik: Um,
[0:32:48 – 0:32:56] Erik: So we are on the Clearwater Historic Lodge and Canoe Outfitters page with campsite reviews.
[0:32:56 – 0:32:57] Erik: And I’m just going to kind of skim.
[0:32:57 – 0:33:11] Erik: I think we’ve hit all of these points so far, but this is the paragraph that opens the description before we get into the reviews, which I think would be a logical step forward in the Duncan Lake campsite or lake.
[0:33:14 – 0:33:30] Erik: Yes, this extremely popular and accessible lake offers seven slightly above average BWCA campsites, mediocre small moth bass and lake trout fishing, as well as stunning scenery and access to one of the most beautiful spots in all of the Bajau waters.
[0:33:30 – 0:33:44] Erik: Not just the Rose Falls itself, but the vistas off of the Border Route Trail, which we have talked about in previous episodes at length, is well worth the visit.
[0:33:44 – 0:33:47] Erik: The main access to this lake is from the east off of West Bearskin.
[0:33:48 – 0:33:51] Erik: And an entry point number 60 would be required to camp here overnight.
[0:33:52 – 0:34:01] Erik: Its ease of access and proximity to Rose Falls, the views from the border route trail makes this lake hands down one of the most popular.
[0:34:02 – 0:34:04] Erik: And because of its campsite availability…
[0:34:05 – 0:34:12] Erik: Because the campsites can be, their availability can be scarce during the busy months of July and August.
[0:34:12 – 0:34:21] Erik: The number of people that day trip to Rose Falls during the open water season is quite high, as well as making the overall canoe traffic on this lake one of the highest in the area.
[0:34:21 – 0:34:26] Erik: If true solitude is what you’re looking for, are you kidding me, dog, right now?
[0:34:26 – 0:34:29] Erik: Are you biting the loose earbud that’s hanging off of my feet?
[0:34:29 – 0:34:30] Adam: Arrow, get.
[0:34:31 – 0:34:31] Adam: Wow.
[0:34:31 – 0:34:32] Adam: Arrow, get.
[0:34:32 – 0:34:33] Adam: Get.
[0:34:33 – 0:34:35] Erik: I was on a roll there, dog.
[0:34:36 – 0:34:42] Erik: If true solitude is what you’re after, you may want to consider camping here during the shoulder seasons.
[0:34:43 – 0:34:47] Erik: So, with that, I’m going to start with campsite one.
[0:34:47 – 0:34:49] Erik: Also, there’s no dogs named Errol allowed on Duncan.
[0:34:49 – 0:34:49] Erik: Fun fact.
[0:34:53 – 0:34:57] Erik: Oh yeah, it’s one of those stipulation double asterisks on the back of the permit.
[0:34:57 – 0:34:59] Erik: Yeah, it’s on the very back in size 4 font.
[0:35:00 – 0:35:00] Erik: Look closely.
[0:35:01 – 0:35:02] Erik: So we are…
[0:35:05 – 0:35:06] Erik: Check the show notes!
[0:35:06 – 0:35:10] Erik: I will link to this page if you know the…
[0:35:11 – 0:35:32] Erik: system that i number campsites with we work from west to east and typically north to south so this first campsite is the one on the far west end in the rat tail of duncan yeah this is a rat tail i thought it was a tentacle oh it’s yes it’s a rat and a rat reticle renticle radical
[0:35:32 – 0:35:32] Adam: I don’t know.
[0:35:32 – 0:35:35] Adam: And this one is a challenging way to number your sites, too.
[0:35:35 – 0:35:43] Adam: This one really stretches the limits of your system almost because of the oblong, obtuse nature of its form.
[0:35:43 – 0:35:43] Erik: It does.
[0:35:43 – 0:35:48] Erik: And there’s no lakes that, well, some of the ones in the Vento unit make it very easy.
[0:35:48 – 0:35:49] Erik: West to east, then you’re done.
[0:35:50 – 0:35:51] Erik: Campsite number one.
[0:35:53 – 0:36:07] Erik: It took me 10 years to find this campsite, and if I had a list of the top 10 hardest to find campsites in the BWCA, this list on the far western rat tail of Duncan Lake would most definitely be on it.
[0:36:08 – 0:36:19] Erik: This is due to the fact that it has been affected by a few different storms that have taken down some large trees right at the edge of the lake that shrouds the landing or any sign of a fire grate and tent pad.
[0:36:20 – 0:36:24] Erik: One would assume a very hard to find campsite would make it undesirable.
[0:36:25 – 0:36:27] Erik: And in fact, that person would be correct.
[0:36:27 – 0:36:29] Erik: This is a tough campsite to love.
[0:36:30 – 0:36:34] Erik: There are a number of large trees down in camp, making it tough to get around.
[0:36:35 – 0:36:38] Erik: The fire grade area offers little in the way of ambiance or views of the lake.
[0:36:39 – 0:36:47] Erik: It does reside in a beautiful old growth stand of massive white pine, which does keep this site from receiving failing grades entirely.
[0:36:48 – 0:36:48] Erik: Oof.
[0:36:51 – 0:36:56] Erik: So, yeah, this one for the longest time I could just never find.
[0:36:56 – 0:37:01] Erik: I finally went out with the geologist wife last fall.
[0:37:02 – 0:37:08] Erik: And like right before it iced up, we were able to get out and do all of the campsites on Duncan.
[0:37:08 – 0:37:12] Erik: Found this one finally because I walked by it in the winter multiple times.
[0:37:12 – 0:37:13] Erik: Yeah.
[0:37:13 – 0:37:16] Erik: I paddled down there a few times just kind of, well, where is this place?
[0:37:16 – 0:37:38] Erik: campsite i didn’t see this thing anywhere um and yeah it’s yeah that picture the first picture here does not look like a campsite no there’s it’s in there there’s one big pine that’s down like right in front of where a landing would be yeah um i give it a landing d minus fire great d overall d minus
[0:37:39 – 0:37:40] Erik: It’s weak.
[0:37:40 – 0:37:41] Erik: Weak sauce.
[0:37:41 – 0:37:42] Erik: One tent pad, maybe.
[0:37:43 – 0:37:43] Erik: Maybe.
[0:37:44 – 0:37:46] Erik: So moving east down the lake.
[0:37:49 – 0:37:58] Adam: While this site makes for a decent little lunch spot with beautiful views out over the expanse of Duncan Lake, I would be hard-pressed to call this place a nice campsite.
[0:37:58 – 0:38:05] Adam: It is questionable whether or not there is even one decent tent pad at this site.
[0:38:05 – 0:38:10] Adam: The landing is terrible, and there really isn’t anything else adjacent to a small fire-grade area.
[0:38:11 – 0:38:12] Adam: Nothing else to say.
[0:38:12 – 0:38:13] Adam: Tent pads, one.
[0:38:13 – 0:38:14] Adam: Question mark?
[0:38:14 – 0:38:14] Adam: Landing?
[0:38:16 – 0:38:16] Adam: Failed.
[0:38:17 – 0:38:17] Adam: Failed.
[0:38:18 – 0:38:26] Adam: Fire grid area C and it looks like you’re on overall D. Nice sharp boulder field there it looks like.
[0:38:27 – 0:38:28] Erik: Yeah.
[0:38:28 – 0:38:30] Adam: Looks like they forced that one in there.
[0:38:30 – 0:38:32] Erik: It’s a rough one for sure.
[0:38:34 – 0:38:43] Erik: Moving up to the north and east, located on a steep little point on the north side of this lake, this used to be a very nice site.
