Freezing in the BWCA

The reality (and joy) of having a choice

All photos by

Melissa Rock

The sky to the right is deceiving. Sunshine? Will it stick around?

No, it will not. I know this now.

The day we arrived in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota (BWCA), the sun played peek-a-boo between gray and white clouds in the sky. With the gray clouds came rain, scattered, turning the faucet on and off through the afternoon.

Hernan and I managed to take a swim, my favorite part of being in the BWCA. When it began to sprinkle we trekked through the woods — finding and photographing mushrooms and moss.

Temperatures hit 50F (10C) but dropped with the sun. The rain prevented a fire so I crawled into the tent at 8 p.m., popping melatonin to help me sleep. No luck, I counted the minutes until daylight and maybe? Warmth.

I recently read A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson, where he tells tales of his experience hiking the Appalacian Trail. Well, I know now, I will not be an overnight hiker. Especially when temperatures reach 35F (2C).

I know what I like, I like the BWCA, but that doesn’t mean 365 days a year.

After 36 hours in the Boundary Waters, we packed up our canoes and headed back to the outfitters.