Can you believe it?! We’re already sending out the last trips of the summer and, WOW, we’ve got some good ones! Especially considering the good news we’ve received recently:
All evaluation status levels have been removed!
The fires closest to camp are 90% contained!
The air quality is good!
And the BWCA is open again!
With this recent news, we’ve sent two BWCA trips this week, both of which get to spend a night at Birchwood Wilderness Camp! We’re excited for all the campers who chose the BWCA trips this week, but especially for the first-year campers who have never been to Birchwood. We hope the waterslide blows their socks off!
The first trip left before breakfast on Monday morning, and the last trip left this morning (Tuesday). Everybody will be back by 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.
Skipper and Portage Paddling – 5-Day Trip
This group is guided by Sunny (left) and Nacho (right), with Senior Leadership Camper, Carter (second from left).
This group is headed back to Birchwood, where they will get to spend the first night of this trip at camp, go on the waterslide, use the sauna, have dinner in the dining hall, and check out the grounds. On Tuesday, they will head to the Skipper and Portage Lake entry point. This entry point is on the western side of the Gunflint Trail, and their route will take them west/southwest, returning to make the challenging Skipper and Portage loop. This trip will start on Poplar Lake, moving west through the Rush lakes, Banadad Lake, 3 or 4 really small lakes, and ending a very long journey on the beautiful and elusive Long Island Lake. Day two of paddling will leave from Long Island and head southeast, veering towards Muskeg, Kiskadina, Omega, and camping on Henson Lake. Day three of paddling, the shortest of the days, will start on Henson, paddling northeast through Pillsbury and Swallow Lakes, ending on Meeds Lake. The final day of the trip will start early and have our paddlers exiting the BWCA to the public landing on Poplar Lake so they can start their journey back to us at Camp Foley.
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/GXMPD (Birchwood 1)
Clearwater Paddling – 5-Day Trip
This trip is led by Birchwood counselors Ryder (left) and Perry (right).
This group is comprised of five boys who have never been to Birchwood Wilderness Camp! They will get to spend the first night of this trip at Birchwood, go on the waterslide, use the sauna, have dinner in the dining hall, and check out the grounds. On Tuesday, the group will head out from Birchwood and hop onto Clearwater Lake heading west-southwest, hoping to knock off Caribou and Little Caribou Lakes, ending the first day and camping on Pine Lake. On Wednesday, the group will get an early start and keep paddling west to McFarland Lake, where they will move north to Little John and John lakes, ending their day on East Pike Lake. Thursday, our group will paddle back west to West Pike and end their last night back on the beautiful Clearwater Lake. On Friday, the boys will finish their route and end at the Clearwater Public Landing where the boys from Skipper and Portage will be waiting.
Follow them on their adventure: https://share.garmin.com/XXT8Z (Birchwood 2)
North Shore Climbing and Tettegouche State Park Exploration – 5-Day Trip
This trip is led by co-counselors Ryder (left), Beagle (right), and Frizz (front row).
A Birchwood favorite, the North Shore Climbing Trip is unlike any other trip! This group is in for 5 days of climbing cliffs that stand directly over Lake Superior at Shovel Point in Tettegouche State Park, bouldering at Carlton’s Peak, and exploring the various hiking trails Tettegouche State Park has to offer. The scenic views from Shovel Point make this trip one of a kind. They will be base camping at a nearby campground. This trip is popular for the world-renowned rock climbing AND the big meals cooked in the Dutch oven.
Follow them on their adventure here: https://share.garmin.com/E95B6 (Birchwood 6 and 8)
Cuyuna Biking – 4-Day Trip
This trip is led by counselors Perry (left) and Wheeler (right).
This week, Birchwood is heading back to Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area! This trip was so popular because of last week’s trips; it’s quickly becoming a camper favorite. This week, the campers and staff hope to use what they learned from last week and expand on what this trip has to offer. Cuyuna is one of the best mountain bike destinations in the Midwest, and a great place for kids of every skill level to have an experience of a lifetime. Cuyuna isn’t a single track or a single hill; it’s a network of over 50 miles of trails across 800 acres, so tons of new trails to explore. These campers will stay overnight at Portsmouth Campground, on the shore of Portsmouth Mine Lake, just minutes from the trails, so there’s no long shuttle in and out each day, and they can swim after a long day on the trails. These boys are getting one of the best bike experiences MN has to offer!
Follow them on their adventure here: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 4)
As our campers set their sights on adventure this week, the last week of camp, let’s wish them a week of memories in the making! May the wind be at their backs and the trail be clear ahead. May our campers find comfort in being back at Birchwood and new traditions be born at Foley!
Happy Trails,
Ashley, Director
