BOUNDARY WATERS - 2008

Troop 84 has been fortunate enough to be able to send crews to the three premier Scouting camping destinations in the United States in successive years: Florida Seabase in 2007, Northern Tier - BWCA in 2008, and in 2009 we sent two crews to Philmont in New Mexico.

In 2008, we sent four crews to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness area, near Ely, Minnesota.  This area is a nationally known and federally protected area where no motorized vehicles or boats are allowed.  The waters are pristine, the camping is raw and there are none of the comforts of civilization, such as electricity, running water or flush toilets.  A perfect place for Scouting fun and excitement!

Below are selected photographs from all three crews, chronicling their adventures:

The first night was spent in a wood hut on the edge of the Boundary Waters.

Some were more luxurious than others. The tiny hut above was dubbed "The Hobbit House".

Sleeping in the Hobbit House meant watching out for bumping your head all the time!

Here is a crew in their T-shirts outside one of the huts.

Setting out in the bright Northern sunshine was exciting and a moment that had been long-awaited.

The Great Wide Open - Miles of open water and untouched forest.

The weather was perfect and the scenery was gorgeous.

There were interesting rock formations along the shoreline.

When the Scouts made camp, there was time for fishing.

And sometimes the fishing didn't work out so well......

The mornings were busy, breaking camp, packing up and hitting the water again.  On some days, the boys would canoe up to 15 or 20 miles!

Hol-Ry!

But there was also the challenge of the portages - carrying canoes and packs up to a mile or two through rugged trails.

The crews also found some refreshing waterfalls.

Here's one of the guides, taking a shower in the falls - the only running water available!

After a week in the wilderness, this was a welcome sight on the trail.

On the last day, the guides have a tradition of dressing up in costumes, like the Dark Knight above.

By the end of the week, the exhausted campers could sleep about anywhere, in any position.

The campers were treated to a skit on the last day, re-enacting the days of the French Voyageurs who first explored this area in their canoes.

And more Voyageurs.....

And of course, a gorgeous sunset over the beautiful waters.

[Thanks to Tim Gaffron, Mark Miner and Bill Scheig for the digital photographs!]