[0:38:44 – 0:38:50] Erik: It still has plenty to offer, but has been dramatically altered by recent blowdowns of massive white pines into the campsite.
[0:38:51 – 0:39:01] Erik: There are still a number of very nice tent pads as well as a nice and spacious fire grate, but the overall feeling of the site is chaotic and off-putting.
[0:39:02 – 0:39:23] Erik: i think we’ve talked about this site in the past this is the one that uh had some unfortunate events occur at it with some downed trees and some almost has some stairs kind of built into the landing area a little landing of trees and you can just see like massive pines like cut like i never uh set foot in that campsite
[0:39:24 – 0:39:25] Erik: It’s got a bunch of tent pads.
[0:39:25 – 0:39:27] Erik: The landing is decent.
[0:39:27 – 0:39:29] Erik: The fire grade area is decent.
[0:39:29 – 0:39:30] Erik: For me, it’s like the feeling.
[0:39:30 – 0:39:34] Erik: I guess if you don’t know what happened there, it might be better.
[0:39:34 – 0:39:36] Erik: But for me, I will never camp there.
[0:39:36 – 0:39:37] Adam: Okay.
[0:39:37 – 0:39:38] Adam: It should be.
[0:39:38 – 0:39:41] Erik: It almost feels like it should just be closed.
[0:39:42 – 0:39:49] Adam: Yeah, they occasionally do close and move campsites, take them off the map, put in a new one.
[0:39:49 – 0:39:49] Adam: Yeah.
[0:39:49 – 0:39:53] Adam: Maybe this one needs to have that happen.
[0:39:53 – 0:39:53] Erik: Yeah.
[0:39:54 – 0:40:06] Adam: Campsite 4, perched mostly atop a long, grassy spit of gravel jutting out into Duncan Lake, this is one of the more unique campsites in the area, and one of the nicer ones on the lake.
[0:40:07 – 0:40:10] Adam: The landing is literally a beach, which makes coming and going a breeze.
[0:40:10 – 0:40:18] Adam: The fire grid area itself sits atop the tip of the point and offers excellent views, with most of the tent space at the back of the site.
[0:40:19 – 0:40:26] Adam: I personally like it when the tent area and the fire grid area are more separate, but I could see that as being a bit of a downside for someone else.
[0:40:27 – 0:40:28] Adam: Either way, this is a cool spot.
[0:40:29 – 0:40:31] Adam: 10 pads, 2+, landing, A.
[0:40:31 – 0:40:32] Adam: It’s a beach.
[0:40:32 – 0:40:36] Adam: Fire grid area, B+, and overall, Eric gives it an A-.
[0:40:39 – 0:41:02] Adam: again i’m i don’t i think the ones on the south side like i’ve actually like stopped at yeah we’ve fished around those in the winter yeah quite a few times and i yeah like and i don’t think i’ve actually stopped at any of these mostly because every time i go through there they’re full of people yeah i don’t know i wouldn’t have really had plans to stop anyways but yeah this is one where you can definitely see it from a ways off whether or not there’s somebody there
[0:41:02 – 0:41:03] Erik: Right.
[0:41:03 – 0:41:11] Erik: Number five, the last campsite on the North Shore of Duncan before the stairway portage is very similar to the one just to the west.
[0:41:12 – 0:41:16] Erik: It offers an incredibly accessible landing in the form of another literal beach.
[0:41:17 – 0:41:23] Erik: The fire grid area is also perched over the lake, giving you that nice airy feeling while keeping the bugs down.
[0:41:23 – 0:41:32] Erik: There does not seem to be as much opportunity for tents or hammocks as compared to campsite number four, but it is still an above average site.
[0:41:32 – 0:41:43] Erik: Due to its proximity to Rose Falls and the stairway portage and the fact that it is located at a somewhat narrow part of the lake, you will see lots of canoe traffic here in the summer.
[0:41:43 – 0:41:45] Erik: Take it or leave it.
[0:41:45 – 0:41:46] Adam: Yeah, this would be a good spot for a quick trip.
[0:41:47 – 0:41:48] Erik: Yeah, two tent pads.
[0:41:49 – 0:41:50] Adam: Right off the exit ramp.
[0:41:51 – 0:41:52] Adam: Easy on, easy off.
[0:41:52 – 0:41:54] Erik: Yeah, this is like the La Quinta.
[0:41:54 – 0:41:55] Erik: Yeah.
[0:41:55 – 0:41:56] Erik: Right on the interstate in Wichita.
[0:41:57 – 0:42:00] Adam: They should have a billboard for this one on the portage coming in.
[0:42:00 – 0:42:01] Erik: Yeah, exactly.
[0:42:01 – 0:42:02] Adam: Step in.
[0:42:02 – 0:42:03] Adam: Yeah, just you quick in, quick out.
[0:42:03 – 0:42:05] Adam: Bacon double cheeseburgers, 99 cents.
[0:42:05 – 0:42:10] Erik: Get that Starbucks at the Starbucks slash gas station combo in the morning.
[0:42:10 – 0:42:10] Adam: Yeah.
[0:42:11 – 0:42:13] Erik: Landing A, fire grade B overall.
[0:42:13 – 0:42:15] Erik: B minus for some of those intangibles.
[0:42:16 – 0:42:17] Adam: Yeah, look at that view, though.
[0:42:17 – 0:42:17] Erik: Nice view.
[0:42:17 – 0:42:18] Erik: Very beautiful.
[0:42:18 – 0:42:25] Adam: Yeah, like I can see this like, okay, during the day, maybe you see a lot of people and some traffic there.
[0:42:25 – 0:42:29] Adam: But I think at night, this would be a really nice spot to be sitting with a fire going.
[0:42:30 – 0:42:31] Adam: Absolutely.
[0:42:31 – 0:42:31] Adam: For sure.
[0:42:33 – 0:42:34] Adam: Camp site six.
[0:42:35 – 0:42:43] Adam: There’s a long point that sticks out into the lake from the southwest corner of Duncan Lake, and at the tip of it is where you’ll find this nice, popular campsite.
[0:42:43 – 0:42:51] Adam: An amiable landing leads up to a hill to a nice, lofty, and well-protected fire-grade area and adjacent tent pads.
[0:42:51 – 0:42:53] Adam: There really isn’t anything wrong with this campsite.
[0:42:54 – 0:42:57] Adam: There just isn’t anything all that exceptional about it either.
[0:42:58 – 0:42:59] Adam: But you did get to fit in the word amiable.
[0:43:00 – 0:43:00] Adam: Well done.
[0:43:00 – 0:43:01] Adam: Yes.
[0:43:02 – 0:43:02] Adam: Yeah.
[0:43:02 – 0:43:05] Adam: And this would be a good spot for winter camping.
[0:43:05 – 0:43:06] Erik: Yeah, for sure.
[0:43:06 – 0:43:09] Adam: Really great steep drop-offs around this point.
[0:43:09 – 0:43:10] Adam: We have ice fish at this point.
[0:43:10 – 0:43:18] Adam: It goes from zero to 60 in a blink of a… Like Paul Walker.
[0:43:19 – 0:43:19] Adam: Yeah.
[0:43:19 – 0:43:20] Adam: No, it’s like a cliff.
[0:43:20 – 0:43:22] Adam: Basically, you’re just going straight down.
[0:43:22 – 0:43:22] Erik: Yeah.
[0:43:22 – 0:43:25] Adam: You can get any depth you want there, and you don’t have to go very far to get it.
[0:43:26 – 0:43:26] Erik: No.
