4月26日
Experience the Boundary Waters Canoe Area
If you are longing for serenity and solitude, this place is paradise
Planning a BWCA trip
The easiest way for a beginner to go to the Boundary Waters is with a group or a friend who has good gear to share. It’s even easier to drive up to the small town of Ely or the North Shore of lake Superior with a credit card and let someone else take care of everything.
“Unless you go in with someone who has all the gear, I’d say spend the money to go with an outfitter,” says wilderness ranger Tom Kaffine. “They are pricey, but they’ll let you know if you like it or not before you buy all the gear.”
The thing that makes the Boundary Waters truly egalitarian, however, is that it doesn’t cost anything to be there, beyond the permit. And trips needn’t be backbreaking treks deep into the interior. Some people make just one short portage and then set up a base camp. Those people, however, sacrifice solitude and privacy, and it can be hard to find a campsite.
Getting help
There’s a lot to consider when planning a BWCA trip. Luckily, dozens of guidebooks and plenty of people are willing to give advice. At the U.S. Forest Service, rangers give handy tips on gear and safety.
If you’re on your own and want to use one of the more popular entry points-that is, those close to the shortest and easiest portages that lead to the largest variety of lakes-reserve a permit early. If you can’t plan far ahead, don’t worry; we didn’t get our permit until two weeks before we left in August, and we ended up with a secluded campsite on a beautiful lake. And outfitters always have permits for their customers.
“The nice thing,” says Barnaby Wiesner, who conducts trip-planning seminars, “is that once you’ve done the Boundary Waters, it isn’t going to change much after that.”
Specialized Terms
Outfitter (n) 专门用品商店 ；户外活动用品店 a store providing equipment for a specific purpose
Ranger (n) 国家公园管理员；森林巡山员 a person whose job is to protect a forest or natural park
Permit (n) 许可证 an official document that allows one to do something or go somewhere
Vocabulary Focus
Egalitarian (adj) adhering to the idea that all people are equally important and should have the same rights and opportunities in life 平等主义的
Trek (n) to walk a long distance, usually over land such as hills, mountains or forests
Portage (n) 陆上联运路线
Discussion Question
When you travel somewhere for the first time, do you prefer to go and explore on your own or do you go with a tour guide? Why?
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