Setting up camp in the Boundary Waters

You’re in your canoe, easing onto the shore of your chosen BWCA campsite and your canoe slowly comes to a stop. You get out of your canoe, stretch your legs and then… Today’s question for the Voyageur Canoe Outfitters Epic Giveaway is, “What is one of the first things you do when you get to your camp and why?

If you’re a kid then you start digging into the food pack to search for a snack or strip down to your swimsuit for a quick dip. Why? Because if you’re a kid with no impulse control it’s just what you do!

If you’re an adult you might feel more of an urgency to get camp set up, especially if there is a storm cloud looming in the distance.  My routine remains relatively the same because we want to get our home away from home situated before we enter big time relaxation mode. We unload the canoe, pull the canoe well up onto the shore, drag all of the packs up to the preferred tent site and dig into the packs. We get to work immediately on getting the tent set up and a shelter tarp in place. Once the tent is up one person continues on getting pads and sleeping bags set out inside the tent while another person gathers firewood and/or drinking water. Once those things are accomplished we hang hammocks and set up chairs if we have them and then it’s all about camp life; fishing, reading, swimming or just enjoying each other’s company in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.