[0:43:27 – 0:43:34] Adam: That would be a fun one to just set up a wall tent on, maybe throw a tip-up or two out there, and do a little jigging.
[0:43:34 – 0:43:35] Erik: Yeah.
[0:43:35 – 0:43:38] Erik: We’ve spent many, well, for sure, one afternoon.
[0:43:38 – 0:43:41] Adam: That one afternoon, actually, we really fished it hard, and I don’t think anybody caught anything there.
[0:43:41 – 0:43:42] Erik: A 12-tip-up setup.
[0:43:42 – 0:43:43] Erik: There was like seven or eight of us out there.
[0:43:43 – 0:43:44] Erik: A lot of tip-ups.
[0:43:44 – 0:43:44] Adam: We had a couple…
[0:43:45 – 0:43:46] Adam: Well, you know what the deal was.
[0:43:46 – 0:43:50] Adam: That dog, that dumb lab chewed up my football there.
[0:43:50 – 0:43:55] Erik: Yeah, that’s bad juju when the Packers football gets popped by a dumb lab.
[0:43:56 – 0:43:56] Adam: So it goes.
[0:43:56 – 0:43:57] Adam: So it goes.
[0:43:58 – 0:43:58] Erik: Take it or leave it.
[0:44:01 – 0:44:03] Erik: Have you done any grades on this one?
[0:44:04 – 0:44:05] Adam: Ten pads, two.
[0:44:05 – 0:44:06] Adam: Landing is a B.
[0:44:07 – 0:44:08] Adam: Fire grade is a B.
[0:44:08 – 0:44:13] Adam: And overall, it’s a B minus due to that lab.
[0:44:13 – 0:44:14] Adam: Due to that lab.
[0:44:15 – 0:44:17] Adam: Yeah, that’s a nice one.
[0:44:17 – 0:44:20] Erik: Campsite number seven, the last campsite.
[0:44:21 – 0:44:23] Erik: Pretty classic Boundary Waters campsite here.
[0:44:24 – 0:44:36] Erik: This is the closest campsite to the Portage Inn from West Bearskin, and it seems like it is heavily used because of it, though it should be said that it may just be from the fact that it is a very nice campsite that it seems to get a lot of use.
[0:44:37 – 0:44:42] Erik: Beautiful old-growth pines tower over this spacious site to call home in the woods for the night.
[0:44:43 – 0:45:04] Erik: a so-so landing access via a short climb to a huge campsite with endless hammock options and plenty of trees this feels like a classic bwca campsite yes it does big white pines a little bit up off the lake um yeah this is a go-to site for beautiful views to the north
[0:45:05 – 0:45:31] Erik: northern lights viewing tent pads for landing b minus really the only negative part of the the site is the landing is a little rocky but we were out there in october november so it was probably low water fire grid area solid a overall b plus so yeah i would say it’s between like campsite number seven campsite number four there’s a couple of nice sites out on duncan but yeah um you know it’s not like uh
[0:45:33 – 0:45:37] Erik: It’s not like a pine or even like a west pike, which are like…
[0:45:37 – 0:45:38] Erik: There ain’t no winchel.
[0:45:38 – 0:45:39] Erik: Definitely no winchel.
[0:45:42 – 0:45:43] Erik: Old man winchy.
[0:45:43 – 0:45:47] Adam: I think it just goes back to the weird shape of the lake.
[0:45:48 – 0:45:51] Adam: It just makes for weird campsites.
[0:45:52 – 0:45:53] Adam: It’s just odd.
[0:45:53 – 0:45:55] Adam: Something is odd about this lake.
[0:45:55 – 0:45:55] Erik: It is.
[0:45:55 – 0:46:02] Erik: It’s like you get that whole chain of long east to west oriented lakes.
[0:46:02 – 0:46:08] Erik: And then all of a sudden you just get like Rose and Duncan, which are just like bulbous kind of tentacly lakes.
[0:46:09 – 0:46:10] Erik: And they just start like right there.
[0:46:10 – 0:46:12] Erik: And then it goes back to like long east to west again.
[0:46:13 – 0:46:16] Erik: So it’s got to be like kind of a weird, just a hiccup in the intrusion.
[0:46:18 – 0:46:19] Adam: Or it’s the geologist’s wife.
[0:46:19 – 0:46:20] Adam: Not enough gravity.
[0:46:20 – 0:46:22] Erik: Not enough gravity.
[0:46:22 – 0:46:24] Adam: That’s what I’m going with.
[0:46:27 – 0:46:33] Erik: Well, should we move on to fishing before we share a couple of stories?
[0:46:33 – 0:46:36] Adam: Yeah, let’s get the fishing numbers up.
[0:46:37 – 0:46:49] Erik: So if you type in Duncan to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Lake Finder, it is the only lake in the state called Duncan, but there is a Duncan Pit somewhere in St. Louis County.
[0:46:49 – 0:46:50] Erik: Should we see what Duncan Pit has?
[0:46:50 – 0:46:50] Erik: Yeah.
[0:46:52 – 0:46:54] Erik: No information except for water levels.
[0:46:55 – 0:46:56] Adam: We don’t need to see that.
[0:46:56 – 0:46:58] Adam: We don’t need to see that.
[0:46:59 – 0:47:03] Adam: The little green book that I like to look at and talk about.
[0:47:03 – 0:47:04] Adam: What does it say about Duncan?
[0:47:04 – 0:47:05] Adam: Duncan.
[0:47:05 – 0:47:09] Adam: Lake Trout, Northern, Smallmouth, and Cisco.
[0:47:10 – 0:47:11] Adam: I don’t know about the Northern.
[0:47:12 – 0:47:16] Adam: And then Axis, BWCA, One Portage Off West Bearskin Lake.
[0:47:16 – 0:47:17] Adam: This is incorrect.
[0:47:17 – 0:47:17] Adam: This is incorrect.
[0:47:18 – 0:47:20] Adam: Facilities, camping, correct.
[0:47:21 – 0:47:26] Adam: Special remarks, mostly small lake trout with a few large ones.
[0:47:27 – 0:47:32] Adam: Yeah, I have seen a picture or two of a large lake trout that has come out of Duncan.
[0:47:32 – 0:47:41] Adam: There’s a couple of sunken reefs out in the middle that if you are able to locate them in the middle of winter, I assume you’d be able to do pretty well out there.
[0:47:41 – 0:47:42] Adam: Hard to find those, though.
[0:47:42 – 0:47:49] Adam: You have to kind of go out and find them in the liquid season and then GPS dot them and then come back.
[0:47:49 – 0:47:51] Adam: That would be the way to do that.
[0:47:51 – 0:47:53] Adam: Some really nice reefs in there, too.
[0:47:54 – 0:47:57] Adam: I’ve definitely seen some decent lake trout coming out of there.
[0:47:57 – 0:48:00] Adam: The ones I’ve caught out of Duncan have been mostly small.
[0:48:01 – 0:48:06] Adam: I have not heard anything about northern coming out of there, but I suppose there’s probably some northern in there.
[0:48:08 – 0:48:29] Erik: um overall it’s um i think it gets fished quite hard due to the amount of people in it yes so year-round really easy to get to almost any time of the year yeah i think it gets hit a lot in the summer obviously but then in the winter as well it’s the the accessibility is is almost as easy as any other besides maybe clear water um
[0:48:29 – 0:48:31] Erik: So the area, it is a 476.95 acre lake.
[0:48:31 – 0:48:32] Erik: The littoral area, 148.
[0:48:32 – 0:48:35] Erik: So it’s a pretty steep drop off, I would say.
