I have taken two trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, where meal planning and preparation is paramount.

Once you leave civilization behind and paddle into the BWCA, you depend on what you have packed and what you can forage from nature. There is nowhere to buy food in the 1,090,000 acre wilderness. Thoughtful planning before the trip is extremely important.

My group made sure to pack lightweight, non-perishable foods that provide protein and carbohydrates, such as dry soup mixes, instant mashed potatoes, noodles, freeze-dried foods, jerky, dried fruit, chocolate, and nuts. We did not pack canned foods because of their excessive weight. For our primary protein needs, we relied on catching fresh fish from the beautiful, clear lakes.

Just as important as reliable fishing gear is a sharp fillet knife for cleaning the day's catch.

We packed shortening to fry our fish in, and breading for texture and flavor. Propane camping stoves are a luxury. We took one on our first trip, but not the second, which was a mistake, since it rained daily and dry firewood was hard to find.

Dinner was a great pleasure each evening after paddling across windswept lakes and hiking along portages with our canoes and gear on our backs. My brother brewed hot tea using pine needles, which turned out rather tasty.

Breakfast consisted of freeze-dried eggs and bacon cooked over a campfire, along with instant coffee.

When the fishing action was slow, we waded the shallows in search of mussels.

We occasionally took breaks from fishing and diving for mussels to relax and swim.

Cooked mussels provided a good protein source to complement our side dishes.

And beans were a delicious side dish as well.

Bears are common in the BWCA, and we took special care to keep ourselves and our food safe.

A bear raid on our camp would not only have been a danger to us, but would have diminished our food supply and forced us to cut our trip short.

Most evenings, our camp was two days' travel time into the wilderness. Getting back to our vehicle was no easy task. And doing so without any food supply would have been unpleasant.

Aside from the perils and grueling hiking and paddling, our time spent in BWCA was extremely fun. The solitude was refreshing. The natural beauty was breathtaking. And the experience was something never to be forgotten. I will conclude this post with a few photos from our journeys.