Dave's Knot Here!

An eclectic mix of things that interest Dave.

One of my favorite activities is canoeing in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in extreme Northeastern Minnesota, or most anywhere, for that matter. Here’s some pictures of my various trips way up North. Who knows, you might even find some of my trip logs if you look hard enough.

My first exposure to canoeing was in the Boy Scouts. My first exposure to the BWCAW was the summer after my Freshmen year in high school, 1972. My church youth group organized a week-long trip from the suburbs of Chicago (where I then lived) to the BWCAW (and back). After spending most of a week canoeing in the BWCAW I was hooked.

Subsequent to that first BWCAW trip, I returned with my church youth group during the summers of 1973, and 1975. 1974 saw my family in the BWCAW. An older church friend and I returned to the BWCAW in 1976. I then skipped three summers and again headed north in 1979 (after graduating from Manchester College) with my new bride, Lois, and two other church friends. The next time I got to visit the BWCAW was in 1985 when I gave my brother, Dale, a high school graduation present of paying for his part of the trip. 1998 saw me finally returning to the BWCAW with Scout Troop 22. My last trip to the BWCAW was in 2003 (trip log and more pictures), again with Troop 22. So, a grand total of nine trip to the BWCAW—so far. The first seven trips all used Sawbill Canoe Outfitters, while the last two trips used Tuscarora Lodge and Canoe Outfitters. Both outfitters have been in business for many decades and I would highly recommend either one.

I also joined Troop 22 on its trip on the Current River in southern Missouri in 1999.

If you’re a Scouter in the Indiana area, you should seriously consider going through the Voyageur training offered by the Crossroads of America Council.

Fellow crew members on one of my many BWCAW trips.