The Northern Tier High Adventure Base is one of four National High Adventure Bases run by the BSA. Here, Scouts can explore millions of acres of pristine lakes, meandering rivers, dense forests and wetlands canoeing the waters in Northern Minnesota, Northwest Ontario and Northeast Manitoba. This year, Troop 581 sent three crews to the Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base located in Ely, Minnesota. For six days and nights, these crews explored the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Minnesota.
Upon arrival at Ely, the Scouts were outfitted with gear and canoes and met their guides, known as “interpreters” who accompanied them along the whole trip. Unlike Philmont where crews resupply every few days, crew at Northern Tier must load all their gear and supplies for the entire trek into their canoes. This includes food and cooking gear stored in large waterproof bags.
With trek maps in hand, each crew set off on their week-long adventure. They each covered over 70 miles over the course of the week. Each day started with breakfast and an early start. With the help of their interpreters, the crews navigated the lakes and rivers each day to their campsite. Sometimes, that required portaging (fancy for carrying) their canoes and gear across dry stretches where there was no water route.
Once at the campsite, the crews set up camp. Unlike Philmont, there are no program areas. At each campsite, Scouts prepared meals, swam near shore and generally enjoyed each other’s company. While crews occasionally crossed paths with crews from other troops, Northern Tier can be one of the most remote scouting adventures, truly a wilderness experience.
The troop has two more adventures scheduled for Northern Tier in the near future. One crew will be participating in the Okpik Cold Weather adventure in January 2022. No canoeing here. The troop will be dog sledding – a first for Troop 581! And in the summer of 2022, the troop will be sending one crew to Atikokan, Ontario to canoe the boundary waters on the Canadian side of the border.
If you are looking for adventure, Troop 581 is the place to be.