Not sure of the author of these tips, but they do make sense and camping a lot more fun.

1. Lint from your navel makes a handy fire starter.

Warning: Remove lint from navel before applying the match.

2. Get even with the bear that raided your food bag by kicking his favorite stump apart and eating all the ants.

3. A hot rock placed in your sleeping bag will keep your feet warm. A hot enchilada works almost as well, but the cheese sticks between your toes.

4. The best backpacks are named after national parks or mountain ranges.  Steer clear of those named after landfills.

Went fishing on Burntside Lake for Lake Trout Sunday morning. We were fishing in 30-45 feet of water, using jigs and treble hooks w/small spinner and minnow. Lakers take patience. We did not get a bite.

Ice and snow

Ice was 14-18 inches thick, but we stayed on ice roads where everyone else had driven. Still need to be careful. There was 4-6 inches of snow on the ground.  Not enough to snowmobile, but plenty for cross-country skiing on the lakes and dog sledding.

Watch for wildlife

January 19 at 5 pm (CST) is the last time to submit a lottery application for day-use and overnight motor permits.  This is the first release of these permits. The lottery will take place on January 20.

Give Spirit of the Wilderness a call and we will submit your application and do all the follow-up with notification of results to you.

January 25 is the first date all permits can be reserved on a first-served basis. Have you settled ona date to enter the BWCA this season? Give us a call and we will reserve your permit and you can relax and plan the details of your adventure.

The numbers are in. June (39%) and August (21%) are the favorite months of choice to paddle the BWCA, followed by July (18%), September (9%), May (6%) and finally October (6%).

We thank each of our participants.  Look for another posted fun survey. These are scientifically designed and tabulated under the most strict quality control measures and can be only used with permission of the one that thought this up.

Do you have a survey topic to recommend?  Send your suggestion to:

• info@elycanoetrips.com

We will review and post surveys for 2-4 weeks or until we run out of ideas. 

Had a few hours to go ice fishing on Tuesday evening on Shagawa Lake.  As usual, Rob, my son in-law out fished me ...again. But then how do you compete against a pro?

Caught some small, "you throw em back walleyes."  We used crappie jigs tipped with a minnow.  Bite was really light and close to the bottom.

The ice was sufficient to drive on where we fished. Can't attest to any other part of the lake for ice thickness.  Everyone still needs to be careful with all the warm weather we are having.

Met John, another angler and his son while out on the ice. He reported a few bigger walleyes have been caught around the evening hours. Sounded like enough for a meal or two at best.

Our Contact us page is not working.  We are working on this part of our website to get it back up and running.

If you would like to contact us to book your trip BWCA or Quetico canoe trip please email us at info@elycanoetrips.com or you can call us at 218-365-3149 or 800-950-2709. 

Thank you.

Have you seen the Ely Visitor video yet?  Follow the link below and see what many people like about the Ely area. Watch closely and you will see a favorite logo.

• http://www.ely.org/discover-ely/the-wilderness-calls-to-us-video.html

Happy paddling! Well not yet...the portages are a bit longer this time of year.

Spirit of the Wilderness Outfitters and Outdoor Store

Have you submitted your choice of what is your favorite month to canoe the BWCA?  Still time to make your selection.  Simply click on our survey on the upper right of this screen and indicate your choice.

Thank you to all that have submitted their responce.  Current standings?

• May 7%
• June 39%
• July 14%
• August 21%
• September 11%
• October 7%

We will keep the survey active until January 2 and report final numbers on January 3.

Permit reservations

Permit Lottery

A 2012 permit lottery will only be held for Fall Lake entry points D (motor Fall Lake & Beyond)  and 24 (overnight motor or paddle), and Moose Lake entry points F (day-use motor Moose-NewFND-Sucker only),G (day-use Moose-Basswood via Prairie Portage), and 25 (overnight motor or paddle). The USFS indicates a focused lottery will ensure a smooth initial reservation process.

Submission of lottery applications will occur December 19, 2011 to January 19, 2012. The lottery will run on January 20, 2012.

Overnight Paddle Permits

Still trying to figure out what gift to give for the holidays?  Spirit of the Wilderness has gift cards in any denomination.  Gift cards can be used towards BWCA canoe trips, canoe rentals, in store products and more.

Order by December 15th to receive in time for Christmas.

Special Offer

Get $5.00 gift card FREE when you purchase a $50 Gift Card.  Offer good Dec. 12-15, 2011.