We are only halfway into this adventurous trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Northern Minnesota and although we have encountered a lot of wildlife so far…. What we haven’t encountered much of…and the reason we came to BWCA….fish.  We had anticipated catching fish after fish, and so far, we mainly have paddled, portaged, set up camp, tear down camp and fought off the massive Minnesota mosquitos.  Not to mention that one of the sleeping bag mats would not hold air throughout the night, so we took turns.  One night, I would have a cloud of air under my body.  The next night the ground was my mattress.  It was a lot of work for little reward (as far as fish were concerned).  We were halfway through our trip and we wanted to find “the” fishing spot.  We decided that we should try one of the smaller less travelled lakes/camping spots.  We headed towards Esther Lake, finding an ideal camping spot, we set up camp and started a campfire.  We saw a frog on the shore with a garter snake stalking it.  Neither animal was shy, and the garter snake ate the frog right in front of us.  I wanted to save it but my husband encouraged me not to mess with nature’s process, so I started photographing it.  After dinner, we set out to fish all evening on the lake.  The lake was beautiful, and we were the only 2 people on it.  The water was clear, and the sun was bright.  We ventured into a little cove, baited and cast our lines and BAM!  The line would hit the water and our poles would violently jerk.  We both got excited, reeling in our fish, throwing them back and casting again.  All evening long, the fish would bite within seconds of the lure hitting the water.  It was the best fishing experience I’d ever had.  I was so happy for my husband!  I had photography to fall back on, but my husband came with the intent to catch MANY BIG FISH.

The next morning, we packed up camp and made our way towards Monument portage, a really cool point where you are right on the United States/Canada border.  We had rationed the food the best we could, however, my husband is a Type 1 Diabetic, and we had to make sure that his blood sugar stayed within range.  With the amount of physical exertion involved with this camping/canoeing trip, we were having trouble keeping his blood sugar normal.  We were going through the food faster than we anticipated.  To make matters worse, I started having my own medical issues.  I had started bleeding heavily, and it was not time for my monthly friend.  We were tired, and starting to worry about the situation we were currently dealt.  Do we have enough food to last the rest of the trip?  Did I have some sort of medical issue going on?  Trying to make the most of the trip, we continued fishing/photographing here and there along the way.  When we reached Monument portage, we were relieved.  As we pulled up to shore to start packing our stuff through the portage, a complete stranger handed us two mandarin oranges, the first fresh fruit that we’ve laid eyes on since flying into Duluth.  We acted like a couple of sailors with scurvy, devouring the oranges in mere seconds.  They were warm from being in the sun, but they were the best damn oranges I’ve ever had.

We crossed Monument portage and dropped our canoe back in, setting our hopes on reaching the campsite on Gold Island.  There is only one campsite on this island, and after this point the campsites get further apart.  We also would be crossing more open, larger bodies of water, which meant more wind and current to fight against us.  In addition to this, prior to setting out into the wilderness the weekly forecast had predicted a storm rolling through in the afternoon.  We didn’t have anything to assist us with keeping track of the weather as there is no cell service in this area, so we had to pay attention to the skies.  I was starting to feel weak, afraid that my bleeding was taking its toll.   Paying attention to landmarks to help navigate us, paying attention to the skies, and being mindful that we might have to set up camp sooner rather than later.  We made it to Golden Island and luckily no one had claimed that camping spot!  That evening while my husband fished on the rocky shoreline of Gold Island, we watched the storm miss us by miles, passing off in the distance, and the sky opened up lending us the site of a beautiful sunset.  It was really neat to have this beautiful island all to ourselves for the night.  This was our last night in the wilderness, and honestly, I was longing for the modern-day comforts.  I found myself starting to be grateful for the things we all take for granted.  I couldn’t wait to get back to town and order a GIANT JUICY steak.  No more freeze-dried food.  No more instant coffee.  No more sleeping on the hard ground.  No more cold showers.

When we woke up the next morning right at sunrise, I could NOT pack up camp quick enough.  We hightailed it out of there.  We started seeing more motorboat activity as we approached the outfitters.  We had started discussing our experiences with this trip, and what we would’ve done differently (stay tuned until the end for how we would approach this trip if we were to do it again).   We got back to the Outfitters hastily turning in our gear.  I bought some soft, warm fleece pants and a sweatshirt in the Outfitter shop and marched to get my prize…. A hot shower in the private shower house.  After the shower, we headed to Duluth hospital, where I was treated for an aggravated uterine fibroid.  After I was released, we went out for steaks that evening, then headed to a warm hotel room equipped with a bed fit for a King and Queen.   I couldn’t wait to get back home. 

Our garden awaited us with ripe raspberries and tall sunflowers.   Our dog Patches was so excited to see us, ready to run through his sunflower jungle. 

We still have one left-over freeze-dried food packet from the trip that my husband teases me saying it’s going to be my next birthday dinner.  It’s been over 2 years now, and we have yet to touch it.  We are both home, healthy and happy. 

So how would we have done things differently?  Well… I’ll tell you.  There is an option to have the Outfitters take you out on a motorboat further into the BWCA, rather than paddling from the outfitters, saving you both time, and physical effort.  A head start, if you will, to get further into the area quicker.  We would make our way to one campsite and stay at that one campsite, rather than setting up and tearing down camp every day.  We would venture out during the day to fish and come back to our “home” campsite during the evening (I would totally do Esther Lake again).  I would’ve brought an extra inflatable mat for under the sleeping bag.  You know the Navy SEALs have a saying, one is none, two is one.  The inflatable mat is very light weight, so having an extra wouldn’t have been a burden.  What would you make sure you’d pack on a Wilderness adventure? Do you have any content suggestions?  Comment below! Join our email list so you don’t miss the next adventure.