Koneta and Tommy Andrew, and their canine canoeing companion, make their way across a BWCA lake.  Photo: Home Town Focus



By Koneta Andrew from Hometown Focus - June 11, 2021

What in the world does EP 35 mean? Three seasons ago, I would have shrugged my shoulders and said I was clueless. In Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) terms, it is an entry point to the most beautiful, pristine wilderness in the world. It is this magical place where there is little to no cell phone service. Where you are literally unplugged from everything—and I mean everything.

On June 16, 2019, I decided to take the leap with my husband, John, and see what an overnight paddle was all about. I kept telling myself that if my mother-in-law could do it, then I had no excuse. At the time, we had our old canoe that John patched, sanded, and painted. I think we paid all of $300 bucks for her. She definitely is a classic thing of beauty and excitement for us at the time—but heavy.

I bought my bent-shaft Bending Branches paddle used from an outfitter in Ely. I was so excited to get it for half the price of a new one. I didn’t want to spend the all-mighty dollar on a paddle if this was a onetime thing. The joke was on me, though. Seven trips later, and with more planned for this summer, I am still paddling with it. However, I have hinted that I definitely need a carbon-fiber one. I mean, weight is an issue, right?

We loaded up our gear, which included a Coleman tent, heavy sleeping pads (from Aldi of all places), and some old, metal-framed backpacks. At the time, I guess I didn’t realize that weight really was a big deal. We headed down a heavily wooded road towards our entry point. This time it was Isabella Lake. When we got there, we had to portage 75 rods. What in the world is a rod, and how long is 75 of them? Well, one rod is 16.5 feet. Multiply that by 75, and you have 1,237.5 feet. 1,237.5 feet divided by 5,280 feet in a mile, and you get just under a quarter of a mile.

Well, that’s just a quick walk in the park with a 50-pound pack and two paddles in my hand. Not bad! This particular portage was fairly flat, well used, and had gravel on it—easy-peasy. We loaded up the green giant, and off we went into the rain and a choppy lake. Yep, I was wondering what in the world I had gotten myself into.

We couldn’t paddle straight across the lake due to the wind and waves, and honestly, I was scared to death. We paddled across Isabella Lake to find one campsite already taken, so we went and found another. There really are no “bad” sites in the BWCA in my opinion.

This particular trip, we had a permit for seven nights, but for some reason I don’t think we stayed the entire seven. I’m trying to jog my memory, and all I can remember was it was Father’s Day, and here we were without either of our kiddos. The hubby says that the weather was awful, so we stayed a couple of nights and got up early to paddle off while the water was calm.

What could be better than being on the water? Maybe a site with your own private sandy beach. I’ll get to that one in another story. 

Koneta Andrew lives in Hibbing with her husband John, two dogs, and a parrot. Koneta and John have two adult Children, Megan and Tommy. In their spare time, you will find them out in nature with cameras, trying to capture that perfect shot.

To read the original story and see related reports, follow this link to the Hometown Focus website. https://www.hometownfocus.us/articles/a-boundary-waters-beginner-discovers-a-magical-destination/