This week we have a great mix of paddling trips with a climbing adventure thrown in there! Our four-week campers fill our four and five-day trips while our new two-weekers embark on three-day-long adventures! The first trip left on Monday and the last trips left this morning (Wednesday). 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.
Saganaga Lake Exploration – 5 DAY
This trip is led by Birchwood counselors, Dragon (left) and Puddin’ (right) with Senior Leadership Campers, Philip (back row, second from right) and Finn (back row, second from left)!
We’ve got route envy! These campers have charted a unique route through Saganaga and into a chain of meandering lakes with lots of little portages in between. Ultimately, they’ll pop out in Seagull Lake on Thursday night but they’ll get to see many lakes in between that most Birchwood campers never see! We can’t wait to hear which lake is their favorite.
Follow them on their adventure: https://share.garmin.com/65CZR (Birchwood 1)
Superior Hiking Trail Climbing Trip – 4 DAY
This trip is led by counselors Nemo (front left), Hercules (back center), and Frizz (right).
This is another trip that is new to Birchwood! These campers will hike a section of the Superior Hiking Trail in search of more than hiking. These boys are after world-renowned rock climbing! They’ll hit several well-climbed routes with the finale being Tettegouche on Thursday. We’ve sent many climbing trips and many hiking trips but never a combo of the two given the weight of the climbing gear. Give these strong gents a round of applause for coming up with a new trip!
Follow them on their adventure here: https://share.garmin.com/XXT8Z (Birchwood 4)
Sawbill to Camp Thru-Paddle – 4 DAY
This trip is led by counselors Ghost (left) and Lobo (front right), with Senior Leadership Campers Rollin (back right) and Shea (back row, second from left).
This is a paddling trip with many lakes between Sawbill, their entry lake, and the camp! A grand tour, if you will, of a section of the Boundary Waters that hasn’t been dramatically affected by the wildfires and blow down that have hit many other areas. They’ll get to see big lakes and small lakes, connected by varying lengths of portages – a nice sampling of the very best of the BWCA. Not to mention, they have many portages and miles to cover!
Follow them on their adventure here: https://share.garmin.com/GXMPD (Birchwood 2)
Missing Link Paddle – 4 DAY
These boys are guided by counselors Hemi (left) and Duke (right), with Senior Leadership Campers Carter (back row, second from left), Luka (back row, third from left), Liam (back row, third from right), and Luca (back row, second from right).
This is another group doing an impressive thru-paddle! They’ll begin at Round Lake and paddle through Missing Link (their entry lake into the Boundary Waters) before a very long and grueling portage into Tuscarora. From there, they’ll paddle a chain of small lakes until they hit the bigger lakes of Gabimichigami, Ogishkemunci, and Seagull where they’ll camp on Thursday night before making the final sprint to camp on Friday.
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 7)
Meeds Lake Expedition – 3 DAY
This trip is led by counselors Gov (back row, second from left) and Nairo (right) with Senior Leadership Camper, Ben (left).
They have dubbed themselves the “Meed for Speed” trip, entering into Meeds Lake! They’ve chosen a great route through a chain of small lakes with a big portage right at the beginning! They’ll spend their first night on the very long Winchell Lake before tackling another string of smaller lakes on Thursday and Friday. They’ll paddle some of the same waters that our Sawbill paddling group is charting this week but instead of paddling all the way back to camp, we’ll pick them up on Ham Lake Friday afternoon.
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 5)
Alpine Loop Classic – 3 DAY
This trip is led by counselors Mac (left) and Frosty (right) with Senior Leadership Camper, Jack (back center).
An enthusiastic group of new two-week campers! They’ve chosen to do a classic route, the Alpine Loop! It’s a classic for a reason – you can start and end this trip right from our docks and get to see a variety of big and small lakes with not too many portages in between. They’ll begin their adventure in Seagull Lake, looping up through Alpine, and ultimately popping out into Lake Saganaga on Friday!
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 6)
As our campers set their sights on adventure this week, let’s wish them calm waters and starry night skies! May the nights be cool and the bugs be few!
Happy Trails,
Ashley, Director
