Pilgramage to Waters

Pilgrimage to the Boundary Waters

​​There is simply nothing as powerful as journeying into the wilderness to recharge your spiritual energies, to re-open what has been closed, to heal, and to receive guidance from Spirit(s). ​

Going on any trip to the BWCA is a spiritual experience, full of excitement, joy, trepidation, healing and wonder. Our trip will include mythic stories, poetry, laughing galore and beautiful ceremony to connect you to the powers of nature, and re-connect you to your own spiritual power. But all of those are really nothing - the landscape is your real teacher and healer, the journey itself is our teacher.

You have two trips to choose from.

August 15-19 (Tuesday-Saturday). We drive on Tuesday, stay in Ely, MN and put in at Mudro Lake, about a 40 minute drive north of Ely. With three short portages we will find our way to Fourtown Lake and with two more very short portages, we'll end up in fabulous campsites on Fairy Lake.


We drive on the day before we put into the water, which allows us to rest in a motel and it gives us ample time on the put-in relax and locate a campsite. In these trips we find a base camp and stay put - we don’t pack up every day and canoe to a new camp. We have three nights in the wild, and then we come out and drive home on the last day (this makes for a pretty long day).

I also offer you the opportunity to do individualized, deeper ceremonial, healing or shamanic work in advance, culminating with a healing or visioning ceremony in the wild. In this way it can truly be life-altering journey. 

I've lead trips to the BWCA for 12 years. The trip needs a minimum of 5 people and has a maximum of 8. 


Make your journey even more potent with personal ceremonial work with me in advance:


  • Deeper personal ceremonies can take many forms, but here are a few types I've done in the past:
  • Solitude, prayer, mediation. We will leave you in an isolated spot (likely an island) for an agreed-upon amount of time that is right for you. It could be two hours, it could be all day, or all night. It’s a great opportunity to do work with ancestors, prayers, personal healing, grieving, or get messages from spirit guides. I'll teach you prayers and meditations.


  • Ancestor ceremony: I’ll provide you a set of ceremonial tasks to do in honor of your ancestors. This sounds simple, but it can be quite powerful.


  • Healing ceremony: we’ll find a place of solitude and do a healing ceremony that you need.


  • All ceremonies are designed for your specific needs, and the cost will depend on your specifics. It won’t exceed $195. 


Cost:


The base price for the trip is $475. This includes BWCA permits, food for group meals (dehydrated hi-tech food that is actually delicious), canoe rental, one basic motel night in a shared room, and it includes my particular leadership that weaves poetry, shamanic ceremony and plenty of laughter. Send a $50 deposit by May 15, and save $50 on the total cost. The deposit is refundable up until one month before the scheduled trip. 

This base price does not include: 


  • Camping equipment (tent, sleeping bag/pad, canoe rental, etc.). I am often able to borrow canoes, but for each canoe we need to rent, there is a $20 per person charge (not more than $40 per person). 
  • Other food (your personal snacks, lunch, dinner or breakfast on the road etc.).
  • Gasoline
  • If you have not camped before, no worries. I can help you rent gear. It will increase your cost, but your total won't exceed $600.
  • If you want a single motel room or higher level accommodations.​

"I'm old, out of shape and can't do this!
Some people are nervous that that they cannot physically do a trip like this. If your worry is “I’m kinda out of shape,” you will likely be fine. You don't have to be Wonder Woman or Superman. Kids go the boundary waters all the time. Just talk to me about your concerns.


The last thing we want is to get you in a situation that you absolutely hate. But, oh how glorious it is to step into a challenge and come out the other side! We learn so much about ourselves when we go into the wild. ​Full disclosure hidden at the bottom of the page: It might rain

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