Each camper will need to repack their gear into camp supplied backpacks for the trip. This will be done on Sunday afternoon upon arrival, and will be supervised by the trip guides. If a camper wants to use their own backpack it will have to be approved by the trip guides upon arrival on Sunday.

The backpacks will hold all the gear and clothes that the camper will have while actually out on the trip. The more that they have, the more they have to carry on the portages.

It is recommended that they have another small bag/duffel along on the trip kept the van in which to keep clean clothes. Upon return to the vans after 5 days on the canoe trip the camper will have clean clothes. If a camper has more luggage than will fit in their backpack or in their extra duffel (space is limited), then they can keep the extra clothes at camp for use upon their return.

• A good stuffable sleeping bag that will be comfortable in temperatures as low as 40 degrees. A good quality sleeping bag can be purchased here at camp for under $50 but must be done by June 1st.
• A small rolled up sleeping mat is encouraged.
• Rain-gear. This should include a water-resistant/water-proof coat, and a rain poncho. The rain poncho is used if there is a heavy rain. The jacket should be unlined and able to dry quickly.
• A good hat to keep the sun off your head, help keep bugs away, help keep the rain off and also to help keep the head warm if it gets cool.
• On the trip light-weight warm clothes are necessary. Long underwear, 'Under Armor', and other similar types of clothes that will help keep campers warm even when wet are necessary. A pair of wool socks is recommended.
• One pair of long pants that dry quickly (nylon type) is required. Jeans are not needed or encouraged to be worn while on the canoe trip. Jeans should be reserved for the van drives to Minn. and back to the Ranch.
• Two pairs of shorts/swim trunks which will be worn most days.
• Two or three short sleeved shirts.
• Foot gear. Campers should have sandal type shoes that secure behind the ankle for use in and around the water, they should also have a sturdy pair of gym shoes or hiking boots for use around the camps sites.
• 2 Nalgene brand water bottles.
• Fishing gear if student is interested in fishing.

This itinerary discribes the trip as it is currently planned. It is subject to change before the trip begins and even during the trip as the guides account for different scenarios that arrise (i.e. weather).

Sunday

Check in at camp between 3:30 and 4:30 pm. Upon check-in the campers will be directed to go to the Adventure Trip shop to meet the guides and prepare their gear. Dinner will be served in the camp dinning hall at 5:30. They will depart camp at 6:00 pm traveling approx. 3 hours to Eau Clare, Wisconsin and camping overnight.

Monday

Awake early and fininsh journey to the Superior National Forest near Ely, Minn. Arrive at Bass Lake parking lot to meet canoe rental company at approximately 1pm. Portage to Bass Lake. Camp the night on Bass Lake.

Tuesday

Break camp at 8:15am. Eat lunch on Low Lake. Camp the night on Grassy Lake.

Wednesday

Break camp at 8am. Eat lunch on Little Sletten Lake. Camp the night on Twin Lake.

Thursday

Sleep in till 8 or 9am. Spend the day on Twin Lake relaxing. Camp the night on Twin Lake.

Friday

Break camp at 6:45am. Meet canoe rental company at Burntside Lake boat launch around 8am. Two guides ride with rental company back to Bass Lake (about 10 minutes away) to pick up vans. Leave for Phantom Ranch at 9am arriving back late on Friday night.

Can I contact my son while they are on the trip?

We will provide parents with the adventure trip guide's cell phone number for emergency use only. We cannot promise that they will work everywhere we are going, and they will only be turned on to check messages every few days to conserve batteries in case of an emergency.

How strenuous are the trips?

The canoe trip will involve portages during which students need to carry their own gear during the portage. These sometimes are very tough, but we do our best to help carry gear and encourage the campers to get through each one. The route will also be chosen specifically to the needs of the age group that is going.

How will we eat and drink?

For food the guides will bring along a lot of great pre-packaged food that is light weight and tastes good! We will also try to eat the fish that we catch, but we are not dependant soley on the fish for food and campers are not required to eat the fish, but are encouraged to give it a try. Water is purified trough filters and taken directly from the lakes. We have back up filters along, so please do not send one with.

Will there be showers?

There are showers at camp at the end of the trip, but not during the trip.

What happens in an emergency?

On each Phantom Ranch trip there is at least one certified Wilderness First Responder who has 75 hours of medical training specifically geared to dealing with emergencies in a wilderness setting. All guides are also cpr and first aid certified. The guides on the trip will decide whether evacuation is needed and then act accordingly. A hospital is in the town of Ely which is within 3 hours from where we are.

Are there bears?

We are out in the wilderness and therefore we are around wild animals. We do everything to try and not attract bears and other animals; like hanging up all food at night so bears can't get to it. We also are a very large noisy group which bears tend to stay away from.

Can campers come home in the middle of the week if they get homesick?

We will not come home during the week. In very rare cases campers who are unable to make it through the week due to behavior issues will need to be picked up by parents.

