Taking a 1-Year-Old on a Boundary Waters Canoe Trip
19-minute read (and worth it!)
Kate Wright, our Director of Marketing here at Bending Branches, and her husband, Adam Mahler, took their 13-month-old daughter Poppy on her first multi-day canoe trip recently.
Kate, Poppy and Adam—first Boundary Waters trip for Adam and Poppy
Canoeing is such a great way to go for families with young kids because you can all be in the same boat together. After short canoe excursions with Poppy all summer long to prepare her, Kate and Adam were ready to take her on their first multi-day trip in the Boundary Waters over the long Labor Day weekend.
We wanted to share their experience with you, to inspire you to take your own paddling trips (canoe or otherwise) with any kids in your life. We’re big fans of getting the next generation on the water so they can learn to love it like we do, and so more people continue to enjoy canoeing for years to come!
Here’s our interview with Kate (and Adam shared a few of his insights as well):
BENDING BRANCHES: Tell us a little about how you planned your trip logistics.
KATE: I had picked this time frame because of the extra holiday time off, it was a good time for Adam before his work gets busy, by Labor Day the bugs usually aren’t as bad, and it’s usually cooler.
We entered the Boundary Waters on the Ely side and picked Moose Lake as the entry point. Moose is easy and accessible. We could adjust our route in terms of direction, travel and timeline based on weather and how Poppy was doing.
It also has some light boat traffic from outfitters as they can give people tows in there. If something were to have happened, it would be a place we could paddle to find someone to get us help.
Overall, we planned to spend three full days and two nights in the Boundary Waters. We thought that would be a doable amount for Poppy. Just enough to push a little bit for us, but not put her in a spot where it was too much.
In the end, we opted to shoot for traveling north into Moose Lake and then portaging our way to Ensign Lake. The plan was that if we found a great site, we would use that as a base camp for the two nights. If we didn’t get a great site, our plan was to change sites on night two. We expected to do 20-30 miles of paddling.
Things did not turn out exactly that way.
Fascinated by the water
BRANCHES: But you were prepared for that possibility, we know, especially with a one-year-old, right?
KATE: Yes. A theme in our early parenting, Adam and I, is that we’ve found that planning for the plan changing has been really helpful for us. Usually before we go and do something, we look at each other and say the words, “No expectations!”
When we’ve done that and are prepared to bail, we’ve just found things to go better, and we’re more adaptable. We don’t put that pressure on ourselves. And usually, things go really well. And that happened this time for us as well. We did have to change our plans, but we were mentally prepared to.
And even though it wasn’t the exact trip we planned, we were able to let that go and enjoy the trip we had.
In the end, the only thing I felt really suffered was less the family trip and more that I had a whole photo plan for Bending Branches. Due to our shift, I missed out on some opportunities I was banking on. But other than that, we would call it a huge success. It was filled with amazing memories.
BRANCHES: What were the unexpected things that forced your change of plans?
KATE: Day one was absolutely perfect. We had a slight tailwind. It was warm, but not too warm, and portaging went really smooth for us. The forecast looked perfect for the foreseeable future.
But as sunset was approaching, we started hearing some occasional distant thunder. As sunset hit, the clouds started forming right above us. We knew when we saw the mammatus clouds forming that the weather was changing.
An unexpected thunderstorm coming
We divvied up some tasks, started to batten down the hatches, make sure there were no problematic trees in the path of our tent. We checked my Garmin as well, and by that time it had updated and confirmed a thunderstorm on its way, so we all got in the tent.
When it hit, it hit hard. Big flashes of lightning, really loud cracks of thunder, heavy rain and even some hail. The rain came quick and heavy, it was bouncing off the ground and up under our rainfly. Our sleeping pads and sleeping bags got soaked.
Poppy remained unaffected through the whole thing! We were actually laughing about it, it was just so comical. She just thought it was a normal night. We all got through it just fine, just a little wet and tired.
A calm morning after the storm
If the wet sleeping gear alone had been the only downside, we would not have changed plans at all. But the mosquitoes ended up being worse than they usually are that time of year.
