Eight Boy Scouts and four adult leaders from Boy Scout Troop 420 in Laurinburg made a unique excursion earlier this year when they traveled to the Charles L. Sommers Wilderness Canoe Base in Ely, Minn. for a five day backcountry canoe expedition. The group traveled some 50 miles through the lake country near the U.S. - Canadian border, most often in good weather but facing several days of difficult traveling in high winds and rain. Page Pratt, Scoutmaster of Troop 420 and leader of the expedition, said that despite the occasional problems the experience was well worth the effort.

"It was an incredible trip," Pratt said. "The scenery was beautiful with lake after lake and plenty of eagles flying above us. We started out with beautiful, sunny weather in the 70's, but by the third day the skies had turned miserable and rainy. We canoed through white capped water and two foot waves, but through it all the scouts had a ball."

Adult supervisor Dr. Mark LaVigne agreed.

"Page did a really good job planning the trip," LaVigne said. "It was a great experience, both for the scouts and the adults that accompanied them as well."

The group traveled in two crews of seven persons each, including a guide.

"The guide was mostly there to supervise, to make certain that everyone kept the natural environment as clean as how we left it," LaVigne said. "He gave some advice in food preparation, but mostly let everyone do what they needed to do, including one time when we got lost briefly on the water. He let us figure out how to get back where we needed to be without him telling us, which gave us some experience in learning how to do it ourselves. If there had been a true emergency he would have stepped up his game by giving assistance and using the radio to get help, but we had no problems in that regard."

LaVigne was most impressed with the sense of accomplishment the group felt after six days of living close to the land.

"It was a real character building experience," Lavigne said. "Everyone lived off what they carried in, except for some northern pike we caught and fileted for dinner one evening. The week of living this way was anti-everything we do today in terms of lifestyle; it was anti-technology, a true return to the basics. And it left the kids with a greater confidence in themselves, a sense that they could tackle other things in life and succeed just as well."

The group's most challenging moments occurred during the final two days of the excursion, when high winds made canoeing a real effort.

"We had miserable weather after the third day," Pratt said. "It went from sunny days in the 70s to rainy and cold in the mid-50s. Still, the scouts had a ball. Once, when we were canoeing through whitecapped waves, a scout looked back at me and called out, 'Isn't this fun?' They seemed to enjoy themselves no matter what."

LaVigne remembered the deteriorating weather with slightly less enthusiasm than the scouts.

"We had some mildly harrowing moments in the wind," he said. "If the bow of the canoe got pointed in the wrong direction, the boat would spin in a pirouette. While no one swamped, a group of scouts in another troop did, and lost about $1200 worth of camping equipment in the mishap. It was a real adventure."

Scout Mathew Sabin agreed that the trip was a good experience despite the difficult weather.

"I really liked going to MInnesota," he said. "The scenery along the U.S. - Canadian border was very beautiful, and I enjoyed the fact that there were not many people around. Although the weather turned wet and cold with pouring rain near the end of the trip, and the nights became cold and wet, it was still fun, and I was happy to be there most of the time."

Prior to their camping and canoeing experience, the scouts enjoyed a Minnesota Twins baseball game, visited the four story "Mall of America" in Bloomington, Minn., and spent time at the largest indoor water park in America. The scouts, who trained at Lake Waccamaw before traveling to Ely, earned a 50-miler scouting award for their experience.