I led a small group of Boy Scouts and Adults from Troop 208 on a week-long trip and I could not have asked for a better week.
Things looked a bit shaky and first, as one of our cars almost broke down about 500 feet away from VCO. Rather than being a disastrous start to the week, it proved to be a sign of good things to come, as when I informed the staff of VCO of the problem, they told me not to worry about it, and promised to go to town while we were out on the water and pick up the parts we would need to fix our vehicle. As it turned out, not only did they get the parts, but they also went above and beyond and actually completed the repairs.
Feeling relieved that things were going to be taken care of, and thus able to focus on the fun and adventure that this week was supposed to be about, we set out early the next morning after a cozy bunkhouse stay and delicious pancake breakfast.
The first day of paddling was beautiful and relaxing. With no wind, Saganaga Lake was calm and easy to manage. We found two sites (we had ten people split into two groups) around Long Island and Gold Island that were absolutely gorgeous and we stayed there for our first night on the water.
Day two was relatively quiet. We didn't feel like moving camp right away, so we stayed where we were and did some fishing and exploring. The only excitement came when my brother and I accidentally swamped our canoe in some very cold, very open water. Fortunately, other members of our group were nearby and towed us to a nearby island where we dried off and warmed up before heading back to camp.
The next day we decided to strike camp and continue along our loop, hoping to camp on Red Rock Lake. Unfortunately, our timing was bad, and every site we found was occupied. Thus, we continued on to Alpine Lake, completing our first portage along the way. A rather strong wind (the only inclement weather we had the whole week) was blowing in our faces the whole way, and while we only canoed about 8 miles or so, it felt like we did the work of 16 miles or more by the time we found our new campsites.
We stayed on Alpine Lake for two nights, and while it was eerie to see the destruction that remained from the huge wildfire some years before, the scenery was nonetheless beautiful.
We moved on, completing the 128 rod portage, to Seagull Lake, and, after some light paddling, found two incredible sites on Miles Island for our final night on the water. Since it was still early in the day, we decided to check out the nearby Palisades. The 80-90 foot bluffs gave us a spectacular view of the surrounding area, and was a favorite spot for the photographers of the group. When we were ready to head back to the campsite, we were fortunate to see a mother moose and her two calves swimming from one island to another. This was certainly the highlight of our wildlife sightings, which also included numerous bald eagles, ducks, and loons. Later, the clouds that had blanketed the sky that day had started to break up in the early evening, which led to a spectacular sunset.
Our final day of paddling took us to our third and final portage near some waterfalls, and finally back to VCO. When we arrived, we found that our vehicle had already been repaired. We packed up our cars with things we would not need that night, and went to the lodge for a pizza party.
Our last night was spent in the same bunkhouse as our first night, and after an early wake up call, we were back on the road to Milwaukee. Everyone agreed that the trip had been a wonderful experience, and certainly took away memories that will last a lifetime. The staff members of VCO are some of the friendliest, most helpful people I have ever met, and I can't wait to come back for another trip in the future.
Name: Lukas
City: Milwaukee
State: WI
Voyage: Boundary Waters Canoe Trip
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