Adam and I weren’t getting them, but Poppy was. Even with bug spray, bug repellent stickers, long sleeves, pants, hats and a little battery-operated fan we had for her. She got some pretty gnarly bites that welled up.
If that had happened on the second day, I think we would’ve just muddled through it. We had a long conversation that morning and decided to put being good parents over good adventurers. We decided to paddle for the whole day, but end towards Ely so we could have a room for her to sleep in at night, because that’s when the bugs were the worst.
On the third day, we were still committed to paddling. So, we got up early and decided to drive forest service roads over the Gunflint Trail side of the Boundary Waters. We had plans to do some North Shore of Lake Superior traveling anyway, so we put a finger on the map and said, “Let’s do it!”
We spent that whole third day on the water again, exploring a new place. We still got in about 25 miles of paddling, we just didn’t get that second night of camping. We had four portages total, with two of those on the third day. Those only required us to haul the day-trip items, so Adam got off a little easy there.
BRANCHES: What were your highlights and biggest challenges with such a young child in the Boundary Waters?
KATE: Poppy was an absolute champ! I’ve been telling people she was better than some adults I’ve canoe tripped with. So that bodes well for us in her future.
For me, some of the highlights were watching her fall asleep in the canoe, and even staying asleep after we’d shored for the day and kept letting the boat rock. She’s a go-go-go little gal, so we didn’t know if she’d even be willing to sleep in the canoe. She has a huge fear of missing out! It was very sweet to watch that.
Poppy napping in the canoe
We brought a little camp chair that has a shade over her and set it up in the canoe on day two. That was a game-changer. It made it easy for her to snack, sit and even nap without Mama and Dad constantly having to adjust for her moving around.
Our boat was weighed down so we had a very stable canoe. But we still had to be extra aware when she was in the chair. Overall, it was amazing for her, especially with the shade.
Another challenge was sharing a tent, although we had been through this one before. At home, Poppy sleeps in her own crib in her own room. When camping together in a tent, she’s not interested in sleeping in her sleeping bag and she becomes like a floppy little fish at night.
Then, at one point in the canoe, she had thrown something overboard. We had a little bit of a fiasco trying to get a sinking object back into the boat with success. Leave No Trace is something we do our best to abide by.
Kids and sticks
One fun story: In between Splash and Newfound Lakes, there’s this narrow channel where the water moves south really quickly. With our big, packed boat we struggled against the current and ended up jumping out and pushing the boat through.
There’s an optional short portage around it, but on the way back, having been through it already, we knew we’d be able to paddle through the current with a little extra communication and awareness of where Poppy was.
As we approached, there were several other groups near us. All of them were these big, tall men, and they all pulled over to portage. Adam and I kind of laughed, checked in with each other, and continued on as we had planned.
As we went through the channel, all those guys looked up and over at us with these hilarious looks on their faces. One even said, “Wait, is that a baby?!” and laughed as we went through without getting out of our boat. It was a great laugh for everyone and a big highlight for us—that Poppy sent it right through the channel when all those grown men did not.
Other than that, it’s so rare for the three of us to get extended time, just us. And even more, to do it in a place where we’re totally disconnected. That was just so meaningful. So much so that on the second night, when we did have to spend the night in Ely, we kept our phones on airplane mode.
It brought us all together in a completely different way than we’re used to. It’s one of those things you don’t factor into the trip that ends up meaning the most.
BRANCHES: What was your criteria for choosing a campsite?
KATE: We wanted to be somewhere quiet just to take in all of nature’s noise. We looked for a spot that was easy to get in and out of with a little, flat tent site. We wanted some shade and really wanted a spot with a couple trees for a hammock, if possible. And we didn’t want anything super steep.
An ideal campsite on Ensign Lake
We found an amazing site and would’ve loved to stay there for more nights. It was so difficult to leave—it was the perfect campsite for us.
BRANCHES: This was Adam’s first Boundary Waters trip, too. Did that make a difference?
KATE: Adam has done some canoe camping trips with me on the St. Croix River. He also grew up in a family of state park campers. On top of that he’s an outdoorsman. He hunts and fishes and has plenty of advanced outdoor skills.
