Just out of curiosity, I was wondering how many women go into the BWCA?

I have been on many trips, and my first year in was in 91-92. Last year was the first year that I saw more than an occasional female. A group of 4, with two men. I was very suprised. The girls were out fishing, swimming, canoeing, etc. I grew up with 5 sisters, and none of them enjoy the outdoors/BWCA like I do.

I really thought that it was neat to see girls so comfortable in the great outdoors.

Each summer my girlfriend takes 3 high school girls to the BWCA. Last year they went on a 4 day trip out of Ely. As I recall, they portaged 5 or 6 times. After the trip and film development she showed me a picture of a group of guys from the Twin Cities who were on their first trip to the BWCA. They looked on in disbelief as my girlfriend took the first canoe and a light pack across the portage with the rest of her crew backpacked and ready following behind. A few comments were made by the guys about how they thought that the women may want to stay closer to the entry point just in case. I wish I could have been there to give those guys a word to the wise to never tell this group of adventurers that they can't do something. They are already planning this summers trip.

I go out on trips quite often with just one of my daughters. Or even my daughter and 2 granddaughters!

Last fall I took a trip with one daughter and a female employee.

I also go out with the hubby, but the all women thing is a great trip, just as I know the all male thing is fun for guys.

interesting question. i am of the xx gender and travel almost every year into the bwca &/or quetico with a group of xx friends. we tend to travel late in the season or winter, travel light and make serious attempts of zero impact. we are usually pretty quiet, but quite playful. we are ususaly 4-9 in the group and go 7-10 days, ususally moving every day. i have camp journals from 8 years back. has changed my life.
i have a work friend who goes in with a bunch of her gal pals every year--think the last i heard they are on year 21. they fish A LOT and stay put in one spot and do a week at a time.
we are out there. you just need to know the "right" xxs.

I have been going to the BWCA with my husband for 32 years, a total of at least 20 trips in BWCA and Quetico. As the years have progressed (and I have gotten older) I have become more and more interested in photography (landscape, wildlife, insects, flowers,weather phenomena, etc.) This is the best way to vacation! The silence is awesome, the sights are amazing, and there is no reason for women to stay home. Our usual trip length is 10 days, but one time we did a 22-day trip. Just the two of us. It's the way to go!

I go to the boundary waters every year with my church during the summer and ive been going for about 4 years! And there has always been about 7 girls that go.
And trust me the girls that go with us work just as hard and sometimes harder than the guys do!
~*Bethany

I take church youth each year and each year we have as many ladies as we have gentlemen. This year we had two groups-

One group was 6 and had three ladies, the other group of 7 also had 3 ladies.

BTW the ladies I have with usually complain less and more than carry their share of stuff across portages. They also have more smiles at the end of the day then the teenage boys do.

The difference I see is more in preparation and execution. The teenage guys try to show off while the ladies are practical and more careful. The ladies are also more curious about where we are, where we are going and how we are going to get there. The guys wait until we need to decide which way to inquire. Having ladies on a trip has always been a good thing. I appreciate the work ethic and curiousity.

I was just up there with my wife and three daughters. They love it up there and cannot wait to go back.
Canoe42

Where did you go? How many days? Did you do a trip report?

We returned yesterday 8/28/04 and we saw the following women during a week long adventure:

1. Two 20 something girls at the portage by Devils Elbow. They were with boyfriends, but looked happy.

2. Two Forest Rangers (under 30) came by our campside just past the Saganaga Falls. They checked our permits and fishing licenses. They had a camp on an island near the falls.

3. Two girls (mid 20s) were camped in the Saganaga Corridor just south of the open water. They smiled at us as we went by, then paddled off the opposite direction singing.

4. Just before I was about to go over the Sanaga Falls, a guy and his girlfriend (about 30) having lunch waved us back and we took the portage. We were glad we did.

We actually saw more women than Walleyes.

On Sept 19 or 20th (haven't decided yet), I go out on a trip with 5 other females (one my daughter, three work for me in the packroom and one is a friend who owns Hand Done T-Shirts).

So if you are in the Lake One area and see 6 women in 2 long canoes, it will probably be us!

You taking the 18.5's good for you. Should be a good time and the fall colors will either be fantastic or all done. Try to keep a fewleaves on the trees for my trip October 1 into Morgan Lake will ya.

I have seen several women in the BWCA... and there were two women in our group last year, my fiance and my buddies wife. But, here is my favorite picture of women I have seen in the BWCA... And we all got a good laugh out of it!!!

