I believe a google search sums it up best - with BWCA.com references:


All good paddler’s leave some kindling, sticks, and fire starter for the next traveler. And nearly every site in the Quetico-Superior has some birch bark under a log or tucked in somewhere. Paddlers paying it forward. And especially important during the shoulder seasons.

I had a long day’s paddle in Quetico and got to camp with the sound of thunder in the distance. To my delight, a 5-star array of welcome wood was at the fire pit. Shreds of birch bark, a stack of split kindling, and some logs covered with tree bark. The storm didn’t allow me a fire that evening, but the next morning’s fire was easily lit for coffee and breakfast.

Whomever left this welcome wood went above and beyond. Mission accomplished, and you sir are an absolute legend.

(The lake name is intentionally omitted, and the site is unique - but IYKYK.)

That's a nice little surprise. I love it when I get to camp and there is a neat little stack of firewood near the fire. I rarely use all the firewood I collect when I camp so any leftover is left for the next group.

We have always said, "leave wood, find wood." Not sure of the actual success rate over the years but always nice to see the second half turn out.

I feel like I get rewarded a lot, but I also almost always leave wood like that for the next group. Karma is real :) I've had 12-15 mother loads of wood left...where if I stayed a week I couldn't burn it all :)

I was once on Alice Lake and an Outward Bound group was ahead of us and they were stopping at every site to collect the wood people left to bring to their camp. Not illegal but also you get the label of being an A- hole...I will judge you to eternity :) and I usually share fishing advice to those I meet...to those people when they ask where i caught all my fish they will get the "in the water" response. Karma

T

The thing about that is it’s really not that much harder to collect your own than steal wood leftover at campsites. Surprised the OB moderators approved of that. That’s not their style.

The extra cut and split pieces we try to leave under the log seating or a rock near the fire grate, if possible, to help keep it dry for the next group.

I have left wood, I have found wood.

I haven't left wood and I haven't found wood.

Each camp site is different.

I left this nice stack on the eastern site on Horseshoe this week.

airmorse: "I left this nice stack on the eastern site on Horseshoe this week.


"

Very Nice, I am sure that made someone’s day!

I found some cut wood waiting for me once, beside this fire ring.

The real question is how long had it been there? Woodland Caribou Provincial Park is much drier than the BWCA/Q & Wabakimi. This lake was two bushwhacks (one of which involved hauling the canoe up a cliff-face) removed from a travel route.

This Welcome Wood could have been waiting for many decades.

timatkn: "I feel like I get rewarded a lot, but I also almost always leave wood like that for the next group. Karma is real :) I've had 12-15 mother loads of wood left...where if I stayed a week I couldn't burn it all :)


I was once on Alice Lake and an Outward Bound group was ahead of us and they were stopping at every site to collect the wood people left to bring to their camp. Not illegal but also you get the label of being an A- hole...I will judge you to eternity :) and I usually share fishing advice to those I meet...to those people when they ask where i caught all my fish they will get the "in the water" response. Karma


T"

My daughter did the Outward Bound course in the Boundary Waters a few years ago, and from her experience, I'm guess the OB guides with that group hadn't caught on to what the kids were doing when they were sent out to collect firewood. I know her guides would definitely not have tolerated that! And if the leaders were aware, that's total crap...

Agree - I went on an Outward Bound canoe trip in 1979 and poaching firewood would be not cool. Our guides were a pair of hippies, those were the days…

Sunburn: "

timatkn: "I feel like I get rewarded a lot, but I also almost always leave wood like that for the next group. Karma is real :) I've had 12-15 mother loads of wood left...where if I stayed a week I couldn't burn it all :)



I was once on Alice Lake and an Outward Bound group was ahead of us and they were stopping at every site to collect the wood people left to bring to their camp. Not illegal but also you get the label of being an A- hole...I will judge you to eternity :) and I usually share fishing advice to those I meet...to those people when they ask where i caught all my fish they will get the "in the water" response. Karma



T"

My daughter did the Outward Bound course in the Boundary Waters a few years ago, and from her experience, I'm guess the OB guides with that group hadn't caught on to what the kids were doing when they were sent out to collect firewood. I know her guides would definitely not have tolerated that! And if the leaders were aware, that's total crap..."

We were fishing the rapids at Alice Lake, they came through in 4 canoes, the group was spread out a little by the time we finished fishing and caught up to them to see the event, but every time one found wood they would cheer to the other canoes… I thought one was going to land at our site but I think they saw the tent or they saw us trailing and turned away… Maybe the leader didn’t know but it was a 3 sites I saw raided on our way back to camp.

The kids were some work…we followed them out on another day and they could turn a 15 minute portage into 2 hours…each one seeing who could do the least amount of work while complaining how they were doing all the work.

We ended up leaving them in the dust on the Alice- Cacacabic-Thomas portage even though they left an hour before us.

That was 2002…I thought they might still be there but I went through the area in 2023 and didn’t find any remains :)

T

As a former VOBS instructor, I am very surprised to hear that. As a staff, we took pride in finding our own good firewood away from campsites. Jackpine and spruce were favorites, and we typically left good wood when we left our campsites. In the winter, we frequently left wood stashes of split spruce or jackpine. Sorry that was your experience on Alice.

CRL: "As a former VOBS instructor, I am very surprised to hear that. As a staff, we took pride in finding our own good firewood away from campsites. Jackpine and spruce were favorites, and we typically left good wood when we left our campsites. In the winter, we frequently left wood stashes of split spruce or jackpine. Sorry that was your experience on Alice. "

Sounds like this is a reflection of one group not a program. Good to hear. I didn’t mean for my reflection to be anything against an organization. It was just one group. I wouldn’t judge the program off of one group. Sorry if I came off that way. It was just a one of those groups you run into that you will never forget. They were definitely Outward Bound. I talked to the leader several times.

My sons are in Scouts and I’ve mostly seen Scout groups that practice the scouting way, but previous to joining in 2018 I’d seen a few groups with poor leadership…luckily for them that was BEFORE my sons joined. If I saw them now, knowing the training, I’d say something. We ran into 4 scout groups last summer and they all were doing great. So just like Outward Bound, I wouldn’t judge Scouts by just one group either.

T

Ha! I recognize the fire pit. We left a bigger pile when we pulled out of there.

I will say I'm skeptical that an Outward Bound group would be poaching firewood. I went on a trip and they preach wilderness ethics etc. pretty hard core actually, team unity and all that happy stuff. When I was in the boy scouts which sucked, it was just a bunch of derelicts with an annoying scoutmaster. I wouldn't go on a BW trip with those morons if you paid me.

I prob should just let this go but one trip we stayed the nite before at the Sawbill campground and I walked by a guy said hi and he wouldn't even acknowledge me, ok that guys a dbag. Next day we ended up following their boy scout group up the Mudro portages. First one they have a heap of canoes blocking the portage just a mess, not to mention breaking the rules. So we pulled up on the rocks to the side climbed up had a snack and had a view of their progress. Never forget get it, they were portaging collapsible 5 gallon containers of water, that had to be fun. The not so friendly guy from Sawbill was exhorting to his son you need to drink more water! Like he was going to die of thirst from a walk in the woods and some sunshine and fresh air. And the poor kid, in that high pitched voice of his age I would describe to be from a member of the Vienna boys' choir that just got kicked in the nuts says, ' But I'm not thirsty!' We all almost died laughing.
We passed them after a break, felt sorry for that kid.

One of two favorite sites of the trip. Not very hammock friendly in the site proper, but I made it work.

cowdoc: "Ha! I recognize the fire pit. We left a bigger pile when we pulled out of there."