[0:48:35 – 0:48:36] Erik: Maximum depth, 130 feet.
[0:48:47 – 0:48:52] Erik: Species, when they list these on the DNR website, I think it means that at one point in time.
[0:48:52 – 0:48:54] Erik: Historical species data.
[0:48:54 – 0:48:55] Erik: They were found.
[0:48:55 – 0:48:56] Erik: Maybe not anymore.
[0:48:57 – 0:49:00] Erik: Because you can see there’s some lakes up here where it’ll be like coho.
[0:49:00 – 0:49:00] Erik: Yeah.
[0:49:00 – 0:49:05] Erik: Like there’s no, when’s the last time there’s been a steelhead in some of these lakes up here.
[0:49:06 – 0:49:13] Erik: And it lists bluegill, cisco, green sunfish, lake trout, northern pike, smallies, tulipy, walleye, yellow perch, and sucker.
[0:49:13 – 0:49:15] Erik: That’s all loaded.
[0:49:15 – 0:49:24] Erik: But I think if you look at the actual survey, you are looking at cisco, green sunfish, lake trout, smallmouth bass, and white sucker.
[0:49:25 – 0:49:26] Adam: I like that.
[0:49:26 – 0:49:27] Adam: They just say green sunfish.
[0:49:27 – 0:49:30] Adam: I thought it was green-eared sunfish.
[0:49:31 – 0:49:31] Erik: I don’t know.
[0:49:33 – 0:49:56] Adam: ser green ear ser green ear so yeah pretty solid numbers some decent cisco in there 123 cisco between 12 and 14 inches taken and a couple over 15 this is some nice cisco this is some nice cisco i want to just file that one away for uh your fishing uh attempts later
[0:49:57 – 0:50:11] Erik: perhaps uh trolling a jumbo x-rap in a purplish color might be a hot hot ticket i like that duncan lake is considered a native lake trout lake although it was stocked on numerous occasions up until 1988
[0:50:12 – 0:50:21] Erik: Something about native lake trout lakes, just even if you get skunked, just feels better to be fishing them.
[0:50:21 – 0:50:21] Erik: Yeah.
[0:50:21 – 0:50:25] Erik: It’s like Mountain, Clearwater, West Pike, native lake trout lakes.
[0:50:27 – 0:50:30] Erik: And this is a very recent, maybe the most recent survey, 2018.
[0:50:31 – 0:50:32] Erik: This is from last year.
[0:50:32 – 0:50:34] Erik: Yeah.
[0:50:34 – 0:50:36] Erik: The survey was the first of two scheduled surveys.
[0:50:38 – 0:50:45] Erik: And the 2015 lake management plan to monitor the status of the lake population.
[0:50:45 – 0:50:53] Erik: The current long-range goal for the lake is to maintain a lake trout population with a minimum gill net catch of one per set.
[0:50:54 – 0:50:58] Erik: Which I think they are… You did it, boys!
[0:50:58 – 0:51:04] Erik: They’re at well over in the shallow net and a little over in the deep gill net set.
[0:51:04 – 0:51:05] Erik: So…
[0:51:08 – 0:51:15] Erik: Yeah, past surveys results from Duncan have generally indicated moderate lake trout abundance compared to similar lakes in the Grand Marais area.
[0:51:15 – 0:51:23] Erik: Results from the 2018 survey confirm a healthy, self-sustained lake trout population remained present in Duncan Lake.
[0:51:24 – 0:51:31] Erik: The combined gill net catch was the highest observed to date for the lake, slightly above the median catch rate for this class of lake.
[0:51:32 – 0:51:38] Erik: The mean weight of lake trout sampled in 2018 was also slightly above average compared to other lakes.
[0:51:39 – 0:51:43] Erik: It was similar to past results from the lake, but fell short of the long-term size goal.
[0:51:44 – 0:51:52] Erik: So, yeah, I mean, generally it seems like things are just happening the way that they probably always have.
[0:51:53 – 0:52:01] Erik: Persistence of healthy lake population within a lake requires pristine water quality and abundantly cold, well-oxygenated habitat.
[0:52:02 – 0:52:03] Erik: It seems like that is continuing.
[0:52:05 – 0:52:06] Adam: Yeah, no problem there.
[0:52:07 – 0:52:17] Adam: It’s interesting that they talk about the cisco were abundant as well and kind of competing with the trout, which may have limited the growth.
[0:52:19 – 0:52:25] Adam: It says here that, as observed, this can result in occasional trophy-sized fish, however.
[0:52:25 – 0:52:25] Adam: Yes.
[0:52:25 – 0:52:28] Adam: Because once they get big enough, then they have those cisco to snack on.
[0:52:29 – 0:52:29] Erik: Yeah.
[0:52:29 – 0:52:32] Adam: What was the biggest trout they pulled out in the survey?
[0:52:32 – 0:52:33] Adam: I was looking at the cisco numbers.
[0:52:34 – 0:52:37] Erik: One from 35 to 39.
[0:52:37 – 0:52:38] Erik: Dang.
[0:52:38 – 0:52:38] Erik: Yeah.
[0:52:38 – 0:53:02] Adam: No, back in the day, I saw a picture of a really nice lake trout, and I won’t say any more, but then I later found out through just a little sleuthing and asking around, and I was pretty certain the picture was taken on Duncan, and other people then later confirmed that, so…
[0:53:03 – 0:53:08] Adam: Certainly, and this only backs that up even more, 35-inch lake trout.
[0:53:08 – 0:53:09] Adam: Can you imagine?
[0:53:10 – 0:53:13] Erik: That’s close to the one that’s hanging above the fireplace in Clearwater Lodge.
[0:53:13 – 0:53:13] Erik: That’s crazy.
[0:53:14 – 0:53:15] Erik: It’s a massive fish.
[0:53:15 – 0:53:15] Erik: Yeah.
[0:53:15 – 0:53:17] Adam: I don’t even want to catch one that big.
[0:53:17 – 0:53:18] Adam: And one between 30 and 34.
[0:53:20 – 0:53:24] Adam: No, there’s some jumbos in there, and I’m sure they’re few and far between.
[0:53:25 – 0:53:31] Adam: It’s just one of those things that’s kind of neat to think about when you’re paddling around on a lake.
[0:53:31 – 0:53:33] Adam: It’s a class one lake for a reason, Eric.
[0:53:33 – 0:53:33] Erik: Yes.
[0:53:34 – 0:53:36] Erik: Ecological class one.
[0:53:38 – 0:53:38] Erik: So…
[0:53:40 – 0:53:53] Erik: I mean, maybe because we haven’t camped out there, it doesn’t have that attachment, association in my mind, but I love that it’s a… Maybe this would be a good winter camping destination.
[0:53:54 – 0:53:54] Erik: Sure.
[0:53:54 – 0:53:55] Adam: There’s a lot of lake trout.
[0:53:56 – 0:53:56] Adam: Yeah.
[0:53:57 – 0:54:02] Adam: And when you go out in the winter, you could basically just take one of the two on the south side.
[0:54:02 – 0:54:05] Adam: They would both be fine for winter camping, easy enough to get to.
[0:54:05 – 0:54:07] Erik: We definitely need to get the wall tent out this winter.
[0:54:07 – 0:54:08] Adam: Yeah, we do.
[0:54:08 – 0:54:10] Adam: And this would be, I think, a good target.
[0:54:11 – 0:54:16] Adam: Do a little bit of fishing and just relax and read some Cormac McCarthy.