Nope, not 18.5's, I'm taking the MN 3 canoes, all 20 feet, 52 pounds of them! Man those things glide across the water fast and we don't go in any areas where there are tight turns.

I searched “women” I found this old posting. My question was generally the same, but a slightly different… How many women go with you, or have gone with you, or go themselves to the Boundary Waters/Quetico, or how many women take men with them on their trips?

For me, out of the 55+ people (58 and still remembering more) that have gone to the Boundary Waters with me 15 were women. I’m not trying to be sexist, just curious. In fact, many of the women who have gone with me were just as able, if not more so, than some of the men who have gone with me.

How about children, say 16 or under? For me, 17 were boys (6 are relatives, the rest are scouts), and 8 were girls (all relatives).

Last year was our first trip where women of any age were included. Not because they weren't welcome before, it was just that our BWCA trips ended up as guys only fishing trips because the women in our family really didn't want to go. They were happy with camping on our local Missouri Ozark float trips.

Two of my boys were recently married and the new daughter-in-laws wanted to go. The trip ended up with 9 of us - me, my 3 sons, all 3 daughter-in-laws and both 10 year old grandkids, one boy and one girl.

What a great trip. We basecamped on Pine Lake so the portaging wouldn't be too hard and had great weather and decent fishing.

The girls have decided that they want to be included from now on but will go every other year so the 'guys' can have guy time and do our normal 'move every day with lots of paddling and portaging' trips.

Two of my daughter in laws are expecting now otherwise they would have gone again this year and started the every other year thing next year.

quote jtbwcaw: "How many women go with you, or have gone with you, or go themselves to the Boundary Waters/Quetico, or how many women take men with them on their trips?
How about children, say 16 or under?"

I was taken to Quetico two times by a woman who organized those trips in 1983 and 1984. Otherwise almost all of the other trips I’ve been on there has been a wife or girlfriend of someone’s along. Children...? One.

"Women in the BWCA" is one issue that has impressed me the most over the past fifty or so years.

Back in the 1960's it was rare to see a woman in the BWCA (of course, back then it was rare to see anybody else). Today I am impressed by the large number of women's groups and solo women that I see on every trip.

Keep it up, ladies!

We started doing "girls only" trips back in the 1960's as part of a girl's summer camp program.(Camp Trelipe - Camp Fire Girls).

We are still doing 2-3 women's trips each summer. The"girls" are getting older. Some are now in their mid 60's and early 70's. We don't go as far or fast - but we are still there. We started "wet packing" back when we carried canned food and heavy aluminum canoes.

We have adult kids and grandkids who will come on some of our trips. The grandkids have been going with us since they were potty trained. They are now teenagers and do the majority of the portage work on travel trips.

Women in the BWCA - That is the way it should be!

1983 - Forest service "fire station" Thomas or Fraser - gone now
2005
1984 - Boulder Lake
2009 - Lake One
1981 - Hula Lake

I have lead 33 groups go high school students to the bw and other teachers in our program another 30 or so groups.about 60 percent of the participants were female. As stated above by Bogs, most girls don't complain, work harder, and have only themselves to prove anything to. I also don't have to use the first aid kit as much because they don't show off.

Last year I put my boat in at so. Kiwishawai camp ground. Couple girls were fishing in a canoe just under hwy. I bridge. I went up to fish under the rapids. After awhile he they came throwing lures along the shoreline like the best of them. They got above me and I thought what a pretty background I moved over and asked them if they wanted a kodack moment. They looked at each other a little lerry and I said I'd take their picture with the rapids as a back drop. They laughed and gave me their phone. Im sure it was a great pic...said they were staying up on birch lake. Kind of proud of my self .they were in bikini tops and very good looking and I didnt even look to see if they had wedding rings. Life is good

Any guy that would take a bunch of rookie women to Quetico for 8 days has to be out of their mind......

quote bojibob: "Any guy that would take a bunch of rookie women to Quetico for 8 days has to be out of their mind... "

My, was that a little sexist? Careful a moderator might be checking.

I am a woman. My husband has about 30 canoe country trips in the past 43 years (BWCA, Quetico, Algonquin, Temagami) plus several Manistee River trips in Michigan. All but two of his trips have been with me.

quote bojibob: "Any guy that would take a bunch of rookie women to Quetico for 8 days has to be out of their mind... "

Oh, you'll be in touch with your feminine side by the time you get back :)

Wow... I wouldnt touch that with a l0 ft pole. Or a 9ft German

Dave at HJO was once given a lot of grief by a bunch of older guys when he was dropping off a " bunch of little girls to send them off into the wilderness by themselves." He replied," you don' have to have a penis to paddle a canoe."