These notes are provided to give parents and students a good idea of what the trip will be like, there is information about fishing spots, types of fish to catch, funny things that happened in the past, cool stuff to do, even some things that the campers need to watch out for. These notes were written by Peter Johnsen a trip guide from the trip in 2006.

Campsite #1

This campsite would be my number one pick for the 1st night. It’s got ample room for 4 to 5 Eureka Outfitters. Pulling the canoes up for the night could be a little bit of a trick; however, the site is worth it. There is a decent cliff jump (about 15 feet straight drop) and it’s a short paddle from Dry Falls.

Dry Falls

This is a great spot to paddle over to once you have camp set up. This is the spot that Nettie’s [a former trip guide] bluegill first got eaten by a huge largemouth and then her other bluegill got eaten by the 10 lb northern pike that I later caught. There is great fishing under the falls for bluegill and bass, especially if you have live bait (leeches or worms). Don’t fish directly under the falls but down the shore (west of the falls) where all the crumbled rock starts. Just use a white crappie jig tipped with a small piece of bait. Even a plain crappie jig will work, though not as effectively.

Fishing Spot 1

You can catch bluegill, bass, and northern pike here. There is some potential for a walleye. I’d use jigs tipped with bait. Just cast them out and let them sink. Reel it in slowly, but beware the bottom. There are snags with all the rocks on the bottom. It is very deep here though; so, usually all you have to do is cast it out about 10 to 15 feet and let it sink.

Fishing Spot 2

The kids caught bluegill and northern pike at this spot. Use a bobber with just a hook and some bait, set for about 3 to 4 feet deep. Cast the rig about 20 feet out there. If you want to try for pike or bass, cast a crankbait (Rapala) and reel it over the tops of the weeds that are about 4 to 5 feet below the surface. Even a spinner bait might pull something up.Bass Lake

Campsite #2

This campsite would be my number two pick for the first night. We had to stay at this spot last year, as the other site was taken. It has ample room; however, there is no cliff jump and no real swimming opportunities. The kids did catch a good number of fish off the rock, though. There is plenty of room for cooking and sitting around. Good luck finding a decent tree to hang your bear rope in... we had difficulty last year finding a reasonable spot to hang our food bags.

2nd Portage

When you pull up to this area, it looks like the portage is on the right, but don’t beach your canoe right away. First, check to see if the canal is open. It looks like there’s a beaver dam across it, but just keep paddling. If you have to, get out and drag or lift your canoe through the shallow water. You don’t want to go to the right, unload your entire canoe for an 80 ft portage trail, and have to repeat it again after paddling 50 ft. Instead paddle through the canal. Now when you do pull up the sandy portage trail mouth... be very careful of poison ivy. There was a ton of it off to the right hand side, a literal forest of the stuff! This portage trail is very easy, very light work, and very sandy. There is great swimming on the other side, in Low Lake. It drops off immediately. I would recommend trying to reach this portage trail by 8:30 to 8:45am on Tuesday morning.

Poison Ivy Mecca

Steer clear of the right side of the trail on the 2nd portage... you’ll see all the three leaved plants.

Canoe Route (Low Lake and Range River)

It is important that all of your canoes stay within sight of each other while on the Range River. Once it narrows, I’d tell everybody to try and stay grouped together. This will make it easier for you to ensure their safety. They must put on their PFD’s while paddling the river. The reason the kids must put on their PFD’s (even if they don’t want to) is because if you get separated and somebody dumps in close proximity to sunken timber and the banks of the river, they could get hurt. Better safe than sorry as the saying goes.

Fishing Spot 3

You may want to troll a Crankbait (Rapala) behind your canoe as you paddle up to the Range River. I caught 3 big Northerns (the largest about 8 lbs) between the entry point onto the lake and the bend in the lake. I wouldn’t troll beyond the point at which the Canoe Route line bends to the northwest. Once you get into that bay, it gets shallow and weedy. You don’t need to spend time here. If you want to catch fish for dinner, try on Grassy Lake.

Lunch Spot

This is a campsite, but I’d stop here on Tuesday for lunch. It may be a little early, but this is a good spot and the last spot before the next portage into Grassy Lake. From here on, it gets pretty swampy until you are on Grassy Lake.

The Turnoff

Turn LEFT. This is where things could go awry if your campers got spread out. Somebody could easily got the wrong way. In low water, it is tough to spot the correct river mouth to take.

3rd Portage

This is a short portage but a tough one, especially if you guys get all piled up. Don’t all try to cross at the same time. Have the campers help each other out moving one or two canoes and all the gear at a time.

Grassy Lake Campsite #1

This Campsite is amazing. There is plenty of room for the group and the kitchen area/ campfire location is prime. You will need to get firewood from shore however. I gathered wood on the north shore of the lake. Pull the canoes around the north side of the island and park them here. Spend Tuesday night here and make sure to go to bed early because Wednesday will be a long day. Before you leave in the morning, make sure that you have every water bottle filled. I would try and leave by 8am at the latest. You can catch some fish from the island and there is a little reef off the island about 50 feet that is great for swimming if you paddle over to it.

