Paul wanted to paddle a section of the International Boundary Route and set us up with a water taxi for the first 40 miles, which runs through perimeter lakes where motors are still allowed. The second-generation owner, Bill Forsberg, set us up with 42-pound Kevlar canoes, tents, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, portage packs and food - ziplocked and labeled by meal and day. Thankfully, Boundary Waters Outfitters in Ely has outfitting down to a science. ![]() Most portages are a few hundred yards, Paul said, but some are up to a mile long. Escaping civilization means lugging your gear - canoe on shoulders, gear on back, feet on trail - across dozens of winding portages between lakes. Dry shoes are nice for camp.” Staying light is key on a Boundary Waters trip. Paul’s instructions for packing the night before: “Wear pants, a shirt and an insulating layer and pack a windbreaker. Seventy Canadian Inuit dogs - which the Schurkes use for tours at their Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge - howled in their backyard the morning my wife, Sara, and I set out with them a year ago on a three-day paddle through the Boundary Waters wilderness. The two have since traveled through remote regions of Greenland, Africa and Russia, with annual trips into the Boundary Waters from their home in Ely, Minn. In 1986, Paul was a member of the first expedition to reach the North Pole without resupply, using dog sleds and technical clothing stitched by Sue. ![]() The Schurkes have spent most of their lives getting away from civilization. The local Ojibwe (Chippewa) tribe still lives that way.
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