Saturday, February 23, 2008

Don't Leave Home Without It!!

Some good survival information. With a winter like we've had everyone should have good survival kit with them.


Survival Gear Buyer's Guide

By: Frank Ross

In 1719, Daniel Defoe created Robinson Crusoe and popularized the notion that living alone on a deserted island was somehow an admirable ambition. More recently, the television reality series Survivor rekindled that adventurous spirit in many who imagine themselves carving a shelter out of a primitive wilderness setting with only a pocket knife, or better yet, making a knife from stone.

A top-drawer item would be a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) that will send your exact location via satellite.

The real reality is that television isn't reality - no matter how hard they try to make you think it's so. Surviving a crisis outdoors isn't glamorous or fun for that matter. If you were to ask anyone who has had to deal with it first hand, you'd find that they don't want any part of a sequel. In a real survival situation, all you're going to be thinking about is getting yourself back to safety, as fast as possible.

Surviving a real-life crisis depends largely upon your mental state, personal preparedness, physical injuries, and to a great extent the time of year. Breaking your leg in a fall while hiking or hunting in a remote region of the Rockies takes on a completely different tone when that accident happens in December.

My survival gear bag may be over the top, but I've built it based on a worst case scenario, because when you're in deep, having carried a few more ounces of gear will a seem trivial consideration compared to not having what you need.

Hopefully, you will be filing a detailed plan for your trip with someone who will be home during your trip. At a bare minimum, this person should know where you are going and when you expect to return. A better plan would be to provide a detailed map, marked with intended routes, camping location or other pertinent data that would serve to assist searchers should the need arise.

Here are some things to consider when you start to put together your own survival kit.

Communications is the first issue. How are you going to signal a searcher that may be close to finding you? A top-drawer item would be a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) that will send your exact location via satellite. If a PLB is beyond your budget, the basics would be a mirror to flash passing aircraft and a whistle to blow and attract the attention of ground searchers. You should have both.

Space blanket - Hypothermia is a killer. The severe temperatures of winter weather exacerbate any situation, especially when the sun goes down; however, even on a summer evening, temperatures at high elevations can get quite cool. One might reason that having a space blanket for warmth would only be a necessity during winter months, but shock can set in and send you over the edge, even on a summer day. Having a space blanket is just good sense for a number of reasons, not the least of which would be covering your body in a storm. Wet clothes dissipate body heat very rapidly.

Adventure Comprehensive Medical Kit.

Medical kit - Cabela's carries several kits from the basics to one that is complete enough to treat everything from bee stings to life threatening trauma. The most valuable part of the comprehensive kit are the two books, "Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness & Travel Medicine,'' and "Illustrated Guide to Life-Threatening Emergencies.'' Don't leave them home to save weight unless you've read them thoroughly and committed them to memory. When you go on a trip and use something from your medical kit, make sure you replace it as soon as you return. If you put it off until later, you'll forget and those items won't be there when you need them again.

Waterproof matches - A fire serves at least four purposes, and five if you have a coffee pot. First and foremost, a fire will provide warmth, but with the addition of some wet leaves you'll have a great signal fire. With a fire you can cook food, melt snow for water or brew up a hot cup of tea or coffee. If your injuries involve an open wound and blood, the smell of fresh blood may attract predators. A fire will also serve to deter their approach. Another purpose that a fire serves is more mental than anything. A fire is an emotional comfort. Without matches, or with wet matches, all you'll have is a nice pile of wood.

Knife - A knife is probably the most valuable possession you'll ever carry. Without a knife you're going to be severely handicapped in just about everything you'll need to do from building a fire to cutting a splint or preparing something to eat. An even better option would be a multi-tool that has a wide array of tools in addition to a knife blade.

Folding shovel - Having a collapsible shovel might seem like excess, until you need to dig a snow cave for an emergency shelter. This is one of those items that you could live without, but any ex-military type will tell you that they make a passable skillet in a pinch. If you find yourself immobilized, and out of water, in low-lying areas with a high water table, it's possible to dig a hole for water.

