I will be trying to keep you updated as the paddlers cross Rainy lake, paddle on through the BWCA to the Pigeon River and finish the Challenge by hiking the 9 mile Grand Portage from Fort Charlotte to The Grand Portage Fort.

Good luck to this years challengers! I will keep a watchful eye on their progress as I sit here pouting because work kept me from participating this year. Stupid work. Thanks for all you do Grandma L.

Very excited to follow the challenge again this year. Good luck to all paddlers and a huge thanks to grandmaL for coordinating and organizing everything

Thanks JJ and Mocha!

I'm not liking the current weather forecast. The first three days with temperatures around 90 degrees. And windy conditions the entire time. But I don't get a say in the matter.

Long, planned mileage days written on a piece of paper may not mean much if the forecast becomes reality.

I begin my trek home tomorrow… I’ll be watching… just not while driving…

Good safe travels everyone!!

Follow the Challenges


The excitement begins!!!

Several of the paddlers only stopped for a few hours of rest overnight. My phone, that receives the SPOT/InReach messages, started getting "pings" in the middle of the night. It was horribly hot in Northern MN yesterday, and it was hard on all. Hydrate is the plan. Some stopped early to get out of the sun and paddled in the early morning hours for some cool faster mileage. Each has their own plan but all seem to be "hanging in".
Several paddlers will not show on the Water Tribe tracking - by their choice. So, you will only see part of the story. And, the WT data is in Eastern Standard Time. I do expect he first finishers at Grand Portage late Tuesday or very early morning on Wednesday. More later.

First two teams nearing lac la croix already

This would have been the year to swim the route… I hope they all stay safely hydrated and the weather changes quicker… still some respectable times…

Looks like several teams form the various challenges are pretty close to each other and almost to Sag! That’s just crazy progress in this inferno type heat.

Be safe

MNGreene = full beast mode. Haven't stopped? (what ever that is) since Monument Portage and currently as I write on Moose Lake (near Fowl Lakes). As far as I understand- 3 man canoe and pretty sure I know at least 2 of them. My gut tells me they will push on and finish in 80 hours or so. NO clue on their training / but my guess is little to none-- just 3 dudes (older btw) that wanna do some personal goals together as a team. MNGreene has done this before - and has taken the Dawson- but still VERY impressive!!! -- around 80 hours is no joke.

MNGreene may finish before the wind and storms later today.( good for them). Will be interesting seeing others? face a rather stiff S wind and heavy precip later today as a robust cold front moves through. Then stiff wind from the NW.

The challenge is on for most - the last half of this challenge is the hardest, ( from Sag to Superior) both physically and mentally as your mind and body is usually not like it was several days ago-- even for those that have "trained".

The Pigeon gives me nightmares if taken on at night. Also- anyone that does the Granite River going up stream( going S) in low water at night -- is a different breed. Notice how the challengers have "hit" this stretch. ( none at night).

Anyone have a "SPOT" on Pigeon RIver Dave? ( not on the tracker) What he is attempting/doing is crazy. Borderline BeaV crazy solo. Probably not on tracker for various reasons :O)

**edit** Team Beav on the move at this early hour - about ready to round down into SAG FALLS. No clue on their plans- but something tells me less than 100 hours which would be incredible considering they did big Rainy and no Dawson and a rookie involved.

WW...my guess...weather depending, team BeaV will spend the night at Fort Charlotte. Clove Lake is about as far west as you can start from and still make Grand Portage in one day :)

If PRD accomplishes his challenge it will be quite the story to tell. He has the skills to do it. Hope he stops to take a picture or two. Finger's crossed.

Cheering on all the paddlers to make a timely finish. Lots of challenges still ahead of them...

What is PRD trying to do???

This all is so amazing, it’s one thing to go solo and have to motivate only yourself, but as a team…to stay equally motivated and temper free

Mocha: "What is PRD trying to do???


This all is so amazing, it’s one thing to go solo and have to motivate only yourself, but as a team…to stay equally motivated and temper free "

Mocha

I'll let PRD speak for himself when he is done, don't want to spoil it. But I can say, that his trip plan is authentic and very challenging. Not something anyone on this board, to my knowledge, has done before. Hope he does well.

