Canoeing the Northern Tier

“This is lame,” Nathan grumbled as he stumbled from the comfort of his cabin at the Boy Scout Northern Tier high adventure base camp in Ely, MN.

No one spoke as strangers lifted gear into the canoes and Nathan put one foot into his. As suavely as a 16-year-old can muster at 5:00 a.m., Nathan shifted his weight to the one foot in the canoe.

An unexpected expletive escaped when his foot slipped. His long legs seemed to bicycle the air as his head hit the sand three feet below Moose Lake's cold surface. It’s anyone’s guess how he managed to cram so many angry thoughts into so few seconds!" Wasn’t it enough that I agreed to go to Philmont with the troop last month? Wasn't that enough?

Nathan’s blazing eyes shot out of the water to warn, “Don’t say a word!” Only one Scout dared snicker. Total silence followed until the guide said, "Don't swear on this trip; or you'd better have a good reason.” His stern eyes surveyed all the boys then glimmered, “And that one qualifies.”

Tension eased as everyone laughed, and strangers became Order of the Arrow (OA) brothers during two weeks.

Nathan was among 70 Scouts that OA—the Boy Scouts’ service arm into which troops elect Scouts—invited on a voyage through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), located in the northern third of the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota.

1.3 million acres along the boundary between Canada and the USA for approximately 150 miles make up the BWCAW. The park boasts 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 15 hiking trails and a couple hundred unparalleled campsites. It was set aside in 1926 to preserve its primitive character and made a part of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 1964. Like the French explorers of 200 years ago, visitors paddle their canoes and carry them between the lakes.

“That first day, we paddled a long time until we got to where we all hoped was the end,” remembered Nathan. "The guides showed us how to portage, and we had to carry 850 pounds of canoes and stuff for over a mile; and then we had to put them all in the next lake and paddle some more. I was even madder at my parents when we pulled into a junky looking campsite where we stayed for the next week. That turned out to be a nice site because trees blocked the sun from waking us too early in the mornings. I’m not a morning person.”

For the first week of their trip, the teens repaired a large portion of the trail. The boys set up camp and then pulled out tools to start working on the trail. The guide pointed to a pile of large rocks and said, “You’re going to break up all those rocks over there and cover this trail first with softball-sized pieces, then over that with golf-ball-sized pieces, and finally with pea-sized pieces. It will end up six inches deep.”

The boys were shocked!

He hit the largest rock as hard as he could. He couldn't believe how much his hands hurt, so he dropped the sledgehammer and shook his hands.

OA crews from around the country each year make a lasting difference in the BWCAW by repairing sections of trail damaged by rain and snow during the winter. They earn the trek of a lifetime by checking dams, water bars, turnpikes, or making gravel like Nathan’s crew did. The Scouts learn about preventing erosion and how to make gravel. They earn a sense of accomplishment knowing they helped make the outings of thousands of other people more enjoyable.

“We finished up exactly on time a week later,” said Nathan proudly. “We celebrated by eating four tubs of jalapeno cheese." He knew he was forever changed.

The crew portaged between 57 lakes and paddled over 100 miles during the next week. The boys caughted delicious largemouth bass in the Otter Track near Canada. They drank root beer to their hearts' content. They jumped from the cliffs of the Fortress on Knife Lake and spent an hour silently contemplating life while looking at the unbelievable scenery.

“My crew and I started out as strangers,” said Nathan. "The trek made us feel like brothers." We went lots of places, did lots of stuff, did some work to help out the Forest Service and shared some great campfire stories.”

The trip transformed him.

Nathan enjoys sharing travel adventures with friends and family at http://www.discounttravelhangout.com and would love to hear about your adventures too.