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BOUNDARY WATERS CANOE AREA, MINNESOTA
September 1 - 5, 2006
This was just about the most perfect wilderness experience we could
imagine - four nights and five days of canoeing in sky-blue, crystal-clear
lakes surrounded by unspoiled boreal forest of spruce, fir, pine,
aspen, birch, and maple, with just a hint of fall color beginning to show.
Paddling the calm, peaceful lakes alternated with portages through the
woods, where we carried the canoes and all our gear on our shoulders,
getting a strenuous workout. During the entire trip, we traveled a total
of 26 miles, yet we saw only a small part of this million-acre wilderness
area, the largest in the eastern U.S.
Temperatures ranged each day from the high 40s to the low 80s at most,
we had clear, blue skies with almost no clouds, no rain, moonlight on
the water each night, and practically no insects! We saw no trash or l
itter anywhere, and the lakes are so pure we could drink the water right
out of them safely.
Our trip covered 17 lakes and 15 portages. The longest portage was 185
rods (3/5 mile), and involved an elevation change of 170 feet, over the
Laurentian Divide, which separates the Lake Superior drainage from the
Hudson Bay drainage. The longest lake, Winchell Lake, involved about 5
miles of paddling. We saw comparatively little wildlife, and no moose,
our only real disappointment of the trip.
There were four of us on this trip, which proved to be an ideal group
size. Forest Service regulations limit canoe groups to nine, and the
small campsites hardly have room for more than four tents. The only
facilities provided are a fireplace grill with log benches and a pit toilet.
Our trip was arranged through Tuscarora Outfitters, on the Gunflint
Trail north of Grand Marais, Minnesota, at the edge of the wilderness
area. They provided aluminum canoes and a complete food package, as well
as everything we needed: cooking utensils, propane stove, animal-proof
food boxes, and large "Duluth packs" for portaging our gear, all for
$290 per person. Tents, sleeping bags, and other necessities were
available for rent or purchase if we didn't wish to bring them.
Transportation to the put-in site and pick-up at the end were provided
by a handsome blond hunk named Ben (how we wished we could have hired
him for the entire trip!). An overnight stay in Tuscarora's bunkhouse,
breakfast on the first day, and hot showers at the end of the trip were
all included in the package.
A leisurely fish dinner at a quaint, scenic lakeside restaurant in Grand
Marais, overnight in a historic hotel in Duluth, and then back to the
real world with unforgettable wilderness memories. This trip cost each
of us less than $800, including airfare, rental car, and hotel - a real
value! Who wants to lead it next year?
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