Gerber® Multi-Plier 800 Legend

Hydration - Maintaining your body fluids is going to be critical, especially if you're isolated for several days, which isn't that unusual for people who become disabled in remote areas. Most people are smart enough to take enough water for their planned outing. It's when their plan runs amok that you need to have a backup alternative like water purification tablets or a filter that will enable you to capitalize on local water sources.

X Marks the spot - Remember that the first sortie on your behalf will be from the air. Place a large X made of brightly colored fabric, clothing, rocks or dead limbs in an open area that can be easily spotted from the air.

Extra stuff - In the winter, it's a good idea to put and extra pair of gloves, dry socks and some chemical heat packs in your daypack, just in case. Anything that's wet carries a potential for disaster. Also, having a packet of dried fruit and jerky stashed away for an emergency is a great idea. Dried foods will keep for a long time. Just don't eat them on the hike up the mountain.

The best part of having a survival kit is not having to use it; however, if you find yourself in a situation that requires rescue, if possible, position yourself near a meadow with a tree line. Trees will provide shelter from the elements, but during daylight hours you want to be visible from the air so stay in the open as much as possible.

The most important aspect of fire building in the winter, when trees are laden with snow, is to build them in the open. While having a fire near the windbreak of a nice big tree might seem ideal, there can be negative consequences. Heat from a fire will rise, melting the snow on the tree limbs, which will then fall on your fire and ruin a perfectly good evening.

This list can be refined and improved upon, as well as tailored to your specific region and season. There's not need to carry extra gloves in July, but that's common sense. Most of surviving is about common sense, and having the right tools and materials that will enable you to preserve life and limb until a rescue can be accomplished. With the right survival gear, a clear head and a little bit of luck you'll make the evening news for all the right reasons.

Friday, February 22, 2008

Lund or Crestliner?

I had the opportunity to get to the Sport Show in St.Cloud over the weekend and got to look at some of the new boats. The Crestliner's always catch my eye. I really would like a new Sportfish, that thing is awesome. We fished out of a new 2150 last summer on Lake Kabetogama with a fishing guide, Frank House(http://www.kabetogama.com/index.htmlse). That is a big, wide boat that five people could fish from comfortably. I owned an early '90's Sportfish and loved it. The strength of the hull was given a real test on a Memorial Day weekend fishing trip to Mille Lacs Lake. We had left early on Friday to beat the crowds up to the lake. While traveling through the Twin Cities area on I-494 with my 34' Bounder Motor Home and Crestliner Sportfish towed behind we came unto some construction work, which brought the traffic speed from 65 to 30. Naturally, we were just over a rise on the highway and a 3/4 ton Dodge Ram pickup pulling a large trailer loaded with steel tubing came over the hill at a very high rate of speed and slammed into my boat, completely crumbling the trailer under the boat and shoving the boat through the rear-end of my Motorhome. The front of the boat was resting on the bed in the rear (coincidentally, right where my daughter had been reading just minutes before) of the Motor home. Luckily, no one was injured. The driver who hit us was an older guy in his 70's on his way back to his welding shop with supplies. What surprised me about the Sportfish was after taking all this abuse the only damage to the boat was the rear where it was hit. The front part that smashed through the Motorhome was hardly even scratched. My insurance company totaled it because of the damage to the rear but I talked to a guy who bought it the insurance company and he had it back in the water in a week. That's one tough boat.

The one I'm toying with buying is the Super Hawk 1800 IO (http://www.crestliner.com/boats/boat_model.asp?BID=190).

Not as much money as the Sportfish and it appears to have all the Sportfish attributes.

