Round 2, Electric Boogaloo at Tuscarora
by KayakosaurusMike
Trip Type:
Paddling Canoe
Entry Date:
08/22/2026
Entry & Exit Point:
Missing Link Lake (EP 51)
Number of Days:
4
Group Size:
2
Trip Introduction:
There’s something special about returning to a place that changed you.
Tuscarora Lake was the beginning for me. My very first trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness brought me here, and somewhere between the paddling, the quiet, the portages, and the endless wilderness surrounding me, I fell completely in love with the BWCA. What started as a single trip quickly turned into an obsession, a feeling I’ve come to affectionately call the “BWCA bug.” Once it bites you, there’s really nothing you can do.
Since that first trip, I’ve carried a special place in my heart for Tuscarora. It isn’t just another lake on a map to me. It’s where my love for the Boundary Waters began. It’s where I first experienced that strange combination of feeling completely surrounded by wilderness while, at the same time, feeling more at home than I expected.
So when the opportunity came to return for two nights, this time with my wife, I couldn’t have been more excited. I wanted her to see the place that started it all, to paddle these waters, experience the quiet, and get a small taste of the wilderness that had captured my imagination from the very beginning.
This trip wasn’t about covering a lot of miles or checking off a long list of campsites. It was about slowing down, spending time together, and returning to a place that means a lot to me. Two nights on Tuscarora, with my wife beside me, felt like a chance to revisit the beginning while creating a completely new memory together.
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Day 1 of 4
Friday, August 21, 2026
Day 1 Today was a big travel and pack day.
Beka and I have had a crazy busy summer, with activities and little trips nearly every weekend, and plenty of our weeknights filled up too. The week leading up to this trip was no different, with three weeknights already spoken for. Naturally, this meant we did what any responsible adults would do and procrastinated on packing until the Friday of our trip.
We were both scheduled to log off work around 2:00, but our morning quickly filled up with meetings and other things that needed our attention. That led to a little more procrastinating, which eventually left us with roughly an hour to get everything together before we needed to leave.
By 2:30, we were finally out the door, sweaty from the combination of packing, last-minute chores, and trying to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything. We picked up our son from Kindercare and started the long drive north, with a quick stop in Lindstrom to drop him and our dog off with the grandparents for the weekend.
We are incredibly lucky to have grandparents who not only agree to watch our kid, but genuinely look forward to it. It’s a blessing to have that kind of support in our lives, and it gives us the freedom to take off on adventures like this one. After about 15 minutes in Lindstrom, we said our goodbyes and headed north on 35 without looking back.
We were making good time and had planned to stop somewhere around Duluth or Two Harbors for dinner. Beka started looking at options on her phone, and since we were going to hit Duluth right around prime dinner time, we decided to push on to Two Harbors and grab a burger at McQuade’s.
That turned out to be the right call.
McQuade’s had an awesome burger and, to our surprise, even had Hoops Brewing beer on tap. This was especially exciting because Hoops had permanently closed back in February. We had always loved Hoops, so seeing one of their beers on the tap list felt like finding a little piece of something we thought we had lost.
After a quick 30-minute dinner stop, we were back on the road, heading north toward Grand Marais.
Our plan for the night was to stay at the Hungry Hippie campsite just north of town. We were making good time, though, and arrived in Grand Marais with enough time to squeeze in one more stop, a nightcap at Voyager Brewing.
We grabbed a beer and headed up to the rooftop patio, where we sat overlooking Lake Superior under the moonlight. After the craziness of the afternoon, it felt good to finally slow down. We were officially heading north, the trip was underway, and the Boundary Waters was waiting for us in the morning.
Eventually, we tore ourselves away and continued on to Hungry Hippie Hostel and Campground, home for the night. We arrived just after 10:00 p.m. and found the map that led us to our campsite for the night. We set up the tent, both took showers, and finally settled in.
Then came the wind.
And the rain.
And the tossing and turning.
I feel like this happens on the first night of almost every camping trip. After sleeping in a bed for weeks, or, in this case, months, it takes a night to remember what it’s like to sleep on the ground. The tent flaps in the wind, the rain hits the fabric above you, and every little noise seems just a little louder than it should.
It wasn’t exactly the peaceful night of sleep we had hoped for, but we were finally up north.
Tomorrow, the real adventure would begin.
Day 1 Today was a big travel and pack day.
Beka and I have had a crazy busy summer, with activities and little trips nearly every weekend, and plenty of our weeknights filled up too. The week leading up to this trip was no different, with three weeknights already spoken for. Naturally, this meant we did what any responsible adults would do and procrastinated on packing until the Friday of our trip.
We were both scheduled to log off work around 2:00, but our morning quickly filled up with meetings and other things that needed our attention. That led to a little more procrastinating, which eventually left us with roughly an hour to get everything together before we needed to leave.
By 2:30, we were finally out the door, sweaty from the combination of packing, last-minute chores, and trying to make sure we hadn’t forgotten anything. We picked up our son from Kindercare and started the long drive north, with a quick stop in Lindstrom to drop him and our dog off with the grandparents for the weekend.
We are incredibly lucky to have grandparents who not only agree to watch our kid, but genuinely look forward to it. It’s a blessing to have that kind of support in our lives, and it gives us the freedom to take off on adventures like this one. After about 15 minutes in Lindstrom, we said our goodbyes and headed north on 35 without looking back.
We were making good time and had planned to stop somewhere around Duluth or Two Harbors for dinner. Beka started looking at options on her phone, and since we were going to hit Duluth right around prime dinner time, we decided to push on to Two Harbors and grab a burger at McQuade’s.
That turned out to be the right call.
McQuade’s had an awesome burger and, to our surprise, even had Hoops Brewing beer on tap. This was especially exciting because Hoops had permanently closed back in February. We had always loved Hoops, so seeing one of their beers on the tap list felt like finding a little piece of something we thought we had lost.
After a quick 30-minute dinner stop, we were back on the road, heading north toward Grand Marais.
Our plan for the night was to stay at the Hungry Hippie campsite just north of town. We were making good time, though, and arrived in Grand Marais with enough time to squeeze in one more stop, a nightcap at Voyager Brewing.
We grabbed a beer and headed up to the rooftop patio, where we sat overlooking Lake Superior under the moonlight. After the craziness of the afternoon, it felt good to finally slow down. We were officially heading north, the trip was underway, and the Boundary Waters was waiting for us in the morning.
Eventually, we tore ourselves away and continued on to Hungry Hippie Hostel and Campground, home for the night. We arrived just after 10:00 p.m. and found the map that led us to our campsite for the night. We set up the tent, both took showers, and finally settled in.
Then came the wind.
And the rain.
And the tossing and turning.
I feel like this happens on the first night of almost every camping trip. After sleeping in a bed for weeks, or, in this case, months, it takes a night to remember what it’s like to sleep on the ground. The tent flaps in the wind, the rain hits the fabric above you, and every little noise seems just a little louder than it should.
It wasn’t exactly the peaceful night of sleep we had hoped for, but we were finally up north.
Tomorrow, the real adventure would begin.
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