<<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