Two Crews, 60 Miles, and Not a Single Fish

Two crews of Troop 79's older scouts are back from their weeklong canoe trip through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with stories of a week of beautiful weather, canoe portages, improved paddling skills, remarkable wildlife, and absolutely no fish.

There were nibbles. There were tugs. Several submerged logs put up a respectable fight. But despite our best efforts, no actual fish were caught. Perhaps the wind was blowing from the wrong direction? Or it was too hot? Or, our hats were the wrong color? We only have working theories.

Crew One began at Entry Point 30 on Lake One and took a more modest route, traveling approximately 20 miles and completing eight portages. Crew Two, made up of the older Scouts, entered at Snowbank Lake and covered nearly 40 miles, including more than a mile and a half of portaging.

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The weather could hardly have been better. Most days were sunny and in the 70s, with little wind to interfere with paddling or portaging. Crew One traveled through rain on Wednesday, while the older Scouts wisely remained at camp. The rain was welcome, however. Fire restrictions in the BWCA had ended just before our trip and have just been re-imposed, so we were fortunate to arrive during a well-timed stretch of wetter, safer conditions.

The Boundary Waters covers more than a million acres, but somehow our two crews managed to find one another on the final day. Completely by accident, they selected campsites only about half a mile apart within roughly 100 square miles of wilderness.

Along the way, the scouts saw beavers, cranes, a turtle laying eggs, swans, ducks, and even a moose wandering through the night. After sunset, the sky opened into a brilliant field of stars -- darker, clearer, and more expansive than many of us had ever seen.

The food was good (for being freeze dried). The Duluth packs were heavy. The mosquitoes appeared faithfully every evening but remained manageable with enough repellent and a few head nets. Everyone became a stronger paddler, learned to work more efficiently as a crew, and gained a new appreciation for the extraordinary beauty of the wilderness. We came home with stronger skills, a life time of stories, and memories that will last much longer than any fish would have.