Students Take a Fall Boundary Waters Adventure

For some, paddling a canoe on a moonless night to a distant campsite in the middle of nowhere might provoke fear – or at least apprehension. For a group from UMD this past weekend, this was simply the mini-adventure that kicked off a 3-day trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Late class schedules on Friday prevented us from leaving Duluth until late afternoon. By the time we put in to our entry point at Brule Lake (about a 3-hour drive from UMD), it was already 8pm. We paddled an hour to our campsite and setup tents by headlamps and flashlights. Despite it being so late, we enjoyed a campfire, hot chocolate, and roasted marshmallows while we got to know each other.

Out of our group of 9 (7 student participants and 2 student trip leaders), only 3 had been to the Boundary Waters before. For some in the group, an escape from school to nature was key to coming on the trip. “This is a fun way to spend the last weekend before the semester gets really crazy”, said Maggie Mork, a second-year graduate student in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

A couple of participants made their intentions known when they arrived for the trip with fishing rods in hand. The efforts of Wil Licht, a Biology major, and Tom Sjoberg, a graduate student and instructor in the Math department, were greatly appreciated when they treated the group to fresh Northern Pike for breakfast on Saturday morning.

For some other participants, the trip was even more meaningful. Dayna Schleppenbach, a freshman studying Biochemistry, went so far as to say, “I came to UMD to go on these trips”. After a diverse amount of canoeing experiences, including a 28-day expedition with the group Les Voyageurs in Canada, Dayna was pleased with her first Boundary Waters trip: “[The trip was a] complete success – gorgeous weather, great food, beautiful campsites”.

The weather and scenery in the Boundary Waters couldn’t have been more welcoming. We were treated to warm, sunny days and cool nights with barely any bugs to speak of. Although we weren’t lucky enough to see a bear or moose, a few bald eagles circled our group on Saturday as we paddled along Brule Lake to South and North Temperance Lakes. We heard loon calls throughout the trip and canoed by small, treed islands and numerous coves that begged to be explored.

The weekend wasn’t all about canoeing and appreciating the wilderness experience. One of the highlights of the trip was a Saturday night campfire round of the game “two truths and a lie”. My first volley was tricky enough to stump most of the group, but I failed the next round with, “My dad was born in Africa. I went to a Catholic elementary school. I hate tea.” I somehow forgot that I had been happily enjoying a cup of green tea the night before and I was quickly called out on it!

Enjoying conversation and laughter with new friends was a great way to end the evening before sleeping out under the stars. The clear skies and lack of bugs made a tent unnecessary that night.

Although a multi-day canoeing trip might seem like something for “outdoorsy” people, most of the group was limited in their wilderness experiences. Indeed, most of the programs offered in the RSOP catalog are beginner-friendly. “I’ve never been to the Boundary Waters before”, said Danielle Peterson, an Accounting major, “but this trip has inspired me to not only return but also encourage others who have never done it to try it.”