As for the team aspect...as with any team activity, you are correct...personalities do play a part of success and enjoyment...particularly, in this challenge; after 20-40+ hours of paddling/portaging, no sleep, rain, lightning, wind, waves, blisters, dehydration, hallucination, etc.

I can only speak as to my multiple experiences with team BeaV. Everyone involved with team Beav, has a strong personality but to this day we are good friends who get together during the year for revelry (polar plunges, bonfires, camping, other paddle challenges, just for fun trips, etc). Hot moments during the challenge for us typically turn into "fine"!!, then side glances and murmurs, then a begrudging acceptance of someones stupid idea, then an acceptance of their existence, then hugs and an "I luv ya", and ultimately become fodder for our later amusement. All normal stuff :))) Mutinies afoot get tamped down if the boat with the permit does not stop. :)

Reality is we have had several hot moments over the years, but we know what the game plan is each year (they differ) and work through it. When a safety event is upon us (and we have had them), everyone immediately switches into secure and protect our friend mode and they handle assigned tasks without hesitation or question. Speaks to the fortitude of those involved. Hope other teams are as lucky.

Well said JJ!!

Team Bonding Weather!!!






Severe Thunderstorm Warning - Expires: 09/05 5:15 PM CDT

WUUS53 KDLH 052115
SVRDLH
MNC075-137-052215-
/O.NEW.KDLH.SV.W.0081.230905T2115Z-230905T2215Z/

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
National Weather Service Duluth MN
415 PM CDT Tue Sep 5 2023

The National Weather Service in Duluth MN has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
East central St. Louis County in northeastern Minnesota...
Northern Lake County in northeastern Minnesota...

* Until 515 PM CDT.

* At 414 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 9 miles east of
Babbitt, or 19 miles south of Ely, moving northeast at 35 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail
damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect
wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...
Forest Center.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a
building.

&&

LAT...LON 4792 9103 4789 9103 4789 9102 4769 9102
4752 9183 4765 9195 4802 9130
TIME...MOT...LOC 2114Z 240DEG 33KT 4763 9175

HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...1.50 IN
WIND THREAT...RADAR INDICATED
MAX WIND GUST...60 MPH

Interesting weather…looks like the ne mn area is on the bullseye

People be safe, cover your canoes to minimize hail dimples. Does homeowners insurance cover that?

Intriguing trip plan for PRD….. I sure hope he isn’t swimming!

Thank you, JJ, for your personal thoughts on the challenge dynamic.

I am at the Grand Portage Casino and Lodge. Marcie (Voyager, Russ's wife) is here with me. We met our first finishers this afternoon before the storm came roaring in. The time for the MN Greene Team of Doug, Kevin and Kevin finished in 82 hours 58 minutes. /Best Trio time! I will post pics as soon as I get them downloaded.
We did have a few paddlers drop out. The super-hot conditions brought exhaustion and dehydration along with extreme fatigue. Four paddlers took alternate exit points and returned to Ely via shuttles. All paddlers are sending OK messages to verify that they are really OK.
The storm blew through here at about 7:00 PM. Paddlers stopped and camped or waited out the storm and are back on the water making good "night paddle" progress. They are all experienced and know storm procedures. I am having faith that they're being careful and safety conscious.

This group of Kruger Waddell paddlers starting at Sha Sha Resort at Dove Point on Rainy Lake. Three other Kruger Waddell paddlers started at the same place just earlier that morning. Six others started the Voyageur Challenge at Crane or LIS north while 2 more paddlers started the Moose Lake Challenge at Moose. All are being tracked on a SPOT or InReach, so their individual start time is used for record keeping.

The first Challenge finishers. Kruger Waddell Challenge - the longest of the three challenges.
MN Greene - Doug Kevin and Kevin as they came out of the woods after completing the 9 mile portage to the finish.

