"Boundary Waters Wilderness Canoe Area, Minnesota" Personal Page by bulldogtwo

Loaded and ready at the launch point. Early morning start to get going and a head start on the day, we have a 23-25 mile paddle ahead of us and 8 portages to our camp site.

Anyone interested in a trip like this let me know!

On the portages with pack and canoe.

Travel light! Everything has to be paddled or portaged, carried in AND out of this beautiful wilderness area to preserve it for future generations. You have to learn what is important to carry in and what is not in order to travel as light as possible. Doesn't leave you a lot of room for luxury items!
This is "No Trace Camping" It means to leave as little or no trace that you were there, which is why it is non motorized, paddle only.

Monster moose

We saw this Monster bull moose sitting along the shore line, he was actually sleeping. We pulled in for some pictures and he was huge! Another paddler pulled up who lived in the town 20 miles away, had lived there for 25 years and he said he had never seen one so big. Wildlife is everywhere and you have a chance of seeing most of them if you are quiet and can blend in a bit. One of the great things about the Boundary Waters is the wildlife that you can see in their natural habitat. We got within about 25 feet of this guy. WAY TOO CLOSE, don't do that! As I was taking pictures I drifted in too close and didn't realize I did until I bumped the shore line! Fortunately the moose was not disturbed, not to mention it could've been dangerous!

Moon rise

Nights can be just as spectacular as the days in the north country. When there is no moon the stars are birght and clear with no light pollution. We spend hours star gazing and watching falling stars and looking for satellites.

Morning sky

Red sky at night, sailors delight, Red sky in morn, sailors be warned!
This old adage still holds true today. This was a beuatiful morning sunrise and it was a day that we were to paddle out of the BWCAW. By the time we took off the winds came up and only got stronger. We battled 3 foot swells in certain parts of the lakes and fought wind the whole way out. Made for a very tiring out day. Wind when you are paddleing is your enemy, more so that rain, snow, well, maybe not lightening, but wind wears you out, not to mention can capsize inexperienced paddlers.

Huge live well. Mel's inspecting for holes!

We build a live well to keep our caught fish in for dinner. Takes some building, this one is especially big, built by a previous camper. Took some time chasing and re-catching them in this big live well!. I've built them before and not to Mel's spec's, as some have escaped in the past! Most of the fish we catch are released unharmed, especially the big trophy class ones. Take pictures and release.

Brown's Island BWCAW

Relaxing in front of our campsite and watching the weather come in. One of the many different weather patterns that come in during the summer months. You can have great weather and then a big storm comes in, being able to read it helps you prepare for it. Have a good book to read while waiting storms out in your tent. And good company! Mel's the best!!

Peaceful and relaxing

So much of the Boundary Waters is so beautiful. This is a nice calm day. In the BWCAW wind is your enemy as it can prevent you from being on the water, fishing, exploring or day tripping. Day like this makes you want to stay forever.