ELY- The torrential rains that struck the region on June 18 washed out roads and caused major flooding. But for those caught out in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the storm presented even greater challenges.
“The storm that rolled in was truly crazy,” said Ryan Stewart, who is family resources coordinator for Ely Community Resource, or ECR, which works primarily with youth. Stewart was one of two adults leading a five-day ECR canoe trip with seven young people, mostly teenagers. They were on Knife Lake when the storm hit.
“I’ve spent over 300 days leading trips in the BW,” Stewart added, “and I’ve seen a lot of storms. That storm came on so much quicker than any storm I’ve experienced. By the time it was evident that the storm would have intense winds, students were already having a hard time steering their boats to shore, despite being relatively close to the shoreline. It was also more intense in terms of rainfall and wind. Fortunately, there were not close lightning strikes at that time.”
The group’s four canoes managed to reach shore, though three landed on an island and the fourth nearby. The temporary separation didn’t stop the ECR paddlers from performing their lightning strikes drill.
“The kids got to practice their lightning drill several times that day,” said Stewart. Before heading into the Boundary Waters, the ECR paddlers learned how to minimize their chance of being struck by lightning by spreading out and avoiding high places and trees, especially isolated ones.
The storm left their gear soaked through, but the group opted to continue their trip, then in its second day. But the storm did change their plans in one respect, and made it a far greater challenge than anticipated. The storm forced the trip to change its route by about forty miles. “Our old route had three portages … we ended up making 22 portages in four days. That’s a lot for a group with kids as young as 12.”
How did the young ECR paddlers cope with the storm and the changes it made to their trip? “The kids were really positive,” Stewart remarked. “It was a really good challenge for them, and they handled it great. These were kids of different ages and from backgrounds who might otherwise never get to know each other. The experience put them on an equal footing. They pulled together and helped one another get through it. It was the best trip.”
The canoe trip was one of two that the nonprofit hosts every year. ECR also hosts a sled dog trip in the winter and a backpacking trip in the fall. The canoe trips are outfitted by Spirit of the Wilderness. The cost of the trips is donated by the Friends of the Boundary Waters.