Boundary Water Blow-out

We have survived our Boundary Waters adventure. We arrived at Hungry Jack Outfitters on Friday afternoon to get organized and prepare for our trip. We went back to the same outfitter we used about 14 years ago. David and Nancy, the owners, are still there and doing a great job. They are centrally located about a half hour drive north of Grand Marais in a beautiful area surrounded by lakes which offer lots of trip options. They have top notch equipment and great facilities to base from. Check out their web site if you are ever interested in making a trip: www.hjo.com

We had originally planned to paddle a big loop of lakes right along the Canadian boarder, but shortly after setting out we realized this would involve a lot more effort than we were really up for. The scale of the lakes up here are not what we're used too - even the smallest lakes seem considerably larger than the lakes we typically go to in the Adirondacks. So, we modified plans and decided to base ourselves on Clearwater Lake, make some shorter excursions and loop back to Hungry Jack's a shorter way.

This option allowed us to explore some of the local attractions such as Johnson Falls, located only three lakes and portages away from our campsite. It was a bit of work to get there, but definitely worth it.

The next day we headed over to, Gagebic Lake, a nice small lake where we had the fortune to get the only campsite on it. This whole area of the boundary waters is known for its beautiful cliffs and dramatic terrain, making it an interesting place to explore, but also makes for some challenging portages over the steep trails between lakes. Moving the boat was actually the easier part of the portages - those packs we're just too heavy - maybe we should have opted for the one liter wine box instead of the three liter!

Our second night out the wind began to blow - and that pretty much defined the rest of the trip. We portaged back over to one of the larger lakes the next morning, hoping to do some paddling, but nearly got blown out of the boat. We went to the side of the lake to see if it would calm down, but it just kept blowing. Finally, we gritted our teeth and paddled directly into the wind, fighting for every yard of forward progress.

We finally made it back to a campsite on Clearwater Lake and set up out of the wind as much as possible. We figured the wind would have to die down sometime , so we would just wait it out. The next morning it was still blowing hard, but we set out anyway, hoping it would be calmer on some of the other lakes... it was not! We spent nine hours of fierce paddling though several chains of lakes. We were totally exhausted and eventually got blown on shore while trying to round a point. Fortunately, there was a campsite nearby, so we didn't hesitate to stop for the day.

We still had three lakes to cross to get out, but the weather still had not improved by morning. We just did not have it in us to get back in the boat. As luck would have it, the campsite was located on a trail that would lead us to a road where we could call to get picked up. Looking at the whitecaps on the water we decided this was the safer option. We carried the boat and all the gear out in one trip (the wine was gone by this point), found a phone, and David was there to get us within an hour. We were quite relieved to be out of the woods. It was not the most relaxing of trips, but quite the adventure.

After cleaning up, we packed up the car and headed south to the Twin Cities to visit old friends from Peace Corps days. It was really great to catch up after 21 years. Thanks Sonja and Jim for your great hospitality... not to mention, food, bed, shower, washing machine, and internet.

The next stop is Calgary and the Canadian Rockies, stay posted.

BWCA or bust!

Our road trip has officially begun. Tammara's mom, Trudy is far from better, but she seems to be stabilizing. She has been able to get off of most of the pain medication for her back, but has been just plain sick for the past few days. We're not sure if it's the flu or a reaction to the antibiotics, regardless, she appears to be in for a prolonged stay at the Glens Falls hospital. Tammara's sister, Debbie, and her aunt Jean, have arrived for care giving reinforcements, which has allowed us the freedom to hit the road. It was a departure of mixed and conflicted feelings: guilt, fear, and uncertainty, as well as, joy, excitement, and anticipation of the joys of the road.

We made a trial run at our friends camp on Raquette Lake while waiting to see if Trudy stabalized. It was a good way to ease into the camping routine, making sure we had all the right gear, before we got too far from home. We had a beautiful couple of days, although, a bit cool and windy. We set up a camp right by the water, but had access to the house for cooking and showers, etc. Thanks Don and Annie - you guy are the best.