Anyone looking for a good used boat go to www.minnesotaoutside.net and click on "Boat", I have a 1995 Lund Tyee Grand Sport for sale there. That one has had lots of work done on it. 3 yrs. ago, while on a fall trip to Voyageurs National Park the engine blew after a failure of the oil injection system (the mechanic who fixed it said it was probably because of the cold temperatures, in the 30's, and the diaphragm in the oil pump couldn't move the stiff oil). I had the engine totally re-built by Crystal-Pierz Marine, so it's like new. The boat itself has been re-painted and new decals applied so it looks nice.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

The Good Old Jeep

Origin of the term "jeep"

There are many accounts of the origin of the word "jeep," which have proven difficult to verify. Probably the most popular notion holds that the vehicle bore the designation "GP" (for "General Purpose"), which was phonetically slurred into the word jeep. However, R. Lee Ermey, on his television series Mail Call, disputes this, saying that the vehicle was designed for specific duties, was never referred to as "General Purpose", and that the name may have been derived from Ford's nomenclature referring to the vehicle as GP (G for government-use, and P to designate its 80-inch wheelbase). "General purpose" does appear in connection with the vehicle in the WW2 TM 9-803 manual, which describes the vehicle as "... a general purpose, personnel, or cargo carrier especially adaptable for reconnaissance or command, and designated as 14-ton 4x4 truck", and the vehicle is designated a "GP" in TM 9-2800, Standard Military Motor Vehicles, September 1, 1949, but whether the average jeep-driving GI would have been familiar with either of these manuals is open to debate.

This account may confuse the jeep with the nickname of another series of vehicles with the GP designation. The Electro-Motive Division of General Motors, a maker of railroad locomotives, introduced its "General Purpose" line in 1949, using the GP tag. These locomotives are commonly referred to as Geeps, pronounced the same way as "Jeep".

Many, including Ermey, claim that the more likely source of the word comes from the character Eugene the Jeep in the Thimble Theater (Popeye) comic strip. Eugene the Jeep is dog-like, can walk through walls and ceilings, climb trees, fly, and go almost anywhere it wants; it has been suggested that soldiers at the time were so impressed with the new vehicle's versatility that they informally named it after the character. The character "Eugene the Jeep" was created in 1936.[1]

The term "jeep" was first commonly used during World War I (1914–1918) by soldiers as a slang word for new recruits and for new unproven vehicles. This is according to a history of the vehicle for an issue of the U.S. Army magazine, Quartermaster Review, which was written by Maj. E. P. Hogan. He went on to say that the slang word "jeep" had these definitions as late as the start of World War II.

"Jeep" had been used as the name of a small tractor made by Modine.

The term "jeep" would eventually be used as slang to refer to an airplane, a tractor used for hauling heavy equipment, and an autogyro. When the first models of the jeep came to Camp Holabird for tests, the vehicle did not have a name yet. Therefore the soldiers on the test project called it a jeep. Civilian engineers and test drivers who were at the camp during this time were not aware of the military slang term. They most likely were familiar with the character Eugene the Jeep and thought that Eugene was the origin of the name. The vehicle had many other nicknames at this time such as Peep and Pygmy and Blitz-Buggy, although because of the Eugene association, Jeep stuck in people's minds better than any other term.

Words of the Fighting Forces by Clinton A. Sanders, a dictionary of military slang, published in 1942, in the library at The Pentagon gives this definition:

Jeep: A four-wheel drive car of one-half to one-and-one-half ton capacity for reconnaissance or other army duty. A term applied to the bantam-cars, and occasionally to other motor vehicles (U.S.A.) in the Air Corps, the Link Trainer; in the armored forces, the ½ ton command car. Also referred to as "any small plane, helicopter, or gadget."

Early in 1941, Willys-Overland demonstrated the vehicle's ability by having it drive up the U.S. Capitol steps, driven by Willy's test driver Irving "Red" Haussman, who had recently heard soldiers at Fort Holabird calling it a "jeep". When asked by syndicated columnist Katherine Hillyer for the Washington Daily News (or by a bystander, according to another account) what it was called, Irving answered, "It's a jeep."

