I just finished the best BWCA trip in my life.

Group of teenagers that I’ve been taking for the last three years, we went 28+ miles in five days with two down days. Wolves, moose, near-tame loons, beavers, enchanted lakes, atmospheric phenomena, pesky saw-whet owls, pike, quality Jesus time, and enough stories and bonding for many lifetimes. Hard to put it all into words, but it was just most incredible. I love this place we call the BWCA wilderness. This place changes you; it helps you focus on what really matters.

I would like to just say thank you to all of you who helped make this trip what it was. In guiding trips, this community has been my greatest resource, and y’all have helped more than most of you know.

I hope each of you has an awesome paddling season.

Where did you end up taking your trip?

Ram Lake through Round Lake

Awesome! Glad you had such a great trip!

That’s awesome! Hope you got lots of good pictures for NTL Season ‘26/27, CanoeViking:) I can’t wait to start taking pics next month! Not gonna say where, though haha

Very cool!

Did that atmospheric phenomenon in your picture happen to occur on Wednesday 5/13 around 11:20pm, and move roughly from south to north across the sky?

I like the first photo of the Shooting Star timing is everything being in the right place at the right time with camera in hand. I was lucky enough to see Common Loons Running on Water which they do during Territorial Defense or Courtship Displays to Establish Nesting Sites and Attract Mates on Medium to Larger Lakes . They probably don't occur on Smaller Lakes where forage and nesting sites would be less.
I was far up Lac Des Isles where I thought there were Jet Skis until I got close enough to see the males could move really fast when showing off. I estimated that they could hit between 40-60 mph in a 1/4 mile stretch stopping abruptly and coasting just ahead of the 10ft water jet that they were kicking up which fell to the lake just behind them at the end of each run.
Unfortunately I had no camera in 2005 just after ice out.

ForkyKnifespoon: "That’s awesome! Hope you got lots of good pictures for NTL Season ‘26/27, CanoeViking:) I can’t wait to start taking pics next month! Not gonna say where, though haha"

yes I did! I am love that game and I look forward to trying to guess yours and everyone else is getting pictures this year.

brulu: "Very cool!

Did that atmospheric phenomenon in your picture happen to occur on Wednesday 5/13 around 11:20pm, and move roughly from south to north across the sky?


"

Yes that was the time. I remember is being more SW moving to the NE. If I did my research correctly if was Chinese rocket fuel dump. It was pretty wild to see.

Caministigoyan: "I like the first photo of the Shooting Star timing is everything being in the right place at the right time with camera in hand. I was lucky enough to see Common Loons Running on Water which they do during Territorial Defense or Courtship Displays to Establish Nesting Sites and Attract Mates on Medium to Larger Lakes . They probably don't occur on Smaller Lakes where forage and nesting sites would be less.
I was far up Lac Des Isles where I thought there were Jet Skis until I got close enough to see the males could move really fast when showing off. I estimated that they could hit between 40-60 mph in a 1/4 mile stretch stopping abruptly and coasting just ahead of the 10ft water jet that they were kicking up which fell to the lake just behind them at the end of each run.
Unfortunately I had no camera in 2005 just after ice out.


"

Yes, there are things that only the mind can remember. Mine was a fire ball (shooting star?) around 1 am coming home from remodeling our new home. It was so big and wild I decided no one would ever believe me so I only told my wife. Weeks later after church somehow the story came out and a friend of mine ask if it was Wednesday at 1am looking north? I said yes it was. He is he saw it told but thought no one would believe him so he didn’t tell anyone either. Some stuff just live on in the mind. It is just awesome when you can share it with someone else.

I haven’t heard a saw-whet our in many years. I’m glad they are still around although I agree that once you hear them, you wish they would go away!

And you’re near-tame loons. Please elaborate. Were they playing with you? I’ve had two encounters with them where they would swim under my canoe and pop up then dive back down and go to the other side and pop up. Very playful.

Tom

That is exactly what they were doing. Most would just follow us or get really close but one set would swim under the canoe and pop up on the other side and then do it again.

Last year the three of us were admiring the stars at the CCO campground on Moose Lake. A very bright shooting star streaked right in front of us. All three of us gasped at the same time...really cool memory to have all seen it together.

How was that site on Omega? Will be there next week and it is on my list of sites to check out.

CanoeViking: "Yes that was the time. I remember is being more SW moving to the NE. If I did my research correctly if was Chinese rocket fuel dump. It was pretty wild to see."

I happened to click on a Lake Superior aurora cam channel on youtube before bed on that night, and saw it there. Took me a couple days to find out what it was. Would have been pretty wild to see in real life, though once would be enough (light pollution).