Welcome to the BWCAW blog of Ely Outfitting Company and Boundary Waters Guide Service!

See our websites at ElyOutfittingCompany.com and BoundaryWatersGuideService.com.

We are a Boundary Waters canoe trip outfitter, Quetico outfitter, and guide service in Ely, Minnesota. This Boundary Waters blog shares photos, stories, humor, skills, and naturalist insights from guiding in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW).

Most entries are from our founder and head guide, Jason Zabokrtsky. He is the Boundary Waters Blogger.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Boundary Waters Trip Video

A group of Boundary Waters canoe trip guests canoed, portaged and fished July 22 - 26 and they've already put together this great time lapse video of their trip.  Awesome!

Monday, July 8, 2013

BWCA Chronology


Did you know that in 1969 the maximum group size in the Boundary Waters was 15 people?  Today the maximum group size is nine people with a maximum of four watercraft. 

Learn more fun BWCA facts in the very best online chronology of the history of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness at  http://www.wilbers.com/BoundaryWatersCanoeAreaWildernessChronologyLong.htm.  The chronology is by Stephen Wilbers, the author of several books about the Boundary Waters.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Perfect Boundary Waters experience

There's a chance for some beautiful weather in the Boundary Waters, and this last week was just right. We enjoyed several perfectly still days on a five-day trip recently. This wild rice sunning itself on the surface of the water didn't have the slightest breeze to push all the blades in the same diretion.
 



This is how our guides celebrate July 4th on the water!



The fishing was worthwhile -- our group got a few walleyes - enough to enjoy a fish fry dinner. This little walleye lived to see another day, but it was a lively subject for a portrait!

 



We finished the last twenty minutes of our trip while portaging in a bit of rain (well, downpour!), which seemed a fair trade-off for five days of beautiful weather!