Katherine Hillyer's article was published on February 20, 1941 around the nation and included a picture of the vehicle with the caption:

LAWMAKERS TAKE A RIDE- With Senator Meade, of New York, at the wheel, and Representative Thomas, of New Jersey, sitting beside him, one of the Army's new scout cars, known as "jeeps" or "quads", climbs up the Capitol steps in a demonstration yesterday. Soldiers in the rear seat for gunners were unperturbed.

This exposure caused all other jeep references to fade, leaving the 4x4 truck with the name.

Willys-Overland Inc. was later awarded the sole privilege of owning the name "Jeep" as registered trademark, by extension, merely because it originally had offered the most powerful engine.

(Compare "mayhem" and "commando" for words which changed their main meanings because of newspaper misunderstandings.)

The origins of the vehicle: the first jeeps

Bantam BRC 40
Bantam BRC 40
Dashboard of WWII jeep
Dashboard of WWII jeep

The first jeep prototype (the Bantam BRC) was built for the Department of the Army by American Bantam in Butler, Pennsylvania, followed by two other competing prototypes produced by Ford and Willys-Overland. The American Bantam Car Company actually built and designed the vehicle that first met the Army's criteria, but its engine did not meet the Army's torque requirements. Plus, the Army felt that the company was too small to supply the number needed and it allowed Willys and Ford to make second attempts on their designs after seeing Bantam's vehicle in action. Some people believe that Ford and Willys also had access to Bantam's technical paperwork.

Quantities (1,500) of each of the three models were then extensively field tested. During the bidding process for 16,000 "jeeps", Willys-Overland offered the lowest bid and won the initial contract. Willys thus designed what would become the standardized jeep, designating it a model MB military vehicle and building it at their plant in Toledo, Ohio.

Like American Bantam, Willys-Overland was a small company and, likewise, the military was concerned about their ability to produce large quantities of jeeps. The military was also concerned that Willys-Overland had only one manufacturing facility: something that would make the supply of jeeps more susceptible to sabotage or production stoppages.

Based on these two concerns, the U.S. government required that jeeps also be built by the Ford Motor Company, who designated the vehicle as model GPW (G = governmental vehicle, P showed the wheelbase, and W = the Willys design). Willys and Ford, under the direction of Charles E. Sorensen (Vice-President of Ford during World War II), produced more than 600,000 jeeps. Besides just being a "truck" the jeep was used for many other purposes.

The jeep was widely copied around the world, including in France by Hotchkiss et Cie (after 1954, Hotchkiss manufactured Jeeps under licence from Willys), and by Nekaf in the Netherlands. There were several versions created, including a railway jeep and an amphibious jeep. As part of the war effort, Jeeps were also supplied to the Soviet Red Army during World War II.

In the United States military, the jeep has been supplanted by a number of vehicles (e.g. Ford's M151 MUTT) of which the latest is the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or "Humvee").

My Jeep is a 1991 YJ Wrangler Renegade

From 1991 until 1994, Jeep produced an options package on the YJ Wrangler listed as the "Renegade Decor Group". Initially, all Renegades were White, Black or Red. In 1992, Blue was added, in 1993, Bronze. The Renegade Decor Group was a $4,266.00 option over a base Wrangler in 1991 and included special alloy wheels, exclusive body flares, along with many other features.

Contents of the Renegade Decor Package

  • 4.0 Litre I-6 Engine
  • 29x9.5R15 LT OWL Wrangler A/T Tires
  • 5-Hole Aluminum Wheels, 8 inch wide.
  • Full size spare tire.
  • Highback seats with Trailcloth Fabric
  • Off-Road Gas Shocks
  • Power Steering
  • Fog Lamps (integrated into the front fenders)
  • Leather wrapped steering wheel
  • Renegade striping (door letters)
  • Floor carpeting (full width, and on insides of body tub)
  • Floor mats, front
  • Extra capacity fuel tank (20 gal.)
  • Color Keyed Fender Flares with integrated bodyside steps
  • Front and rear bumperettes (plastic)
  • Center console with cup holders
  • Courtesy and engine compartment lights
  • Interval Wipers
  • Glove box lock


Additionally, hardtops received a mandatory rear window defroster at a $164.00 premium. Hardtops themselves were a $923.00 option.

