July 2025: Northern Tier

In July 2025 Troop 654 sent a crew to Northern Tier High Adventure Base in Atikokan, Ontario CA. The crew selected a custom 100 miles route through the Canadian Crownlands, which is a more challenging and remote wilderness than through the typical boundary water treks. The crew made up of five 16 year olds and three 14 year old scouts used their paddling, orienteering, camping, and wilderness survival skills to navigate a route over 10+ lakes and through 20+ portages. A portage is the practice of carrying watercraft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river or between two bodies of water. During many of these portages the crew fought through up to 3 feet of mud and overgrown trails. The crew became the first trek in over two years to tackle the Red Paint Portage- a particularly challenging swamp portage of almost 2 miles in distance. Because of the remote nature of the Great North Woods, the crew was responsible for navigating routes and making difficult decisions both on land and water. The crew carried all of their food and cooked over fire each night. Over the 7 day trek the crew only came across 4-5 other individuals enjoying the wilderness – a truly a remote experience!