Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness
Northern Minnesota holds some of the cleanest, wildest, and most inspiring wilderness in the United States. Throughout the summer of 2021, I set out alone to embark on a 30-day adventure to traverse one of America’s most beautiful landscapes called the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Preview: In the 30 days that I spent alone, I encountered a severe thunderstorm with 75MPH winds that caused trees to snap outside my tent, a foot infection, 2 hornet stings, a bear in my camp at night, someone having a seizure in a portage, hazy mornings from (what ended up being) massive wildfires in the area, and much much more.
You will read about all of these moments during my solo traverse of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness below! Also, if you stick to the end, I have a few extra resources for you.
Preparing For Adventure
After a quick overnight trip to dial in my gear on a local lake in Ely, Minnesota, I spent 9 hustling hours preparing for the month ahead of me.
This is a photo of me practicing getting back in my canoe after tipping it. My route for the next 30 days is on larger lakes which means more wind and larger waves. Tipping a canoe and practicing to get back in it is a skill that is worth the practice.
I’m beyond excited and ready for the next 30 days alone in the wilderness!
Day 1: The Beginning Of The 30 Days
Finally, I get to begin my 30-day wilderness journey in northern Minnesota. This has been a dream in my head for quite some time now, and it feels incredible to finally get started.
This morning was spent gathering last-minute gear with my Uncle- who has been on a North Pole expedition. Then we began the drive to the western point of the wilderness area where I’m beginning my journey. It was quite special having him help me out with everything- I’ll never forget it!
After my goodbyes to my uncle, I said hello to the wild that I’m going to be calling home. I began paddling and portaging for hours until I found the spot where I’ll be camping for the night. It is a beautiful spot with an incredible sunset as seen in the 2nd picture.
It was quite hot today and I got a bit dehydrated so I’ll need to pay more attention to it tomorrow. As for now, I’m having a fire and thinking about the challenge I have ahead of me- mentally and physically. I’m more than ready!
Day 2: 9 Miles Of Portaging My Canoe
Today was an extremely physically demanding day. I had 5 tough portages that I had to triple portage (because of heavy gear). It totaled 2,795 rods which is just under 9 brutal, muddy miles of carrying my canoe and gear to the next lake.
Portages are a bit of a brain-wringer as they are not very forgiving. Imagine carrying a 17-foot boat over areas blocked by beaver dams, knee-high mud, and boulders. However, there are certainly some portages that are luxurious and easy… I’m just not quite there yet!
My route begins with lots of portages until I arrive at the Canadian border. Then, the portages start getting shorter and generally easier (I hope).
It’s difficult to do the more physical stuff in the beginning -as my body just isn’t used to it. However, it will be great to build up the strength over the next couple of weeks.
Day 3: One Of My Longest Portage
I got the second longest portage of my journey over with- which I’m super happy about. It was a 320-rod portage but I had to do it 5 times (5 Miles Total). It took a few hours and some grit but I got it done!
I’m at the period mentally where I’m not yet in a groove and am missing the simple luxuries of normal life. This is typical and I should get into a routine within the next couple of days! I’ve learned from the past that the first few days are usually the hardest.
My water filter is clogged pretty badly so I’ve been boiling most of my water over the fire. I forgot my filter cleaner which is an annoying mistake- but it is what it is and won’t be a huge deal.
Day 4: Leeches And A Rash
I’ve been finding quite a few leeches stuck to my boat and a few stuck to my feet and legs. It’s quite nice actually because if it were a survival situation, I’d use them to catch fish or just eat them (they are edible). You can grind them up into a paste and cook them with whatever else you are eating. Survival isn’t pretty.
I’ve got a beautiful camp setup on the edge of a pier, 3 feet away from the water with 180-degree panorama views. I’ll also have the sunset just outside of my tent window.
On a different note, earlier today I recognized a rash on my right foot that looked a bit bad. Will be keeping an eye on it but am worried about a possible infection since I spend a good amount of time walking through mud and water every day on the portages.