He excelled in the whole thing. You could tell the whole trip was so meaningful to him. However, being that he’d never been in the Boundary Waters and had done less canoe packing than me, I took on the bulk of the planning and prepping.
Coming out of the trip, he’s excited to help with the planning and prep of the next one. We’re already trying to plan a route so we know what permit we want to get for next summer.
Crossing a portage
He and I complement each other in a lot of ways. I have very different strengths from him. So, on a trip like this, it made it a lot easier to have a little one along and be able to divide those things up and share responsibility for her.
We learned so much that next time will be significantly easier to plan and prep for. We’re hoping this is now a family tradition.
BRANCHES: You and Adam already take Poppy outdoors a lot. How key was that for a successful canoe trip?
KATE: You know, with a little kid, I’ve come to realize the hardest part is just getting out there. It’s not being out there. The fact that we do this kind of thing with Poppy on a smaller scale all the time certainly made it easier to take the step to do a real wilderness trip with her.
But at the same time, if you want to do this kind of thing, you can do it. I know a lot of people struggle with even the anticipation and thought about it. But really, just start making a list, making a plan. I get a lot of joy out of the trip planning part, but there are a lot of resources out there to help.
Even just do one night. Or one night with no portages. There were still a lot of beautiful campsites, even on Moose Lake. Just take some baby steps. It makes all the difference.
When we were at the landing, we met this really wonderful family. They had a little boy who was eight or nine. He said this was his seventh trip into the Boundary Waters. They said they’ve had plenty of things go wrong along the way, but they keep coming back every year. We could see how much confidence he had, even at such a young age.
I think that makes it all worth it. And our plan is not just for the memory-making experiences with Poppy, but also to help her grow resilient. It’ll be second nature for her. She’ll have less apprehension about doing something for herself and with her kids.
BRANCHES: What about parents who don’t have Boundary Waters experience? Should they take their kids there?
KATE: I think that’s something you would need to have a lot of thought and planning into. I would really recommend doing it with the assistance of an outfitter. Lean on the experience of others. On both the Ely side and the Gunflint side, the outfitters are incredible. Many have decades of experience and have brought their own children out there. There’s so much to learn from them.
After a swim
And keep it really simple and short. Keep it to accessible locations. If neither of the parents has Boundary Waters experience, maybe don’t do a trip with portages, or plan one with really short portages.
I definitely think it’s possible. There are certainly ways for people new to the Boundary Waters to create a trip that’s manageable and still gives that wilderness experience. And as I said, leaning on the experience of others will make all the difference.
I would not recommend doing it if the parents don’t have canoe experience. You want that first.
BRANCHES: How did you look at safety and risk differently with Poppy along?
KATE: We really tried to start off by doing our due diligence to minimize risk to all three of us. We had multiple backup plans. We over-prepared with gear for Poppy. That meant carrying extra on the portages, but that was worth it to us.
We brought safety gear along, including my Garmin InReach Mini. We made sure all those subscriptions were up to date, so that was an extra cost for sure, but it gave us a lot of peace of mind. And we used it to check the weather the night of the storm.
We stayed close to a lake where we could get towed back to the launch, if necessary. And we picked a route that made it possible to pack up and leave at a moment’s notice.
On top of that, we do a good job of reminding ourselves that there’s risk in everything we do. I haven’t checked it, but the statistics are probably higher that something would happen to us in the car on the way there, as opposed to while in the canoe.
Poppy’s camp chair in the canoe was a game changer
Life is really just a series of events meant to get us outside our comfort zone. Putting ourselves and Poppy in learning situations, even now, feels like experiential problem-solving for her. We want that to become part of her DNA. To grow up watching it, so she’s comfortable going through that process herself.
We never left Poppy alone. She wore her PFD in the canoe at all times, and we did also. We want her to grow up seeing us do that, too, so it’s normal.
The one challenge I foresaw a little bit, but became greater in practice, is how uneven the ground is up there. And there are lots of slippery rocks that are hard for a 13-month-old to navigate.
