We went canoe camping. Yay!
In the search for a Swedish BWCA rather than the average Swedish trail camping spots we found Åsnens National Park. While not quite the same as northern Minnesota, it came pretty dang close! The mosquitos were huge and extremely annoying, the water was calm and very rocky, and the trees were beautiful.
We arrived midday on a very cloudy day and got everything settled with the outfitters. The water was fairly smooth but the rocks turned out to be deadly! We got hung up many times while trying to explore some cool looking islands AND they were coated with pollen and water which created a slime that got nearly all of us wet and sore.
We quickly realised after arriving that the wildlife was going to be a barrier to sleep. Just as we picked out our campsite a loud sound echoed across the water. We considered moose, or something mechanical like a pump maybe? In the end we decided it was a terrifyingly large and resonant frog. Throughout the day and night was the call of a cuckoo. Coo-coo coo-coo coo-coo coo- … we thought we were free aaannnddd coo. Truly an insight into the phrase cuckoo crazy.
For day trips we paddled around going to visit an island with the foundations of an old fort used to tax the passage from one lake into another. When we arrived however, it became clear that the most compelling aspect of the island was the giant black slugs.
The next day we finally had sun! The island we explored was already occupied by a couple of geese with what we think were eggs. We had a bit of a stare down and decided to each take a half of the island. The last two days were so nice with the sun!
Overall, it was a great trip that came close to scratching the Boundary Waters itch in a very accessible way! We will go back to Åsnens!
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