<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> ORIGINAL POST: Has anyone ever taken a trip to the Boundary Waters (or something similar) while being GF? My father has it in his head that he is taking us this year. For those who aren't familiar, it is typically a week-long canoe trip with fishing and camping, completely on your own. The trips are typically arranged by an outfitter who packs the canoes for you and provides the gear. I am really nervous about committing to this right now. We have received a lot of info from the outfitter that my dad's friend has recommended, but our problem is that my boyfriend is a vegetarian and I am GF. They say that they pack the meals, you pick your menu, but they are packaged so that everyone eats the same thing at each meal. I don't think everyone will want to eat vegtarian all week and even if we did, most of the vegetarian meals are not GF! Any recommendations out there from folks who have experienced such a thing before? I think the main part is talking directly to the outfitter and their meal planner and seeing what we can work out. Luckily they will be here in the Chicgao-area in two weeks at a boat/outdoor show. We are hoping to go and meet with them then and discuss our options before committing. Thanks for any advice! Renee Naperville, IL ***************************** RESPONSES I did the Boundary Waters trip to Quetico Lake last summer (and I am a Celiac). However, we packed our own food. I brought a lot of GF macaroni and cheese mix, pre-packaged Grits (Quaker Oats brand), Riceland rice meals (these are hard to find now--I think that they were discontinued), beef jerky, powdered eggs, GF granola bars (Ener-G foods makes these), fruit snacks, and trail mix. We caught a lot of fish and breaded them in pre-made GF bread crumbs, or just marinated them in lemon. There are a few companies that made GF camping meals (such as the kind that you'd find in a camping store). You just have to read the ingredients and call the company if they are unclear. I wouldn't trust an outfitter to do this thoroughly. They are great for getting canoes from, but not so great for dealing with the meticulous needs of our diet. I would recommend getting a dry pack of your own and packing your own meals. Plan for each day, and try to plan so that you have food that can be heated without a camp fire, in case there is a fire ban. I would recommend bringing a small propane stove and an extra tank (these are about six inches high, so it's not a big weight concern). Oh yes--bring powdered drinks like Tang (which is GF), hot cocoa, or tea. The water that you filter is not only warm, it tastes nasty due to the filtration chemicals! Anything to offset that is a big help. I recently found a bunch of rice meals at the health food store by a company called Lundberg. These are the "just add water" types of meals. I can't find a phone number, but their website is www.lundberg.com. These types of meals are great for the trip. You can bring squeezy butter (you know, that Parkay stuff--it doesn't require refrigeration) if you are particular about how you eat your rice. The meals are flavors like "tomato basil" or "vegetarian," so they should be pretty flavorful by themselves. This kind of thing is great for the trip. A lot of these GF options are also meat-free. Perhaps you and your boyfriend could pack your own meals together. Trust me, this is possible! My father has been doing boundary waters trips for almost 12 years, and he's always packed his own food and done quite well. Although he's not GF, we had no trouble accommodating my diet last summer. I plan on going back... Please let me know if you have any other questions. I also highly recommend the army surplus store multi-pocket camo army pants. They are lightweight and you can tie the ankles to keep ticks and mosquitos out. The bugs were BAD in Canada last summer--lots of biting flies--but it varies. Besides, when you return from your trip all buff and in camo, it's kind of fun... *********************************** No ... but I did investigate a similar trip last year ... The folks were very accommodating [the were a mormon grand canyon group] and said they'd add an extra food box just for me. Have you had the boil-in-a-bag meals from glutensolutions.com? They are really good, I've had the chicken and the corned beef has ... anyhoo, my plan, had I done the trip, was to bring along those meals for dinner. Breakfast -- with this outfitter -- was bacon and eggs and lunch was fruit salad, cold cuts, etc. Anyhoo, anxious to hear what you learn ... I bailed on the trip because my dad proposed Maui instead! ******************************* We've had success with an organized adventure travel excursions via Backroads Adventures. They do an excellent job of accomodating dietary restrictions -- just let them know in advance. You can reach them on their website www.backroads.com or call 1-800-GO-ACTIVE. We've traveled with them for 3 vacations & all have been terrific. Another highly recommended group is Vermont Bicycle Tours (they also have bicycling/canoeing/kayaking trips) - we plan to tour with them this year. Good luck! ************************* You can take the trip on your own and pack your own food unless they have changed things since we considered taking the trip. My husband became sick and we did not go before we had much planning done. Visit canoeing web sites for information on doing it this way. ************************* It is SO cool that your dad wants to take you on a Boundary Waters trip! We took a one-day trip with meals in the Sacramento area last year. I realize this isn't the same as a week-long trip, but it worked out fine - - they were VERY willing to work with us on meals, and much of what they already had planned was GF anyway. I'm guessing your vegetarian boyfriend will have a harder time, since they're big on steak dinners and such. I've heard the one-week (or even 3-day) trips are phenomenal, and it's well worth the extra time and effort involved with meal planning in advance, in my opinion! If you don't want to go, have your dad call me -- we'll take your place! ************************** the Gluten free mall that is operated by the list www.GlutenFreeMall.com has a vendor The Gluten Free Cafe that sells gluten free freeze dried meals to go that are similar to what backpackers use. ************************* I've been to the boundry waters several times. You should talk extensively with the outfitter about what they pack. My guess is that you will need to bring your own food. We always brought our own food. It's not that bad, just add'l planning. By the way, the fish you catch are GF ^-^ Good luck. ***************************** I backpack - and am GF and a lot of other things. If you plan to take your own food I can help you out. From the sounds of it, this trip is with an outfitter, you may need to supply your own groceries or a list for them. My list is rather limited by no soy, corn, potato, dairy, nuts, citrus - but if you want some help let me know. cbh/montana **************************** I have CD and I have gone into the boundary waters twice since being GF. We pack our own foods and equipment and only rent canoes. I think an outfitter could be iffy when going GF. Many have different packages with different rental options. Perhaps you could work out a combination of rental and your own. Be sure to arrange enough stoves, pans etc. I depend on rice cakes, crackers and some freeze dried food, plus other various concoctions that I can come up with. The freeze dried food usually comes in 2 serving size packets. check with Gluten Free Solutions for some freeze dried selections by Alpine aire that are GF. Perhaps a pre cam[ing trial to see what works for you. I pack my own individual GF cereal packets with powdered milk or milk alternative (Vance's dairy free) and dehydrated fruit Double check, but I think Tang is GF for a breakfast drink. hot chocolate is a must. I have done some dehydrating of fruits and vegies myself and that is nice. I especially like my own potatoes. If you can eat dairy, you can buy Kraft Mac and cheese, dump the pasta, keep the cheese mix and bring your own rice or corn (my preference) pasta, butter and milk. Sometimes they will pack in fresh meat/ real potatoes for the first night, so then that might work for you, not so good for a vegetarian. In any case, you should contact the outfitter yourself to work out the menu. Most are very accomodating.....it is just that most won't have a clue as to GF. I make my own gorp. Energy Foods has indivual 2 slice bread packets and good granola bars, there are GF peanut butter options, lots of cracker choices, cheese, rice, dried fruit,hard candy. If you do decide to take your own food, plan carefully for each day. Take enough, but don't take much extra as you have to carry it when portaging. We depend on quick mid-day meals that do not require cooking,always stored at the top of the packs. I do not know how much camping you have done or whether you are planning to stay put and do day trips or if you plan to move and find a new camping spot each night, that would make a difference on what and how you pack. it is a great place to go if you love the outdoors. All garbage must be carried out with you. Zip lock bags are indispensable - for garbage and great to pack your clothes in, too, keeps them dry and clean. good luck - it is doable and can be a great time! ********************************** Thanks for everyone's responses. I am going to talk to the outfitter in a week or so and see how accommodating they can be and make my decision then. Renee