AAR: BOUNDARY WATERS TRIP, JUNE 10-14, 2024, By Eelman

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) is under the control of the US Forest Service and is comprised of roughly 1.2 million acres of lakes and forest.  There are approximately 1,100 lakes within the BWCA with numerous portages.   A limited number of entry permits are released January 1 and are required when visiting between May 1 and September 30.

There is no cell service in BWCA.  No internet.  Overhead flights are few and far between.  No motorized boats roaring across the lake.  No jet skis zipping by.  Just peace and quiet.  It is you and nature.  Accept that whatever is happening back in the world is beyond your control.  Relax.  Enjoy the serenity.

Actual preparation for this trip to BWCA started long before the “on line” prep discussion began.  Remember your 7 Ps…. Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance.  Permits for entry must be obtained, tow out tokens need to be purchased, an outfitter selected, etc.  Joe  did all the ground work on that.  This would be a 4 man trip.

Each of us made a list of items we would be bringing.  Much thought must go into your individual list as once you “step off”, if you forgot to pack it, you don’t have it.  There is no “running to the store to quick grab something.”  This goes for food, water filtration, fire starting, cooking stoves, gear, clothing, snacks, EVERYTHING.  Conversely, you can’t be hauling everything except the kitchen sink out there.  Weight and bulk are definitely an issue.

The drive up from Missouri is about 15 hours.  Fortunately, we were able to spend the night in a buddy’s basement in La Crosse, which is about the halfway point.  We would be stopping there again on our way back.  It’s good to know people you can count on.

We arrived at Voyager Canoe Outfitters at around 1700 Sunday night.  We finalized our check in, got our “bear kegs”, and since there is no cell service, Joe got an emergency beacon device.  If activated, it will transmit our location.   Depending on which button is activated, one will get a rescue team to paddle out to assist with minor injuries such as a broken leg, while the other is for life and death issues  and gets a sea plane dispatched.  Administrative items complete, we did a last minute check on packs and gear and grabbed some Mountain House chow before it was lights out.

Monday morning we were treated to a great pancake breakfast before heading out.  We hauled our gear to the docks and waited for our tow.  Yes, that’s Mike in one of the pictures looking at all the water in one of the tow boats as well as the cut open plastic jug to bail out water.  It definitely was a topic of discussion. LOL

The tow guy took us to American Point for the drop off.  I’m pretty sure that motorized boats are not allowed any further east.  It is well worth the money to be towed out.  It is a long, long way.  As he pulled away, we loaded all the gear into our canoes and began to head for our target destination, Zephyr Lake site # 335. (The only site on Zephyr)

Fortunately, the winds were calm, almost no waves, and paddling was easy.  We figured we had a 4-5 mile trip.  As we passed the few campsites on our route, we noticed many were occupied.  We had anticipated this possibility and planned accordingly.  Jason and Bill located a vacant site and occupied it while Mike  and Joe went on ahead to see if our site on Zephyr was open.  Joe found our primary site on Zephyr was available.  He radioed this information back to Jason and a discussion was held as to which site was nicer.  It was determined that the Zephyr site was far superior to the site Jason and Bill were sitting on, which we nicknamed “Trash Panda”, so we bailed on that site.

Everyone made the short portage from Saganaga Lake over to Zephyr and arrived at the camp site.  Site #335 on Zephyr is awesome.  Lots of room, multiple flat-ish areas for tents, sandy beach, pines all over, hardly any rocks, and no mosquitoes.

Just kidding!  The mosquitoes were horrendous EVERYWHERE and have a voracious appetite.  ANY exposed skin is a prime target for attack.  Many pictures show us with head nets (an absolute MUST), hoods up, gloves on, jackets zipped, etc.  Yes, sometimes it was a bit chilly, but more often than not, we were dressed like that to keep from being eaten alive.  As bad as the mosquitoes were, we were fortunate that the black flies either weren’t out yet or that season was over.

