Boundary Waters High Adventure Trip

By Curren Gentry Troop 282

When we first started going on the water a storm appeared and it started raining on us. First we had to get through our first portage which was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Then after that we had to do 4 more portages which were also hard. Then after all of the portages we were trying to look for a camp but Robin’s Island was taken so we had to go farther to a camp on a point. It rained all day. On the second day it was a lot better and was dry that day and didn’t rain. But we had to do 2 more portages and we were heading for Spoon Lake. The first portage had a ton of ticks in it and if you walked once on it you would have a ton of ticks on you. The second portage was an easy portage and we breezed through it. Then after that all we had to do was find a camp site to stay at. The first campsite was okay but the second was the best campsite ever so we stayed there. Then the third day was the best because we didn’t have to move or do any portages all we did was fish, fish and fish all day long. This day was the best day out of all of the five days there. That day we had many bites and get aways but we did land one big Pike, me and my dad pulled it in. Then we cleaned it, cooked it up and ate it.

The fourth day was another sort of rainy day but we did eight portages on this day and we had the wind to help us go faster too. Then after all that, we had to try to find a camp site not far away from the Prairie Portage Ranger Station at the Canadian Border so we could go there on the fifth day. The Fifth day was a hard day because we had to go against the wind which is hard in a canoe. Then when we went to the Ranger Station it was just a bunch of officers sitting around but there was a cool waterfall that made it worth it. Then we went to our pick up point and went on some boats back to the Canadian Border Outfitters where we ate dinner and were on the road again. We were out Minnesota in no time and back in Missouri. That was the canoe trip to Ely, Minnesota.

Boundary Waters

By Garth Hendren, Group B

Honestly our trip to the boundary waters was one of the best things I have done thus far in scouting. We were split into groups of six or eight and dropped off at the other end of Moose Lake. With technology and any sight of civilization behind us we had to spend the next five days out in bear country with our lives dependent on scouting skills and our buddies. After two nights on two different islands we were able to see the beautiful Eddie Falls. All in all it was a great trip!

Ely, MN

By Jacob McLeod

In Minnesota my favorite part was fishing even though I didn’t catch anything. I also liked all the cool wildlife we saw, Eagles and Chipmunks. I didn’t like the rain because it was cold and wet.

High Adventure

By Matt Copeland

My group had a lot of fun on the trip. We celebrated a different person’s Birthday each day we were on the water. Portaging was hard and the weather was not good to say the least. But, I would not have had it any other way.

Boundary Waters

By Gabriel Engleheart

Our trip to the Boundary Waters was a fascinating and much-enjoyed trip. Portaging offered a nice place change of pace to the usual canoeing, as did camping. There were times when closed portages made us backtrack and made us reroute, and a fake portage made us travel out to marshland with knee-deep water, but these were rare occasions. Canoeing was easy when the wind was at our backs, but challenging when it blew at our faces and rippled the water and trapped us in large coves. Overall, however, it was an amazing get away from the hum-d-dum city life that I will never forget.

Canoe Trip to Canada

By Tim Phillips

I’d like to thank the adult leaders so much for giving me and the other boys the opportunity to be out in the wilderness. I’ve never been to any place like Minnesota/Canada before, and I probably won’t get another chance to do it again. I enjoyed experiencing unspoiled nature and getting out of the city for six days. I haven’t ridden on a bus that was so cool, either. Once again, thank you very much.

High Adventure Trip

By Logan Simpson

It would have been more fun if it had not rained all the time. It was really cool that I got to see Canada. I had fun being with my friends and camping out with them. We got to see Bald Eagles in nature that was really cool. It was fun being in the canoe and hearing the loonies call. I liked the food that we had on our trip. Phil made us hot coco to warm us up, he’s really good at making hot coco.

I had a "Jolly" time

By Rick Hendren, Group B

What I considered the "Highlights" of our high adventure trip…
We were the first group on the water, and the last ones off!
We had two closed portages in one day, and still portaged over 8 miles on the trip!
We went "kirplunking"! Just ask for details.
We went out on a log over Eddy Falls!
We built a fire in the rain!
We played tug of war with the trees!
We did a conservation project!
We slept on an island two of the four nights we were out!
We had a Birthday Party everyday!
You might notice how I never used the term "I did…", but always "We". That is because we truly had a team effort, which made for a great trip! I had a "Jolly" time.

Boundary Waters High Adventure Trip

By Gary Leabo, Group D

Let the Fun Begin

After boarding the bus, the troop left about 2:30AM. The young ones (first timers) were very excited. Eventually they settled down with electronic games and movies. McDonald’s in Des Moines was our first stop – breakfast time, This was followed by more games, movies, and sleep until we arrived at Albert Lea, Minnesota’s McDonald’s – lunch time with great service. Back on the bus and heading for our destination.

We arrived at the Canadian Boundary Waters at 3:30 PM and changed into our class "B" clothes, that we would be wearing the next morning. Our evening meals was hamburgers, fries, pork and beans (Sleepy Bill o’ded on beans) and ice cream. We were divided into four groups. Each group headed to their bunkhouses for a good night of sleep. Some of the boys had a hard time getting organized, but we were in bed at 8:00 PM. We got everyone up at 4:00 AM and tried to finish organizing before our breakfast of pancakes, bacon, and orange juice. The equipment we were not taking was stored on the bus. We carried the rest down to the lake so it could be transported.