She’s a fiercely independent little girl, and it was difficult for her to have us constantly forcing our help. She doesn’t like us holding her hand when she walks, but we had to do that because of the ground, or she had to be carried. And she still bonked her head a little bit and got a tiny goose egg.
At the end of the day, Adam and I are both very experienced outdoor people. We felt like that combined experience was more than enough for us to solve potential issues as they came up.
Checking out the map first
BRANCHES: Moving on to Adam, please tell us your perspective on your family canoe trip.
ADAM: I grew up outdoors. I hunt, fish and paddle. So doing this stuff is something we want our kid to try. We’re not going to force her into it, but our hope is that by us having her out here introducing her to it all, she’ll learn to love it.
You hear people say, “Oh, you have a kid? You don’t get to do anything.” But that’s not true. You can go. You can do everything you used to do. You just have to temper your expectations.
That definitely came into play with this trip. Kate had a really cool route planned, a 25-mile loop. My concerns were going into some bigger bodies of water, this time of season when the winds tend to get stronger out of the north. Being on the south shore of a lake with a one-year-old and all our stuff could maybe get treacherous.
We had come to the conclusion that we should find a spot within a day’s paddle and judge our next steps on how Poppy did. I thought that was a great compromise because we didn’t know how Poppy was going to be in the canoe. She’s been paddling and loves it. Kate’s had her in the packraft and kayak and she’s pretty chill. But in the canoe, she has a little more freedom to roam. And she’s definitely more mobile now.
We learned a lot. Packing for a one-year-old for any trip, you overpack. You just don’t know what she’s going to need, what the weather’s going to do. Kate and I packed pretty light for ourselves and the rest of it was food, water and Poppy’s stuff. Everything was coming with Poppy—diapers, wipes, garbage bags.
I was happy we did what we did because the portages were small. Our original route had a longer portage at the end and would have probably been two or three trips with what we had. Next year she’ll be two years old so maybe we won’t have to carry her as much.
It was a little nerve-wracking the first day in the canoe. There were a couple times when she was walking back and forth across the canoe. She had her leg hanging over the edge at one point. I thought, “Oh my god, she’s gonna go over, I’m gonna lean over to get her and we’re gonna tip this thing over!”
The next day, Kate looked at her little chair and said, “I wonder if this thing fits in the middle of the canoe,” and it fit. We strapped her in and she just chilled.
For food, we did dehydrated backpack meals, fruit and snacks, and Poppy’s formula. We had a water filtration system, but I was a little nervous about using it while we were out there. I know those things work great, but I was a little hesitant with Poppy being so young. Could her body handle something if she gets sick from it? That was on my mind for sure.
I had a blast. Poppy crushed it. Both Kate and I wished we could’ve stayed the two nights and three days out there, but we told each other when we had her—we’re going to do this stuff, but we’re not going to have expectations.
She’s probably not going to remember this trip, but it was really fun for us to bring her and prove to ourselves that we could do this with her. And it’s just going to get easier as we go on.
I enjoyed my time out there, even if it was just for one night. It was such a good little reset. It’s something now we can build from and go on longer trips, especially with her.
BRANCHES: How key was your and Kate's exposing Poppy to numerous outdoor short-term adventures in having her on a multi-day trip like this?
ADAM: I think it’s huge. It gets them used to being in that environment. I know this is cliché, but kids these days don’t get to see or experience this kind of thing that much. They have their phones—and I’m guilty of being on my phone way too much, too. I don’t want to raise a tablet kid or an inside kid.
I think it’s very important to expose them to the outdoors at a young age and keep exposing them. My mom had us outside as much as we could be. And Kate grew up on a lake. In the summer when it was nice out, she would scream when you’d take her off the lake—that’s what her dad would say. I want that for my kid. I want Poppy to be upset when she has to come inside!
* * * * *
Thanks to Kate and Adam for their trip report and thoughts, and for sharing the photos of their trip!
What paddling questions can our friendly Customer Service team help you with? Contact us at 715-755-3405 or bbinfo@bendingbranches.com, or choose our online chat option.
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