Hanging in the BWCAW?

[wnnapddl]

I'd like to hear from anyone who has canoe camped in the Boundary Waters Area with their hammock. Did you always have proper trees? One person has warned me that I may need to set it up on the ground at some of the campsites....but photos of the area look like there are plenty of trees.
I would like to hear any reports from those who may have been there....especially how you handled severe weather......Thanks!

[fin]

I'd like to hear from anyone who has canoe camped in the Boundary Waters Area with their hammock. Did you always have proper trees? One person has warned me that I may need to set it up on the ground at some of the campsites....but photos of the area look like there are plenty of trees.
I would like to hear any reports from those who may have been there....especially how you handled severe weather......Thanks!

You will have no problems hanging there at all - all BWCA sites are selected for their combination of water access and protection, including trees. Almost all lakes have multiples sites, so some are better than others, but I have never found a campsite that I couldn't hang on and have always had a hammock on every BWCA trip.

kwpapke did a trip this spring, see his post here:

http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ead.php?t=4648

[wnnapddl]

I'll be traveling as the only hammock with a scout group, and hopefully campsites that fit the needs of the group will fit mine!
I should still experiment with setting it up on the ground, or from one tree.......

[fin]

I'll be traveling as the only hammock with a scout group, and hopefully campsites that fit the needs of the group will fit mine!
I should still experiment with setting it up on the ground, or from one tree.......

You will find sites that they cannot put a tent in, like hanging over a shelf rock or over rougher terrain where you would never put a tent. How big is your scout group? I haven't read the rules recently, but I thought groups over 10 needed special dispensation, and most sites won't handle more than 4 or 5 tents, tops. Heck, when I tented it, I had trouble finding level spots for one 2 man tent that didn't have a root or a rock in my back - but hammock spots were everywhere! You'll probably be able to let them all pick their spots first, and still find plenty of places to hang. You will definitely be able to get down near the water more easily than they will, as most of the best hammock sites are near the water's edge. Depends how adventurous you are.

What's your entry point? If you're going out of the Ham Lake/Round lake, or Seagull lake entry points, I'm very familiar with that side. There's a big boy scout camp on Seagull, and one very, very great site on Seagull that I know intimately. Alpine has some good sites. Little Saganaga or Tuscarora and Crooked lake. Snowbank entry over by Ely as well - some really cool sites on Snowbank for large groups, but it's an entry lake.

[steene]

The recent fires along the Gunflint Trail may have affected hanging choices in certain areas. The USFS should be able to tell you what areas you can expect to find burnt over.
Overall I wouldn't worry about it.

[fin]

The recent fires along the Gunflint Trail may have affected hanging choices in certain areas. The USFS should be able to tell you what areas you can expect to find burnt over.
Overall I wouldn't worry about it.

The sites that were affected in the Gunflint have been mostly closed - only the sites that the plastic cr****ers melted and the trees all burned off were closed. Probably 1/2 on Seagull. Sounds like he's going to be in the Quetico across the border, which was also severely affected. Some links to BWCA info and Fire Data.

https://bwcaw1.reserveusa.com/rules.html

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Nat...3?img_id=14261

http://www.bwcaw.org/5140908_windand...eSNFforweb.pdf

http://165.221.39.44/

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/

[wnnapddl]

We will have a total of nine in our group...including the staff person from the BSA Charles Sommers Canoe base at Ely. We will start on Moose lake, and likely go to Agnes Lake. Route yet to be determined. I really enjoyed all the photos of hammocks in the BWCA....looks very encouraging! Looks like some good natural tubs with jets to soak in!

[Buckeyebuck]

I really enjoyed all the photos of hammocks in the BWCA....looks very encouraging! Looks like some good natural tubs with jets to soak in!

The water was real low during our trip. Many of the falls features were thus exposed and allowed us to get in the "hot tub" or should I say "very cool" tub.

Anyhow, enjoy your trip. I have not had a better trip to the BWCA than the '07 one and I atribute this to hanging instead of laying on roots and rocks.

Peace,

Buck

[kwpapke]

kwpapke did a trip this spring, see his post here:
http://www.hammockforums.net/forum/s...ead.php?t=4648

As FishinFinn mentioned, I had no problems finding trees to hang from. I did start my hike in the Ham Lake fire area - attached a picture of Magnetic Rock, now standing alone. Obviously you can't hang in the fire area, though it is recovering nicely.
--Kurt

[Ramblinrev]

urge a compromise.... for every night you have to spend on the ground, they will have to hang their tents...


well .... maybe that's not real practical... but it sounds like fun to me..