Soon the majestic cry of the loon will serve as your alarm clock, rousing you from sleep. For 12 days and nights, you and eight other Arrowmen will spend long days of service in the majestic Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
On your first day, you will meet your foremen and fellow participants at Charles L. Sommers Northern Tier High Adventure Base. After a quick gear shakedown, you’ll work together to plan your route through the Northwoods. The possibilities are endless- from taking the Monument Portage along the US-Canada border, to seeing ancient petroglyphs, swimming in the scenic, and so much more. Once you’ve finished planning you’ll spend the night in the base’s modern cabins before an early morning.
On the second day, you’ll rise, check out your gear, and head out into the wilderness. Over the next week, you will repair portages, improve campsites, and restore fire-scarred forests. The work is arduous and many of the project sites have not seen maintenance since the 1960s or earlier. Though the work is fulfilling in various ways, both to yourself and to visitors who are always happy to see OA crews improving the trails and campsites.
After your service is finished, you’ll start on the route that you and your fellow participants planned. This is when the days start to fly away.
Once you’ve finished your journey, you’ll return to base where showers, cabins, and a sauna await. Your last evening will be spent in fellowship with your brothers before you head for home the next morning.
To experience this adventure yourself, check out our Order of the Arrow High Adventure page at: https://oa-bsa.org/high-adventur