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.
Grand Portage Senior Capstone – 5-Day Trip
This group is guided by Senior Leadership Counselors, Ryder (left) and Hemi (right), and their Senior Leadership Campers (left to right) – Oliver, Banyan, Jack, Ward, Sam, Elliot, Matthew, Nolan, and Teddy.
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 rite of passage as a senior camper.
This trip is very special! It is a rite of passage as a senior camper and the most challenging trip we send. Our senior boys paddled away from camp after dinner on Sunday into the mighty Lake Saganaga, where they made camp. They have been making great time as they paddle the US/Canadian border route towards Lake Superior, where they will ultimately 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 Ojibwe 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 65 miles and portaged 14,400 rods (45 miles) for a grand total of 110 miles along this ancient route. This is no small feat!
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/GXMPD (Birchwood 1 and 2)
Canadian Crownlands Fishing – 5-Day Trip
This trip is led by Birchwood counselors Puddin’ (back right) and Perry (left).
This trip is highly coveted for our campers who fancy themselves fishermen. They paddled directly from our docks, up through Lake Saganaga, and into Northern Light Lake, which is the gateway to Mowe and Plummes Lakes 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 (left), Samba (right), and Rocky (back row, second from right).
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 scrumptious 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)
Round Lake Loop – 4-Day Trip
This trip is led by counselors Beagle (right) and Yukon (left).
Entering the BWCA at Round Lake, these gents will get to see some beautiful old-growth forests on this loop! On day one, they’ll paddle a chain of small lakes to camp on Gillis Lake. From there, they will continue south towards Little Sagnaga Lake, where they’ll make camp on Wednesday night. With lots of islands and bays, campsite shopping will be a fun endeavor. On Thursday, the loop will start to arc back north through a string of tiny lakes, ending the day on the larger Tuscarora Lake. Friday morning, they’ll end the trip with a long portage into Missing Link Lake, ending on Round Lake where the loop began. They took Camp’s new Kevlar canoes, which will make that final mile-long portage much more enjoyable!
Follow them on their adventure here: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 6)
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 one seeks.
Happy Trails,
Ashley, Director