I know several women whose outdoor skills would put most men's to shame.

quote Grandma L: "

quote bojibob: "Any guy that would take a bunch of rookie women to Quetico for 8 days has to be out of their mind... "

My, was that a little sexist? Careful a moderator might be checking."

It was tongue in check, I forget everyone doesn't know I'm taking 4 lovely ladies for their first Quetico Journey. I'm taking my daughter Taylor, My regular trip partner Mark is taking his two daughters Sara and Katie and her partner Emily. And my other regular crew member Tim has agreed to come and help out.

Bojobob, looks like you will have a full crew and hopefully a great trip. Thanks for the clarification.

The gals have been increasing in numbers the last 10 years percentage wise for their group much faster than the guys.

Another great resurrection.

While the majority of my trip-mates have been with the male of the species, I would say about half my trips involved the female of the species. To be honest, the women seem more in alignment with my tripping style... When we move we move, when we relax we relax.

I'd avoid too much stereo typing positive and negative on the topic. I do find however that in my experience women fall more to the extreme both positive or negative.

I will say that my daughter (3) will start camping this summer, and that she will have lots of time to love or hate the wilderness growing up. She will learn skills to show up any Eagle Scout boyfriend she may encounter.

I am a woman and I either trip with my kids, other women, their kids, and the occasional husband, or just other women. My husband isn't into canoeing but I guess I will keep him:-)

I just completed my first solo trip a few weeks ago and it was definitely a challenge being on my own. I really missed my 3 portage sherpas!

My first trip was co-ed, a high school trip that replaced our gym class! The XX I was paired in a canoe with did not want to paddle.........at all. I was 15 she was 17. Asked me, "Do you think I'm pretty?" At that point I was just so frustrated with her not making any effort, all I could say was "I don't know, just keep paddling". There was another girl on the trip who did more than her share, so really had nothing to do with being female, just personality.

Have only tripped with XY's since (although we have offerred spots to XX's).....thankfully, none of the XY's have asked me if I thought they were pretty!

I will be making my second solo trip in July. It will be my 13th trip to the bwca. As a women I do just as much work or more as the boys do. I also know many men that would never do a solo. I grew up camping and boating so the progression to going to the bwca seemed natural. After all I would rather spend a weekend in a tent on a lake than in a hotel.

Last year we took my two female college age cousins. I was not in the least bit worried about how well they would do. And they proved me right. Carried their fair share, always up for camp chores, no complaining, and brought a level of awe and wonder that only new people to the BWCA can muster.

I've done lots of womens trips to the BW and have taken my kids since they were babies. There is also an active womens forum on bwca.com with many women who are passionate about the BWCA

I just returned home from a Memorial Day wkend women's trip.

The only trip I have been on where I was the only woman is one with just me and hubby.

Most trips are with my family, hubby, daughter and son. The two most enthusiastic canoe campers in the family are the females. Next summer we may plan a mother/daughter trip so we can both get in extra paddling time.

And yes there is a women's forum here... for any females interested, you can find it in the private forum listing. We're always happy to have new members join us.

I am a woman and I go with my husband-just the two of us on about 3 boundary waters trips a year. Usually one ten day trip and then 2 or more shorter trips. When not camping in the boundary waters we try to camp almost every weekend in the superior national forest somewhere. Camping & canoeing are my favorite activities! I plan all winter for these trips. Some people go to their cabins every weekend ours is just portable. This year we did a New Years Eve camping trip too.

Dorothy Molter...
Rootbeerlady.com

I used to take church groups on trips in the 80s and 90s, they were all mixed group trips. The ladies complained less and did more than most of the men. My best trips have been with my wife. For all you guys that wont take or wont even ask your spouses/girlfriends to go you are MISSING out. They may/will surprise you.
CB

Ditto to all of the comments here about females generally being great BWCA trippers.

I've guided many youth to the BWCA over the years--boys and girls. Without a doubt, the hardest working camper I've ever canoed with and one of the all-around best ever from all of those youth was this 15-year old girl who weighed maybe 90 pounds. She always carried her packs--some that weighed more than half of her weight--without complaint and eagerly pitched in on any other camp chores that needed to be done. She was the most willing learner and just seemed to enjoy the whole trip experience.

