Boundary Waters Snowshoe Expedition 9-Day

Join us for a week-long traditional snowshoe expedition following an historic route through the vast Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Northern Minnesota. We follow in the footsteps of the early fur trade trappers by means of snowshoe and toboggan during the day and sleep in traditional canvas “hot tents” at night. We use wood burning stoves to warm the tent, cook meals, and dry clothes each night. Even if the temperature drops to -40F outside, we can be comfortable with light layers in the tent. Local wildlife includes moose, otters, wolves, beavers, eagles, lynx, and more.

Our winter expeditions are a fun and challenging experience for the hardy individuals who love winter. Working and living in the cold for extended periods requires good teamwork and a variety of skills including:

• Dressing appropriately for conditions
• Maintaining proper nutrition and hydration
• Selecting, harvesting, and processing firewood
• Using snowshoes
• Packing toboggans
• Axe and saw use
• Ice chisel use
• Winter cooking and baking
• Winter fire building and stove use
• Ice safety
• Winter survival skills

We'll meet at 5:00 pm Saturday, January 27th and stay at a lodge. On Sunday morning we will check our gear and head to the put-in to start our journey!

This is a loop trip with 7 days on the ice. We travel most days and plan for 1 or 2 layover days (itinerary may change due to weather or other variables). We will travel roughly 25 miles in total. There are lots of places to explore along our route such as frozen waterfalls, artifacts from the old logging days, and Native American pictographs. We will hike out Saturday, February 3rd, spend the night at a lodge, and depart on Sunday February 4th.

All meals on trail are included. If you have special dietary restrictions, please let us know well in advance.

Difficulty: Challenging 

This trip is for experienced winter enthusiasts. You should be very comfortable camping and working in sub-zero conditions. You should be able to provide sufficient personal gear as per the provided gear list. Everyone will be provided a toboggan outfitted with tanks to hold your gear and group gear. This is an expedition style trip which means we all work together as a team to help with camp tasks such as tent set up and take down, collecting water, processing firewood, etc.

AS ALWAYS >>> A gear list and details will be available upon registration via access to the event group page.

Price: $1,500 (due December 31st)

You can also pay a $400.00 non-refundable deposit to secure your spot.

This deposit will be put towards your final balance.

Included:

• Permits
• Lodging nights of January 27th & February 3rd 
• All meals on the trail
• Premium Snowtrekker tents
• Premium UHWM expedition toboggans
• Packable wood stoves
• Group med kit
• Group kitchen
• Purified water in camp
• Axe and saws

Not Included: (Rental gear is available if needed)

• Personal gear (clothing, sleeping bag, etc.)
• Snowshoes (rental available)
• Sleeping bag (-40F down bags available for rent)
• Mukluks/boots (available for rent)
• Transportation to/from the BWCA (carpooling options may be available)
• Rescue/trip insurance (recommended)

Please send all questions to info@nowoutdoors.org