YouTube vlog "PUSHED TO HER LIMIT (Boundary Waters Part II)" follows Nate and Kara Buchanan (and companions) on a six-day canoeing trip in the Boundary Waters, Minnesota. Footage covers lack of cell reception, wildlife encounters (bear, bald eagle, mosquitoes), and a strenuous Day 3 portage (noted as 214 rods) where the participants carry canoes and gear over rough terrain—culminating in emotional relief and accomplishment.
If you missed our last video, we drove to our 33rd state of Minnesota and rented canoes to spend six days exploring the boundary Waters, which are a remote cluster of lakes that sit on the U.S. canadian border. We have no cell reception. We're attempting to navigate with a paper map.
Here goes nothing.
And we have to carry everything we need to survive on our backs, including the canoes.
None of us have ever been on a trip like this before, and we're learning a lot of things the hard way. During the first two days of the trip, we encountered a bear. Hey. Hey. Had a much more pleasant encounter with the bald eagle.
And got attacked by mosquitoes.
Bit me an eyeball.
Like, for real.
That is terrifying.
Oh, there's another one. Got it. In this video, we'll take you along on part two of the adventure, which ended up being quite the roller coaster.
Just when I thought this video was gonna end without any drama.
Morning. Not a bad view to wake up to. Every night after I go to sleep, my sleeping pad turns into a piece of paper. I'm just sleeping directly on the ground.
I can't get him out.
Day three, we are pretty much pros.
I feel like this hat is starting to look more like a female gardening hat the longer I wear it.
They're so cute though.
We are starting the morning with just a short paddle across Clearwater Lake. It's day three. I feel like we're really starting to get the hang of things. Kind of fall into a rhythm, so we thought we'd mix it up.
About to show them how it's done.
You ready for this? Yeah.
Feeling strong.
This first portage is 214rods, and the girls are going to attempt to carry the canoes. I thought we were doing a little too much complaining yesterday.
I don't appreciate the word attempt. I'm thinking the same. We're doing it. We'll see you there. We'll be waiting on you. Do or do not. There is no try.
I love it. We're not trying nothing. How do we pick it up?
Your straps are all wet. Okay. This was heavy ass. Oh, my gosh. What do you have in here?
All the electronics are on your back.
I feel like it's one thing to carry the canoe and then carrying the canoe with two backpacks on. Who thought this was a good idea?
All right, now you just gotta lift the canoe up and put it on your head. Should I be nervous that the electronics are gonna go in the water? Yeah.
Did you roll it four times?
No.
1 hand here?
Yeah.
One hand over here. And then you just lift it up onto your head.
Don't break the GoPro off.
Can I hold it like this?
I can't do it.
Don't fall. Don't fall.
Don't fall.
Keep the bag out.
Do it.
Don't fall. Don't fall. Don't fall.
Keep the bag out.
My foot slipped.
G.
Ow. Everything hurts. That was really hard. Oh, shoot. Help. What do I do? Oh, shoot.
Stay strong. Whose idea was this? I can't breathe.
All right, as soon as you get it on, we'll just take a little break.
What are you doing?
Grab in front of you.
Wait. What are you doing?
I'm saying right here. Put your hands right here. Yes.
What did you do? You're doing it.
Nobody touched it.
Are you serious?
Nobody is touching it.
Oh.
Put your hands farther out. You got to hold it down. You got to hold the butt down. This end right here. It's like a seesaw on your back.
Sees it.
See you at the end.
Oh, I'm so proud of her. I'm right behind you, sister.
Okay.
As soon as she walks by a branch, she's just going to.
I don't think that was my fault. How do you get on? How do you get on?
Walk. Walk in front of me.
All right, walk in front of me. Now, I'm gonna give it to you from here. Now you just slowly work your way up. Walk your hands. You can almost kind of hop. Now it's just you and the canoe.
This is so hard. All right, I'm sorry for everything I said.
You're almost there.
Oh, my gosh.
Good luck.
Thanks. Here we go. Do you have any other tips?
Sometimes I like to put my hands on the inside.
The inside of what?
The canoe.
The rails where my shoulder pads are.
No, I don't understand.
I'm carrying an entire canoe on my shoulders over rocks and limbs, through branches. No problem.
All right, Nate, now we gotta do the hard part. You think we can get these backpacks? Carry the extra 15 pounds of food?
Oh, I forgot to put the fanny pack on.
All right.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, my shoulders.
What do you think, Dusty? Are you gonna be able to make it? I think I can make it all the way to the water. You know how sometimes something comes out of your mouth and you immediately regret it? That's exactly what happened to me when Kara fell in the water. Keep the bag out. The first thing I was worried about was the electronics bag and not Cara. And I should have been worried about her, not the equipment. And I feel bad. I feel Guilty.
Whoops.
Also, I should just throw it out there that we would have been happy to help the girls get the canoes on their back. They wanted to prove that they could do it themselves. There's some.
Oh, gosh.
Something's biting my head.
Whoops. Oh, my gosh. I think it was hitting the ground.
This portage is 214rods and about a third the length of the really long portage that we did yesterday. Honestly, I'm going to be super impressed if the girls carry the canoes for this entire portage. It's by no means easy. Had a lot of fun with it, but it will really impress me.
Oh, my shoulders.
Maybe it looks that unstable on my shoulders also. Yeah, we just spotted him. How's it going under there?
It's hurting.
You're doing great. I'm very impressed that you've made it this far.
Oh, it's really hard.
Sarah must have just fallen off the cliff.
Sarah is hauling. I haven't even seen her yet.
There you are, crushing it.
Thanks.
Both of the girls are still going. They've yet to set down the canoe. They may be setting a record for the longest canoe carry right now.
If I put it down, I'm not getting it back up.
Hey, here's.
Front.
Got it.
Oh, my gosh. I see the water. Can I see it.
Sarah?
How do I get out?
Walk it into the water right there.
I'm scared of the water.
It's like. It's pretty smooth. Keep going. Keep going. Now turn to the side and let it go.
Like this?
Yeah.
Oh, my gosh.
Wow. We need this off.
I just want to lie down.
That's the hardest thing I've ever done.
I can't believe we did it, Sarah. You kept me going. I couldn't do it. And then I heard you, and then I did it. I'm so proud of you. Let's go swimming. Okay. This is the best day of my life.
I don't know about that.
I don't think I can get up. I just need to do this for a second.
I don't think we've done that one that long. We got to step it up. The girls set the record for the longest canoe carry.
I just shed a tear.
You are crying a little bit.
Tears of joy. My pain is coming out in tears.
I'm okay. Thank you for carrying the canoe. Every day it's a lot harder, and I'm sorry I acted like that's not.
What I wanted from this.
It was so hard.
I'm just so proud of you.
We don't try. We do.
We did it.
Thank you for getting this.
