Boundary Waters Canoe Area: Western Region. Robert Beymer

      Evidence of the 1999 blowdown is still visible on the hilltops around Spoon Lake

      In 2006, lightning strikes triggered three major fires. In May, a major incident called the Ham Lake Fire spread its flames across more than 76,000 acres in the BWCAW and bordering Canadian wilderness. The state of Minnesota’s largest wildfire in 90 years, it affected dozens of BWCAW entry points including Skipper & Portage Lakes (#49); Kekekabic Trail East (#56); Magnetic Lake (#57) and South Lake (#58) entry points; Larch Creek (#80); and the Border Route Trails: West, Center and East (#81, #82, and #83). In July, the Turtle Lake fire started 15 miles east of Ely, MN. More than 2,000 acres around Turtle, Pietro, and Bald Eagle lakes burned before the fire extinguished itself without any intervention. During the same time period the Cavity Lake Fire, located 44 miles from Grand Marais on the end of the Gunflint Trail, burned almost 32,000 acres. Since the fire threatened local residents and private property, fire managers responded aggressively. Flying tankers dropped an estimated 60,000 gallons of water on the first day of the event.

      The threat of wildfires will continue for as long as the blow-down area remains a source of fuel, but almost a decade later, the area has changed significantly. Tangles of twisted trunks and shattered limbs have collapsed and new vegetation is thriving in the spaces between. Wildlife has forged new trails, created new dens, and discovered new places to forage as the cycle of nature continues.

Fire Safety

      Fires are as common in the natural environment as wind, rain, and snow. In a typical summer, lightning strikes will start fires that are usually contained by burning themselves out or through the intervention of forest service firefighters.

      But fires are also started by human carelessness: It is estimated that 50 percent of the fires in the BWCAW are caused by out of control campfires. Every paddler venturing into the BWCAW should check for potential fire restrictions before leaving home. In some cases, camp stoves may be required. For current fire restriction information contact any Superior National Forest District Office call (218) 626-430 or visit www.fs.fed.us/r9/superior.

      Due to the very real possibility that you could be the cause of a forest fire, campfires are allowed only within the steel fire grates at designated campsites or as instructed on your visitor’s permit. If you build a fire, keep it confined to the fire grate and keep it attended at all times. Before you leave your campsite, it is imperative to make certain that you drown the fire with enough water to extinguish the smallest embers. If you can move your hand through the cold, wet ash, chances are your campfire won’t be one that spreads.

      In Case of Fire

      FIRST, DON’T PANIC. The smell of smoke can travel long distances and the fire may not put you at immediate risk. Stay attentive and watch for these signs.

      PAY ATTENTION TO THE WEATHER: In general fires travel with the prevailing wind, usually north and east. Monitor the direction of the wind and plan alternate routes if the wind changes directions. Watch the skies. Tall smoke plumes rising into the sky can indicate a very hot fire. Be ready to take precautions and seek a safe haven.

      CREATE A PLAN: Carefully review your maps to identify several alternate travel routes if you feel you need to evacuate the area. Stay as close as possible to larger lakes that can provide a buffer between you and a fire.

      PROTECT YOURSELF: Stay calm if the path of a fire endangers you. Paddle far from shore and, wearing your personal flotation device, tip over your canoe. Move under the hull and wait for the danger to pass.

Wilderness Safety

      Although membership in the Boy Scouts of America peaked in the 1970s, the organization’s admonition to “Be Prepared” is as valid today as when the Boy Scouts were founded in 1910. The alternate point of view, “it can’t happen to me” doesn’t work very well in the wilderness. Risk is an integral part of a wilderness expedition. Risks associated with isolation, tough physical challenges, adverse weather conditions, and lack of rapid communications are inherent in a visit to the BWCAW. At all times, exercise caution, use common sense, and consider the following tips:

      CREATE A MANAGEABLE PLAN AT THE START OF THE TRIP: Accurately estimating the distance you can cover safely will curtail the temptation to take shortcuts that may increase the chances of a broken ankle during a cross country bushwhack.

      ALWAYS WEAR A PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICE, EVEN IF YOU CAN SWIM: Minnesota law requires that you have one wearable U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device readily accessible to each person in a canoe.

      DO NOT ATTEMPT CANOE TRAVEL during a lightning storm or when there are large wind-driven waves.

      NEVER STAND IN A CANOE: Keep your weight low and centered.

      IF YOU SHOULD CAPSIZE: Stay with the canoe; it won’t sink. If fact, every person on the trip should be educated in proper solo and group canoe recovery and rescue. The American Canoe Association (www.americancanoe.org) offers basic safety-skills courses across the country. If you capsize your canoe, the stories that follow should be about getting ribbed and teased instead of describing a potentially life-threatening situation.

      USE THE PORTAGES: Do not run rapids unless you are confident you can do it safely, and only after you have scouted them. Remember that water levels change considerably during the summer months. Rapids that may have been perfectly safe to run during your last trip in August could be a dangerous, raging torrent during your next trip in June (or vice versa). Canoeing mishaps occur every summer in the Boundary Waters. Some result in drowning. Many result in damaged canoes. Most result in spoiled trips, lost equipment, and hard feelings.

      CARRY A GOOD FIRST-AID KIT AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT: See to it that every member of your group knows CPR. Be alert for hypothermia, especially when any member of your group becomes wet. Once again, a safety class from an organization like the American Red Cross is worth the time and money.

      IF A SERIOUS ACCIDENT OCCURS: Send someone for help immediately, or use a heavy smoke signal to attract a Forest Service patrol plane. If you have a cellular phone with you, use it to get help only if an accident is life threatening. (Note: don’t rely on cell phone coverage in the BWCAW and check with your service provider before even considering bringing the cell phone with you.) In your haste to send for help, keep everyone calm and remember that campsite numbers are often painted on the latrines of most campsites. Make sure the person going for help has an accurate understanding of your location and the extent of the injury so that the appropriate rescue resources can respond without delays caused by lack of information. Evacuation by plane or other motorized vehicle is approved only when there are no other options available and a person needs the immediate services of a doctor. The local county sheriff authorizes all emergency searches, rescues, and evacuations, but the Forest Service must authorize motorized entry for that search, rescue, or evacuation.

      DON’T DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT TREATING: Sure, at some lakes the water looks so clear that you can see the bottom, but why take the risk? Living through a bout of intestinal distress caused by a waterborne parasite is not the kind of lifelong memory you came to the BWCAW to create. Boil or treat water before drinking. Although lake water may look pure, drinking it without first filtering, boiling, or chemically treating it may cause illness. Today’s filtering tools are rugged and easy to use. Most models are designed to address the nastiest waterborne parasites.