This week, we have a great mix of paddling trips with a biking adventure thrown in there! Most of 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 trip 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 Wall-E (right), with Senior Leadership Campers, Rollin (back row, second from right) and Carter (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. On day one, they plan to paddle all the way to Knife Lake to make camp, which is an ambitious goal for one day! 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)
Hike + Bike – 4 DAY
This trip is led by counselors Nairo (left) and Dusty (right), with Senior Leadership Campers Henry (third from left) and Tyler (second from right).
This trip is new to Birchwood this year! These campers will set up a comfortable base camp at the Flour Lake campground on the Gunflint Trail. From their base camp, they will bike the network of cross-country skiing trails and hike several stunning trails (with beautiful vista overlooks) – Honeymoon Bluff and Caribou Rock Trail, to name a few.
Follow them on their adventure here: https://share.garmin.com/XXT8Z (Birchwood 8)
Brant to Camp Thru-Paddle – 4 DAY
This trip is led by counselors Ryder (back center) and Samba (front right), with Senior Leadership Campers Emmett (back row, third from right).
This is a paddling trip with many lakes between Brant Lake, their entry lake, and the camp! 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! This is an experience group of paddlers. If anyone can do it, it’s them! Side note: Calvin (second from right) has his 14th birthday on Saturday. Happy Birthday, Cal!!!
Follow them on their adventure here: https://share.garmin.com/GXMPD (Birchwood 2)
Brule Lake Thru-Paddle – 4 DAY
These boys are guided by counselors Hemi (right) and Puddin’ (left), with Senior Leadership Campers Liam (back row, second from left), Graham (back row, third from left), and Luka (back row, second from right). Camp baby, Kit Daniel (right), did not participate in this trip but insisted on posing for the photo.
This is another group doing an impressive through-paddle – Brule Lake all the way back to camp! They have a whopper of a portage on day two (300+ rods) and many miles of paddling (40+) before they will arrive victoriously back at our docks on Friday. This is breathtaking canoe country to boot! Lots of old-growth forests and crystal clear waters.
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 7)
Alpine Loop Paddle – 3 DAY
This trip is led by counselors Oaken (left) and Waldo (right).
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 Saganaga Lake, looping up through Alpine, and ultimately popping out into Seagull Lake on Friday!
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 6)
Granite River Paddle – 3 DAY
This trip is led by counselors Mac (right) and Boots (second from right) with Senior Leadership Camper, Kaito (second from left).
These adventurous boys will be running the Granite River from Gunflint Lake all the way back to camp, which is a historical and classic trip in this area of the BWCA! The Granite River will spill them out onto the beautiful Lake Saganaga on Thursday afternoon, where they will make camp before heading back to camp on Friday.
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 5)
South Lake Adventure – 3 DAY
This trip is led by counselors Frizz (doing the splits) and Flash (praying to the canoe gods) with Senior Leadership Camper, Nico (back right).
This group has energy and good humor! They’ve also got a fantastic route planned from Gunflint Lake through South and North Lakes into Rose Lake, where they plan to spend Thursday checking out Rose Falls. They’ll end with Stairway portage into Duncan and get picked up on Friday afternoon. Rose Lake, in particular, is known for its beauty. Some say it is the most beautiful lake in all of the BWCA!
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 4)
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