Tents were erected in short order and a “cook lean to” was also strung up to offer a wind break as well as shelter from light rains.  Trash cannot be burned in BWCA so we also had to rig up a place to hang our trash and any food, toothpaste, soaps, etc. that wouldn’t fit in the bear kegs.  This was no small task as the requirements to safely “bear-proof” your camp is serious business.  Packs were stored, sleeping bags laid out, and preliminary touches put on our site.

Camp logistics complete, our thoughts quickly turned to chow.  Jason had brought frozen steaks and pre-baked potatoes.  Between the tow out, paddling, and camp set up, the steaks & spuds were thawed sufficiently for the grill.  A combination of seasoning, grilling over an open fire, paddling, and working on the camp site made those steaks taste incredible.

Rolling out of our tents Tuesday morning, we were met with cool temps and a threat of rain looming.  A little coffee & hot chocolate took the edge off the cool morning.  Breakfast consisted of fresh farm eggs Jason had, somehow managed to transport out there without breaking a single one!  This, despite cramming multiple Mountain House meals carefully and delicately into his bear keg.  And what goes with fresh eggs?  Bacon!!  Mike brought some pre-cooked bacon that required no refrigeration when vacuum sealed.  Each man got a  “3 strip bacon ration” each morning!  The plan was to do a little fishing but Mother Nature had other ideas.  It rained on and off most of the day so we stayed close to camp and improved our position with small, but important, modifications.

For lunch, Mike had made and dehydrated chicken soup.  For dinner, he had dehydrated chili.  Both hit the spot on a very cool and damp day.  A definite morale booster.

Wednesday morning wasn’t much better, but Mike and Jason headed out to fish and recon another potential camp site while Joe investigated Zephyr and tried a little fishing too.   Bill stayed back to read Mongol Moon and stand guard against bears.  He also attached the signal panel to a tree as a quick reference for our guys return. Upon returning, Mike and Jason reported the alternate site was still occupied and, quite frankly, didn’t appear to be near what we had at #335.  We decided to stay put.

We listened to the NOAA reports regularly and heard a special report for the Boundry Waters.  They were calling for heavy rains, high winds, a possible tornado, and possible hail up to 3” in diameter from 1500-2300 hours.  We spent the rest of the day hardening our position in preparation for the incoming storm.

As you can imagine, there’s not much in the way of shelter out there so we lashed the 3 canoes to a downed tree, tarped the top, and secured a poncho for a “door” on our western exposure.  And then we waited.  In typical mid-westerner fashion, rather than seek shelter, we all gathered by the lakeshore watching the storm roll in.  It appeared to split and most of it went south of us and a part to the north.

We knew that some guys from Ohio had gone on a route that took them south of us and figured they would get hit pretty hard.  Talking to them upon our return, they did.

Thursday was considerably better in the weather department.  Beautiful skies, light breeze, sunshine, and moderate temps had Jason and Mike itching to get after the fish, but it wasn’t meant to be.  For whatever reason, falling barometric pressures, two days of rain stirring up lake water, or just the wrong lure, the fish weren’t buying anything they threw at them.

Later, Jason and Bill broke down as much of the camp as possible while Mike and Joe took one last shot at the fish.  As daylight faded, we turned in as we would be up at 0530 Friday morning.  Our extraction was set for 1000 hrs Friday morning at American Point.  We had timed our paddle on the way in so we had a good estimate on what time we needed to leave #335 in order to arrive at the extraction point on time.  We built in a buffer as the NOAA report was calling for a light easterly wind.  Paddling against the wind on the big lake in a canoe could be a bitch.

Jason and Bill arrived at the extraction point about 45 minutes early.  Joe and Mike were not far behind.  It was a good thing as our extraction boats showed up 5-10 minutes early.  The ride back was calm and uneventful.  We were taking a last look at the vast openness, beautiful scenery, seemingly endless lakes, and a skyline no city can compare to.

