Wilderness 50-Miler Expedition Special:
7 Days on the Water
A Boundary Waters canoe trip, concentrating on earning the BSA’s prestigious 50-Miler Afloat Award at a reasonable pace.
To earn the BSA 50-Miler Award:
The 50-Miler Program has no prerequisites, no prescribed methods or models to follow. To earn the award, both youth and adults must complete no less than 50 consecutive miles using the approved modes over a minimum of five consecutive days.
During the time on the waterway, complete a minimum of 10 hours each of group work on projects to improve the campsite, portage, or area. If, after checking with recognized authorities, it is not possible to complete 10 hours each of group work in the trip area, a similar project may be done in the unit’s home area. (There should be no cutting of brush or timber.)
In doing research for this Expedition offering, we found there are a lot of differing opinions about what the Boy Scout 50-Miler Program is all about. Most agreed it should be hard; but that doesn’t mean brutal. In the north country, the 50-Miler in 5 days requires a pace beyond what many Scouts and Scouters are capable of doing. Two to three hours are need for camp setup and take-down each time you travel, plus time is needed for meal preparation and clean-up. When you add the 10 hours of a service project, paddlers are trying to cover 10-12 miles, with portages, in 4-5 hours day after day.
Our Expedition Special allows for a more reasonable pace. This still doesn’t mean there is much time for quiet hours of fishing (which is why we include a paddle, versus the 7-day license). If fishing is a desire along with the 50 miles, we strongly recommend our 9- and 12- day expeditions.
Scouts, even as young as 11 or 12, are capable of completing such a trek, given the extra time, and nothing is more rewarding than watching these young men prove to themselves that they can do hard things.
8 Person Wilderness 50-Miler Special:
7 days / 8 nights
$5,200 per crew of 7-8 participants
All-Inclusive “Bottom Line” with tax exemption certificate
Equals $650 per participants with 8, $743 per participant with 7
This is ideal for a Saturday afternoon arrival, your 50-Mile canoe trip running from Sunday to Saturday and departing for home the following Sunday morning. If you prefer to arrive on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday afternoon, deduct $400 per crew of eight.