Out of the BWCAW

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Once again we have survived our annual canoe trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Dorcas and I have gone into the BWCAW every year since we met in 1997, except one. This year was unique in that this was the first time we have gone by our selves. In every other trip we have gone with our friends Wayne and Lynda. This year Wayne and Lynda went to New England and the Adirondacks instead. Wayne and Lynda had always planned the route, which meant Dorcas and I were on our own to plan our route and all our meals. In previous trips we shared meals and cooking chores, and shared certain camping gear. Dorcas really stepped up to the plate and planned our route.

We decided to take a very leisurely trip. We planned short days with many lay-over days, days when we stayed on the same lake and campsite two nights instead of moving to another lake and site. We also stayed on smaller lakes, which tend to be more interesting, and paddled a number of creeks and rivers. In total we paddled and/or portaged about 50 miles over 14 days. This is a trip many folks would do in a week or less. It is good to be retired and not have to rush a trip. Following is a GPS track of our trip showing our route and the location of our camps.

We had a really great trip. The weather was mild, with highs generally less than 80 degrees and lows in the 60s. It rained a few times, but usually after we had retired to the tent. We only set up the rain tarp twice and only actually used it once. We saw a fewer number of other paddlers than in past trips. At one point we went 72 hours without seeing another party. We had our choice of good campsites.



There was one out-of-boat experience when Matilda fell asleep and rolled off the boat into the water. This was not the first time she has fallen out of the boat, but this was a little different in that I don't think she woke up until she was about a foot under water. I dragged her up and she came out coughing and choking. Not a happy camper.

While in Alaska we purchased an REI tent that is a bit larger than our North Face tent we have used for several years. The new tent worked out well. It has plenty of head room, two large vestibules which Matilda stayed in and is very easy to set up.

All in all it was a very laid-back trip.

The fishing was good early in the trip. Dorcas caught one small northern pike and probably would have caught more if she had kept her line in the water. I caught the usual assortment of small mouth bass, walleye and pike. Typically, Wayne and I would fillet the fish we ate, so Dorcas was not looking forward to helping me. Something about the combination of a sharp weapon, slippery squirming fish, and trying to cut out sections of fish without the bones didn't seem like fun to her. The appeal of a delicious camp fish meal won her over in the end. We actually made a good team, and our fish dinner was quite good.