The 10th annual Border Route Challenges are a go! The dates are as follows: meet up in Ely on Friday afternoon August 30th, get shuttle ride to entry point(s) on Saturday August 31st, and paddle/portage like heck to get to Lake Superior at Grand Portage Monument no later than Sunday September 8th to catch shuttle ride back to Ely. So where is the start you may ask? This can vary depending on your goals (these are the same as last year).

1) “Kruger Waddell Challenge”- 260 mile route International Falls through Voyageurs Nat'l Park and ALL of the BWCA
2) “Voyageurs Challenge”- 205 mile route Crane Lake(or Little Indian Sioux North as an alternative start) though ALL of the BWCA west to east
3) “Moose Lake Challenge”- 125 mile route Ely @ Moose Lake

The above start dates are going to be flexible due to Entry Point permit availability. All the Challenge routes finish on Lake Superior at the historic Grand Portage Fort. The route to be followed should generally be the international boundary with Canada. Of course, longer routes are fine and maybe needed if the wind is blowing hard when you want to paddle one of many big lakes.

A group called WaterTribe has set up the details and making shuttle arrangements. More details are given at the WaterTribe website at the link below. All participants who need shuttling help will equally split shuttling costs.

WaterTribe has a customized satellite tracking map that will show all groups as they progress along the route. This is why each group needs to bring and use a Spot or an InReach. WaterTribe has a $100 membership fee for this service (per group not per paddler). This fee is optional. You can do this Challenge at no charge. But you won't show up on the tracker or be listed in the WaterTribe Roster or Record Book.

This is an unsupported challenge. Unsupported means no preplanned assistance such as a support crew, phone calls to home for navigation assistance, and food resupply. Take what you need from the start. What really makes this a challenge is the time constraint component. The harder you push the greater the challenge. The first recorded record of 6 and a half days was set by Sir George Simpson of the Hudson’s Bay Company and his hand-picked team of Voyageurs in the 1800's during the fur trade era.

Feel free to express your interest in doing this and post any questions you may have here, or you can email me direct. Grandma L from this site is also available to help with questions and with keeping us organized.

Post here if you’re looking to form a team, join a team, or have room for someone to join your team.

The WaterTribe site is where you register and see the current roster list. You will need to create an account with WaterTribe to register and show up on the roster list. However, this is not a WaterTribe sponsored event this year so you are not required to join (if you don’t register with WaterTribe, email myself or Grandma L).

WaterTribe Website

I'm in for a section if not the whole route. I'll see as timing gets closer.

HighnDry: "I'm in for a section if not the whole route. I'll see as timing gets closer."

It would be great to have you back again!

So, if you're reading this post and are new to BWCA.com or just never understood what this "Border Route Challenge" thing is all about....let me explain.

Are you a person who:
-likes the outdoors
-enjoys paddling
-when paddling, likes to look to see what's around the next point of land, ponders how far this bay goes , or looks up a little creek and wonders where it goes
-ever wondered how far you could paddle/portage in a day
-interested in history, as in, fur trade era history of the native americans and voyageurs. Birch bark canoes, ancient paddle routes, and red-bladed paddles.
-has a little competitive streak, whether it's against yourself or others
-longs for adventure
-needs a vacation that has more meaning
-and likes to hang out with people of similiar traits

I think that's the kind of person that might like a long-distance paddle along the border of the US/Canada. The distance and the somewhat arbitrary requirement of doing it in 8 days or less creates the sense of a challenge. Doing this unsupported and under your (and your teammates, if you have them) own power, dealing with whatever comes up makes it an adventure. An "adventure challenge".

We align our schedules to make it easier logistically to coordinate shuttling needs before and after the Challenge. And we gather together at the end to hear the stories of each others' trips.

One of these years I'm going to come be part of the send off or the welcoming committee at the other end. It is very fun to watch the trackers and I really enjoy the stories and trip reports at the end.

I'll chime in as someone who has now done 2 of the challenges. I started small with the Moose Lake Challenge and had so much fun that I came back the next year and did the Voyageur Challenge.

I cannot emphasize how much fun this group is. They are super supportive and the party at the end is well worth any challenges you faced in getting there. I found it physically and mentally challenging, but so satisfying. I loved seeing the BWCA from end to end and experiencing the Grand Portage.

If anyone has questions, I'm always happy to answer them.

BWPaddler: "One of these years I'm going to come be part of the send off or the welcoming committee at the other end. It is very fun to watch the trackers and I really enjoy the stories and trip reports at the end."

Yes, you should. I'd suggest going to the end at Grand Portage instead of at the send off. The send off is usually at 3 or 4 different locations and the Challengers are pretty focused on getting ready for the start. Not alot of socialing time. If you're in the area though, at that time, by all means show up at one of the starting locations and give them a cheer.

Grand Portage- everyone ends at this same location. Friends and family will join Grandma L to cheer on the finishers as they emerge from the Grand Portage Trail and end at the historic fur traders' fort. And then those finishers join in on the welcoming crowd. And in between those moments of cheering, we hang out in a hospitality room in the hotel. Challengers are able to eat and drink their fill to recover and in between tell stories of their adventures. This is where you will want to be.

The group is forming, and paddlers are starting to register. We have about 15+ paddlers and our support staff. Time to start making plans. Hope to see you there.

Me and two good friends of mine are considering doing the Voyageur's challenge this year. One reason we are hesitating is a matter of how much time off work we will need (and thus how much time we are losing to take other BW trips this year). All three of us are fit and in our 20s and have previous canoe challenge experience (to Ely and back from Sag). That being said, we won't know what the weather will be like and certainly can't predict injuries or other setbacks. I'd hate to take off the whole week from work but that seems to be the most proactive way to go. The WaterTribe website shows common times for the Kruger Waddell challenge with 3 folks to be 4 days. So a little over 3 days for the Voyageur + 1 day recovery?

Morchella: "Me and two good friends of mine are considering doing the Voyageur's challenge this year. One reason we are hesitating is a matter of how much time off work we will need (and thus how much time we are losing to take other BW trips this year). All three of us are fit and in our 20s and have previous canoe challenge experience (to Ely and back from Sag). That being said, we won't know what the weather will be like and certainly can't predict injuries or other setbacks. I'd hate to take off the whole week from work but that seems to be the most proactive way to go. The WaterTribe website shows common times for the Kruger Waddell challenge with 3 folks to be 4 days. So a little over 3 days for the Voyageur + 1 day recovery?"

A little over 3 days to complete the Voyageurs Challenge is doable but a VERY aggressive goal. You would need to be moving nearly 24-hours per day. And things would have to go all as planned to do it. Sometimes things happen that add time to your planned itinerary and then what? A week of time off sounds better.

Edit- I want to add, to the above- not trying to discourage the plan you three are thinking of in any way. I'm just trying to encourage your group to allow for more time just in case. And if you make your goal, then you have more time to have fun in Grand Portage:)