Trial camp on Raquette Lake

From the camp we made a quick trip back to Glens Falls to check on Trudy and visit with Debbie, and then we were finally on our way. We headed back though the heart of the Adirondacks, flying past all our old tramping grounds - Keene Valley, Lake Placid, the Saranacs, and then on up to Canton (home of Tammara's Alma matter, SLU). We stopped for the night just at dusk at a small and apparently unknown NY state park called Eel Weir Park. It was quite small and there were only three other parties, but it was quite lovely, located on the shores of the Oswagachie River. It is located in an area surrounded by an Amish community and we passed many horse buggies driven by folks dressed in the traditional garb and displaying the fashionable beard style.

Camp at Eel Weir State Park

The next morning we crossed the boarder at Ogdensburg - what a beautiful view of the St. Lawrence seaway from up there. We stopped in the first real town in Canada to change money and get a few provisions, and then settled in for some serious driving, trying to get as many miles in as possible. Before we left Glens Falls we had contacted our canoe outfitter in Minnesota to see if by chance there were any entry permits available for the Boundary Waters later this week. We were quite surprised that there actually were! So, all of a sudden we were on a schedule again - over 1,100 miles to cover in three days.

At the boarder

We didn't get quite as far as we had planned the first day, but decided to set up camp while it was still light. We found a small Ontario provincial park conveniently located near the highway. Like out first night, it too was deserted and we had the place all to ourselves.

Hoping to really get some miles in on Wednesday, we were up early, packed, and on the road. We had decided on the northern route of the trans-Canadian highway. Technically, it is slightly shorter the the south option, there is less traffic, and most importantly, we had not travelled that way before. We made great progress, traveling over 500 miles that day. The scenery was quite interesting - there were mile after mile of cut over spruce/fir forest land, which was what we had expected, but there were also valleys of some beautiful farm land. Towns were few and far between, most were only there because of large paper mills located there.

Farther to the north, and crossing over the continental divide between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, we passed more and more remote undeveloped lakes. We kept asking ourselves, 'Why don't we just stay here?' But no, we blew by at 100 kph, with our sights set for Minnesota by Thursday or bust.

We did have to stop briefly to admire this artifact in the small town of Moonbeam, Ontario. It's not every town that can boast to have a flying saucer in their town center!

We pushed on through the day and eventually found our way to Sleeping Giant provincial park which sits on a peninsula that sticks out into the northwest corner of Lake Superior. We camped at a nice site on the shores of big lake that is in the middle of the peninsula.

Camping at Sleeping Giant Provincial Park

The view was awesome from our front door. It was a bit rainy over night, but the morning dawned cool and clear. We took a short run through the campground and then jumped in the lake to cool off before breakfast.

Sleeping Giant Mountain across lake

Then we were off again, travelling south now, through Thunder Bay and along the side of Lake Superior. What an incredible lake - I can't believe it's not the ocean. We kept thinking we were in Maine with its rocky shoreline and windblown fir trees. We crossed the boarder back into the US and finally, made it to Grand Marais, Minnesota, our jump off point for the Boundary Water Canoe Area. We stocked up on provisions, did a load of laundry and found some internet access at the local library. Now it's time to relax.

See you at the other side of the portage.

Lake Superior

Downtown Grand Marais, MN

And they're off... well not really

Ready, set,... hold on. Well, we should be on our way by now, but as they say, timing is everything. This past Wednesday was supposed to be our leave date, but circumstances conspired and it was also the date Tammara's mom, Trudy, went in for serious back surgery. The situation had been developing for quite some time and reached a critical situation last week when she was admitted to the Glens Falls hospital with severe spinal stenosis and a staph-infection in the spine as well. So, we have put our trip on hold for a bit to help Trudy through the crisis and see that she is on the road to recovery before we hit our road. In the mean time, it doesn't make much sense to sit around at home waiting for news from the hospital, while we both have all this time off. Our friends Don and Annie have generously offered us the use of their camp on Raquette Lake in the Adirondacks while we figure out what to do next. It's only an hour or so from Glens Falls and has a phone, so it is a great option.

Our plans for the trip have already shuffled, we cancelled our Boundary Waters canoe permit, since we would have had to be there by Monday, and that just isn't going to happen. We are trying to stay positive and know that we still have plenty of time and lots of other great places we can visit, but we are quite disappointed none the less.

So, we are off to the Adirondacks, as if it's the first leg of the trip. We have organized all the gear we will need for a three month adventure...

And miraculously it all fit quite neatly in the car.

Be sure to check back here for regular updates.