SerpApi.Org
An annual Boundary Waters Canoe Area trip for a family from White Bear Lake, Minnesota, ended early after wildfires forced visitors to evacuate the wilderness.
For nearly eight years, the Hoefer family of 11 has made the trip each summer. This year, however, multiple wildfires prompted the U.S. Forest Service to close the BWCA to visitors for only the third time in its history.
Shane Hoefer and five of his children were deep in the wilderness near Lake Insula when they learned they needed to leave.
"We were all the way back in Lake Insula and got the news yesterday that we needed to head out," Shane Hoefer said during a video call while taking a break from paddling toward the entry point. "It's pretty deserted here in the Boundary Waters, a little eerie."
Despite the evacuation order, Shane Hoefer said he and his family did not feel they were in immediate danger.
"I don't think there's like an imminent sense of peril, but anytime you know that there's these dry conditions and these fires and the U.S. Forest Service sends you a message that says evacuate and get out, we need to pay attention and be safe and follow instructions," he said.
Back home in White Bear Lake, mom Mindy Hoefer followed wildfire updates and stayed in contact with the family through their Garmin satellite communicator.
She said the family planned to leave immediately after learning about the evacuation, but changing conditions made that impossible.
"Yesterday they were not able to start exiting because we didn't know until about 3 o'clock, and the winds were so high at that point that it was not safe for them to be out in the canoes," Mindy Hoefer said.
Instead, the family waited until early Tuesday morning before beginning the long paddle back.
"I'm going to stay in close contact with them and make sure they are out safely," she said. "I'm sure they'll be really exhausted from the quick exit."
The BWCA has become a cherished family tradition for the Hoefers, making this year's evacuation especially difficult.
"I told Shane last night to really enjoy the views and the special things that they've gotten used to in that area because you never know when a fire is going to change the landscape," she said.
Later Tuesday, the family made it safely out of the wilderness. In a text message to her mother, daughter Eva Hoefer described heavy smoke that at times reduced visibility to less than 200 feet, and said some of the children covered their faces with cloth shirts to make breathing easier.
Eva Hoefer said the family encountered numerous emergency vehicles on the way out and found the normally busy entry point nearly empty as evacuations continued.
Exhausted, sore and dirty after the long paddle, she said her family was grateful to be heading home safely. She added that despite the difficult trip, they still spotted loons, a large beaver and ended the day with a stop at Dairy Queen as per tradition.