Very Exciting Challenge. Great job, all around.
The heat must have been really taxing on the minds, as well as the bodies.
Very inspiring.

Hope everyone still on the route weathered the storms last night ok!

Nice work everyone!

A true challenge for all participants this year.

Is conchistador still traveling on his SUP?

Mocha: "A true challenge for all participants this year.


Is conchistador still traveling on his SUP?"

He is - note his looooong paddle in the pic above, lol.

All are accounted for. Some have decided to pull out because of the crazy weather. First the extreme heat, next the storm with several inches of rain, thunder and lightning and today only 60 degrees with almost constant drizzle. And yes, Scott Baste is still on that SUP. Others are at Fort Charlotte for the night. A couple are up on Mountain and will head to the Fowls and the Pigeon River next.
Those of us at the Casino/Lodge are watching the SPOT and InReach messages constantly. Thanks to our visitors and supporters.

Congrats to all!

This is Kevin from the MNGreene team, I'm the bald one...oh both of us sport that cut. I'm Nomad.

I'm back at my desk working and drifted off to this site. It is quite remarkable to follow along in retrospect.

I can tell you firsthand that it was hot and as much as you want to keep drinking the water with your electrolytes it just isn't all that satisfying. Finally, you drop into your food stash, (Kevin and I lean more towards the Tailwind powders initially). Well, my trail mix had all the chocolate melted as well and my Snickers bars were the same, a runny gooey mess which made you not want to mess with them either.

I found myself not drinking enough and not eating enough, I went for my double stuffed Oreos and they weren't appealing either. It's amazing what the heat can do to you. I was craving a venison stick or a cheese stick, neither of which I had along yet almost always have in my pack when on a fishing or hunting trip. It was probably too hot to have had them along, but I know they won't be left behind in the future.

Doug had dried fruit and that was one satiating thing to eat, but I have to wonder about the value of eating dried foods when you know you are pushing the levels of acceptable hydration.

Of course, we don't talk about it much, but there are ways to watch hydration, one is the color of your flow...well that is if you have to go and I know I realized that hadn't been the case for most of the day, so again you try to force yourself to drink more, but it seems to just take you to that same scratch in the album and it simply repeats the cycle. (For you young people that is a reference to a form of music played on a turn table or "record" player).

We made a conscious choice to supplement our hydration with a method to drop our core temperatures by hitting the shaded side of the lake or river, finding a sandy area, and getting in the water over our heads until we felt our core temperatures lower and possibly actually even shiver a bit. This trip brought a whole new aspect of trip management with the hydration and core temperature control.

We adjusted our sleep schedule from last year to both accommodate and maximize our sleep needs and be flexible with the weather we knew we would face and the body of water we would face.

The 3 of us appreciate everyone who organizes, supports, and follows this event. We would often discuss it in the middle of the night about who might be tracking or watching us, it kept us paddling hard and in some ways kept us from zoning out.

Kevin, aka Nomad

Right on Kevin! I think you guys passed me on Basswood. I started at Little Indian Sioux, so I had a head-start on you guys. I was pulling into shore to have dinner, just past an island. I survived the heat by wetting my shirt and hat, and of course electrolyte tablets. My appetite disappeared, and trail mix and power bars were unappealing. My beef sticks were heavenly. Even my favorite freeze- dried meal was choked down. When the storm hit, I was taking refuge with BeaV's team under an upside-down canoe leaned on a tree, at the beginning of the 2-mile-long portage at Rose lake. I had the pleasure of camping with BeaV's team the last 2 nights. After the rain, my clothes and tent were wet and added a lot of weight for the 9- mile portage. We're at the casino now, eating everything in sight and enjoying the camaraderie. All you can eat prime rib buffet tonight. I finished Weds. at 1:37, 126 hrs. and 22 minutes.

Can’t wait to hear from StraightHairedCurly whose roster said that she quit her job for this!!

...cover your canoes to minimize hail dimples. Does homeowners insurance cover that?"

Dono, not but a specific rider covers all risk.

I was mostly concerned about theft at the time. $20 a year was cheap peace of mind at the time for my third largest investment ever.

