A blog reflection written by wilderness canoe guide, Shannon McGrath. Each year, alumni of our Adventure Awaits are invited to apply for a 2-night canoe camping experience in the Boundary Waters as part of their retreat with us at Birchwood Wilderness Camp.

Three days. Eight women. One wilderness. A whole lot of laughter, connection, and unexpected joy.

There is something that happens when a group of women steps away from the noise of everyday life and into the Boundary Waters.

No schedule. No phone. No to-do lists.

Slowly, we begin to come back to ourselves.

In mid-August, I had the privilege of guiding seven incredible women into the Boundary Waters for a three-day, two-night wilderness adventure. Our group spanned three decades of life experience and included a beautiful mix of returning Boreal Bliss retreaters and women experiencing an overnight wilderness trip in the Boundary Waters for the very first time.

We arrived carrying different stories, different hopes, and, as we discovered during our first conversation, some pretty heavy things. So before we packed a single canoe or shouldered a single backpack, we paused. We sat together. We connected. And that simple act established the foundation for everything that followed: we were entering the wilderness as a team.

Leaving the Weight Behind

After gathering our gear at Birchwood Wilderness Camp, we carefully packed our packs and prepared our canoes. There is an art to packing for the Boundary Waters. You want everything you need to be safe, warm, dry, well-fed, and comfortable. Just enough, and not much more. Every unnecessary item becomes something you have to carry over a portage.

So we packed intentionally. And then we headed out.

On Thursday morning, Birchwood staff transported us across the Seagull River to the boat landing and delivered us to the Duncan Lake entry point on Bearskin Lake. From there, the adventure began.

We paddled our way toward Duncan Lake, breaking up the journey with a medium-length portage. We were especially grateful for Birchwood's new Kevlar canoes, which made carrying our boats a little easier on the trail.

Once we reached Duncan Lake, we began our search for a campsite. A few sites were already occupied, but we found an open site on the west side of the lake and decided to make it home for the next two nights. And just like that, we were in.

Building Camp and Building Confidence

Our first afternoon was part wilderness skills workshop, part team-building exercise, and part simply figuring things out together. We learned, or refined, skills like setting up tents, filtering water, using a camp stove, organizing gear, and creating a functional campsite.

And our group worked beautifully together.

There was no shortage of helping hands. Someone would hold a tent pole. Someone else would figure out the stove. Someone would filter water while another person organized dinner. We supported one another without hesitation.

And then we discovered one of our campsite's more memorable features: Mount latrine.

A latrine is an open pit toilet situated at the top of a very steep dirt trail. Let's just say that after our first visit, we collectively decided that the latrine was best enjoyed sparingly. It did make it’s way into many conversations, jokes, and even our skit at the closing campfire.

That evening, we were rewarded for making the climb with something much more spectacular. The Boundary Waters is a designated Dark Sky Sanctuary; one of only a small number of places in the world where the night sky is protected from artificial light.

And that night, we had front-row seats.

The Perseid meteor shower stretched across the sky. Stars filled every available inch of darkness. We laid back, looked up, and remembered just how enormous the universe really is.

Day Two: Waterfalls, Childhood Joy & the Stairway Portage

We woke up on Friday in good spirits and ready to explore. Our day trip took us up Duncan Lake toward the portage between Duncan and Rose Lakes. This section includes the infamous Stairway Portage; a steep series of steps connecting the lakes. Thankfully, we weren't hauling our heavy expedition gear over it. Instead, we were able to enjoy the area with lighter day packs and focus on exploring.

From there, we hiked a portion of the Border Route Trail toward a scenic overlook above Rose Lake. We found a beautiful place to stop for lunch, and without really thinking about it, we sat close together, sharing food and conversation while looking out over the lake.

There was something about that moment that captured the essence of the trip.

Connection. Presence. Simplicity.

Our next destination was Rose Falls. And something funny happened when we arrived; We became kids again.

We climbed.

We scrambled.

We explored.

We lingered.

We sat in the waterfall and let the cool water pound against our sore shoulders.

For a little while, there was no rush to be anywhere else.

It reminded us of a time in life when we could spend an entire afternoon exploring a creek, climbing rocks, or wandering through the woods simply because it was fun. There was nowhere else we needed to be.

Yoga in the Wilderness

Of course, no Boreal Bliss retreat would be complete without yoga. Throughout the trip, we sprinkled in yoga and meditation practices wherever the wilderness invited us to pause. But one session quickly became a group favorite. We made our way down to the landing on Rose Lake and rolled out onto a bed of pine needles overlooking the water. No studio walls. No mirrors. No music. Just pine, lake, sky, sounds of nature, breath, and eight women moving together.

It was one of those moments when the practice and the place became inseparable.

