You can't really put your finger on it at first. But after a few days in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, you figure it out... When you can see for miles across water and islands. And there's no sign of human development. You know you're in a very special place.
Then you remember the map you saw in base camp--and you think about how big the Boundary Waters really are (over 1000 sq miles) and the tiny portion you're seeing. It's truly something to behold.
Our troop sent two full crews to Northern Tier this summer. And I bet every member of those crews would love to go again.
The BWCAW has a "Rule of 9"--meaning that no more than 9 people should be together in the wilderness at any time. Each of our crews started out as 8 people and picked up a guide (called an Interpreter) from base camp to make 9.
One crew was Braden, George, James, Nick, and Owen; plus Mr. Bonanno, Mr. Carson, and Mr. Ross. The other crew was Charlie, Jonathan, Ian, Jack, and Nino; plus Mr. Bravo, Mr. Forrer, and Mr. Oppenheimer. Because of the Rule of 9, the two crews had totally different itineraries when they left base camp.
We worked with a great travel agency for flights (Frosch) and terrific shuttle service to get us from Minneapolis to Ely with a night of lodging (Northern Lights Shuttle). And a big thanks to Mr. Oppenheimer for handling logistics.
Our Interpreters met us upon arrival at base camp and led us through 36 hours of preparation before heading to the water. We loaded up with tents, stoves, fuel, water purification, and some very high-class trail food (onions, peppers, curry spices, cheese, egg 'cubes', chicken strips, etc).
Each crew leveraged the strengths of their Interpreter. The crew with the slightly younger scouts relied on Tommy's three years experience at NT to know they'd be OK with a longer route and some lengthy portages (including a 1-mile-portage!). Their payoff was some of the best campsites in the area.
As interpreter of the crew with slightly older scouts, Emilio did a fantastic job deferring to the scouts for itinerary planning and execution. And he was an excellent back-country cook. Incidentally, he intended to be a ranger at Philmont this summer, but agreed to work at NT to cover the influx of crews impacted by Philmont's fires.
In the pictures for the trip, you can see the fantastic sunsets, the vibrant contrast of trees, water, and sky, and the many happy faces. And of course, the photos are just a taste of it.
I think our only regret was that 5 days and 4 nights away from base camp seemed too short. Perhaps we'll have a longer go at it next time.
Check out the pix over here.
-Mike Forrer