Can you believe it? 

Our Troop's first High Adventure and the entire Founding Patrol was able to make it! 

This year we had two of our Scouts reach Eagle and we were excited to follow their leadership on this trek.

The planning process began more than a year before our departure date.   During the months before departure, our crew met to set goals for our trip, go over all questions, and even brought all our gear to a final shakedown to make sure everyone had exactly what they needed... and no more.

We also did a significant amount of training for this trip. Our adult leaders are both Wilderness First Aid trained and Mr. Kravetz brought the canoeing expertise with his extensive time on the water.  Mrs. Hartman made sure all our paperwork was in order and assembled the First Aid kit.

Finally, most of the girls earned their canoeing merit badge before departure.  

A huge thanks to Mr. Olson for assisting us by leading a 10-mile paddle down the Hennepin Canal this Spring so we could be ready!

Crew E-080125E has arrived!

The first friendly face we were greeted by was that of our Interpreter, Skylar. We were thrilled to have a female guide, and as it turned out, she was a founding member of her Troop and an Eagle Scout as well.  Bonus cool points when we found out she has a twin who did the same!

Why is Mrs. Hartman so happy? 

Two reasons: first, a Scout is cheerful.  That's pretty simple.  The second reason comes with wisdom.  She knows that by working together to overcome obstacles these paddlers will be stronger in no time flat.

By lunchtime, all three crews had melded and were able to start making a heading toward our evening campsite. 

Our first PORTAGE!
Prairie Rod Portage was about 30 rods (the length of 30 canoes or approximately 30 x 16.5 ft).  

We decided to have a layover day, and while keeping the majority of our gear at the campsite, we paddled out to Upper Basswood Falls and enjoyed the beautiful rapids along the narrow stretch.  

A fun bonus was that we bumped into one of the boys' crews as they were leaving the falls.  Everyone was having a great time!

What are you proudest of during this trip?

Being able to paddle 55 miles. - Emma

How did you grow this week?

I grew both physically and mentally.   I learned to keep going even when my arms felt like they were going to fall off.  They did not, in fact, fall off.  - Claire

How was the trip different than expected?

I did not expect the waves to be stronger in the afternoon. I also did not expect that paddling involved more core muscles than arm muscles. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the nights were not cold and the campsites were amazing. - Victoria

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I am stronger than I think. I can do more than I knew as long as I set my mind to it. - Becca

What will you do differently on your NEXT High Adventure?

I'll bring a wider variety of clothes. I only brought one pair of pants and ended up wearing them all week. I also only brought one long-sleeved shirt, which was inconvenient at bug 0'clock. - Isabel

Participant Handbook

Advisor Handbook

Founded in 1923, Northern Tier is the oldest High Adventure Program in Scouting America. 

For over 100 years, Scouts at Northern Tier have paddled pristine lakes, sweated over rugged portages, and explored the untrammeled wilderness of the Great North American Canoe Country.

Although there have been many changes since 1923 (wood-canvas canoes giving way to aluminum canoes, which in turn have given way to Kevlar canoes), the basic program of Northern Tier has remained essentially unchanged. A massive wilderness area combined with the expertise and leadership of a trained staff member (called an “Interpreter”) provides  challenging and meaningful program for youth.

The flagship base of Northern Tier, the Charles L. Sommers Canoe Base, has hosted expeditions on the shores of Moose Lake since 1941. Located twenty miles outside of the town of Ely, MN, the Sommers Base outfits over 4,000 Scouts each year on wilderness canoe trips in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in Minnesota and the Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario.