BOUNDARY WATER FUR TRADE ROUTE CANOE TRIP (T2K)

The voyageurs played a significant role in the early history of North America. They were the 'labors' who helped explore much of the north country and brought the furs to Montreal in the 1700's and 1800's. Sigurd Olson, one of the principle architects of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness briefly talks about his experience in traveling a 300-mile segment of the voyageurs route in his book "The Lonely Land" (Ref. 18). His experience in canoeing La Verendrye's route from Lake Superior to Rainy Lake inspired the trip in northern Saskatchewan described in "The Lonely Lands". Reading Olson's book on a recent Boundary Waters Canoe trip kindled a desire to experience some of the magic he experience and thus, our trip dubbed 'T2K' was organized.

Olson stated in his book book "The urge began the moment we pitched our tents near the rebuilt North West Company stockade on the north shore of Lake Superior. Gagnon's Island lay like a watchdog off the entrance to Grand Portage Bay. Hat Point with the gnarled old Witches Tree at its tip was waiting as always for the brigades to come by. In the blue distance was the shadowy outline of Isle Royale. It was the same as the day in 1731 when La Verendrye and his voyageurs made the terrible nine-mile carry around the rapids of the Pigeon River toward the unknown country beyond for the first time. That night those men were with us and when the haze of our campfire drifted along the beach, it seemed to join with the smoke of long forgotten fires and lay like a wraith over the canoes, tepees, and tents along the shore.

"When we broke camp the following morning and toiled up the Grand Portage to the top of the first plateau, they moved beside us. When we stopped to rest and looked back at the blue sparkling expanse of Lake Superior, we saw it through their eyes. That day we struggled through bogs and muskegs with them, fought our way over hills and rocks and ledges, suffered from black files and mosquitoes, made the same poses or rests after each half mile, and dreamed of the moment we would glimpse blue water, drop our loads, and take to the canoes once more.

"Though there were no shouts of welcome at the landing, voyageurs were still with us. All along the trail Verendrye blazed was a consciousness of them and of the land to which the Quetico-Superior was but the gateway...

This Website was originally used to communicate information among the participants. After the trip, the site has been updated and revised to reflect the trip as it happened. Enjoy.