Day 5: Car Accident At Home
The day began great as I found so many wild edible plants. I found Juneberries, a huge patch of wild strawberries, blueberries, beaked hazelnut, cattail, and more.
Midday, I got to the border where I encountered whitecaps and heavy winds. It wasn’t the smoothest paddling but it was just fine enough to continue on. It is a great feeling knowing that if I am to tip my canoe, I practiced and will be aware of how to get back in.
Later in the day is where things got more challenging for me mentally. I fished a bit and caught a small Pike as seen in the photo above, but soon after, I received a message on my Garmin that Annie (my girlfriend) and her friend were in a car accident.
They got T-boned by a car traveling 50 mph (80 kph) and were all taken to the hospital. Miraculously, aside from some bad bruises- everyone is okay. It’s a huge fear of mine to be away when something like that happens but they are beyond blessed that there weren’t serious injuries.
I don’t like that I can’t talk to Annie right now, and I hate that I’m not there for her. Unfortunately, a part of entering wilderness environments is giving up the freedom to see the people you care about the most.
Day 6: Encountering Wildfires
I woke up to the smell of burning pine and a hazy horizon. I had a storm come in last night, which brought quite a bit of lightning into the area. Unfortunately, I soon found out that lightning struck a few miles away from me and had caused a wildfire.
Later in the day, I paddled across an area where I was able to see one of the wildfires in Canada. Luckily for me, none of the fires are affecting my travel right now, but it is worth keeping an eye on as it could turn into a dangerous situation.
Each day is presenting more and more challenges, but Annie is doing better back at home and I feel so grateful that I’m able to be out here pushing myself mentally and physically.. and I’m just getting started.
Day 7: Infection And Rest Day
I made a decision to make today a rest day so that I can care for my foot a bit. Every day my feet are soaked in constant mud and now I’m really worried that it’s getting infected(worse) so I feel this was the best thing to do before the infection makes evacuation necessary.
Luckily, the Balsam Fir is a tree that’s all over this area, and it has a resin that I’ve been applying to my foot all day that is an extremely powerful antiseptic. Knowing of local wild medicinal plants is an empowering feeling that everyone should consider when entering a new wilderness environment. It could be the difference between a nasty infection vs a mild one.
I spent a lot of time before this adventure studying the plants in the area and learning about the edible and medicinal ones. I plan on creating a blog post on these in the future.
During my rest day, I collected Plantain (not the banana) which is a wild edible plant that I made a salad out of. Nature provides and I’m beyond lucky to be able to experience it. Also, you can chew this plant and apply it as a poultice because this also contains medicinal properties.
As of now, I’m going to make my foot a priority and make sure it doesn’t get worse. The last thing I want to do is have to exit early for a problem that I can fix.
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please direct message me on socials. I’d love to hear from you!
Boundary Waters Resources
Suggested Reading:
Wild Berries & Fruits Field Guide of Minnesota, Wisconsin & Michigan by Teresa Marrone
If you find interest in wild berries, this book is an awesome, small pocket guide that is easy to carry yet descriptive and organized. The book is color coded so you can easily identify an unknown berry. You also can look and see the range of fruits in the book.
Suggested Maps:
Boundary Waters Canoe Area Map Set by National Geographic
This map set includes both the East and West half of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. I felt that these maps were AWESOME, and other, more detailed map sets that you can purchase were overkill. They include portage routes and cover the entire area of the Boundary Waters.
Other Resources:
SEEK: Seek is an app that works without service to identify plants from around the world. I personally use this app all the time and enjoy its accuracy of it. Plus, as I said, it works without any cell service which is huge.
Thanks for checking out week one of my 30 days alone in the BWCA wilderness!
Here are a few more related articles:
- Week Two: 30 Days Alone In The Wilderness
- Week Three: 30 Days Alone In The Wilderness
- Week Four: 30 Days Alone In The Wilderness
Hey there! My name is Tanner and I specialize in outdoor survival, bushcraft, expeditions and adventure travel.
