The BWCA entry point permit lottery started on December 1^st.  It’s hard to believe the 2009 season is almost here and needless to say we are ready and anxious to begin.  We already have a few groups taking advantage of the lottery system and all others are encouraged to do the same.

                The first show of the season will be at the Ultimate Fishing Show- Jan 8-11, 2009 at the Rock Financial Showplace Center in Novi, MI. Click here to see Showspan's website  We hope to see all the past and future clients at the show. Come by our booth and we will be happy to review your routes as well as answer any other questions you may have.  Plus, you have to check out the show special- it can’t be beat!  With the condition of the Michigan (and national) economy, we made sure that anybody can afford a trip of a lifetime.  We have included a 4 day trip show special this year.

 Read on for:  

• Contest Winners
• Untold Stories of the 2008 season
• History Lesson
• Local points of interest in the Ely area

This month’s category is Northern Pike.  We didn’t have one Northern pike that really stood out this year but we did have a tie for two of the largest.  They were both about 37” one was caught by Lucy Slater and the other was caught by Pam Zywiol.

November’s largest Walleye winner Rocco Donofrio decided to get a Wilderness Journey T- shirt.  We also would like to encourage any of our past clients in our STORY OF THE SEASON CONTEST where they will not only get a Wilderness Journey T- Shirt or Hat but also 10% off their next trip. Next month’s contest will be for the largest Smallmouth Bass.

Decembers History Lesson

Pictographs and Petroglyphs

                Rock art is generally divided in two categories: carving sites (petroglyphs) and paintings sites (pictographs).  Pictographs are paintings that were made by applying red ochre or less commonly black, white or yellow dye.  Although the majority of the images were traced with the finger, some could be executed with brushes made of animal or vegetable fibers.  Petroglyphs are carvings that are incised, abraded or ground by means of stone tools upon cliff walls, boulders and flat bedrock surfaces.

                Rock art sites have been discovered throughout all of North America.  In fact, pictographs and petroglyphs may constitute North America’s oldest and most widespread artistic tradition.  It is part of a worldwide genre of prehistoric art, which includes the cave paintings of Spain and France as well as the rock art of Scandinavia, Finland, northeast Asia and Siberia.  No foolproof method for the precise dating of rock art has been discovered, other than speculative association with stratified, relatively datable archaeological remains.  While the tradition of rock art was no doubt brought into North America by its earliest occupants during the last Ice Age, it is most unlikely that examples of great antiquity will ever be found.

                Rock art in much of North America is linked with the search for helping spirits and with shamanism - a widespread religious tradition in which the Shaman's major tasks are healing and prophesy, along with the vision quest.  Several broad regions of rock art "style areas" have been distinguished, including the Maritimes, the Canadian Shield, the Prairies, British Columbia and the Arctic.

                The Pictographs in the BWCA are thought to be anywhere from over one thousand years old to as recent as a couple hundred years old.  The recent pictographs are thought to be recent because some of them have guns and many people in the canoes and the Native Americans never traveled with more than 2 people in a canoe.

The Untold Stories of the 2008 Season

                Throughout the off season, I want to tell some stories from 2008 that I didn’t include in the summer's newsletters.  Before I tell this story, I must let our readers be aware that we all had our life preservers on and we would not have attempted this if it was dangerous.  It was just a precarious situation.

               On the Donofrio trip... on Iron Lake, we took a day trip to Curtain Falls.  Rocco and his brother Mike were in one canoe while Rene and his buddy Mat were in the other.  I was soloing.  The water was 5 feet higher than usual.  It was the highest I had ever seen it… so I wasn’t sure what the falls were going to look like?  Just before we got to the falls, there was a set of little rapids that we had to paddle through to get to the portage and then to the falls.

                When we reached the point just before the rapids, I told the men to follow me.  When I turned the point, I realized I had made the wrong choice and the rapids were sucking the canoe, my camera gear, fishing gear and me into the rapids… I made a quick decision to jump ship to save the canoe and gear. (I WOULD HAVE NEVER BAILED OUT IF SOMEONE WAS IN THE CANOE WITH ME.) Good thing I had my life preserver on.  I jumped into the water, held onto my canoe and saw that Rocco and Mike had decided to take another route since they were right behind me.  Mat and Rene were sitting back watching the events unfold.  As I was bobbing down the rapids, I saw Rene and Mat turn their canoe sideways so they could help me.  As I floated towards René’s end of the canoe, I could see the look on his face… his expression said, “You better not tip our canoe!”  As I floated towards them, I assured Rene that I wouldn’t tip the canoe.  When I finally reached them, they swung me over to a small boulder.  I climbed on top of the boulder with water pouring off of me, holding onto their canoe I pulled mine up to me and looked right into René’s eyes and said, “Are you ready?” and Rene replied, “NO!!!”  I laughed and jumped into my canoe and went right back up the rapids.  It was hard as with every stroke I only would travel 2 inches up the river.  Finally after what seemed like forever I made it to the pool that lie just before the portage.  I hit the landing and jumped out.  I turned and saw that Rene and Mat had decided to go for it too.  Along with Rocco and Mike, I started cheering them on.  We were yelling, “DIG! DIG!”  Then we all broke out laughing.  Rene was really moving his paddle but he just wasn’t putting it in the water.  When they finally hit the landing René’s first words were, “What have I gotten myself into?!”  Later on he told me that the beauty of the area was unreal.

 
Local points of interest in the Ely area

North American Bear center

                The North American Bear center first opened its doors in May of 2007.  I first visited the center last May and I must say I was greatly impressed.  Anybody that visits the Ely area must take a little time to visit this center.  They have all the information you ever want to know about Black Bears they also have a bear sanctuary where you can take some great photographs of one of the largest bears I have ever seen. They claim it to be the largest in North America.  It tips the scale at over 900 pounds and goes by the name of Ted. Click here to check out their website.

Here are a few photos I took while I was at the center.

Check it out…

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Ramsey Dowgiallo