Once at the dock, we unloaded our gear and hauled it to Mike’s car.  After stowing our gear for the trip home, it was time for a much anticipated shower.   An outing like this can make you appreciate how something as simple as a hot shower can easily be taken for granted.  As suggested, phone calls / text messages were sent to loved ones letting them know we were all back in one piece with no major injuries.

While not a military type op, this trip allowed us an opportunity to plan the op, determine our load out, use / test gear, be self reliant for 5 days (could have easily gone 1-2 more).  We gathered as much intel, research, watched videos, etc.  to prepare.

Then more importantly, it allowed us to evaluate our plans, critique the effectiveness of gear, evaluate our load outs, radios, rations, precautions taken / to take, and adaptability to changing conditions.

I’m attaching my packing list merely as a suggestion.  Everything on the list fit in or on my large ALICE pack except for my sleeping bag and my food rations.  Additionally, I touched / used everything I packed and planned on using.  I also found I wasn’t lacking anything I could have needed.  Bear in mind, there were “group items”  I marked **  that others brought, such as the main camp stove, fuel, tent, etc.  Fortunately, I didn’t need the emergency equipment / first-aid stuff but……Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

BOUNDRY WATERS PACK ITEMS

Sleeping Bag                                                            Tent **

Sleeping Pad (USMC)                                            Ruck – Lg ALICE

Wobbie                                                                     E-Tool

Sleeping Socks                                                         Folding Saw

Knife

Personal Defense tools                                         Carabiners / Zip ties / Duct Tape

Radio**

MH Meals  X  10/11                                               Map & Compass

Mess Kit                                                                    Canteen w/ Cup

Salt / Pepper                                                            Water Bottle

Snacks                                                                       Water Purification X 2

Fire Starting X 2

1^st Aid Kit                                                                  Head Net X 2

SS T-Shirts     -2                                                        Bug Juice

LS T-Shirt      -1                                                        Emergency Blanket

Undies           -1                                                        Signal Mirror

Socks  -2                                                        Signal Panel

Water Shoes/Tennis shoes                                   Tarp(s) – Ground and cover

Seal Skinz socks                                                       Canoe Butt Pad

Camp / Hiking Shoes                                             Para Cord – LOTS

Pants / Shorts          -1                                            Warm Shirt / Hoodie -1

Warm pants -1                                            Pelican Boxes

Rain Gear                                                                  Head Lamp / Flashlights X 2

Floppy                                                                       Spare Batteries

Watch Cap                                                                Solar Charger for Batteries

Dry Bags – Large** & Pack sized                        Camp Stove**

Zip Lock Bags / Garbage bags                             Fuel**

Toiletries                                                                   Camp Chair**

Camp Towel                                                 Book

Odorless Soap / Toothpaste                                Dish Soap**

Sun Screen                                                               Paper towels / drying rag

Chap Stick                                                                T.P. AND Wipes

Sunglasses                                                                Camera / Phone

Pad / Pen                                                                  Travel Home Clothes

TAKE AWAYS

• For creature comfort, additional hot chocolate packets and a few instant oatmeal packets would be nice.
• Scooby snacks are a must.  They boost morale and attitude.
• A large main camp water supply is essential.
• The cook / rain shelter is a huge plus.
• Chairs and head nets are a must. Have a spare net.
• A small axe / hatchet is helpful.
• A good, strong 50’ of 3/8” rope comes in handy.
• USMC accordion sleep pad sucks.
• You need to pack more paracord.
• Make sure your cup has graduations in oz. and ml. STAMPED on it.
• Pepper and other spices make Mountain House meals quite tasty.
• Pelican boxes and both large & pack size dry bags are a must.
• Tether everything to your canoe in case you flip.
• While ALICE is good, there are better suited packs available.
• 3 Mtn House / day (1800 ish calories) was too much. We gained weight.
• The steaks, eggs, chicken soup, chili, while tasty and good for morale, was somewhat of a PIA to transport.  Weigh that against the comfort / morale boost.
• The “no fridge” bacon is a solid win. (Aldi has it)
• Titanium cups, sporks, pans, etc. are worth it.