Stuart River to Lower Basswood Falls - BWCA 2023

With the goal of seeing Lower Basswood Falls and permits unavailable for our three target entry points, we defaulted to a still available permit for the Stuart River entry point. This entry point starts with a 433 rod portage, plus five more mapped portages, as well as several additional unmapped beaver dams to climb over before arriving at the first campsites from Entry Point 19. Maybe this causes some unpopularity for this entry point, and perhaps it is this unpopularity that allowed us the permit.

May 2021 Wildflower Canoe Trip in the Sylvania Wilderness

Setting off for four days in the Sylvania Wilderness, my husband looked forward to retesting our gear set, our daughter hoped for a cell signal, and I dreamed of spotting spring wildflowers after a long winter of bare trees and dull coloration. We drove to Michigan's Upper Peninsula and stopped view Burned Dam Falls before entering the wilderness. Burned Dam Falls proved to be home to several wildflower species and I grew excited thinking about what I might see in the wilderness.

2020 July Family Trip to Whitefish Lake in the Sylvania Wilderness

Capturing our precious family canoe tripping memories is one of my favorite things to do. As working parents know, finding the time to do the things we want to do isn't always easy. I feel rather anxious finding myself here in June 2021, recording the events of July 2020. But the memories are precious and few due to my having only a sparse allotment of vacation time. Although I come to the party late, I am glad I made it.

BWCA 2020

 

Those of you who have visited the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) know that summer trips include cold and rainy days. You come to expect inclement weather days with just enough nice days sprinkled in to inspire deep appreciation. With Covid19, the riots, and stories about how crowded the BWCA might be in mind, our family wasn't super focused on the weather when preparing for this trip. By luck we stumbled into atypical, beautiful warm days, with only a little rain. We've never had an August trip this beautiful before. 

Teen Finds Joy Paddling in the Sylvania Wilderness, September 2020

Our daughter Ams is a teenager now. Everything is boring. On canoe trips it's always a fight. She wants to sit in the middle seat and fiddle with her phone. Canoes, being a part of "everything", eyeroll, are sooooo booooooring. To offer her a bit of independence, not to mention exercise and fun, my husband decided to pick up a kayak and start bringing it on our canoe trips, at least the ones that require a smaller amount of portaging. Let me tell you how it went.

2019 10-Day Family Trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness

Seeking solitude and a large dose of vitamin N, our family decided to enter the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) from a relatively unpopular entry point, #4 Crab Lake. There are no pictographs or big waterfalls to see from this entry point. The trip starts with a long paddle across Burntside Lake or the hiring of a tow. Once at the portage, the entry into the Boundary Waters kicks off with a once 370 rod portage, now 408 rod portage to Crab Lake.

Camping with Family at Copper Falls State Park

Camping with extended family provides a chance to get closer to nature and closer to one another. Copper Falls State Park in Northern Wisconsin offers a great place for families to enjoy gorgeous scenery, mountain bike trails,  a swim in Loon Lake, or a short paddle. At the concession stand families can enjoy delicious, cool icecream or a hamburger after hiking, and on Sundays and Wednesdays the concession stand offers giant, fluffy pancakes with sausage for breakfast. Copper Falls State Park is located near Mellen in Ashland County, Wisconsin just off State Highway 169.

Camping at Roche-A-Cri State Park

In the mood for someplace we'd never visited before, we packed up the car and headed out to camp at Roche-A-Cri state park. The name Roche-A-Cri derives from French words meaning crevice in the rock. The park contains about 5 miles (8 km) of hiking trails, campgrounds, an observation deck atop the 300 foot outcropping at the center of the park, and a creek that can be fished. The campground contains vault toilets only and no showers. This park is small, and entirely accessible by foot from the campground. The campsites are wooded but fairly close together, and our walk-in campsite appeared to be the best in the park, number 34. This walk-in site put us further off the road offering a tad more privacy, although the neighbors on all sides were easily visible and well heard, particularly their music.

Camping, Hiking, and Paddling at Wyalusing State Park

After enjoying a work-free, blog-free July 4th hiatus from life complete with hotel rooms, a parade, fireworks, a water ski show, a stroll on the Bearskin Trail, restaurants, and a day paddle in the National Highland American Legion State Forest we felt ready to escape the crowds and get back into the outdoors. We decided to check out the little canoe trail at Wyalusing State Park. After a quick web search we learned walk-in campsites were available. We loaded up the car and off we went, with the Mississippi River on our minds and Subway sandwiches in our bellies.