Doh!

Someday: "Can’t wait to hear from StraightHairedCurly whose roster said that she quit her job for this!!"

I made it across the Grand this morning a day ahead of my goal. I handled the heat by a regimented drinking schedule of small amounts of water or Tailwind every 15-30 minutes and multiple full body immersions to bring core temp down. I was over a day ahead of schedule by the end of day 2 and had dreams of even finishing by Thursday night. But then I got stuck on Clove Lake by the approaching tstorms. I didn’t want to risk getting caught out on Gunflint so I hunkered down at one of the last campsites on the Granite R. Turned out to be a very smart choice.

Next morning I was a bit too eager to get back out before sunrise and stumbled around in the dark and rain trying to find the last few portages, took an ungraceful face plant in the water getting me drenched in the cold weather. Spent the rest of the day borderline hypothermic which resulted in great mileage despite the wicked headwinds because I couldn’t stop for more than 5 minutes without severe shivering. Met EZPete and Prospector at points during the day and we all ended up camped together on Mountain and again at Ft. Charlotte.

The horrid rain paid off when it came to the Pigeon River. Last year, it required walking the boat through the slippery rapids for miles. This year we were able to shoot through almost every rapids section…so much fun. The level when BeaV and Kendra's group went through on Wednesday was 110 cfs, but we had 170 cfs and it made all the difference. I felt great starting the Grand this morn and decided to try for a time of 4.5 hours. I made it in 4 hours 19 minutes.

BTW, I had originally signed up for the Kruger-Waddell but switched at the last minute due to herniating a disc 12 days b4 the start. I switched to a Crane L start to have more flexibility with time if I had issues with pain. Fortunately, with a couple great chiro treatments in the days before and a combo of Aleve and Biofreeze, I was comfortable and pain free most of the time. Thanks to everyone who supports us while we’re out there and to all who follow along. It means a lot!



left to right: EZPete, me, Prospector. So awesome to camp with these guys the last 2 nights.

Congratulations… probably the hardest of conditions… I have great respect for those that finished and those that pulled out in various locations along the way. Knowing your limitations and acting on that is a good thing. I hope in the future there will be opportunity to try yet again with the best of conditions…

Paddlers are doing well. Teams have arrived at the Grand Portage Fort is groups and stages.

Tuesday: MN Greene, (Doug, Kevin and Kevin)

Thursday: Voyager (Russ), BeaV's Team (BeaV, Kendra, Troy and Sandy)

Happy to see everyone in safe and sound. Certainly looking forward to more stories and lots of photos.

Congratulations Straighthairedcurly, and to everyone else that participated. Super fun to follow along!

Challenge recap for my team:

2023 was a strange year for my team with many changes to the roster right up to within the last week before the scheduled start. The result was a lot of last minute packing, canoe partner changes, and delayed itinerary planning. Four people eventually made up the team- myself, Kendra, Troy, and Sandy. Sandy was new to our team, new to the BWCAW, and new to long-distance canoeing. Troy had little experience in the stern. Based mostly on canoe trim needs, Troy and I would be stern while Sandy and Kendra would be bow. Troy and Sandy in one MN 2 and Kendra and I in the other. I had reservations about Troy and Sandy being in the same boat since they both would have steep learning curves. But they both did a good job and we paddled the first 4 days (the really HOT days) this way and we did good. We switched bow paddlers on the last paddle day mostly to mix it up but also because of the looming challenge of working through the English Rapids rock garden on the Pigeon River.

The biggest challenges for us this year were the high temperatures around 90 degrees Saturday through Tuesday afternoon. Just like the other teams, we struggled with trying to not overheat by taking more breaks, not paddling too hard, and throwing water on ourselves. After the heat, the thunderstorm that hit us on Rose Lake could have been bad but we, along with Voyager, got off the water onto the Long Portage just in the nick of time. Rose Lake really looked nasty while all 5 of us huddled under my upturned canoe. I didn’t have time to get my rain gear on and got soaked. After about a 45-minute delay, we all proceeded to continue down the Long Portage as night fell. Light rain and occasional lighting & thunder continued eventually everyone became wetter and colder as we progressed along the portages and lakes towards our goal of Mountain Lake. The darkness that night was intense and navigation difficult.

