Boundary Waters Canoe Area Solo Camping September 2019 BWCA

So I took some vacation time last month (September 2019) and crossed off an area on my To – Do List. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in the Superior National Forest of Northern Minnesota. I did 5 days 4 nights on the South Kawishiwi River from entry point #32. I made reservations through Piragis Northwoods Outfitters in Ely, MN who I highly recommend!! I rented a Northstar Northwind Solo in kevlar/CF layup and it was perfect for the trip. Large and long enough to hold my gear and perfect for moving across the open lakes.

The weather was much warmer than expected, low 50’s in the early morning and mid 70’s during the day. I had partly cloudy skies for the most part during the day. Fog and overcast in the early morning. Water temp was much warmer than expected as well. One storm came through on the third afternoon with wind gusting close to 40mph. Several trees down in Ely, MN and one fell down near me on a portage trail.

Bugs were almost non existent except for a few mosquitos after the storm. Lots of chipmunks, squirrels, various birds, hawks, and Eagles. No moose, deer, or bear encounters. Saw one beaver swimming around in the early morning.

I only saw about 12 other boats the entire trip and never had a problem finding a nice campsite. Compared to what I’m used to in South Florida, all the camp sites are amazing!

Some of my gear used on this trip:
Northstar Northwind Solo canoe
Panasonic G9 with Pana-Leica 8-18mm F/2.8-4 and Lumix 35-100mm F/2.8
GoPro Hero 7 Black
Panasonic Lumix LX10
Zhiyun Crane-M2 gimbal
Sony UX560 digital recorder
Edutige ETM-001 mic
MOVO VXR10 mini shotgun mic
Dream Hammock Darrien
Warbonnet Outdoors Minifly in SilPoly
Enlightened Equipment Synthetic ¾ underquilt
Enlightened Equipment 30 degree down top quilt
ULA OHM 2.0 backpack
MPowered Luci Light Pro 2.0 (great solar powered camp lantern)