All Renegades typically had the Tilt Steering wheel ($130.00) and an AM/FM/Cassette Stereo Radio ($264.00).

A column shift automatic was also an available option (this option was rare).

While a base Wrangler with the inline 6 went for $12,356.00, the Renegade package pushed that price up to $18,588.00 in 1991. Dealer mark-up moved the price to $19,273.00.

These vehicles were sent as optioned Wranglers to Auto Style Cars in Detroit, where the Renegade Decor Package was installed, then shipped back to Jeep for delivery to dealers. Renegades all have a small sticker on the driver's side door, right above the latch denoting the visit to ASC.

At the price premium over a standard Wrangler, sales were fairly limited, so finding one today is a semi-rare occurrence. The price, plus what hardcore Jeepers felt were "funny looking plastic fenders" limited the sales. Although having nearly identical off-road capabilities, these Jeep were typically used as "beach cruisers" because of both their price and rarity, as well as the fact that their over sized flares and body cladding were not designed for the abuse that tree branches and over sized tires can deal out.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeep


Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Where Do You Shop for Outdoor Supplies?

Cabela's, Gander Mountain or Mills Fleet Farm

Where do you shop for your fishing, hunting and camping supplies?
I used Cabela's almost exclusively when they opened there Owatonna
store (plus I've always liked their catalog) but lately have been doing
more of my shopping at Gander Mountain and Mills Fleet Farm. They
seem to have better prices overall and employees nearly as knowledgeable
as Cabela's (the employees at Cabela's are hard to beat). The newer
Mills Fleet Farm stores have a very large outdoors area as well as anything
else you would need. I found the following article about the Cabela's/
Gander Mountain battle kind of amusing.

Did Gander Mountain STIF Cabela's?

(Munster) Times of Northwest Indiana
BY PATRICK GUINANE, Times of Northwest Indiana
pguinane@nwitimes.com

INDIANAPOLIS | A competing outdoors retailer has been lobbying state officials to put the lid on government subsidies for a Cabela's in Hammond and Bass Pro Shops in Portage.

The message is that Gander Mountain doesn't need government assistance, and neither should its competitors.

This fall, a public relations firm connected to the Minnesota-based Gander Mountain sent Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels and top officials at the Indiana Economic Development Corp. a report titled, "Leveling the Playing Field: Making the Case for Limiting Government Incentives for Retail Development."

The report was paid for by Oppidan, a Minnesota investment company that is the exclusive developer for Gander Mountain stores.

A spokeswoman for Ewald Consulting, the Minnesota public relations firm that wrote the report, said it also has been distributed to officials in Illinois, where Cabela's has plans for a store in north suburban Hoffman Estates. Hammond officials received the same report before a vote on the Cabela's plan last fall.

When Daniels was in Northwest Indiana on Thursday, he pointed out that Gander Mountain did not ask for incentives like those the IEDC is negotiating with Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops.

Gander Mountain has five Indiana locations, including one in Merrillville and new stores in Terre Haute and Greenwood.

The report connected with Gander Mountain suggests that Indiana lawmakers are considering legislation to eliminate retail subsidies such as STIF. But no legislation has been filed along those lines, and House Speaker Brian Bosma, R-Indianapolis, said ending STIF isn't on his agenda.

The Gander Mountain report includes a "case study" of Owatonna, Minn., the site where Cabela's opened its third retail store in 1998. The report questions whether taxpayers got a fair return on the $4.5 million in financing put up by state and local government. It also challenges the "destination retail" description Cabela's gives itself, pointing out the company now has plans for another store 90 miles away in Rogers, Minn.

Daniels on Thursday repeated his desire to lure Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops to Northwest Indiana.