[0:54:16 – 0:54:17] Erik: Poor conditions last year.
[0:54:17 – 0:54:19] Erik: It was so slushy to try to get a wall tent out there.
[0:54:19 – 0:54:20] Adam: I want to read Sutri.
[0:54:23 – 0:54:50] Adam: cormac i was reading uh i was just reading a post on no country and then somebody said well you know it’s no blood meridian and then there’s a little back and forth on that and then somebody chimed in they’re like yeah but if you like those sutri sutri it’s the finest cormac of them all which is uh high praise yeah so i don’t know my interest has peaked i’ve not read sutri and maybe we should uh save it get a copy and go winter camping out here
[0:54:50 – 0:54:51] Erik: For sure.
[0:54:51 – 0:54:57] Erik: Yeah, no, it’s, I’ve had a lot of experiences out there, but never one overnight.
[0:54:57 – 0:54:58] Erik: Maybe that should be the goal this winter.
[0:54:58 – 0:55:01] Adam: Yeah, I’ve never stayed, and if we’re going to, I would rather do it in winter.
[0:55:01 – 0:55:01] Adam: Yeah.
[0:55:01 – 0:55:04] Adam: When we can actually, you know, really access those lake trout.
[0:55:05 – 0:55:07] Erik: Yeah, maybe, you know, do that day trip up to Partridge.
[0:55:07 – 0:55:08] Erik: Yeah.
[0:55:08 – 0:55:13] Erik: Or even down to Rose, so it’s not such a trek, depending on if you can, I mean.
[0:55:13 – 0:55:17] Adam: Yeah, I mean, that would be a pretty reasonable spot, because, you know, just getting across West Bearskin.
[0:55:17 – 0:55:19] Adam: there’s going to be some snowmobile tracks.
[0:55:20 – 0:55:24] Adam: Usually you’ll find some sort of snowmobile track going right to the entry point, and then they park them there.
[0:55:25 – 0:55:34] Adam: So you can easy pull them on the old snowmobile track, and then, well, one easy portage, and then kind of tough it out down to that first campsite and set up.
[0:55:34 – 0:55:41] Erik: Yeah, going on a day that’s a little bit off when most people are going in, I don’t know.
[0:55:41 – 0:55:45] Erik: I imagine that going on a weekday or whatever, those are probably going to be pretty cool campsites.
[0:55:45 – 0:55:46] Adam: I mean, I’ve been in there a lot in the winter, and…
[0:55:47 – 0:55:49] Adam: We’ve seen some evidence of winter camping.
[0:55:49 – 0:55:56] Adam: I don’t know if I’ve actually seen anybody set up, but I remember that a few times we’ve been fishing near one of the campsites.
[0:55:56 – 0:56:03] Adam: It sure looked like somebody had been winter camping there, but I would think that’d be a fun way to access and finally spend a night there.
[0:56:03 – 0:56:04] Adam: Finally spend the night.
[0:56:04 – 0:56:09] Erik: I was thinking we could maybe make it through uninterrupted.
[0:56:10 – 0:56:10] Erik: Yes.
[0:56:10 – 0:56:19] Erik: The whole episode uninterrupted, but my teeth are floating and I have to make a break when we’re going to come back and just finish up with a couple.
[0:56:19 – 0:56:24] Erik: I just want to talk about a couple of memories I have from Duncan and then maybe tease.
[0:56:25 – 0:56:26] Erik: I don’t have any memories.
[0:56:27 – 0:56:28] Adam: I just have nightmares.
[0:56:28 – 0:56:28] Erik: Just nightmares.
[0:56:28 – 0:56:29] Erik: I’m just kidding around.
[0:56:32 – 0:56:37] Erik: So my first ever experience with the Boundary Waters
[0:56:39 – 0:57:01] Erik: overnight camping i should say let me clarify that i think i’ve told the story before about going out with my dad and the day trip yeah yeah and how i hated it but my first overnight trip ever with friends we started at uh west bearskin portaged into duncan and it was very similar to the weather that we have been experiencing the end of august here cold
[0:57:02 – 0:57:04] Erik: Windy rain.
[0:57:04 – 0:57:05] Erik: Driving rain.
[0:57:06 – 0:57:07] Erik: Not what you would expect.
[0:57:07 – 0:57:10] Erik: You just think, like, in high school, like, we’re just going to go up to the bodge wardens.
[0:57:10 – 0:57:11] Erik: It’s August.
[0:57:11 – 0:57:12] Erik: It’s probably going to be sunny and 80.
[0:57:13 – 0:57:17] Erik: And you get up here, and you’re just an ill-prepared youth.
[0:57:17 – 0:57:18] Erik: Wearing jeans.
[0:57:18 – 0:57:19] Erik: Wearing jeans.
[0:57:19 – 0:57:20] Erik: Sneakers.
[0:57:21 – 0:57:25] Erik: Six packs of 20 ounce Coke bottles like zip tied to our packs.
[0:57:26 – 0:57:27] Erik: Breaking all the rules.
[0:57:28 – 0:57:32] Erik: Literally like a Duluth pack filled with one tent.
[0:57:33 – 0:57:35] Erik: Like a three room state park style.
[0:57:36 – 0:57:37] Adam: They call that a condominium.
[0:57:37 – 0:57:38] Erik: Yeah.
[0:57:38 – 0:57:39] Erik: No thermo rests.
[0:57:39 – 0:57:48] Erik: I remember the look on this guy’s face when he saw us coming across the portage from West Berskin to Duncan in the wind that we were about to be paddling into.
[0:57:48 – 0:57:52] Erik: And he’s just like, we all had like those backpacking style backpacks.
[0:57:52 – 0:57:52] Adam: Yes.
[0:57:53 – 0:57:55] Adam: Not set up to be out there doing what we were doing.
[0:57:57 – 0:58:01] Erik: So my first experience with Duncan is literally my first overnight camping experience.
[0:58:01 – 0:58:10] Erik: So there is something there that does elevate it in terms of the memories I have of the lake.
[0:58:10 – 0:58:14] Erik: And we ended up portaging into Rose and having a camp on the Canadian side.
[0:58:14 – 0:58:18] Erik: I think I just told this story on the campsite episode we had a few weeks ago, but…
[0:58:19 – 0:58:29] Erik: Just that getting down to the landing on Duncan for the first time ever and just being like, it was just blowing across the lake, hard northwest wind, like 50 degrees.
[0:58:30 – 0:58:33] Erik: And we were all just like, it’s August.
[0:58:33 – 0:58:37] Erik: I thought this was going to be like a footloose and fancy experience.
[0:58:37 – 0:58:40] Adam: I thought we were going to be playing beach volleyball at some point.
[0:58:40 – 0:58:43] Adam: Why did we pack in a bag of apples?
[0:58:44 – 0:58:44] Adam: Wow.
[0:58:44 – 0:58:44] Adam: Yeah.
[0:58:45 – 0:58:46] Adam: That’s all I used to bring.
[0:58:46 – 0:58:49] Adam: Bag of apples, oil, and breading.
[0:58:50 – 0:58:51] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[0:58:52 – 0:58:52] SPEAKER_02: Oh, boy.
[0:58:53 – 0:58:54] Adam: Nothing but apples and fish.
[0:58:54 – 0:58:55] Adam: Yep.
[0:58:55 – 0:58:55] Adam: You’re going to like it.
[0:58:56 – 0:59:06] Erik: And then the other story that I always think of when I think of West Bearskin is the time that me and Tori drove up here when you were on the trail and I was not.
