Fall Scout Skills was exciting for all
who went!
This was a very exciting trip that gave Boy Scouts from Troop 333 an
opportunity to learn or review many scout skills. We left the River Hills
Community Church parking lot at around 5:30pm on Friday evening. We arrived
at the Duke Energy Facility after dark and set up camp. The next morning, we
got up early and each patrol prepared their own breakfast. Star scouts and
above helped set up each scout skills station. There were both morning and
afternoon classes. Some of the stations included animal identification,
knots and lashings, orienteering, signaling, rescue line, “what’s wrong with
this camp?, fire building, clean-up wash stations, basic scout skills, and
flag-raising. A scout could also earn bonus points by finding points of the
scout law which were hidden around camp. After the scout skill events,
patrols prepared their supper. Mr. Randy Moss prepared a deer ham meal for
the adult participants, which many of the scouts also sampled. After supper
everyone enjoyed a campfire and s'mores. By completing the classes, scouts
could earn points for the privilege of the Scoutmaster Breakfast on Sunday
morning. All scouts earned enough points to deserve the Scoutmaster
Breakfast at this event! The Star scouts and above who assisted with the
scout skills lessons also enjoyed the Scoutmaster Breakfast. Everyone
returned safely home Sunday afternoon. The scoutmasters who attended this
trip included Jack Scott, Jim Kutrubs, Jim Kelly, Fred Wilson, Jerry Brooks,
Ken Truelove, and Robert Johnson
Written by: B. Johnson, Troop Historian
Northern Tier Journal Entries - Crew 070908A
Day 1 (Thursday, July 10, 2008) by K. Jeffrey
“Today was our first day, and I think we did excellent. We did 15 miles and
we got to camp around 3:00pm. We started on Moose Lake and we went through
some small lakes and large lakes. We ended the day on Knife Lake. When we
got to camp, we set up tents and went swimming and rock jumping into the
water. Then we cooked dinner and went to bed around 8:00pm.”
Day 2 (Friday, July 11, 2008) by E. Scott
“We did 20 miles today. On Saganaga Lake we crossed it and the wind was
blowing hard! It was tough. Everyone was tired after that, plus it was
pouring and everything was wet. We had one portage that was 5 rods. We
couldn’t get our clothes dry, it was impossible..”
Day 3 (Saturday, July 12, 2008) by J. Edmunds
“Today we completed 10 miles while paddling upstream and into the wind. Day
3 is supposed to be the where you are out of energy and you are tired. But I
believe we had plenty of energy to make the portages and 10 miles. Today has
been the best day we have worked together as a team. We unloaded and loaded
the canoes very quickly and easily. The water is very cold at our camp site
and no one went swimming, even though we all smell terrible. So far we have
completed 50 miles of the trip.”
Day 4 (Sunday, July 13, 2008) by A. Bolin
“Today on day four, after sleeping in yesterday, we woke up at 5am. We all
hustled to get ready for a long day of canoeing. We were on the water by
6:45am. We started out with our longest portage yet, 100 rods. Through out
the day we encountered many rapids in which we had to get out of the canoe
and push the boat through. Then our crew arrived at a really long lake named
Gunflint. On this lake we set up our canoes into a sailboat using our dining
fly. We sailed about 4 miles and then paddled the other 4 miles after
swamping one of our canoes. After another five miles we finally arrived at
the portage our whole trip was about, the Height of Land portage. It was
about 80 rods and it was by far the most eventful portage of the trip. Our
instructor (interpreter) Michael and John fell into the muck about waist
deep. Both people had to remove their pack and canoe before getting pulled
out. Then we under went a ceremony to ensure that we became real men of the
north, as the Indians and Voyageurs of the fur trade era would call us. One
of the other traditions of the Boundary Waters is to use the bathroom in
Canada. Since it was only a short swim to the Canadian border from our
campsite, a few of us accomplished that once we had settled into camp. As
the day went on in camp we decided to fish. Immediately the fish began
biting and we caught a total of 5 fish. We cooked the fish and as the day
winds down we are cleaning up and getting ready for bed. “WE ARE NOW
SOUTHERN MEN OF THE NORTH!!”.”
Day 5 (Monday, July 14, 2008) by A. Scott
“ After getting up at 5am and eating oatmeal for breakfast, we went back on
the same water we were on yesterday. It was into the wind but it was not a
very difficult paddle. We saw a deer drinking and a bald eagle in a tree. We
stopped for lunch at a waterfall we saw yesterday. There was a Canadian guy
kayaking and he took pictures for us. After eating Hudson Bay Bread we went
another 1.5 miles to our previous campsite. Once at our campsites, we set up
our tents and hammocks. I went fishing along with John, Mr. Jeffrey, Eric
and Dad, but no luck. When I returned I took a short nap. Then we ate
supper, we had beef stroganoff. Supper was pretty good, but the brownie soup
we ate for dessert was great. After supper we all brushed our teeth with
charcoal from the fire pit. It was awesome. It started raining so Bradley
and I had to take down our hammocks. That was bad because I was looking
forward to not sleeping on the ground. It looks as though we will all be
falling asleep in tents to the rain.”
