trips3

The June, 2007 canoe trip started with a flight into International Falls, Minnesota, followed by a two and 1/2hour van ride into Atikokan, Ontario. Atikokan is often referred to as the “Canoe Capital or Canada.” Preparing to explore the vast areas of Quetico Provicinal Park, the Ventures arrived at Atitkokan Base, one of three base camps (two in Canada and one in Ely, Minnesota) that comprise the Boy Scouts of America’s Northern Tier High Adventure Base (www.ntier.org). Venturing is a co-ed program of the Boy Scouts of America for 14 to 20 year olds.

The Crew asked the Base Camp Team to give them a tough trip (which, in retrospect, was kind of like telling a Cajun chef to make your food really hot—careful what you ask for). They were chasing superlatives—having done 50 and 70 miles treks on land, and up to 80 miles by canoe in the past, they wanted something more. They got it. Their 110 mile trek went through a remote are that no one from the Northern Tier program had traveled in the two previous years. Their first two portages (areas where canoes must be hiked across land to follow a trail that connects various lakes, creeks, and rivers) had all but disappeared. Scheduled to take one day for those two portages, they took over two full days to drag themselves over land through thickets and saplings. A survey team caught up with them on day three, and reported the portages they had just used were no longer passable! Pushing their pace, they rapidly got back on schedule after that. Waking one morning to ominous clouds and a long lake crossing scheduled, the Crew and their Northern Tier guide decided to delay setting out. A tremendous storm hit shortly later, with the Crew sheltering in between some boulders while full grown trees snapped around them in the wind. The Crew went on to finish their eight day trip collecting wonderful photos, memories and oh yeah, leaches (yuk!)