Voyager and my team had separated sometime after the Long Portage but for safety reasons had agreed our stop for the night for both teams would be on Mountain Lake at the first campsite, if possible. Finding that site was difficult and when my team did, Kendra quickly checked to see if it was occupied. IT WAS! The next potential site was, as it felt to me, way too far off in our current wet and cold condition. And finding it would not be guaranteed. Kendra and I called out to the occupant(s) in their tent to ask if we could join them. The voice from the tent welcomed us to set our camp there too. So we quickly and quietly set up our tents in a moderate rain. I felt bad going to bed without knowing what had become of Voyager. The last things I did before crawling into our wet tent was shine my flashlight out across the lake in the direction Voyager would be coming and then I hung a reflector and my reflectorized PFD in tree branches over the water. Sometime later in the night I was relieved to see Voyager’s flashlight shining in our borrowed camp. This was the one time period where I felt we were in survival mode and the one night I did not set an alarm. We would stay sheltered in our tents until daylight and enjoy a well-earned reprieve!

The next morning around daylight, Voyager, the campsite rightful occupant, and I were up first and had a good discussion of our tribulations of last night, what we doing (the Challenge), lots of thank you’s to our new friend, and him (he was doing a solo trip) saying he’s like to do the Border Route someday.

Other challenges we faced were the shallows of the English Rapids area and the Grand Portage- both of which we handled well and really no surprises.

My last minute itinerary that I had made up showed we planned on a 125 hour time to finish. We ended up doing it in a little over 126 hours. 2023 Challenge accomplished!!

WhiteWolf: "MNGreene = full beast mode. Haven't stopped? (what ever that is) since Monument Portage and currently as I write on Moose Lake (near Fowl Lakes). As far as I understand- 3 man canoe and pretty sure I know at least 2 of them. My gut tells me they will push on and finish in 80 hours or so. NO clue on their training / but my guess is little to none-- just 3 dudes (older btw) that wanna do some personal goals together as a team. MNGreene has done this before - and has taken the Dawson- but still VERY impressive!!! -- around 80 hours is no joke.

MNGreene may finish before the wind and storms later today.( good for them). Will be interesting seeing others? face a rather stiff S wind and heavy precip later today as a robust cold front moves through. Then stiff wind from the NW.

The challenge is on for most - the last half of this challenge is the hardest, ( from Sag to Superior) both physically and mentally as your mind and body is usually not like it was several days ago-- even for those that have "trained".
...
"

Hey WW, thanks for following us and the commentary! You nailed most of the facts/predictions. We did do a little more training than you guessed, especially portage training. We did not train for the heat, though. Paddling and even camping the 1st night was challenging. Did you know mosquitoes like warm, still camping spots? True, so we chose roasting in our bivys over being pestered by the blood suckers. A tent would have been nice. The 2nd night on Monument was comfortable with tons of dew. The third night was "easier" - as you figured out, we did not camp - we just took a quick cat nap on the portage after Mountain, which was quite rejuvenating for 2 of the team. Note to self: don't try to sleep on the shoreline rocks to avoid mosquitoes - rocks are hard.

A few hardships - who cares! THIS CHALLENGE IS FUN AND HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! We would be glad to help anyone who is interested in doing one of the border Challenges. Our team tried a lot of different gear, food, paddling and portaging techniques, and sleeping strategies over 3 years and can tell you what works and what does not.

Well, it's a wrap!
I just finished recalculating and confirming all the stats for this year's paddlers, put away the first aid kit, posters, red blade Bear Brigade paddle and banner.
I want to take this opportunity to thank all the paddlers, support crews and followers for making this another great Challenge!
Your support and encouragement are truly appreciated!
NOW - start planning for next year - the 10th Annual Minnesota Border Route Challenge. To quote Doug, MN Greene, "This Challenge is fun and highly recommended".