It’s one of America’s great wilderness areas and this summer, a group of area Boy Scouts discovered all it had to teach them.
It’s one of America’s great wilderness areas and this summer, a group of area Boy Scouts discovered all it had to teach them.
“The challenges and learning opportunities of the trip also brought our group together, and we learned a lot about each other and what makes a group work well together,” said Boy Scout Tommy Mansfield, of Troop 193 in Russell Township, about his recent experience canoeing nearly 80 miles in the Boundary Waters of the Northern Tier High Adventure Base in Ely, Minn. “It truly enhanced our brotherhood as a troop.”
Scouts canoed, portaged and camped for five days with all the supplies and food they brought their first day.
“I am very proud of their accomplishment and think that it is a great story to be told,” said Tommy’s dad, Tom Mansfield.
The flagship base of Northern Tier, the Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base, has hosted Boy Scout canoe expeditions on the shores of Moose Lake since 1941.
It is located 20 miles outside Ely and outfits more than 4,000 Scouts each year on wilderness canoe trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minn., and Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada.
Wilderness regulations limit groups to nine people.
Troop 193 Advancement Chairman Sean McGinnis, Scoutmaster Steve Egner, along with Scouts Tommy, Ryan McGinnis (Sean’s son), Owen Malak, Ryan Fry, Steven Fry and Crew Leader Steven Egner, completed the trip, which kicked off July 7. The next day, Scouts were outfitted for the trek and planned their route in conjunction with their crew’s interpreter. “We were on the water early Tuesday, July 9, through late Saturday, July 13, covering about 80 miles through lakes, rivers, waterfalls and mosquitoes, paddling or portaging our canoes and everything we needed from lake to lake,” Sean said.“It was great to truly get away from everything and just be in such a tranquil, beautiful setting.”
The group survived wet socks, thunderstorms and strong winds.
Tommy, a West Geauga High School 10th-grader, enjoyed his first Boy Scouts high adventure experience.
“I have been in been involved in Scouting since first-grade, enjoying it from day one until current day,” Tommy said, a life Scout and senior patrol leader for his troop.
He said he gained multiple lessons from the experience, learned a lot about the history and culture of the area, such as how its early people lived, worked and survived, and he learned about the area’s wildlife, plants and animals.
“I learned that I can truly do anything when I use my mind and tell myself I can keep going on,” Tommy said.
The Scouts earned numerous scouting awards.
“We earned the 75-Miler Award for canoeing 75 miles, The Duty to God Award for participating in religious services, the Trail of Courage Award for pledging to live a healthy lifestyle, the Lake Monitoring Award for getting water statistics for scientists, the Historic Trails Award for traveling on a historic trail and the Geo-Caching Award for setting way points at each stop,” Tommy added.
They even survived six days without electronics and WiFi.
Ryan McGinnis, also a 10th-grader at West Geauga High School, said he wanted to go to the Northern Tier since he first joined the Boy Scouts..
He learned how to single-handedly pick up and carry 75-pound canoes and Mother Nature’s potential fury.
“Now, this isn’t some dainty river float, we’re talking huge lakes and thunderstorms that could whip up any minute, and if the wind is really moving, huge waves,” Ryan said. “We’re out in the wilderness with three aluminum canoes and a bunch of gear, and even though we have the knowledge and skills to be able to cope with nature, it’s still a scary thought.”
The first day on the water was calm.
“Day two, we were beset by three thunderstorms, so we didn’t get as far as expected,” Ryan said. “I had just laid the canoe down back in the water after a half-mile portage and it started dumping on us, but that’s okay, because when you’re out there, you have to be able to adjust and take everything in stride.”
The third day on the water was the best, he said.
“We navigated a river, got a really nice campsite, saw a bunch of waterfalls and petroglyphs, and went cliff jumping,” Ryan said.
Day four, the group did a mile portage and continued to canoe for 22 miles.
“In the evening, just before we got to our campsite, it got really windy, with 2-foot waves coming in perpendicular. Surprisingly, nobody capsized,” Ryan said.
He said he learned to trust his group and the value of teamwork.
“Over the course of the week, we worked better and better as a group,” Ryan said. “Sure, there were some not pretty moments, but we worked through it as a group, the whole trip was a great team-building exercise.
Sean McGinnis said he hoped the experience helped the Scouts realize when they focus and work hard together, they can do extraordinarily difficult things and do them well.
“Also, the importance of logistics and planning, and focusing on only what you absolutely need,” Sean said. “We will definitely do similarly challenging experiences again — next summer we have a contingent going to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico.”
