Do you have a bucket list trip?  Not just spending time in the sun on a beach, but a multi-faceted vacation full of adventure?  Well… my husband and I had one… and we lived it… it was wonderful and miserable.  It was relaxing and strenuous.  It was more than we expected, both good and bad.  It was an epic trip, and I can’t wait to share it with you. Planning for months, we booked plane tickets, rented a car, a cabin, and an outfitter to supply the camping / canoeing supplies needed for a week in the wilderness.  Miles away from civilization, just us a canoe, a tent, and nature.  We were heading to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, or BWCA for short.  Engulfing ourselves fully into the wild outdoors.

We flew into Duluth, Minnesota in late spring 2021, then driving to Voyageur Canoe Outfitters ( http://voyageuroutfitters.com ) in Marais, Minnesota.  We planned on spending about a week discovering Northern Minnesota’s lakes. When we got there, we were welcomed with a set of bunk beds, setting the tone for the trip ahead… you’re not in Missouri anymore. The next morning, we ventured down to the water access point, checking out what would lie ahead.  There was a chill to the air, not like the southern Missouri humidity we just left behind the day prior.  The fog on top of the water was aglow with pastel pinks from the sunrise.  There was a shed near the docks that had a line extending from it with colorful life jackets hanging to dry.  Stacks of canoes sat nearby.  We went to the main office to get our topographical map and discuss our route with the outfitter.  We were ambitious thinking we were going to paddle as far as we told them… Little did we know what we were in for.  There were 3 bags, each one weighing around 50 pounds, plus the canoe.  We put our life vests on, threw the gear in the canoe and set off.

Geared with a map and a compass to navigate our way, we passed the wilderness sign… also known as the no immediate rescue signs.  You’re on your own.. unless you have a personal locator device (which I highly recommend if you are camping in the wilderness).  We paddled for hours on Sea Gull Lake, fighting against wind, current, and our novice attempts at navigating with the map and compass.  Heading West, we strived to find a camp sometime in the afternoon.  Camping locations are few and far between.  Marked on the map as little red dots, the camping sites are not close together.  One group can claim a campsite at a time, and it’s a good idea to grab the first campsite you see open along the way.  We would get to the campsite we aimed for on the map, only to find that it was already taken, along with the next 3 or 4 sites.  After hours of paddling and portaging, we finally found a camping spot on Alpine Lake.  We grounded the canoe, unloaded gear, started filtering water, started cooking the freeze-dried food packets on the little propane stove, then set up the tent.  We would tie the bag high up in a tree to prevent attracting animals/bears after multiple attempts at trying to throw it over a strong branch.  After a little fishing, we settled in the tent for the night, we would be lulled to sleep to the sounds of loons calling.  We were absolutely exhausted, but still excited for what lie ahead.

We decided to get up earlier the next morning to gain an advantage in getting a campsite.  I mentioned to my husband that I thought it felt like it might rain.  He looked up to the clear sky, denying it the possibility.  We set out, paddling hard wanting to cover more distance.  Clouds began rolling in, and the rain poured down like it had saved for months for this particular rain.  Like a child pouring pennies out of their full piggy bank.  We hastily pulled the canoe onto land, tied a tarp to two trees, and bunched our equipment under the tarp.  Sitting there with nothing to do, I pulled out the propane stove and our marshmallows, and started roasting them. Trying to make the most of the situation with some yummy smores, I made a joke about how I should go into meteorology (because I totally called it).  I couldn’t tell what my husband thought of my joke, I didn’t even get a pity laugh, but he didn’t seem disappointed about the smores.  The rain finally stopped, we lost some paddling time, and we were ready to head back out. We packed everything back up, heading back out on the water.

We paddled, portaged, paddled, portaged, and paddled some more.  Crossing land, packing all our gear twice, making two trips to get bags and canoe to the next lake.  We occasionally threw out a fish line and trailed a fish line occasionally.  We encountered wildlife such as crazy haired merganser ducks, loons, and encountering beautiful water lilies and wild roses.  We found an interesting spot on a map that had a small lake with a campsite right on it.  It was away from the bigger lakes, so we decided to check it out.  It was off of the Southeast end Ouishkemuncie Lake.  There was an 80 rod portage to get to a campsite and Mueller lake.  We decided to park the canoe and leave our gear to check the campsite out, rather than committing to that spot right away.  The portage trail had grown over some with trees that had fallen over it in a few spots making it difficult to pack our gear back to this spot.  We got to an opening to the shoreline of Mueller Lake.  Near the shoreline about 20 feet away, 3 beavers were swimming about.  We caught their attention, as one of them took their broad paddle of a tail and slapped it to the water’s surface, making a loud thud….Ker splash.  I filled with excitement, as I had never seen a beaver in person before and they are ADORABLE, and I thought he was being playful.  My husband chuckled, and said, “I think he is warning us that he doesn’t like us this close.”  I nodded, that did make more sense.  We decided to go back to the canoe as not to disturb the beavers.

We found an open campsite late in the afternoon/early evening.  The campsite seemed very private, as the tent area was surrounded by trees and hidden.  I felt like we had whole lake to ourselves like we were in our own little world. It felt so private that it seemed like a good spot for us to take our shower in.  Wasting no time, I immediately gathered water in our little shower bag and set out in the sun on a large warm rock.   After the strenuous work of paddling and portaging all day for two days, I felt a buildup of ick had accumulated and I was ready to wash it off.  After a couple hours in the sun, we tied the bag above our heads to a tree, stripped naked. Turning the water on, we were jolted by the fact that the water was still cold!  We turned the water off, shivering, we soaped up. We braced ourselves and turned it back on to rinse off.  As we rinsed off the remnants of soap, the cutest little border collie approached us. Breaking the silence of our bathtime, a deep voice breaking the silence unexpectedly says, “Man, I have the worst timing, I’m so sorry!”  My husband and I startled and embarrassed run to grab towels.  Apparently, we weren’t the only ones on that land mass.  We hurriedly dried off and got dressed.  The man disappeared back into the woods. Minutes later, we could hear a group of men now in the distance, talking and laughing.  We decided to go visit them, after all… one of them has already seen us vulnerable and naked, so we’re friends now, right?  We followed the sound of the voices and walked upon another campsite with four men.  We shrugged and said hello.  We all laughed and made jokes about the awkward situation.  What a way to break the ice!  They were welcoming and we all talked for a few hours as if we were old friends.  Sitting around a campfire we exchanged stories.  When it got dark, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. An experience of sonder…all of us heading out in the morning on our own adventures, unlikely to encounter each other again. We are grateful for the short encounter that made day 2 our trip interesting to say the least.  To be continued…. Stay tuned for part 2!