About a month after we returned, I met up with her father who was nearly in tears as he related his observation of how he saw her leave on that trip as just this "little" girl and return all grown up. Her dad thanked me profusely but I had little to do with the growing up part for her--she did that on her own. She "discovered" herself on that trip and enjoyed what she found!

Now, years later, she is a wife and a mother after she and her husband had to overcome many extreme challenges in starting their family. Whether true or not, I like to think that her BWCA trip experience might have helped her prepare just a bit for success against those later-in-life challenges. I've also thought a number of times that if all of the youth on my trips were more like her, how even more enjoyable those trips would have been for me.

If you look forward to introducing people to the BWCA, do yourself a HUGE favor and remember to include the ladies too!

I have found that women canoe campers are usually pretty good at leave-no-trace and or respecting the environment.

For the most part, women are not the ones chopping at trees with an axe just for the fun of it or cutting live trees down or cleaning fish and leaving the guts and mess near a site.

We all have our strengths and weaknesses - it is just which ones you are looking at...

quote Grandma L: "I have found that women canoe campers are usually pretty good at leave-no-trace and or respecting the environment.


For the most part, women are not the ones chopping at trees with an axe just for the fun of it or cutting live trees down or cleaning fish and leaving the guts and mess near a site.


We all have our strengths and weaknesses - it is just which ones you are looking at...



"

I agree they are not the ones leaving trash at campsites. They leave a clean camp.

Most of my trips are my wife and I, my older daughter (9) and I, or my younger daughter (almost 7)and I.

Last July I guided a group of young women from St Scholastica college forGunflint Northwoods Outfitters. I was impressed by the way these young women handled themselves on the trip.They were true young women of the outdoors. It was fun to watch them paddle ,portage, make camp,and break camp. Each of them were just 16 years old and could already handle themselves well out in the woods. A well prepared group of young ladies for the future of canoe tripping.

quote PINETREE: "

quote Grandma L: "I have found that women canoe campers are usually pretty good at leave-no-trace and or respecting the environment.



For the most part, women are not the ones chopping at trees with an axe just for the fun of it or cutting live trees down or cleaning fish and leaving the guts and mess near a site.



We all have our strengths and weaknesses - it is just which ones you are looking at...



"

I agree they are not the ones leaving trash at campsites. They leave a clean camp.
"

I agree with this theory although a recent thread about trashed campsites did include a lovely blue thong in the pile of trash left behind :-)

Yes, it did, luft, but...can we say with certainty that it was worn by a woman?

On a more serious note, I think it's more about the individual than the gender. We should all be glad that we are more free to be our individual selves.

Slightly off topic but it makes me think of my sister in law and wife who will no longer come with us. Thought this was a funny thread as we have an ongoing joke about this with my sister siblings and sister-in-laws and a couple brother-in-laws. I went into the BW my first time in 97. I wasn't from MN originally and had no idea what it was but always liked adventures. My girlfriend (now wife) at the time came with me and we just day tripped. I thought it was amazing so I invited all my siblings and the significant others to come a year later. They flew in from all over and I thought I had planned a great adventure and that it was. We covered a lot more ground day tripping as we had no gear so when I planned this trip I used the same estimates. Needless to say I underestimated and we had to push it over 5 days to get to our exit point. It rained every day, a bear grabbed some of our food after our poorly hung trash bag food pack fell to the ground after a stormy night the 1st night. We had one day where it hailed through our tents and that next night we sat through a crazy lightning and wind storm. since 3 out of the 4 tents had some hail holes in them we had to setup tarps and those disappeared pretty fast in the strong winds (recovered the next morning). It rained 4 inches our last night and we were camped on a higher lake the night before, on the way out we had to wade in waist high water through some of the portages and use ropes to hold the canoes in place in places because the places where there was supposed to be a small trickle of water was a raging waterfall. I learned more on that trip then I have in my previous years backpacking and climbing in the Rockies and the Cascades. I have never hit such a terrible string of bad weather in the outdoors. I have been very prepared since that day. Finally to the point my older brother and I have gone every year but one but no one else from my family comes with.

I still ask them every year and no one else comes. They said they had enough camping in that trip to cover a lifetime. I guess I ruined them but I became addicted to making a trip or two up there every year. I am making my 31st trip to the BW in a couple weeks. Just my brother and me...

I think Boonie got it right. Gender makes no difference.

