The BWCA (Boundary Waters Canoe Area) is one of the most amazing camping areas I have ever had the pleasure of camping in. It has quite a few campsites that are all primitive style, but beautiful. Upon reservation, you receive your permit at a pre-specified entry point. All of the BWCA camps are only accessible by water, so when you paddle in, the sites are first come first served. Find a spot you love (you are best off to have a map that shows all the camps), pop a squat, and enjoy! We were incredibly lucky to find this gem on a little island, and it will be a favorite spot in the future as well. Because we were on the water, I chose to test out my Optic Nerve Rapid sunglasses, and they did not disappoint!
Campground Review:
Now that we have found this little piece of paradise in the BWCA, we will frequent it again! Our intent was to paddle farther into the chain of lakes, but when we found this little island site, it had to be ours. We love the island sites. The kids can run around (and so can the dogs) and no one can really get lost. It was several acres big, covered in tall pines, with little trails all over the place. Lots of fishing spots (although, many rocks just offshore ate many of our lures). The largest tent pad (that we used) was just up a path to the right of the fire pit. Nested in the trees. There were a few other pads (smaller) that would have been nice if you had a few couples or friends with smaller tents. Lots of trees mean happy ham-mocking as well!
The fire pit was amazing! Lost of rocks and stones built up around a fire grate (typical of the BWCA, but this one was particularly nice). Benches made of cut logs made it easy to set up a cooking area and a play area for the kids to do art projects on. There are also plenty of trees so that you can hang a tarp (ask me how I know) in the event of a summer shower. The shore leading up to the site is a very gentle slope that is mainly flat rocks, so it's very easy to lay your clothes out in the sun to dry. It faced South, so you could see sunrise and sunset if you were up early enough or late enough to watch.
One thing that was a little out of the ordinary...the pit toilet was really far away from anything. It's usually a good distance from shore (as it should be), but this one was so hard to find that it took all five of us about 20 min to find it. For the record...it's down the path to the right of the fire pit. Once you hit the "big tent pad", follow the path to the left. You'll see a HUGE rock. Keep on the path to the LEFT of the rock, and it's actually right behind it. I must say...nice and private.
Overall, gorgeous location. Easy spot to dock your canoe. Great place for kids to enjoy the wilderness while the adults enjoy the fire.
if you visit in the summer, make sure to have some sort of protection from the mosquitoes.
Product Review:
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get the awesome pleasure of receiving occasional products to try out. In exchange, I give an honest review of the item. On this trip, I was able to test out a pair of rockin' sunglasses. They were the "Rapid" by Optic Nerve.
First, I have to say that this was the best time to try them out for many reasons. The obvious reason being that I was on a canoe trip, it was sunny, and I needed eye protection. The second was that within 2 min of paddling away from shore, my daughter (who was wearing my old pair of sunglasses) turned her head, knocked them off her face, watched them bounce off her paddle and then plop into the lake. We weren't even 100 feet from shore. So I was doubly glad to have a backup pair with me!
These sunglasses are amazing. I don't normally spend much money on sunglasses because I usually break them, or the dog knocks them off my head and they skid, jelly side down, across the pavement, or...they fall in a lake. That said, I'd gladly pay the $29 for another pair of these...and then some. Let me explain why.
- The fit is great. On their website, you can filter the glasses based on the width of your face. I'd have to say that these fit as described. I got another pair that was meant for narrow faces, and they are too tight on me. My fault for not being more careful, but proof that they have sized them spot on.
- I love amber colored lenses, so that's what I got (they are available in black frames with a grey lens as well), and I couldn't be happier. Just enough tint to cut out the glare (they are polarized), but not so much that I wonder "what I missed".
- The sides wrap around your eye and temple, ever so slightly, to cover a bit more of your "vision". It's perfect. Especially since I wear them when I'm paddling a canoe. I didn't have any issues at all with squinting and I felt like my eyes were more protected.
- Optic Nerve has a great selection to cover the spectrum of needs. From lesser cost, yet great quality to higher end and higher price, depending on what you want them for.
- I also love that they don't fall off my head easily when I set them up on top to get them off my face. That's a personal thing...I love to keep them with me in a place where they won't get scratched.
Bottom line, I love the glasses, and will get another pair when these finally fail me. Or someone drops them in a lake.
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