A Week in the Boundary Waters

I’ve only been back in the US for a few days, but I can’t pass up the chance to jump on my buddy Neal’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area permit. It’s been too long since I was in the midwest’s premier backcountry spot

The thing I love about the BWCA is the limitless combinations to weave together routes through the lakes. It’s this kind of freeform exploration that I’m drawn to. So in this spirit, we set off for a week in the backcountry with no defined plan. 

We set off on a perfect day. Deep blue skies with puffy white clouds lazily floating along. The paddle started with 4 portages in rapid succession. None of them were particularly tough, but loading and unloading that many times gets tiring. 

Our first big lake, Fourtown, is a classic BWCA lake. Rocky points, islands, and lots of campsites. We had our pick of the lot and found a sunny site by 2pm. Early enough to get the hammocks out. I like the speed of this trip already.

The next day we paddled to Gun Lake with a few fishing stops along the way. Another great site surrounded by water on 3 sides. 

We woke up to a misty, rainy day. We debated if we should stay put or move on. After a few extra cups of rainy day coffee, we decided to move. 😆

Turns out it was a good call. The spot we got on Thunder Lake was top-notch. So good we made it a double. Thunder Lake was very quiet. It’s at the end of the line so not many paddlers make their way up there. Both nights we had clear starry skies and heard elk bugling at night. 

After a day off from paddling, we were raring to go. Plus, the wind was picking up and we could feel a storm brewing. Best to get the miles in and find a camp. When we hit Boot Lake the wind was at a full gale. We could see the thunderheads looming in the distance. 

After an exhausting paddle, we got to Fourtown Lake. We grabbed a west-facing spot. Figured it was better to get a view of what was rolling in.

We had just enough time to get the tarp up before the rain started bucketing down. For the next 3+ hours, we rode out the multiple waves of thunderstorms that passed by. It was epic and terrifying. By the time everything blew over, it was well past dark. Finding a spot to pitch our tents that wasn’t a puddle was a challenge. 

The next day was much cooler with bright blue skies. It was our last full day. Since we hardly slept (and survived the thunderstorms!), we decided to stay firmly planted at camp and take full advantage of the day by making good use of our hammocks. 

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Living In Freycinet National Park

Heading into the slower winter travel season with the international borders still shut we got the idea to look for underused vacation rentals to rent. What we didn’t anticipate was to find one that was INSIDE a national park.

Freycinet National Park is one of the most visited parks in Tasmania. Home to the iconic Wineglass Bay and a network of trails crisscrossing the peninsula, we’ll have plenty to do right out our front door. Or maybe not do. Our rustic vacation home has a deck in the treetops overlooking Coles Bay. An ideal place to sit and relax. 

If living at the trailhead to all the trails on the peninsula isn't enough, there is also a small private beach for residents. And our rental comes with two kayaks. Also, a few small wallabies living outside 😍 Unbelievable. 

A Boundary Waters 4th of July

I love the Boundary Waters, the ~8hr drive is prohibitive, but definitely worth it. This will be my first time in the late spring early summer, a little nervous about the “horrific” populations of biting insects I’m supposedly going to encounter.

Our itinerary is pretty cruise-y, perfect for a group trip: lots of time at camp, lots of time for side explorations. Our garage sale canoe is definitely not the lightest for the portages, but hey, it beats paying for a rental. If I was doing a longer more demanding trip I’d for sure want something more lightweight but for this trip it fits the bill.

We put in at Round Lake just before lunch and began our paddle. The first night we stayed on an island on Snipe Lake (an island!). This is why I love the BWCA, you can stay on islands, which just feels cool.

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With all the time at camp I even managed to proof and bake a loaf of yeast bread paired with homemade raspberry jam. It. Was. Awesome. Good thing the island we’re on appears to be free of bears.

On night two we stayed on the skinny Cross Bay Lake. Our campsite was a short scramble up the rocks with a great swimming hole right out front.

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On night three at Ham Lake we got a great campsite on a rocky point in the middle of the lake.

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Every night around dusk we had turtles coming up the rocks towards our campsite and digging in the dirt. I’m assuming they are trying to lay eggs and we gave them as much privacy as possible.

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And the bugs that were supposedly going to carry me off? Didn’t happen. Sure there were bugs but other than 30 min before/after sunset they really weren’t a problem.

If you go:

Floating on the Wisconsin River

Back at it with my uncle. This time a quick one night trip canoe camping on the Wisconsin River (gotta play with that new canoe!)

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We put in early afternoon at the public launch off of Highway A on Indian Trails Parkway, about 5 miles south of the Wisconsin Dells. Our take out point was about 10 miles downriver off of Levee Rd. About half of the distance twists and turns through the Pine Island State Wildlife Area.

Fairly low key trip, saw a few eagles, hawks, herons and only a few people. As always, great to get out of the city for a day. Plus, I got to test out my new Vargo woodstove. It’s fairly fiddly but I think with some practice it’ll be a cool little stove.

 
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Garage Sale Canoe

“When are you getting back? I bought a canoe at a garage sale and need your help getting it home.”

She really knows how to make my day/week, maybe even month. It’s old and fairly heavy but the price was right. On the way home we had to take it out for an inaugural sunset paddle along the Yahara. I love this city.

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