[0:59:07 – 0:59:13] Erik: And we walked out and met you and you were fishing off of that campsite number seven, the one just south of the portage.
[0:59:13 – 0:59:13] Erik: Yeah.
[0:59:14 – 0:59:16] Erik: And it was the polar vortex winter.
[0:59:16 – 0:59:18] Adam: Is that the, yeah, the winter we could barely like.
[0:59:18 – 0:59:19] Adam: You couldn’t even like.
[0:59:19 – 0:59:22] Adam: The hand auger like barely would go through.
[0:59:22 – 0:59:23] Adam: That was the most ice I’ve ever seen.
[0:59:23 – 0:59:24] Adam: Yeah.
[0:59:24 – 0:59:26] Adam: That was the most ice I’ve ever seen.
[0:59:26 – 0:59:27] Adam: It was over three foot.
[0:59:27 – 0:59:30] Erik: Yeah, we got out there and we didn’t even drill another hole.
[0:59:30 – 0:59:31] Erik: We just watched the one.
[0:59:31 – 0:59:37] Adam: And it was in like, somehow it was like, you know, three feet of ice and then three feet of water underneath it.
[0:59:37 – 0:59:40] Adam: And I thought it was going to be way deeper, but it wasn’t.
[0:59:40 – 0:59:43] Adam: So we just sat there and jigged in three feet of water.
[0:59:44 – 0:59:44] Erik: Yeah, we trudged.
[0:59:44 – 0:59:46] Erik: It was like deep snow too.
[0:59:46 – 0:59:49] Erik: We had snowshoes, but it was like super drifted up on that side.
[0:59:49 – 0:59:52] Erik: And we just like trudged in and got to it.
[0:59:53 – 0:59:57] Erik: You had like a little campfire going that was like kind of like barely giving off heat.
[0:59:57 – 0:59:59] Erik: Not because of a bad fire or anything.
[0:59:59 – 1:00:00] Erik: It was just that cold.
[1:00:00 – 1:00:01] Erik: It was so cold.
[1:00:01 – 1:00:03] Erik: And we were like, do you want to drill another hole?
[1:00:03 – 1:00:04] Erik: It was like.
[1:00:04 – 1:00:05] Erik: I can’t.
[1:00:05 – 1:00:05] Erik: I can’t.
[1:00:06 – 1:00:19] Adam: literally the first one I was like laying on the ice at the end like it was down to the handle if it had been one more inch of ice it wouldn’t have even gone through I had to go get some sort of like stabber stab your way through so yeah
[1:00:22 – 1:00:24] Adam: A spud bar, that’s what I’m thinking of, which I didn’t have.
[1:00:24 – 1:00:25] Erik: Oh, yeah.
[1:00:25 – 1:00:34] Erik: We used to use those when I used to guide the dog sledding trips, and they had the beveled chisel tip, super heavy.
[1:00:35 – 1:00:40] Adam: I think we legit measured it, and it was like 37 inches of ice.
[1:00:41 – 1:00:41] Erik: Yeah, that’s for sure.
[1:00:41 – 1:00:42] Adam: With a hand auger.
[1:00:43 – 1:00:44] Adam: That wasn’t even sharp.
[1:00:44 – 1:00:44] Adam: That’s crazy.
[1:00:45 – 1:00:46] Adam: It was a dull hand auger.
[1:00:46 – 1:00:46] Adam: Yeah.
[1:00:47 – 1:00:50] Adam: Maybe that’s why I don’t like Duncan Lake as much as I should.
[1:00:50 – 1:00:54] Adam: That memory has been buried deep, deep down.
[1:00:54 – 1:00:54] Adam: Yeah.
[1:00:55 – 1:00:57] Adam: No fish caught that day.
[1:00:57 – 1:01:05] Erik: Yeah, no, we should definitely put together, because I’ve gotten some people stopping in at Clearwater that are like, when are you guys getting out in the field again?
[1:01:05 – 1:01:06] Erik: And it’s like, I don’t know.
[1:01:06 – 1:01:11] Adam: Yeah, I mean, it seems like it’s an impossible task at this point right now.
[1:01:11 – 1:01:14] Erik: It was like every week for six weeks straight, and now it’s just like, well.
[1:01:14 – 1:01:17] Adam: I got buddies who are out on the Namakagan River right now.
[1:01:17 – 1:01:21] Adam: I was trying to make that trip work, and there’s just no way that’s going to happen around Labor Day.
[1:01:22 – 1:01:26] Adam: And I don’t know, it just seems impossible right now, the idea of getting out.
[1:01:27 – 1:01:29] Erik: No, the only thing is a guided trip that I’m on.
[1:01:30 – 1:01:33] Erik: That’s really not much of an opportunity for a field recording.
[1:01:34 – 1:01:47] Erik: And then the only other thing that maybe could happen is in October, I want to try and get out just by myself so that we can do the solo episode and maybe do like a either pre…
[1:01:49 – 1:01:50] Erik: like before I do that.
[1:01:50 – 1:01:51] Erik: And then like an after.
[1:01:51 – 1:01:52] Erik: I think that’d be interesting.
[1:01:53 – 1:02:00] Erik: Based on like, cause there’s things that I can, I’m sure like think of like what it would be like, uh, things that I would do differently.
[1:02:00 – 1:02:07] Erik: And then actually like after I do it, some of my thoughts on what solo camping is actually like once you’re out there.
[1:02:07 – 1:02:07] Erik: Yeah.
[1:02:09 – 1:02:16] Erik: Cause I know that we’ve had people in our lives mentioned like, I was looking through your library and there’s nothing in solo camping.
[1:02:16 – 1:02:18] Erik: It’s probably because I’ve never done it.
[1:02:18 – 1:02:18] Adam: So,
[1:02:19 – 1:02:22] Erik: That would be the only time that, but that’s not us together.
[1:02:22 – 1:02:32] Erik: So we should definitely try to pencil in some winter field recordings, which we really only had a couple of those last year and they weren’t overnight stuff.
[1:02:32 – 1:02:35] Erik: We literally set up the wall tent next to cabin seven.
[1:02:35 – 1:02:38] Adam: No, I think if we could get to Duncan early ice.
[1:02:38 – 1:02:39] Adam: That’d be fun.
[1:02:39 – 1:02:40] Adam: Like get out at, you know.
[1:02:41 – 1:02:42] Adam: Right when the lake trout season opens.
[1:02:42 – 1:02:48] Adam: Right when the lake trout season opens, beginning of January, you’d still have, it’s relatively early ice then.
[1:02:48 – 1:02:55] Adam: I imagine there’s going to be a lot of traffic out there for lake or opener, but that would open like the first Saturday of January.
[1:02:56 – 1:02:56] Erik: Yeah.
[1:02:56 – 1:02:57] Adam: I don’t know.
[1:02:57 – 1:02:58] Adam: That’s just a guess.
[1:02:58 – 1:03:03] Adam: It’s probably the first Saturday of January that the BWCA lakes open.
[1:03:03 – 1:03:03] Erik: Yeah.
[1:03:03 – 1:03:06] Adam: I’m sure we’d see a lot of people out there during the day, but I don’t know.
[1:03:06 – 1:03:10] Adam: I can’t imagine there’s going to be a ton of competition for overnight camping.
[1:03:11 – 1:03:12] Adam: So that would be a fun time.
[1:03:12 – 1:03:15] Erik: Like Thursday or Friday and just set up the camp.
[1:03:15 – 1:03:16] Adam: I think we could make this work.
[1:03:16 – 1:03:16] Adam: Yeah.