During this time, my canoe partner, Austin (11 years old) asked me how old I was. He guess from 50 all the way to 72. When I told him I was 71, he looked up at me and said, "Isn’t there an age limit on this trip?" I cracked up and told him no, but if he could keep up with me, he would be okay.

Let the Adventure Begin

May 24, 2012
It rained on us during the transport on Moose Lake to the first portage. After the first portage into the other lakes, there were no motor boats, no houses, electricity, or toilets. It was truly a wilderness. It was raining so hard our leader – who leans to the left – leaned too far to the left, and we ended up in Canada and quite a ways up in Canada. We were not supposed to be there at all. We canoed almost all the way to Nova Scotia. William, who had just finished his second year of French, could not understand their dialect. They also spoke too fast for him.

As a result we knew we had to get back to the USA. We went around some islands several times (everything looks the same in a rainstorm). At 4:00 PM we knew that we had to get off the water because there was lightning, wind, and thunder plus everyone was cold, wet, tired and hungry. We found a Canadian campsite with no luxuries whatsoever. We cooked steaks, dehydrated garlic mashed potatoes and blueberry cobbler. No plates were used. We passed the bags around and we used our spoons. Hot chocolate topped off the meal. Everyone got into dry clothes and sleeping bags by 6:30 PM.

May 25, 2012
Almost everyone was up by 6:00 AM to have a snack, pack up, and try to find our way back to the USA. We did a pretty good job of finding our way and finally the portage that we were look for. It was a great relief. At the portages everyone has to help carry all bags and canoes across the land to the next lake. It took a while to get the team work going, bu we finally found a campsite around 4:00 PM. After everything was set up, we had a delicious hot meal of steak, ham, hash browns, eggs, and a treat. We ate on plates with forks! The campsite was nice. Its was high on a point and very windy. The lake had one-two foot waves with white caps. I was glad that we were off the lake at that time. There was no rain so we strung up a clothes line and tried to dry our wet clothes. Since there was no place to sit down, we were to bed between 6:30 and 7:00 PM.

May 26, 2012
When we woke up it was almost cold. There was some frost around. Wood was gathered, clothes were rehung, and water was collected. Another great meal of French toast, bacon, hash browns, and hot chocolate was enjoyed. The boys fed the chipmunks the leftovers. The boys fished from their canoes after lunch and we set up camp. Around 3:00 a pontoon plane crossed over us several times. That is the only way to get help if you have a real problem. Our gourmet dinner consisted of prepared hamburgers, peas and carrots, Mac and cheese, and treats. The dry clothes were gathered and we went to bed early because we were going to have to get up early.

May 27, 2012
Out of bed early in order to move out by 7:00 AM. We had to make four portages, and we decided to take the first campsite that was empty. Which we did around 1:00 PM. It was still raining. The boys gathered firewood so we could cook a meal of English muffins, eggs, sausage, and two pounds of bacon. This made a great sandwich topped off with hot chocolate and treats.

May 28, 21012
We packed up in the rain and headed for the last portage. When we were at the US-Canadian port, we saw a waterfall that was a great sight. Our schedule for pick up was 2:00 PM. We arrived at 11:30 AM and unloaded the canoes, many treats, and anything else we left. They picked us up and we headed down Moose Lake. When we arrived at our destination, we unloaded everything and were given towels and soap. We all had a hot shower. The departure meal was steak, pork and beans, fries, and ice cream. Hot shower and good food and it was time to get on the bus.

Let the Memories Begin

More rain, movies, treat, and sleep as we headed for home. When we left we had some boys, but when we arrived home we had some young men. It was a great trip! The boys were already talking about the next trip.

Remember: "Hands Up!" and "I needed that!"

My Boundary Waters Trip

By Nick Dunlap

On the first day it was rainy, our group was unable to maintain a fire so we all wanted to go home. But the next morning it was dry and sunny and with a fire we were ready to stay a while. During our free time we all did different stuff like skip rocks, fish, explore and sit and talk.

What I enjoyed was being at a place that was untouched by people and buildings. I spent my free time skipping rocks, fishing and exploring. I liked not having electronics for distraction, I would have missed a lot if I did have them. Like the chipmunks and the sound of the loons and Ryan and Jacob sounding just like them loons.

I liked having a loose schedule and laid back leaders. The leaders made the trip more fun by telling stories and jokes.

Also one of the leaders dreaming of picking berries, but picking them out of someone else’s hair in there sleep!

In the future I would definitely go back and take more fishing line.

A Trip I Will Never Forget

By Chris Toms

I don’t know about anyone else, but that was amazing. At first I thought it would be bad, but when we got back to the outfitters I was thinking about coming back next year. So all in all I thought is was one of the best trips we’ve taken. It was nothing like I thought it would be. If I had to write a letter back to the outfitters I would definitely say that I would never forget this trip.

The High Adventure Trip

By Simon Englehart

I thought the trip was awesome. When we went on the high adventure trip we went to Minnesota. We went there on a bus witch took 12 to 14 hours to get there. Once we got there we settled in a bunker and changed in to different clothes. When we were there we ate dinner and breakfast in the morning. After that we packed our stuff and put it in a motor boat. Canoeing was easy but we canoed for a while till we found a camp site. We ate three meals all 5 days. It took the same amount of time to get back as to get there. That’s when I went on the high adventure trip.

(See pictures from the Boundary Waters High Adventure Trip in the 2012 Troop 282 Photo Collection.)