My Story
I was 9 years old when I first went on a trip to the Boundary Waters with my dad and two of my siblings. My dad had been an Eagle Scout growing up, but our first trip was beset by challenges born of his rustiness and our own laughable inexperience. It was a tough go, honestly, defined vividly in my memory by double portaging, questionable packing, and a lot of wet socks.
But even if he couldn't quite get his kids steering the canoes straight on that first trip, my dad taught us all from the start to respect the unique splendor of where we were privileged enough to be. And when we got back, I felt a sense of appreciation and accomplishment unlike any I had known.
I'm 52 now and have returned to the area pretty much every summer since, almost always with my dad until he officially retired from the trail in 2019 after doing a seven-day trip at the age of 81. This past summer, I joined my daughter, my sister, and her three children for an 85-mile loop that brought all the excitement, adversity, and laughter that anyone who's visited this place would know and expect. I hope our younger paddlers will be able to enjoy it the way we have and one day share with their own families a story around the campfire or the anticipation of what's around the next bend.
I'm raising money for the Boundary Waters because it's an incredible but increasingly vulnerable wilderness—and also one of my favorite places on Earth. There is simply no substitute for the restorative beauty and wonder of spaces like this.
Thank you so much for any contribution you are able to make.
Description
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is an undeveloped 1.1 million-acre federal and state-recognized Wilderness Area. It is an expanse of lakes, rivers, and forests in the Superior National Forest, located along the Minnesota-Canada border, that has been protected by statute and international treaty for more than a century. This is the sixth most critical region in the lower 48 to protect for climate resiliency and contains 20% of all the freshwater in the entire National Forest System. The water in the Boundary Waters is so clean, you can dip your cup and drink straight from the lake.
Save the Boundary Waters is the locally-based, national campaign led by Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness based in Ely, Minnesota dedicated to permanently protecting America’s most beloved Wilderness Area – the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Recent donors
| Donation date | Donor name | Donation amount |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 30 | Ipkem | $268.25 |
| Oct 30 | Seth & Evelyn Kuiper | $28.63 |
| Oct 30 | Jesse Kuiper | $55.25 |
| Oct 09 | Erin | $55.25 |
