New Trip Report posted by Ohiopikeman

Trip Name: BSA Northern Tier Canoe Trip - Bissett, Manitoba Atikaki Provincial Park.

Entry Point: Other

Click Here to View Trip Report

Awesome report. Thanks for taking us along!

Thank you. Wilderness memories for a lifetime.

Great Report, Ohiopikeman!

Ah, Youth! The photos were a great addition to the report and I'd not have believed the mud depth (or the jug) without the photo proof. I'm sure glad the jug thing didn't take place in my van. I'd have worried about squishy carpets the whole way home.

Young men and women who have this kind of experience are almost always changed for the better in terms of confidence, teamwork and leadership skills and the sparking of a bigger sense of life and adventure. A number of us are dedicated paddlers in part through these experiences. I was able to go to BSA Region 7 (later "Northern Wisconsin") National Canoe Base in the early-70s and benefited from a boost in all of the above. I remember coming home and thinking "where next!?" That led me to the BWCA, Quetico, Isle Royale and many more great trips.

It's especially cool to have the passage of time between trip and report to see the guys leading their accomplished lives years on. Thank you.

Great trip report. It would be interesting to know if any of the kids who participated in the trip are now regularly participating in canoe tripping.

Kawnipi,

I would say that my boys learned something from each of the various activities they did while growing up. Team sports like soccer, baseball, and hockey were good for teamwork. Studying martial arts was outstanding for the development of confidence. Leadership - that's one where I believe that Boy Scouts soars head and shoulders above all other activities. Looking at the short bio for each of the kids from our trek, they are all off to a very good start as young men. While this could be random luck that I just ended up with a group of six good kids, I believe that scouting helped to mold them into being "good kids". Trips like this one to Northern Tier present a great opportunity for Moms and Dads to see just what those kids have learned in the past 14-16 years.

Deerfoot,

The only one of my crew that is regularly participating in wilderness canoe trips is my son, Joey. I can't say that this trip was the spark as I started taking him to the BWCA at age 8 and it has been one of his favorite places in the world ever since. When he graduated from high school in the summer of 2018, he wanted to take an extreme canoeing and fishing trip. We took a trip to Alaska’s Innoko River and this filled that request nicely. I posted a lengthy trip report on this site if you are interested and bored on these cold January days (search “Innoko”).

Cameron from our trek did return to the BWCA in the summer of 2019 and served as an interpreter for the BSA's Ely Minnesota Northern Tier program. I believe that the "bug" has been successfully planted in him, but schooling and military service have been his focus these past 8 years. I think it's a safe bet that he will be back one day.

Dave

Atikaki is my destination each summer now. Northern Tier has halted there program out of Bissett but I hope they go back to it. I have run into several of their groups over the years. Only sign.of their passing through a lake will be the ring of stones left for the next group anchoring their big tent. You mentioned 2500 visitors to Atikaki but only a few hundred of them would be paddlers. Most go to a few big lodges on larger lakes.

Nice report, I have 2 sons in Scouting and can relate to a lot of the story.

We did a trip in 2023 to the BWCAW, unfortunately on my scout trip 1/2 the scouts were forced to go by their parents…it was a rough couple of days, made me second guess giving up my yearly family trip to go with other people kids LOL…by the end though those scouts were a well oiled machine and proud of their growth. They left on a high note and all of the ones still eligible are going back this year. You just can’t beat that experience.

Thanks for sharing the report and your work with youth.

T

Engrossing report! I liked the difficult route challenge that you folks set up for yourselves. I think I would have done all I could to bogtrot around some of those deeper mudholes, though. Haha!

I hope to be back up there in late May with Marten's group for a 2 week trip. We'll likely be in the Kawascheewonk area and points east of that lake. Maybe we'll signs of your group's passing....thanks for the report.