But Hammond Mayor Tom McDermott Jr. said those remarks don't match what he has been told by Cabela's officials.

"What I'm hearing is that there's no communication between them and the IEDC," McDermott said.

"They're complaining to us, and I don't know what to tell them. I don't know who's telling the truth. When I talked to Cabela's, they told me they've never been treated so badly as they're being treated in Indiana.

"What I heard the governor say last night is completely contradictory to what Cabela's is telling me, and I don't know who's telling the truth."

Known for sprawling stores and museum-quality wildlife displays, Cabela's has dubbed its stores "destination retail" venues. Hammond officials were eager to offer $25 million in property tax incentives to build a Cabela's store on what used to be the Woodmar Country Club.

The IEDC, meanwhile, has refused to approve the company's request for $40.7 million in sales tax increment, or STIF, financing.

In an interview with The Times that will be published in Sunday's Forum section, Daniels reiterated his opposition to STIF.

"I think it's a very questionable policy. I don't think it's an accident that it's never been used anywhere (in Indiana)," he said.

"Our position on Cabela's is clear. I hope they come to Hammond, and we are offering them a multimillion dollar package."

McDermott said Cabela's frustration with the state has the company looking at possible locations in southwest Michigan. He said that would be a huge loss for his community.

"Gander Mountain has hundreds of stores across the United States while Cabela's has 14, and their stores are much more elaborate than Gander Mountain," he said.

"With all respect to Gander Mountain, there's no comparing Cabela's with Gander Mountain, which is what makes Cabela's unique."


Article © © Copyright 2008, The Times, Munster, IN

Northwest Sportshow

This is the official "Thank God Winters Over" event of the spring!

There's nothing like wandering through a huge room full of "Big Boy Toys".



Dates & Location

Minneapolis Convention Center
1301 2nd Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55403

Show Hours

  • Wednesday, April 2 1pm-9pm
  • Thursday, April 3 1pm-9pm
  • Friday, April 4 1pm-9pm
  • Saturday, April 5 10am-9pm
  • Sunday, April 6 10am-5pm

Admission

Adults (16 and older) $10
Senior Day, (Thursday April 3 only, 62+) $7
Youth (13-15) $5
Children (12 and younger) FREE

Lake of the Woods Fishing


Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River
February 19, 2008

The bite remains strong on Lake of the Woods. Houses are being placed anywhere from 5-6 miles off shore, all the way up 25-28 miles off shore. A nice mix of walleye, sauger, and perch can be found in 30-34 feet of water. Some anglers are having luck around the mud flats, while other are sticking to the reefs and doing well also.

The Northwest Angle and Islands area has been a hot spot for walleye and perch, a rattle jig in 24-28 feet of water has been working very well. The reefs around Oak Island and Flag Island have been giving up beautiful limits of fish.

Out by the Clementson area anglers have been finding limits is 22 feet of water. Pink and white jigs and frozen shiners are still working well right off the bottom.

http://www.lakeofthewoodsmn.com/fishing.asp

I've stayed at Jeff's Ice-O-Miniums a couple of times and have had very good luck on big walleyes. Nice sleeper houses that he is always moving to keep you on the fish. He can be found here: http://iceominiums.com/

Damn It's Cold! Where's AlGore's Global Warming!

NOAA Weather Forecast for Ray, MN



Today:
Sunny and cold, with a high near -4. Wind chill values as low as -46. West wind around 5 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around -22. Wind chill values as low as -35. Southwest wind around 5 mph.

Thursday: A 20 percent chance of snow after noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 11. Wind chill values as low as -36. South wind around 5 mph becoming northeast.

I'm ready for some spring weather. Where is ALGORE"S "Global Warming"?
SEND SOME THIS WAY!!!

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Vacation at Voyageurs National Park

Voyageurs National Park lies on the US border with Ontario in northern Minnesota. The site is immediately west of Superior National Forest. The topography of the region is diverse with rolling hills interspersed between bogs, beaver ponds, swamps, islands, small lakes and large lakes.

