BWCA, Voyageur Canoe Outfitters is a Boundary Waters Area Wilderness Canoe Outfitter and Gunflint Trail Lodge

Breaking ice on Saganaga Lake

May 18, 2013

Water Once Again

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Fish Spawning for Great Fishing in the BWCA

walleye spawning

Look at All of Those Walleyes!

Returning Voyageur Crew

"Now I see the secret of making the best person, it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth." Walt Whitman

Good, Better, Best in the BWCA

Do you love the feel of the earth beneath your bare feet? Is sleeping on a warm rock beneath the sparkling sun something you crave? My answer to these questions is "YES!" I love to be outside, I'd rather be outside than inside on most given days. I long to float on my back in a wilderness lake and look up at clouds passing by in the sky. I want to fall asleep to the sound of loons calling and wake up to the sun shining in my eyes.

Spending time in the wilderness area of the Boundary Waters and Quetico Park can make good people better. I don't know too many people who could spend time in the great outdoors and come out in worse shape than they were when they went in. Time spent in nature energizes people and improves moods. It reduces stress and can ground and humble people.

When I'm out in the wilderness I'm always in awe. I appreciate my surroundings but also all of the things I left behind at home that I take for granted. I feel competent in the woods and my self-esteem improves. I don't worry about what I look like and never even bring a mirror along. I wear comfortable clothes and don't care if they don't look good. It's a freeing experience where I can be at ease with myself.

I feel a sense of peace and am content with everything I have while I'm out in the woods. I don't feel the need for new furniture, a newer car or the latest iPhone when I'm out camping. Without all of these distractions and feelings of not being or having enough I'm a better person.

I'm convinced Walt Whitman knew what he was talking about when he said the secret to growing the best person is to spend time outdoors because I'm the best I can be when I'm spending time in the BWCA. Now if I could just keep that simple secret in the forefront of my mind and remember to spend as much time outside with nature as I possibly can.

I hope you will experience the benefits the BWCA and Quetico offer soon and often.

Winter Finally Loosened its Grip

If you want to see snow then you don't have to look too far to see it on the Gunflint Trail. Just off of the road you can see snow in the ditches and in shaded areas in the woods. There isn't much out there but there is still some snow.

There is still a tiny bit of ice floating on Saganaga Lake and it's usually gone by the first week of May. Last year it was gone by the 2nd of April, the earliest ever recorded since the DNR has been recording ice out dates. The latest for Saganaga was May 17th, 1996 and we've got that one beat this year.

The good news is winter has loosened its grip and most every other lake in the BWCA is now ice free. What little snow there is will soon be gone and the ice on Saganaga will most likely be gone by tomorrow. That means it's time to get out your paddle and enjoy the Boundary Waters once again.

Moose Study Moving Along

We're lucky to live on the Gunflint Trail where moose sightings are frequent in spite of a decline in the population. This spring we have been treated to many different moose right around Sag Lake Trail. There are momma moose, young bulls, one year old twins and a Momma with a single moose. We're hoping there are new calves around here as well.

Moose researchers collared adult moose over the winter. This spring they hope to collar 50 newborn calves so they too can be monitored. Researchers hope to find out what is causing so many moose to die.

We're hoping the researchers can determine and fix whatever is killing off the moose herd. We love having moose as our northwoods neighbors on the Gunflint Trail.

Voyageur Vacation

Wilderness canoe camping trips are one of the best vacations you can take but a stay at Voyageur is a close second. We have a variety of cabins to choose from and many wonderful activities to partake in.

Guests enjoy taking day canoe trips into the Boundary Waters. You can travel great distances when you don't have a ton of gear to haul across the portages. We drop guests off at different entry points on the Gunflint Trail and transport people via towboat on Saganaga. This allows for lots of different day trip options.

Less than 2 miles from Voyageur is Chik-Wauk Museum and Nature Center. It's the perfect activity for a rainy or sunny day. The exhibits are educational and fun and there are hiking trails all over the property.

If you like to hike then you can find a number of trails within a short distance from Voyageur. Seagull Lake Nature Trail, Magnetic Rock Trail and Centennial Trail are all within ten miles of Voyageur.

Anglers love the convenient access to the Gunflint Trail's best fishing lake, Saganaga. Rent a boat and motor or paddle a canoe to fish for walleye, lake trout, northern pike or smallmouth bass. You're sure to have a great fishing experience whether or not you catch any fish.

We hope you will choose to vacation with Voyageur this summer. Whether it's a canoe camping trip or a stay at Voyageur we'd love to have you as our guest.

They're BACK!

Remember the pleasant, efficient and charming Ashley in the office last summer? How about her friendly and gregarious partner Mike? They are the couple from Arizona who are helping to make life for Mike and I more manageable. After loving their first summer at Voyageur last year and taking care of reservations over the winter they are taking a more active role this summer.

Ashley will continue to greet guests and handle reservations in the office while Mike will work with our crew and guests to offer everyone the best Voyageur experience ever. We're so lucky to have them on board so Mike and I can spend a little more time with our fast growing and very busy children.

Don't worry, you can't get rid of Mike and I that easily, we'll still be around. But with summer camps, baseball games, volleyball tournaments and the ever important social lives of a pre-teen and teenager(without driver's licenses) mom and dad have the prestigious job of chauffer to fill.

Also back this year is the Amazing ELSA! She is our kitchen fairy godmother who makes mornings and all meals a special time at Voyageur. Keep an eye on your email inbox for evening dining possibilities for your trip this summer.

Like the photographs on the newsletter? Thanks to returning crew members Mark & Dana I've had quite the photo stock to choose from. Charlie and Tessa J. will also be back for another summer at Voyageur along with some new faces you are sure to love.

Together we will all work our hardest to ensure you have a Vacation of a lifetime with Voyageur Canoe Outfitters!

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