[1:03:16 – 1:03:18] Adam: But I don’t know.
[1:03:19 – 1:03:24] Adam: I’m still in the labor day, like insanity of labor day mindset right now.
[1:03:24 – 1:03:29] Adam: Like I’m sure if I just get a weekend away from that, then maybe it’ll seem more possible.
[1:03:29 – 1:03:43] Erik: Yeah, I don’t know if you can hear it coming across the mics, but usually like I’ve just always heard from like people who are on like the radio or just from listening to podcasts.
[1:03:43 – 1:03:50] Erik: It’s like you should be yourself plus 10% when you’re in front of a mic.
[1:03:50 – 1:03:52] Erik: I think we’ve been like maybe plus 5%.
[1:03:53 – 1:03:56] Adam: Yeah, I don’t know if I’m giving more than 5% extra right now.
[1:03:56 – 1:03:58] Adam: I’m not entirely myself either.
[1:03:58 – 1:04:02] Adam: Definitely not feeling the best right now.
[1:04:02 – 1:04:03] Adam: Yeah, I don’t know.
[1:04:03 – 1:04:04] Adam: This is the way it is.
[1:04:04 – 1:04:06] Erik: I mean, we put it out there.
[1:04:06 – 1:04:07] Erik: I’m fine with it.
[1:04:07 – 1:04:08] Erik: I’m going to be happy with it.
[1:04:08 – 1:04:13] Erik: But yeah, I think I’m kind of dragging myself.
[1:04:13 – 1:04:19] Adam: Every episode doesn’t have to be yelling and cackling and modified sound drops.
[1:04:20 – 1:04:22] Adam: Me singing, that’s fine.
[1:04:22 – 1:04:22] Erik: Right.
[1:04:22 – 1:04:22] Erik: Yeah.
[1:04:22 – 1:04:25] Erik: No, we didn’t have any loon themes.
[1:04:25 – 1:04:28] Erik: It’s just been a pretty straightforward throwback.
[1:04:28 – 1:04:31] Adam: This is a throwback to like early season one style episode.
[1:04:31 – 1:04:32] Adam: Yeah.
[1:04:32 – 1:04:33] Adam: Trying to be real professional.
[1:04:34 – 1:04:37] Adam: Except for it’s just because I have a sinus infection or something.
[1:04:37 – 1:04:37] Adam: Yeah.
[1:04:37 – 1:04:45] Erik: So if you’ve really liked this episode, hope for Adam to be sick and Eric to be burnt out more often in the future.
[1:04:46 – 1:04:50] Erik: So I don’t even know if we’re going to do a tumble home after hours episode.
[1:04:51 – 1:04:52] Adam: Oh, yeah.
[1:04:52 – 1:04:53] Adam: We’ll do a bonus episode after this.
[1:04:53 – 1:04:54] Adam: Oh, okay.
[1:04:54 – 1:04:55] Adam: For the friends.
[1:04:56 – 1:04:56] Adam: All right.
[1:04:56 – 1:04:57] Adam: At least a short one.
[1:04:57 – 1:05:01] Adam: I don’t know if I have any, like, solid stories about Duncan itself.
[1:05:01 – 1:05:04] Adam: I’ve caught a few small fish there, open water, ice fishing.
[1:05:05 – 1:05:11] Adam: I’ve seen some nice fish caught personally, and then I’ve suspected much nicer fish.
[1:05:12 – 1:05:12] Adam: Yeah.
[1:05:14 – 1:05:14] Adam: I don’t know.
[1:05:14 – 1:05:20] Adam: You know, for me, when I think of Duncan Lake, I think of Rose Falls and the big overlooks around Rose Falls.
[1:05:20 – 1:05:23] Adam: It’s just a means to get to Rose Falls.
[1:05:24 – 1:05:28] Adam: And there’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s kind of cheating Duncan Lake itself.
[1:05:28 – 1:05:29] Erik: Yeah.
[1:05:29 – 1:05:30] Erik: I mean, yeah.
[1:05:31 – 1:05:41] Adam: The other fun thing about Duncan Lake is the Caribou Rock Trail, which is a lot of cool views of Duncan Lake when you’re tackling that beast of a trail.
[1:05:41 – 1:05:41] Adam: Yeah.
[1:05:42 – 1:05:43] Erik: It is a beast of a trail.
[1:05:43 – 1:05:48] Adam: So that’s a fun hike to, uh, done, but that’s been a long time out now too.
[1:05:49 – 1:05:49] Erik: Yeah.
[1:05:49 – 1:05:58] Adam: You know, you’ve told your story about, um, kind of losing that trail after some trees were down and having to basically swim out for help.
[1:05:58 – 1:05:58] Erik: Yeah.
[1:05:59 – 1:06:00] Erik: I was right about to start swimming.
[1:06:00 – 1:06:07] Erik: And then the same couple that was involved in the help on the night that those trees came down on those guys also rescued me.
[1:06:08 – 1:06:10] Erik: Like they’re just like guardian angels out on Duncan.
[1:06:10 – 1:06:10] Erik: Yeah.
[1:06:11 – 1:06:11] Erik: But, uh,
[1:06:12 – 1:06:13] Erik: Yeah, the Caribou Rock Trail.
[1:06:13 – 1:06:30] Erik: I think this winter we’re definitely doing a hiking trail episode, if not like a whole Bonjewaters, but at the very least like a Gunflint Trail hiking because there are a number of awesome day hikes slash overnight options on the Gunflint side.
[1:06:30 – 1:06:39] Erik: I don’t know if I would have much to say beyond that, so it wouldn’t be a full extensive Bonjewaters hiking option, but the proximity of Duncan and the Caribou Rock Trail –
[1:06:40 – 1:06:44] Erik: Yeah, it’s a banger of a trail for sure.
[1:06:44 – 1:06:51] Erik: It’s one of those days where it’s super windy and you want to still go out to Rose Falls, you can walk there on the Caribou Rock Trail.
[1:06:51 – 1:06:56] Erik: It’s a long, I would say close to eight miles round trip and lots of climbs, lots of drops, but…
[1:06:57 – 1:07:04] Adam: I think one of the coolest hikes I’ve done was just hiking the ice out to Rose Falls in the winter.
[1:07:05 – 1:07:06] Adam: Yeah, we’ve done that a couple of times.
[1:07:06 – 1:07:07] Adam: That’s pretty cool.
[1:07:07 – 1:07:09] Adam: And then we’ve also like gone just to Rose and fished.
[1:07:10 – 1:07:16] Adam: But like doing the stairway portage in the winter is a lot of fun slash mildly dangerous.
[1:07:16 – 1:07:18] Erik: Mildly dangerous going down too.
[1:07:18 – 1:07:19] Adam: You can definitely sled there.
[1:07:19 – 1:07:24] Erik: You can sled if you’re willing to shoot into a field of alders.
[1:07:24 – 1:07:30] Adam: But I don’t know, just seeing the falls frozen in time like that and you can still hear it and kind of feel the water moving underneath the ice.
[1:07:30 – 1:07:31] Adam: That’s always neat.
[1:07:32 – 1:07:38] Adam: And yeah, there was one time we were out fishing rows and then we’re coming back like kind of late.
[1:07:38 – 1:07:39] Erik: I mean, it’s just me and you.
[1:07:40 – 1:07:41] Adam: Yeah.
[1:07:41 – 1:07:42] Adam: And, or it was Ed with us.