Geologically speaking, the park lies in the southern part of the Canadian Shield, encompassing some of the oldest exposed rock formations in the world. This bedrock has been shaped and carved by at least four periods of glaciation. In the years since the last glaciation, a thin layer of soil has been created which supports the boreal forest ecosystem, the "North Woods" of Voyageurs National Park.

This land is rich in human history. Named for the Voyageurs , French-Canadian canoe-men who traveled these waters in their birch-bark canoes from the Great Lakes to the interior of the western United States and Canada. Modern voyageurs continue to ply these waters. The water, accompanying scenery, geology and rich cultural and natural resources that give Voyageurs its national significance, significance that merits its protection for the enjoyment of present and future generations.

This park with its varied terrain supports many outdoor opportunities throughout the year. An excellent way to find out how to spend you time in this vast region is to begin at the visitor center. A 15-minute film and interpretive exhibits provide an overview of the park's natural and cultural resources.

Summer time brings hikers, boaters, anglers and swimmers to the park. There are several trails for hiking with and without water access within the park. Boating and fishing are the most common recreational uses of the park. Known as some of the best walleye and bass water in the nation, the lakes attracted sport anglers long before the park was established. A Minnesota fishing license is required and Minnesota boating regulations apply. We hired a fishing guide, Frank House, who was born and raised in the Lake Kabetogama area of the park. I would highly
recommend getting a guide for at least one day of you r visit. They are well worth the money.

Voyageurs National Park provides, free of charge, canoes and/or rowboats on the following interior lakes of the Kabetogama Peninsula: Locator, Quill, Ek, Cruiser, Brown, Perry, Little Shoepack and Shoepack. Boats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations to use these boats can be made one week in advance at the visitor centers. The trails leading to these interior lake boats are accessible only by water; water taxi service can be arranged for visitors without transportation to these trailheads. The lakes of Voyageurs National Park are large enough to support canoe and kayak trips varying in length from day-trips to over a week. The Kabetogama Peninsula can be circumnavigated in approximately one week.

Individuals interested in camping will enjoy the varying opportunities available at this site. There are 210 water accessible campsites distributed throughout the park designed for either tent camping or houseboats. Designated tent sites have a mooring aid, tent pad or level area, fire ring, privy, picnic table and bear-proof food-storage locker. Houseboat sites include two mooring aids and a fire ring. There are currently no fees, permits, or reservation requirements; camping is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Because of the long winter season many visitors come to Voyagers to take advantage of 110 miles of developed snowmobile trails. These trails cross the frozen surfaces of the four large lakes in the park. These groomed and marked trails have portages around areas of thin ice and connect with the regional trail system outside the park. In addition to these trails, the one-way, ungroomed, Chain of Lakes Snowmobile Trail twists and turns through the backcountry of the Kabetogama Peninsula.

Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are great ways to see the backcountry during the long winter. The Black Bay Ski Trail and Echo Bay Ski Trail are groomed and marked for winter travel. Snowshoe Trails traverse through Blind Ash Bay and Sullivan Bay and include Oberholtzer Trail.

Northern Minnesota has a cool climate with short warm summers followed by long winters. Average summer highs range from 60 degrees F to 80 degrees F. Winter highs range from 10 degrees F to 30 degrees F. Annual precipitation averages 28 inches. We have been to Voyageurs National Park the first week of July on a number of occasions (usually we are there for the 4th of July) and have had weather ranging from near 100 to days never getting over 55 so bring plenty of clothes even in July and August.

The park lies on the northern edge of Minnesota's border. Fifty-five miles of the park meanders along the Canadian border with Ontario. Voyageurs is about 15 miles east of International Falls, Minnesota, and 300 miles north of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota.

A boat, either your own or a rental, is needed to see this park properly. Kettle Falls Hotel is a must see.

LAT: 48.5001857
LONG: -92.8334833