Boundary Waters Permit Time, a year later

I knew it had been awhile since I posted a blog but I hadn’t realized it had been a full year. It’s hard to imagine it has been that long when it feels like yesterday I was writing and posting every single day. After looking at my past few entries I realize some things don’t change much from year to year.

What’s the same? The weather in northern Minnesota in January. Nose hair freezing actual temperatures of more than -40 degrees occurred again this year. However in addition to the actual temperature we had -63 degree windchill this past Friday. I continue to wonder why I spend winters here but all I have to do to remember is get out onto a frozen Boundary Waters lake to ice fish or cross-country ski through the silent forest and I am reminded.

Also the same is that it’s BWCAW permit time. Did you reserve your permit yet? We reserved a couple yesterday at 9am but still need to nail down some dates for the rest of our canoe camping trips. You can reserve yours online or have Voyageur Canoe Outfitters reserve yours for you.

How about the food storage order in the Boundary Waters that was mandated last spring? That will be the same for the next five years through Feb. 1, 2031. It requires visitors to hang food, garbage and scented items such as toothpaste and soap at least 12 feet above the ground, or store it in a certified bear-resistant container. Bear encounters in the BWCAW were down this past summer but berries(other than blueberries) were abundant so it remains to be seen whether or not the rules or the bountiful supply of bear food is responsible.

Remote Area Border Crossing Permit status also is unchanged. The issuing of new permits is still paused and existing permits will be good until September 2026. Hopefully by that time the Canadian government will have their new program up and running so folks can once again travel into the Quetico via remote areas like Cache Bay.

Also unchanged? Josh’s love of fishing remains the same.