[1:07:43 – 1:08:05] Erik: no the one that i remember coming back late was just me and you we were also out there one time with like tori your sister and her friends yeah there’s been a couple times where i’ve been like coming back where we stayed till like dark on rose and then walked duncan back in the dark on the ice yeah those have been pretty memorable i just remember a couple hikes i remember the one with you for sure was like close to pretty much pitch black with stars and
[1:08:05 – 1:08:05] Erik: Yeah.
[1:08:05 – 1:08:18] Erik: You were kind of navigating by like the kind of hint of moonlight slash starlight, but then also like some distant like headlamps, which you just assumed were on those campsites.
[1:08:18 – 1:08:18] Erik: Yeah.
[1:08:19 – 1:08:21] Erik: And then finding the bearskin portage.
[1:08:21 – 1:08:21] Erik: Yeah.
[1:08:21 – 1:08:28] Erik: I remember one time with you, we were on the most of Duncan and bearskin and like pretty much pitch black.
[1:08:28 – 1:08:34] Adam: There’s a pretty well-traveled winter trail up to Rose Falls that you can kind of find your way.
[1:08:35 – 1:08:39] Adam: I believe Minotian does a lot of snowshoes up there or whatever.
[1:08:39 – 1:08:42] Adam: So there’s a pretty good winter highway kind of built into it.
[1:08:43 – 1:08:43] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[1:08:44 – 1:08:44] Adam: I don’t know.
[1:08:44 – 1:08:52] Adam: There’s just something neat about, um, trusting yourself and like staying out late to fish and then like heading back in the night on, on the ice.
[1:08:52 – 1:08:53] Erik: Yeah.
[1:08:53 – 1:08:55] Erik: We’ve done that in a number of times at the night return.
[1:08:55 – 1:08:57] Erik: We did that on a caribou few years back.
[1:08:58 – 1:08:58] Erik: Yeah.
[1:08:58 – 1:09:02] Erik: Me, you and Tori were out there on the first point on caribou, walked back in the dark.
[1:09:02 – 1:09:03] Adam: Yeah, that’s always fun.
[1:09:04 – 1:09:09] Adam: I don’t know, the ground is bright, so you can pretty much, you don’t really need a headlamp.
[1:09:10 – 1:09:10] Adam: Yeah.
[1:09:11 – 1:09:12] Adam: It’s kind of a neat thing to do.
[1:09:12 – 1:09:13] Adam: Yeah.
[1:09:13 – 1:09:19] Adam: I don’t know, one of my first trips ever was, you know, my first time up here was with a
[1:09:19 – 1:09:46] Adam: my dad and we camped on daniel’s super easy and then we did like a day trip to rose falls classic first trip yeah you know one of my first trips and certainly his first trip in the boundary waters uh we uh made it up there no problem but yeah like coming back it got a little choppy and weird and not very experienced in the canoe and just trying to like fight to get back to the landing because like there’s waves coming from multiple directions at you but uh
[1:09:47 – 1:09:49] Adam: Yeah, it’s an odd lake.
[1:09:49 – 1:09:52] Adam: I’ve spent a lot of time on Duncan but never stayed there.
[1:09:52 – 1:09:53] Adam: Yeah.
[1:09:53 – 1:09:54] Adam: So I think we need to remedy this.
[1:09:54 – 1:09:55] Adam: Change that up.
[1:09:55 – 1:09:55] Adam: I think we do.
[1:09:56 – 1:10:01] Erik: Let’s change that up and let’s get out of here.
[1:10:01 – 1:10:02] Erik: Let’s go to bed.
[1:10:02 – 1:10:04] Adam: Yeah, I got to go take a nap.
[1:10:06 – 1:10:07] Adam: Good night.
[1:10:07 – 1:10:17] Adam: This has been Tumble Home with Arrow the Dog in Studio K. My name is Adam, and my good friend Eric is here.
[1:10:18 – 1:10:19] Adam: Thank you for joining us.
[1:10:19 – 1:10:23] Adam: Thank you, Eric, for stopping by the studio and bringing me these fine beers.
[1:10:23 – 1:10:31] Adam: Thank you for our good friend Matthew for donating these Hopewell Outside Voice.
[1:10:32 – 1:10:34] Adam: We’ve been using our inside voices this entire episode, though.
[1:10:34 – 1:10:35] Adam: We really have been.
[1:10:36 – 1:10:39] Adam: Well, you know, can’t be excitable all the time.
[1:10:39 – 1:10:39] Adam: No.
[1:10:41 – 1:10:47] Adam: Um, and, uh, thank you also to our friends on Patreon and, uh,
[1:10:49 – 1:10:51] Adam: What episode has this been now, Eric?
[1:10:51 – 1:10:52] Adam: This is 70.
[1:10:52 – 1:10:54] Adam: Episode 070.
[1:10:54 – 1:10:55] Erik: Yeah.
[1:10:55 – 1:11:00] Erik: I think we joked about making jokes about episode 069, and then we never did.
[1:11:01 – 1:11:04] Erik: True gentlemen and professionals.
[1:11:04 – 1:11:04] Erik: Yeah.
[1:11:05 – 1:11:05] Erik: Just a number.
[1:11:06 – 1:11:07] Erik: Nothing more.
[1:11:08 – 1:11:09] Adam: So, wow, 70 episodes in.
[1:11:09 – 1:11:10] Adam: 70.
[1:11:10 – 1:11:12] Adam: That’s 70 different beers we’ve tried.
[1:11:12 – 1:11:14] Adam: Yeah.
[1:11:14 – 1:11:14] Adam: At least.
[1:11:15 – 1:11:15] Adam: Yeah.
[1:11:15 – 1:11:15] Adam: Pretty neat.
[1:11:16 – 1:11:22] Erik: Somebody I thought I saw a while back commented on an episode.
[1:11:22 – 1:11:24] Erik: Boy, I can’t keep it all straight anymore.
[1:11:24 – 1:11:29] Erik: They were like, you’ve been sponsored by four different Surleys and not one of them has been Todd the Axeman.
[1:11:31 – 1:11:31] Adam: True.
[1:11:32 – 1:11:35] Erik: Maybe somebody should donate us some Todd the Axeman.
[1:11:35 – 1:11:37] Adam: I haven’t seen it up at the Muni lately.
[1:11:37 – 1:11:38] Adam: I haven’t either.
[1:11:39 – 1:11:39] Adam: All right.
[1:11:40 – 1:11:42] Adam: All right, friends.
[1:11:42 – 1:11:42] Adam: We’re going to get on out.
[1:11:42 – 1:11:46] Adam: Remember, every day is precious and life is a miracle.
[1:11:47 – 1:11:48] Adam: Arrivederci, friends.
[1:11:48 – 1:11:48] Adam: Happy paddling.
[1:11:49 – 1:11:50] Adam: We love you very much.
[1:11:51 – 1:11:51] Adam: Good night.
[1:11:52 – 1:11:53] Adam: Bye.
[1:11:55 – 1:11:56] Adam: I can’t quit you.
[1:11:56 – 1:11:57] Adam: I can’t quit you.
[1:11:58 – 1:12:01] Adam: This is the first laugh of the episode.
[1:12:03 – 1:12:03] Adam: Bye.
[1:12:05 – 1:12:08] Adam: The geography of peace.
[1:12:08 – 1:12:09] Adam: The geography of peace.
[1:12:41 – 1:12:52] SPEAKER_02: This is so sweet and to complete.
[1:12:52 – 1:12:54] SPEAKER_02: This is so sweet of you.
[1:13:16 – 1:13:19] SPEAKER_02: Sweet time to come
[1:13:47 – 1:13:47] UNKNOWN: you