What would you do if - Tornado?

[HowardSprague]

I'd find the biggest nearby boulder I can and huddle in close behind it. It's the closest thing resembling a basement/foundation I can think of.

[qp]

1996 The trip to Jap Lake
By Reddcin

Well it was all prepared. The food had been purchased and the gear packed. I looked down at my watch in anxiously. This was the first Boundary Waters trip I had planned and I was introducing my husband to its vast wilderness. Would everything go all right? Would we get lost? I don’t know but its time to leave. “Dave lets get going!” I said as I buckled my seat belt. He closed the door and started up the truck. “I hope we know what we are doing,” he said nervously. We didn’t have much money so we had to take anything that could carry gear that had straps; it was going to take many trips on a portages.
We came to a cheap campground north of Duluth late that night, and while setting up the tent when we knew there was a problem: partiers. They were loud and sick until early that morning. So much for sleep; but that’s ok, I couldn’t sleep anyway with the thought of returning to the BW.
The next morning we got up at 7 and headed north to Grand Maris to pick up our permit. We were soon on our way to Dave’s first lake in the BW. We got there in the afternoon and I enjoyed the fact that there was no one else unloading. As Dave carried the Aluminum canoe to the water I began to unpack the bags in the truck and lug them down. I got out the map and placed it in the back and arranged the gear one more time then we shoved off.
It was a beautiful day but there was a strong wind coming from the west. “Any fish in Round Lake?” Dave asked. I didn’t know. In fact to be honest I didn’t even research the fishing on these lakes. This did not make Dave happy because he came to the BW to fish. “We have 3 portages till we get to a campsite, lets worry about fishing then honey.” He grudgingly agreed.
We came to the 85-rod portage from Round to West Round and began to unload the gear. I moved it all to the side and helped Dave put the canoe on and he headed down the trail. I grabbed a pack and the paddles and followed after. About half way I hear a big BONG and I knew he has reached the other bank. I caught up and he and looks at me in disgust saying, “there better be good fishing up ahead to go through all this!” We set our stuff on on the edge; then went to get the other 2 packs. This scenario played out for both the 50-rod and the 35-rod until we got to Brant Lake.
At Brant Lake we obtain the middle sight and began to set up for the night. The wind really was picking up by then and the trees were beginning to groan. I get one stake in the tent when it pulled free and began to role away like tumbleweed! I caught it and quickly staked the entire thing. Dave was going down to the lake to pump water when…Creek CRASH down came a tree! Luckily it missed us both. Two hours later Dave went out fishing and comes in saying he had caught a Northern, but nothing else. He asked where the walleye were and I confessed that I didn’t think there were any Walleye around there.
The next day we gather everything up and begin to head toward Gillis Lake. At the portage on Gotter we ran into some other fisherman and Dave inquired about good angling. These solo paddling old timers said to head down to the Kawishiwi or up to Jap. After they left we broke out our maps, Kawishiwi was not on them but Jap was. However it was going to be a long day of portages: for newbies. If we did the original route it would be only 3 portages to our base camp but to get to Jap it would be 6. I asked myself if I could put up with all his complaining (and my lack of navigational skills), but decided that fishing was important to Dave so I would. We began to head north now. The portages were getting steeper and much harder. Then I made a miss calculation in my map reading and we did a wrong 100-rod portage 3 times; Dave was not happy. Finally we got to one of the last portages before Jap and discovered the end had been washed out! There was a sharp drop from the portage to the lake and we had to lower the canoe down with ropes. Well we got to Jap Lake and boy was it pretty! No one was there and it was beautiful. We took the island camp sight and set up for a long stay.
The next couple of days were filled with exploring and fishing. We checked out the long portage to Seagull Lake and played with the beaver dam (which flooded the portage after the storm.) We made toy boats out of anything in the woods and had races. We hung in the hammock and just relaxed. Dave was not happy however, still no fish.
Early one evening in the middle of the week we began to hear a strange sound. It was like canons firing. The sky was clear as far as the eye could see, so we didn’t think there was any storm. Three teenage boys came by our camp sight to say hi and to congratulate us on getting the perfect spot. We offered them to stay and have some cocoa but they declined then went to set up their camp. About an hour later seven girls and their leader came by asking if the other sight was taken. We told them it was and offered our sight to share for the night but they went on to Seagull. Once dinner was complete we began to notice the storm on the horizon. It was the blackest I had ever seen and it was also green! The thunder was very distinct now and the bumpy clouds were horrifying. The sun was gone and it was as black as night; not good for 7 o’clock in July. We ran for our tent as the wall of rain approached from the west. Sounds of rushing water began to fill my ears along with the yowl of the winds. We huddled in our tent playing cards listening to the onslaught of ice, rain and wind. About 5 hours later Dave was sleeping and I was wide-awake still listening to the gale. That’s when I heard it. The sound was off in the distance at first then it got closer and closer. It’s hard to explain the uproar, kind of a cross between a train and a large waterfall with whistling mixed in-between. I shook Dave awake and asked, “What is that?” He roles over and says “It’s a tornado, if we die we die and go to heaven, don’t worry go back to sleep” and then he rolled over. I sat up in my sleeping bag shivering; praying for safety and the faith that Dave obviously possessed. I was very thankful for the tent sight that had very small trees we had chosen and because I new it was one of the lowest spots on the island. I hear the beast past from the west to the east along the lake then all was quiet. Drifting off to sleep I thanked God we were still alive.
The next morning I awoke to birds singing. It smelled of wet mud as I got out of the tent. I quickly get a fire started and Dave cooked breakfast as some neighbors came across the lake. It’s those three teens again and they wanted to make sure we were ok. They said the tornado went over their campsite and put down in the lake just passing the island we were on. It must have been a small one though because we saw little damage.
Later Dave climbed into the canoe and gave fishing his best shot but still nothing. He got to camp and I start to cook something to eat so he fishes from the rock when bam! Yes he catches a fish! A lake trout no less! Dave is elated; that’s the first lake trout he has caught and it was very tasty.
On the last night on Blue Berry Island I convinced Dave to go for a swim. We put on our life jackets and jumped in, but only for a minute, it was bone chilling cold. As I go to bed that night I am saddened that this is the last day before we head back.
The trip out was uneventful. At our last campsite we had a mink problem. They spent hours searching for our food pack and trying to get at it. We heard them back by it again so Dave, thinking the noise in the woods were mink, ran back there to scare them away. Only this time he discovers a moose running the opposite direction; he was surprised to say the least. Over all we learned that we need some kind of real packs and that we know how to somewhat read a map. Dave doesn’t have a love for the BW like I do however he says he will go back, but only if I can find better fishing.

[VoyageurNorth]

Not sure what I would do just before and during, but afterwards I know I'd need a change of pants! :-)