The only possible difference MIGHT be on the portages depending on the weight of the pack and canoe and the length/degree of difficulty of the portage.

But these potential limitations have nothing to do with being a good steward of the land and following the rules.

Kendra and her daughters could lend a little insight to this thread. Hopefully she will chime in. A few years back I was paddling with our scout troop, listening to the "it's too hot", "there's so many bugs", "these packs are too heavy" litany, when to the boys surprise, we met a group of girls on a portage. These young ladies were carrying packs that appeared to be much heavier than any the boys had and they showed my scouts how portaging was meant to be done. Things were a little quiet for a while after that. A great learning moment!

While I really don't think that gender alone makes much difference at all regarding qualifications for, or success in the BWCA, neither do I appreciate it if a certain gender's prowess is rubbed in your face:

On a trip almost 20 years ago, I had a gash on my foot from the day before and I was trying to keep the Band-Aid dry so it would stay on. This took a little extra maneuvering at a portage to dry-foot it. Coming the other way, an all-female group of teens met us at this portage. The woman leading them noticed me and loudly crowed, "Well, look at that, girls! This big tough man is afraid to get his little tootsies wet! Unlike this man, my young girls here are NOT afraid to step in the water, are you girls?" My buddy said to me, loud enough for her to hear, "Oh no, you told me you were gonna leave your wife at home!" It was pretty funny and she took the hint to shut up and mind her own business because not another word was exchanged other than as we parted I said, "You take your trip, and we'll take ours."

Taking a family which consists of husband, wife, 12 year old daughter and 9 year old daughter this year. We will also be accompanied by another 25 year old female.
Myself and a friend put a 1 week guided trip on fund raiser for education this year. This farm family from SE MN bought the trip.

I have taken my daughter and friends up in the past.

We will do plenty of portaging and fishing.

I always enjoy introducing new people to the BWCAW.

We are leaving from Moose #25 on the 21st of June.

This is our group from Arkansas in 2008. These three Ozark ladies are always ready for anything. We spent 7 days in Quetico along the Falls Chain and yes, us guys did the cooking. Next year we're going to take them back again. Awesome!

Terry

Over thirty years of Quetico, BWCA, and other canoeing trips with my husband and sometimes with other friends.



I'm behind the camera in this one:

quote eagle93: "Dave at HJO was once given a lot of grief by a bunch of older guys when he was dropping off a " bunch of little girls to send them off into the wilderness by themselves." He replied," you don' have to have a penis to paddle a canoe."


I know several women whose outdoor skills would put most men's to shame."

OK, I'm thinkin' this Dave guy has his head on straight. Love it.

Yes, women are out there - solo or together or with children or partners. Might not look the same as we do when not in the woods - then again, might look exactly the same.

Raising my two girls to go where they wanna go, when they wanna go there. Hoping one of the places is the BWCA. Started the oldest before she was one.

New lighter technology makes paddling a very female friendly sport. I paddle solo and with others. I have done many solo dub trips. I feel safer in the woods than in the city. My only close call was not appreciating the jaws of a large snapping turtle who I thought was "cute".

Nokomis Wed night paddlling is a great spot to meet other female and male paddlers. 6:30 until dark or too many mosquitos.

See you tomorrow night!

I started going into the BWCA through Girl Scouts in 2004. I have gone every year since. For the past three I have been working for the Girl Scouts, taking teens into the wilderness. (I should mention; we still paddle and portage aluminum canoes too!)

I addition, there are four of us girls (3 generations - not related) who have been tripping together for a few years and taking a more challenging trip each year.

yep, and they outfish me every time!!! : )~

I have taken my share of trips with and without the ladies…

Sure, I enjoy my fishing trips with the guys, but I have to say the best trips include the women.

They add depth to the experience, they actually handle most situations better than the men do, and they keep our male capriciousness in check!

Thank God for the Girls!

I am a woman and the motivating force behind all of our camping trips. My husband only comes because he got jealous of all the time the kids were spending on camping trips with me. The second most gung-ho person in our family to camp and canoe is my 20 year old daughter who has backpacked Isles Royale and the Scottish highlands with me as well as taking BWCA trips with me, and her camp.

Last year when my youngest son and I were doing a trip we saw two women with 4 young children heading into Cherokee. And I often see mixed groups.

The one friend I have who also camps and canoes a lot is a woman, Laura, and she got into it because her mom loves it. My mom also went on all of the trips I went on in the 70s and 80s as a kid, and my aunt took her kids back then too.