This week, we have some big wilderness trips in motion! Each camper had the opportunity to choose which of the seven trips they wanted to sign up for. The first trip left on Monday, and the seventh 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.
Quetico Fishing – 5-Day Trip
This trip is led by Birchwood counselors, Nario (left) and Gatsby (back row, third from left), with Senior Leadership Camper – Carter (back row, second from right) and Luka (back row, right).
Every single camper in this group has taken a trip or two into the Canadian Crownlands with us before so this time they are taking a new route in Canada! They’ll be exploring the Quetico Wilderness! They are veterans and expect to be eating fish for dinner every night of their 5-day trip. These gents will paddle straight from our docks up into Saganaga Lake, through Cache Bay, and part of the falls chain of lakes before retracing their steps on Friday.
Follow them on their adventure: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 2)
Crownlands Fishing – 5-Day Trip
This trip is led by Birchwood counselors, Luigi (back left), Waldo (middle right), and Boots (back right), with Senior Leadership Campers – Emmett (back row, second from left) and Graham (back row, second from right).
This trip is quickly becoming a favorite among our campers who are nuts about fishing after hearing previous tales of catching monster fish and eating the catch-of-the-day for supper each night! This group is headed to the Canadian Crownlands in search of record fish, unique campsites, pictographs, and stunning views on Northern Lights Lake. We expect this group to catch the biggest fish this week!
Follow them on their adventure: https://share.garmin.com/N4V2F (Birchwood 1)
Voyageur Highway One – 5-Day Trip
This trip is led by counselors Frizz (left) and Samba (right) with Senior Leadership Campers – Ben (second from right) and Jack (second from left).
A classic route – yet not one of these campers has been on this trip! It’s a camp favorite for a reason, though! 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 island 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 6)
Eddie Falls Loop – 4-Day Trip
This trip is led by counselors Ryder (holding the paddle) and Mac (second from right) with Senior Leadership Camper – Henry (back row, left).
These gents are paddling a loop starting and ending at camp. They’ll paddle into Seagull Lake, then on to Ogishkemuncie, up to Eddie Falls, then the south arm of Knife Lake, along the border to Sagnaga, and back to camp on Friday. The star of the trip will be the waterfalls at Eddie Lake! They are stunning to look at but even nicer to soak in or get a back massage from!
Follow them on their adventure here: https://share.garmin.com/GXMPD (Birchwood 4)
Voyageur Highway 2 – 4-Day Trip
This group is guided by counselors Dragon (left) and Puddin’ (right) with Senior Leadership Campers – Liam (second from right) and Rollin (third from 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 west towards camp until they hit the Granite River, which winds its way northwest until it empties into Saganaga Lake, carrying our boys back to camp on Friday. This route along the US/Canadian border was a traditional trading route of the French voyaguers with the native people of this land, the Ojibwe! We call this Voyageur Highway 2 because it is the second stretch of “highway” after the first stretch that reaches from Ely to Saganaga Lake.
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/65CZR (Birchwood 8)
East Bearskin Loop – 4-Day Trip
This group is guided by counselors Flash (left) and Hemi (front and center) with Senior Leadership Camper – Tyler (back row, second from right).
Putting in at East Bearskin Lake, this group will paddle into Caribou Lake on their first day, Pine Lake on their second day, and Clearwater Lake on their third day. Clearwater is their pickup point on Friday, so that means they’ll get to sleep in on their last day on trail since they’ll arrive in Clearwater Thursday night. This group will get to paddle through some beautiful old-growth forests and stunning vistas!
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/65CZR (Birchwood 7)
Morgan Lake- 3-Day Trip
This group is guided by Oaken (back left) and Curby (back center).
This group has a whopper of a portage right off the bat! Once they’re on the other side, they’ll paddle through many small lakes with plans to camp on Henson Lake and Rib Lake before making their way down the Cross River on Friday for pickup. We wish them luck as they tackle their 300+ rod portage on day one!
Follow them on their journey here: https://share.garmin.com/65CZR (Birchwood 5)
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!
Happy Trails,
Ashley, Director
