This week, we have some big wilderness trips in motion, all either in Canada or along the border! Each camper had the opportunity to choose which trip they wanted to sign up for. The first trip left on Monday, and the last 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 Fishing – 5-Day Trip

This trip is led by Birchwood counselors Perry (left), Puddin’ (second from right, back row), and Beagle (right).

This trip is a favorite among our campers who are nuts about fishing. They’ll be spending five days catching monster fish and eating the catch-of-the-day for supper each night! They drove over two hours up to the Pigeon River border crossing, then traveled deep into the Canadian bush where they put in on Northern Light Lake. They’ll get the chance to explore some legendary campsites, perhaps see the pictographs, and fish as much as they want. Before they left, we asked for an estimate on how many fish they’d catch – 100 was the guess! We’ll report back via Instagram with the final total.

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

THE QUETICO EXPEDITION – 10-Day Trip

Our veteran campers are guided by veteran counselors Frizzle (left) and Boots (fourth from left).

This impressive group is over halfway through their expedition. They’ve had spectacular weather and have reported back that everyone is in good spirits. The big misadventure of their trip has been three broken fishing rods. Good thing they packed plenty! We’ve got a rainy day on Thursday, followed by a sunny day for their final stretch back to camp on Friday.

Follow them on their adventure:https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 6 and 8 (backup))

Voyageur Highway One – 5-Day Trip

This trip is led by counselors Yukon (left) and Ryder (right).

A classic route! It’s a camp favorite for a reason! This is a trade route that French Canadian voyageurs would’ve traveled, trading pelts with the native Ojibwe people of this land. The segment they are paddling spans from Ely, MN (where they began) to camp (where they’ll end), totaling around 50 miles with lots of fun landmarks in between, like Dorothy Molter’s Isles of Pine, where she made and sold root beer, and Benny Ambrose’s old house foundations. Google those names for some fun local stories. They’ve added a fun side quest to their trip, which is a visit to Eddie Falls for a good soak in the water.

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

Duncan Loop – 4-Day Trip

This group is guided by counselors Hemi (left) and Samba (right).

Putting in at Duncan Lake, this group has one of the meanest (and most beautiful) portages in all the Boundary Waters up first – The Stairway Portage! As you might infer, the stairway portage has many stone steps that route around a stunning waterfall into the even more stunning Rose Lake. From Rose, they will paddle through South Lake to North Lake, then through a couple of small lakes on their way to Gunflint Lake, where they’ll end their trip on Friday. This route is one of the most beautiful in all of the BWCA with stunning vistas along the Canadian side.

Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/65CZR (Birchwood 7)

As our campers set their sights on adventure, let’s send them off with wishes of good fishing and even better company! May lifelong friendships be forged and a stronger sense of self be discovered! We’re also putting in a special order for some sunshine for these boys on Thursday!

Happy Trails,

Ashley, Director