“For Sun and Sun”
Day 6 (Tuesday, July 15, 2008) by B. Estes
“Today we paddled and then we paddled some more. Everyday I can feel my
strokes getting weaker. Fatigue is taking over the crew, but tomorrow will
be an easy day and we get to hang out at Eddie Falls. The weather doesn’t
look too promising, but I’m hoping Adam and I will be able to sleep in our
hammocks tonight. I don’t think anyone is having trouble getting to sleep at
night. Getting to finally see the sun has really boost our spirits and it is
nice to finally put on dry socks in the morning. Today has been a good day
and we have a good campsite. I hope the next three days are just as good.”
“Scissors!!”
Day 7 (Wednesday, July 16, 2008) by Jack Scott, Scoutmaster
“ Day 7 started early at 5am. After a quick breakfast of oatmeal and some
trail mix, we were out on the water by 6:45am. The sun was up, but there was
some fog on the water as we left our campsite. As we portaged onto Red Rock
Lake, the fog really set in and we were completely enshrouded in fog. It
made navigating a little difficult, but it was a really unique feeling.
We paddled and portaged our way onto Ogishkemunkie Lake by midmorning. It
was a difficult 4 mile stretch with backs and muscles tired from the
previous day. We reached our target by lunchtime and set up camp on the
south arm of Knife Lake. After lunch our treat for the day was a “shower” at
Eddie Falls. The effect on our crew was immediate and everyone began joking
and laughing again after two hard days of traveling. Just what we needed!
As we met together after dinner I told the group how proud I was of our
trip. The travel in the Boundry Waters is not always easy, but everyone has
done a great job of working together. Our portages have become very
efficient and a real indication of how far we have come. While this has
truly been a trip of a lifetime, I think most of the group has started
thinking of home and the things we miss… our family members and our favorite
foods. Looking forward to another great day.”
Day 8 (Thursday, July 18, 2008) by Scott Jeffrey
“Day 8 started out early with a 5am wake up and a 6:45 start on the water.
The crew is getting really good at packing up camp and getting started.
Despite the overnight rain, the morning was clear and we got off without any
problems. We decided to take a route that included several long portages and
smaller lakes. I guess we thought that the boys were sick of larger lakes.
The first long portage was 130 rods and the trail was loaded with
mosquitoes. This was very frustrating for everyone since we had not yet
applied any bug spray. Our journey brought us to several un-named ponds that
were surrounded by swamps. This made the portages very difficult with
several of the boys and adults sinking very deep in the mud. Eric sunk to
his waist with his pack being the only thing stopping him from going deeper.
Good thing Bradley was there for Eric to grab and help him out. Although
scary at the time, we all laughed later about the experience. The last two
portages of the day were 180 rod portages each, which was challenging for
the crew. Thank goodness the food packs were very light. We reached our
campsite on Ensign Lake by 2pm. This gave the boys plenty of time to swim
and catch crayfish. Bradley acquired several leeches that left him with
several bloody spots. John and I did a little fishing after dinner as the
sun began to set. John caught two small mouth bass and I caught the only
Pike caught on the trip. It was about 24” (give or take 6”), but it was an
ugly fish with really sharp teeth. We let the two bass and the pike go since
we had already had dinner. I think the crew is ready for the trip to be
over, but based on the roses and thorns discussed around the campfire I
believe the boys feel a strong sense of accomplishment from this experience.
Jack had the crew reflect on all of their memories from the trip. He made a
long list which the boys will use for the final night skits. Watching this
crew grow as they have embraced the many challenges faced on this journey
has been extremely rewarding. I couldn’t be more proud of each and every
member of this crew. They have done a tremendous job!! I’m looking forward
to a hot shower, soap and feeling clean again.”
Day 9 (Friday, July 19, 2008) by Michael Klimek, Northern Tier Guide
“We slept in to about 6am because it was a fairly easy paddle back to camp.
The campsite across the lake was loud and obnoxious the day before, so we
made sure to wake them up with an early morning yodel performed by Andy.
Powdered eggs were not exactly the crews favorite so we just had let over
oatmeal and grits for breakfast. Because we had such a quick breakfast and
got out of camp so early, we had time to go to Prairie Portage and visit
Canada again. We took some pretty good pictures in front of the “Welcome to
Canada” sign.
There are two things in the BWCAW that annoy me, herring gulls and
motorboats. The paddle back from Prairie Portage was crowded with other
canoes and motorboats going by. It really made you appreciate the isolation
of the previous lakes. We passed the same eagles nest we saw on the way out,
and it reminded everyone of how close we were back to camp. Of course we
were paddling into the wind, but it was nothing compared to the Granite
River or Saganaga. We were the first crew to arrive at scout island, which
meant we would get back into camp first. I brought our fresh lunch from
across the lake and we ate around 12:00noon. Now that lunch is over we can
just relax and enjoy being dry until we go back into camp.”
