Empowerment
Just this afternoon, a dear friend called and made arrangements for a canoe trip for next summer. He told me he is 70 now and that he had made (and survived) trips under all three regimes that have owned this outfitting business. This time, he is bringing his middle-aged kids and some grandkids. His ‘kids’ first came here as Scouts years ago and now want to bring their kids.
A Canoe Opens the Door to Wilderness
When Charlene and I first contemplated coming to the Boundary Waters over 3 decades ago, one of the main determinants was that it was a wilderness that welcomed infants to seniors, firm, infirm, and kinda-firm visitors alike. Some wilderness areas require the aspirant to set upon a horse for hours, or strap on a pack for miles of uphill slogging, not so the BWCA. The luxury of having the canoe do most (not all) of the work opens the door to many who otherwise would have to partake of the wilderness on the Discovery Channel.
The key element to an excellent BWCA trip, given the accessibility, is to pick the trip that fits your particular ability. As a recent Thru-Hiker on the Applachian Trail said, the most important thing is “to hike your own hike.”
So it is in the paddling world. Don’t be cajoled by yourself or others into a trip that will be miserable or dangerous for you. For example, instead of the epic paddle/portage repeat trips you took when you were younger, how about a half-day of paddle/portage and then a basecamp? See what I mean? Maybe we could pass on that difficult portage at YumYum Lake. (Just a thought.)
The Feeling of Empowerment
One of the great dividends of being here in the BWCA for many years is being able to watch visitors return from their trips feeling like they just climbed Everest. They did something that was perhaps a bit “on the edge” for themselves, but throwing caution to the wind, they leapt off into the wild and returned far more confident and knowledgeable than they thought possible. It is this feeling of empowerment that has kept many returning year after year, always adding to their stories.
So, though we may be circling the grave, we aren’t there yet. Maybe, we give the knees a little extra room in the canoe, or take a walking stick for the portage, or bring a satellite phone, let’s not throw in the towel. Let’s just pick our trips more carefully. There are more sunrises that need to be seen!