4th Portage

This is the beginning of a long day. This portage is very steep initially. However, by this point the campers should be getting the hang of it. This is another tight squeeze where you pull up at on Grassy Lake; so, you’ll have to go maybe 3 or 4 canoes at a time.

5th Portage

This portage is longer than the first but not quite as steep. First, you go up and then at the end you head down. Stay to the left as you approach Sletten Lake. If you go right, you’ll end at a campsite. The end of the portage trail is very muddy as is the start.

6th Portage

This is a nicer portage trail, not so muddy. Fairly easy, but the campers will probably be getting a little tired and hungry at this point. Encourage them the next portage is quite short and there you will eat lunch.

7th Portage

This portage isn’t much more than a carry over. If the campers are careful and don’t drag their canoe, two of them can just carry it (one in the front and one in the back) with their packs on their backs and paddles inside the canoe. I would eat Wednesday lunch here. Also, I would refill all the water bottles here in Little Sletten Lake, where the water flows down towards Fenske Lake.

8th Portage

This is definitely the toughest portage of the day, not because it’s up and down or rocky but because everybody is so tired! The trail itself is in excellent condition. You will have to cross the Echo Trail to get over to Everett Lake. Upon reaching Everett Lake, you will notice that there is a ton of muck. What Grant and I did to keep the campers, the inside of their canoes, and their gear from getting caked in muck was to stand in the muck up to our waists and load their canoes for them. There is a bit of shore, on the left if you are facing the lake that the campers can hop from into their canoe. Grant and I would then give them a push out into the lake, where they would wait for us all to get in our canoes. When it was only Grant and I left, we loaded our canoe and then walked it out to where there were lily pads. When then sort of rinsed off and hopped in. This kept things from getting really muddy.

9th Portage

This is a very short easy portage and a great finish to the day. The campsite I would recommend is on the right of the portage trail as you reach Twin Lake. I would check it right when you arrive. If it is occupied, I would then load the canoes and paddle 100 feet down the shore to the left where there is another great campsite.

Twin Lake Campsite #1

This campsite is absolutely the best one. There is tons of room, great swimming, and excellent fishing. This is where I would spend all day Thursday just hanging out and resting. Do some reading, cliff jumping, and fishing at this spot.

Cliff Jump

This isn’t much more than a large rock, but the kids had a blast and so did I. You do have to paddle over, but we piled four into each canoe. I’d say it’s 12 to 15 feet, not too high, but it provides plenty of room for the whole group.

Fishing Spot 4

This seems like a strange place, but we caught a bunch of pretty large bluegill right at the end of the portage trail. It drops off steeply into a pool, and you’ll see some logs that may have been part of a log crib. The crib may have supported a dock at one time. Anyhow, we just dropped a crappie jig tipped with bait down next to the logs and caught 15 or so bluegill.

Fishing Spot 5

We caught bass and bluegill right off the rock in front of the campsite

Fishing Spot 6

To the left of the portage trail, you’ll see some weeds along the shore. We caught northern and crappie here at dusk on crappie jigs and crankbaits.

Fishing Spot 7

We caught lots of bluegill back in the bay right in the weeds. All you do is drop a crappie jig down tipped with a little piece of bait and wham. We must have caught 40 pretty big ones. You only need to cast maximum 10 feet from the canoe. There were bass as well. For the bass, you might try a plastic worm. However, the crappie jig will catch them as well. You catch more fish on the crappie jig, lots of smaller ones but some big ones as well.

Fishing Spot 8

There are some trees laying in the water along the shore. We caught a lot of crappie, bass, and bluegill along this shore as well. Fish right where the weeds end; maybe about 10 feet from shore, right where the trees disappear underwater. It seems awfully close to shore, but the lake drops off quickly.

Fishing Spot 9

There are lots of weeds back in this little bay. Simply fish the weed edge with a crappie jig tipped with a small piece of bait. You really don’t need to cast far. The unfortunate thing is that you’ll get snapped off by northern periodically. I wouldn’t use a leader and a crappie jig, but if you want to catch northern, put on a leader and a bigger flashier bait (Rapala, spoon, or spinner bait).

Canoe Route (Twin Lake, Dead River, Burntside Lake)

This will take 1 to 1.5 hours, and that’s taking it easy. This is a very easy paddle, as you’ll be going with the current. The Dead River is larger than the Range River, and you don’t have to battle through weeds and sharp turns. It looks similar at first but grows larger as you near Burntside Lake and the current increase, carrying you along. We saw bear cubs along this stretch very early in the morning. We told the Canoe Guy to meet us at 8am; so, we left the campsite at 6am. We arrived at the pickup location (the boat launch) just after 7am. You have to go around a small point with a cool diving board cemented to it, in order to reach the boat launch. It is sort of tucked back in there.