Finding adventure on Minnesota rivers

Monroe girl scout goes on the adventure of a lifetime.

By: Elaine Worden
   MONROE — Imagine sleeping in a tent surrounded by a million acres of forest. A place of a hundred pristine lakes and rivers miles from civilization where the only sounds come from the wind and the rushing waters.
   For 14-year-old Marlene Grischuk, a Cadette Girl Scout from Spotswood Englishtown Road in Monroe Township, this wilderness getaway became a reality.
   Marlene, who has been a Girl Scout for eight years, was chosen to participate in the Girl Scout Wider Opportunity/Destinations Program in July.
   The Destinations Program is intended to give Girl Scouts the chance to explore different states and countries, learn new skills and to enhance their self-confidence in the process. Scouts are encouraged to apply to the Girl Scouts Council to visit various destinations offered by the council, ranging from places as far away as Iceland to bright and sunny Florida.
   Marlene was accepted to spend 10 days at the Canoe Country Rendezvous Destination in Ely, Minn., as an ambassador of the Delaware Raritan Girl Scout Council.
   The trip included canoeing and portaging (carrying the canoe across land) at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park. The BWCAW, located in the lower part of the Canadian Shield, is one of the most visited wilderness sites in the United States and hosts more than 20,000 people a year.
   In mid-July, Marlene flew to Minnesota to begin her canoeing adventure. She was greeted by her guides and the rest of the Destination participants. The group was split into three crews comprised of nine people. Each crew was supplied with three canoes, because only three people can navigate a single canoe at a time.
   "I love canoeing," said Marlene, who said she loves being in the water.
   Hardly a novice, Marlene has been canoeing and camping for many years.
   "I went canoeing down the Delaware for four days," said Marlene, who likes to canoe stern, which is the person who steers from the back of the canoe.
   Before the Scouts could start their journey, they had to prepare for the trip. In the spirit of the 17th century French explorers, the Scouts were taught the history of the voyageurs through various workshops that included playing games, including the Tomahawk throw and cat and mouse, swamping and portaging their canoes, and learning how to correctly wear a pack.
   The next morning, the Scouts headed out into the wilderness. They canoed on several lakes, portaged for 40 rods (one rod is 16 feet or the length of a canoe) and then finally settled down at a campsite.
   After a good night’s sleep under the stars, the Scouts began traveling to Canada, spending the day crossing over bays and lakes and portaging in between. Paddling across the lakes, the Scouts were miles away from civilization.
   "After the first two days there were no motor boats and it was really quiet and you couldn’t hear anything," Marlene said.
   A cozy campsite on Shade Lake was a home away from home for the evening. Their tents were surrounded by trees, giving it the feel of being a small room, Marlene said. There were even log walls to sit on surrounding the fire circle.
   "It’s fun to camp because there’s nobody around and it’s so quiet," Marlene said.
   The next day involved canoeing and portaging through five lakes, ending at Agnes Lake. After arriving at Agnes Lake, the sky opened up and let down sheets of rain, which filled their canoes with an inch of water. The Scouts found shelter from the rain in their tents and cooked their dinner on a gas burner that evening.
   The rain had ended by the next morning, so the Scouts got to sleep in until 11 a.m. before stuffing themselves with pancakes. After some exploring, Marlene, a fellow Scout and one of the guides went hiking and stumbled across the skeleton of an animal that appeared to be either a moose or a deer. The Scouts also came across some litter.
   "We cleaned up some camp sites to get a patch," Marlene said.
   Over the next few days the Scouts canoed through more lakes and camped in Canada. They spent time rehearsing a skit and practicing for a canoe race that would both be held at the Le Rendevous, the trip’s grand finale extravaganza.
   On the 10th and final day, all the Scouts gathered for the rendezvous. They played games and held various events. Marlene won third place in the storytelling event, second place in the canoe race and her whole crew won first place in the tug of war. Then they ate split pea soup, which was what the voyageurs ate every day, said Marlene.
   Although she thought it wouldn’t taste good, Marlene found that with a touch of salt the soup was quite tasty.
   At the end of the rendezvous, the guides went around and gave each Scout a wooden paddle with BWCAW symbol on it, and described a little bit of their personalities to the group.
   And what was said about Marlene?
   "I always had a smile on my face," she said.