And then, because balance is important, we followed our yoga practice with swimming, floating, and some good old-fashioned rock jumping. Stephanie had arrived with a goal: jump off a rock into the Boundary Waters. Goal accomplished. There may or may not have been a Kula cloth sacrificed to the lake in the process, but some things are worth the sacrifice. Especially when the water is that refreshing.

Learning to Lead, Navigate & Let Go

As we made our way back toward camp, everyone had opportunities to stretch beyond their comfort zones. Some women practiced steering a canoe. Others worked on navigation skills. One brave soul tried her hand at fishing. The fish, unfortunately, remained unimpressed.

But the real catch of the day was confidence.

Because that's one of the beautiful things about wilderness travel: you discover that you are capable of far more than you may have thought. Maybe it's navigating a map. Maybe it's steering a canoe. Maybe it's carrying a boat over a portage. Maybe it's figuring out dinner when you're tired.

Or maybe it's simply realizing: I can do this.

Back at camp, we had the luxury of returning to a campsite that was already set up. Our work was done, so we did what the Boundary Waters encourages us to do best: We played. We floated. We swam. We laughed. We ate a delicious dinner. And once again, we looked up at the stars.

The Transformation

Somewhere during that second day, I noticed that our group had changed. We had only been together for a couple of days, but the transformation was unmistakable. The stressors that had felt so heavy when we arrived had begun to melt away. The women were becoming fully present. They were laughing more. Playing more. Living in the moment. And there was a growing sense of connection between us.

There is something about a group of women gathering in the wilderness that feels like medicine. The laughter gets louder. The stories get better. The cackling becomes contagious.

And suddenly, strangers become companions, companions become friends, and everyone begins to feel a little more like themselves.

Each woman arrived with her own reason for being there. One came hoping to develop the skills and confidence to someday bring her family into the Boundary Waters. Others simply wanted to experience something completely new. And everyone left having proven something to herself; Yes. I can do this.

Day Three: Learning to Receive the Weather

Saturday morning brought another beautiful Boundary Waters lesson: we don't control the weather. We woke refreshed after two nights of fresh air and deep sleep, lulled by the gentle sound of water lapping against the shoreline. We ate breakfast and began packing camp. And somehow, the rain held off just long enough for us to get everything packed.

Then, once we were ready to paddle out, the rain arrived. Perfect timing. Our rainy paddle became one of the most unexpectedly joyful parts of the trip. Instead of seeing the rain as an inconvenience, we simply adapted. We put on our rain gear, we climbed into our canoes, and we paddled. There was something almost meditative about listening to raindrops hit the surface of the lake.

The wilderness didn't need to accommodate us. We simply met it where it was.

We retraced our route through the portage and back toward our pickup point. Before leaving, we took time for one final lunch in the woods and one final yoga practice. This practice felt different. It was a chance to acknowledge what our bodies had done for us over the previous three days: the paddling, hiking, carrying, climbing, balancing, swimming, sleeping, laughing, and exploring. Our muscles were tired. But our spirits felt light.

Coming Home

Eventually, Birchwood staff arrived to pick us up. We loaded the canoes and packs into the van and headed back toward camp.

But the Boundary Waters adventure wasn't quite finished. When we made the final paddle from the boat landing back to Birchwood, we participated in one of the camp's beloved traditions: Hagi Babba. We chanted and paddled our way toward camp. Once in front of Birchwood, we jumped from our canoes and into the lake together, fully clothed. We were already soaked from the rain, so we figured we might as well fully commit.

Afterward came hot sauna sessions, more jumping into the lake, and rides down White Lightning before joining the rest of the Session One standard retreaters for dinner in the dining hall.

We had returned to camp.

But we weren't quite the same women who had left three days earlier.

Our closing campfire with other retreaters was magical as usual, but we did our own group closing. We shared what we are going to leave behind to let the woods wash away, and what we are bringing home with us.

What We Carry Home

We entered the Boundary Waters carrying more than our camping gear.

We carried worries, responsibilities, questions, stress, and life. And then, slowly, the wilderness asked us to put some of it down.

Not because those things disappeared. But because, for a few precious days, they didn't have to be the center of our attention.

Instead, we carried canoes.

We carried packs.

We carried each other.

We carried laughter.

We carried new skills.

We carried memories.

And somewhere along the way, we discovered that we were stronger, more capable, more connected, and more joyful than perhaps we remembered.

That is the magic of the Boundary Waters. And that is the heart of Boreal Bliss.

Come into the wilderness. Come breathe. Come play. Come remember what you're capable of. And maybe, just maybe, come home carrying a little less than you arrived with.

Until the next adventure…

With gratitude to these seven remarkable women for trusting the wilderness, trusting one another, and trusting themselves.

And with deep appreciation to Boreal Bliss Yoga Retreats and Birchwood Wilderness Camp for helping us make our way into, and back out of, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Until next time, may we keep paddling, keep exploring, keep laughing, and keep finding our way back to ourselves.

More reflections from Adventure Awaits to come!