BWCA CIT Trip

The CITs have returned from a successful boundary waters trip safe and sound. Trip staff have been preparing all session for the week long excursion to Northern Minnesota and Canada. This was the first year that Agawak outfitted itself with food and gear, still using Gunflint Outfitters for canoes and accommodations.

There were four groups this year, Group One led by Johannes & Rachel, Group Two by Josh & Bridget, Group Three by Amy & Laura, and Group Four by Emma, Jordyn, & Casey. All groups were out for 3-nights and 4 days canoeing the expanse of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The trip departed on Wednesday, July 20th around 9am. The bus stopped for the traditional McDonald's lunch on the way up & continued on its way North to Grand Marais, MN. The girls hung out at the lodge watching movies & playing games, getting to bed early to prep for the early morning wake up to head out in canoes. The four groups were dropped off with boats and gear at their entry points & their journeys began.

Weather was generally good overall with lots of sun the first two days, cooling off a bit for the second two. The groups met up on Sunday afternoon after being shuttled back to the lodge. Excitement and stories ensued along with songs and cheers that the groups had made up about the trip. The final night was spent together in the Canoer cabins. Busses rolled back into camp around 2pm on the 25th being met with hugs and greetings from the awaiting camp.

Watch for more pictures to be uploaded soon!

Porcupine Mountains Trip #1

Mac and Cheese, Cheesecake, Brats, & S’mores were just some of the fabulous dishes the participants of the Porcupine Mountains backpacking trip got to indulge on while in the wilderness. 30 individuals- 24 campers & 6 staff members participated in a 3 day- 2 night backpacking trip to the Porcupine Mountains of Upper Michigan.
This was the first intensive open-sign-up trip that Agawak has offered in many, many years and will certainly not be the last. Ages of participants ranged from 3rd grade to sophomores in high school and all campers experienced much of the same aspects of the trip. A few of the highlights included learning to filter water with a purifier, cooking over a fire or camp stove, dealing with leeches and more mosquitoes than the Amazon could offer, but more importantly having fun, meeting new people, and experiencing the outdoors like never before.
Participants traveled to the state park together, ate a group lunch of pitas, pb&j, honey, crackers & applesauce at the Visitor Center, and proceeded to break up into the three groups that they would be hiking with for the next 2 1/2 days. The groups divided up group gear & headed out on three different routes- reuniting on the final day of the trip at the Lake of the Clouds overlooking the entire park. The groups saw the beauty of early morning sunrises over lakes, cool evenings gathered around the fire, or deep discussions while sitting in a circle on a rocky ridge enjoying the tradition of upside-down Frisbee cheesecake.
Thursday morning brought a sense of accomplishment and pride for the campers as many had completed their first camping trip- let alone, a 3 day intensive hiking trip! You go girls!

Sylvania Wilderness P.A. Trip

The P.A.'s have survived! Yesterday afternoon all campers, counselors and trip staff arrived back at camp after a 3 day-2 night excursion to the Sylvania Wilderness Area of Upper Michigan. After contending with a bout of rain the first afternoon & evening on the water, day two turned out to be cloudless and beautiful! The group split up into four groups and paddle into the depths of the Ottawa National Forest, camped in remote sites, & paddled back to entrance points to meet the other groups around lunch time.

As the girls stood on the shores encouraging those paddling in a sense of accomplishment fell upon all participants. The groups packed up the boats & gear and headed further north to Marion Lake group site where all 33 participants spend the afternoon relaxing, swimming and singing around the fire after a dinner of Lemon-Pesto pasta & S'mores. Wednesday morning brought even nicer weather as we swam and packed up before heading back to camp just after lunch.

Overall the trip was a large success & certainly gave the girls a sense of what they can expect at next years CIT Boundary Waters trip.

Coming Soon! 2011 Trip Brochure

Within the next week or so, I should be finalizing the trip destinations and dates with Mary and camp staff- here is a sneak peek at the 2011 brochure that will be emailed out soon! Be sure to watch the Agawak Trips Blog for the posting of this year's exciting new trips and outdoor opportunities! -amy

Ama Dablam - An All Women's Climbing Expedition

"Marmot Pro Athlete Angela Hawse spoke and presented on her experience leading an all-womens mountaineering expedition to 'Ama Dablam'a mountain in the Himalaya range of eastern Nepal, at this fall's AORE conference in Keystone, CO. She was an inspirational speaker, and someone that I certainly look forward to having the girls learn about! Here is a short snippet of the expedition..." -amy

Inspirational Adventurer- Angela Hawse

Porcupine Trip a Success!!

This Saturday afternoon, all 33 PAs, counselors, and trip staff arrived safely back at camp after a great 3 days in the backcountry of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness Area in Upper Michigan. Thursday afternoon the vans departed, stopped for a quick picnic lunch in Ironwood, Michigan, and arrived at the Lake of the Clouds overlook area around 3:30pm. The four groups split off, led by myself (Amy Brickheimer), Ada, Wes, and Johannes, along with counselor staff. The weather was phenomenal and the views were breathtaking. All 4 groups hiked anywhere from 1-6 miles that first night before setting up camp and making a dinner of chicken fajitas, rice and dessert. They played games and told stories before heading to bed. The next day, the groups ate a breakfast of bagels and jelly before starting out on their long hike. Groups hiked 8-12 miles on Friday before once again setting up camp for the night. The girls really enjoyed the evenings' dinner of alfredo pasta, but especially the dessert of Oreo Cheesecake served wilderness style-upside down in a Frisbee. The girls were exhausted from the long day of hiking and went to bed fairly early. Saturday morning came quickly and the groups hiked the final 1-3 miles back to the trail head where everyone was once again reunited. Hugs and laughter abound, everyone piled back into the vans and drove to the pristine shores of Lake Superior where the ladies jumped in the lake to clean up and a picnic lunch was shared before heading back to the comforts of camp and Blue Lake. I was SO impressed with the girl's motivation and how well they did on the trip. I have led this same trip multiple times with university students and I must say this was one of the most successful trips I've been on...so props to the girls and a huge thanks to the staff and trip leaders! This new PA trip is certainly a great prep to the CIT boundary waters trip, and most certainly here to stay.

*Be sure to check back here as well as on the Agawak website for photos from the trip!