This week we have a wide variety of trips! Fishing, Paddling, Rock Climbing! The first trip left on Monday and the fourth trip left this morning (Tuesday). Everybody will return on Friday afternoon to share their tales from the trails but we won’t leave you hanging that long! Keep reading to discover which adventures our Birchwood boys have set out for this week.

Canadian Crownlands Fishing – 5-Day Trip

This trip is led by Birchwood counselors, Dragon (back left), Nairo (back row, second from left), and Ghost (back row, center).

This trip is highly coveted for our campers who fancy themselves fishermen. They paddled directly from our docks, up into Lake Saganaga, and into Northern Light Lake, which is the gateway to Moe Lake and Trafalgar Bay. This land is the wild west of wilderness territory and the fishing is somewhat legendary! There are even pictographs to visit in Trafalgar Bay! If anyone is going to win a Stevesie award this week (biggest fish), we bet it’ll be one of these gents.

Follow them on their adventure: https://share.garmin.com/XXT8Z (Birchwood 7)

North Shore Climbers – 5-Day Trip

This trip is led by co-counselors Frizzle (back left), Hercules (back row, third from the right), and Lobo (front middle).

A Birchwood favorite, the North Shore Climbing Trip is unlike any other trip! This group is in for 5 days of climbing the sheer cliffs that stand directly over Lake Superior, which boasts world-renowned climbing. Not only will they be climbing incredible rocks, but they’ll also get to eat some incredible camp meals! Since this trip is car camping based, they have more space to pack cast iron pots and big bags of groceries. We can’t wait to hear all about their climbs and meals when they get back.

Follow them on their adventure here: https://share.garmin.com/E95B6  (Birchwood 4)

Grand Portage Senior Capstone – 5-Day Trip

This group is guided by Senior Leadership Counselors, Mac (right) and Frosty (back center), and their Senior Leadership Campers – Malachi (left), Vail (second from left), Rami (third from right), and Maddox (second from right).

Our Senior Leadership Campers were given the privilege and responsibility of planning their own trip to close out the session and WOW did they choose a good one!

This trip is very special! It is a right of passage as a senior camper. Our senior boys were dropped off at South Lake where they began their journey towards Lake Superior. They have been making great time as they paddle the US/Canadian border route, tackling many portages before they hit the Pigeon River and the famous Grand Portage that will lead them to Superior where they’ll be picked up on Friday.

The Grand Portage is an ancient trail that connects Lake Superior to the western interior lands of what is now known as the Boundary Waters. Spanning 8.2 miles (2,631 rods), it was originally trafficked by the Objibwe people of this land. They named it Gichi-onigaming (the Great Carrying Place). 350 years ago, the French (and later British) voyageurs traveled Gichi-onigaming to do their work as fur traders. Today, this route is traveled primarily by recreational groups.

When our senior campers pop out of the Grand Portage into Lake Superior, they will have paddled 38 miles and portaged 15 miles for a grand total of 53 miles along this ancient route. This is no small feat!

Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/GXMPD (Birchwood 2)

Clearwater Loop – 4-Day Trip

This trip is led by co-counselors Hemi (right) and Puddin’ (left).

This is an ambitious group! They’re entering the Boundary Waters via Clearwater Lake and making a big loop through Mountain Lake, down into Fowl Lake, and over to Pine Lake, eventually ending back at Clearwater. This loop has some beautiful old-growth forests and lots of opportunities for wildlife sightings. We can’t wait to hear which lake was their favorite! Some of our staff say Mountain Lake is their favorite in all the Boundary Waters.

Follow them on their adventure here: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F  (Birchwood 1)

As our campers set their sights on adventure, let us wish them warm nights and dry conditions! In every walk or paddle with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.

Happy Trails,

Ashley, Director