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Monthly Archives: June 2008
A weekend for waterfalls
If you were planning this weekend to take your first dip of the season, up at the Temperance River swimming hole… better take out a bigger policy. As seen in this slideshow, heavy rainfalls have rivers along the North Shore at near-record water levels.
Swimming may be out, but head up Highway 61 this weekend with a camera, if for no other reason than to take a waterfalls tour. I found a halfway decent map of North Shore waterfalls, but if you wanna know about some of the real gems, email me: andy (at) upnorthica dot com.
Meet the new Canoeing Rockstars: Bloomfield and Witte
Sean Bloomfield and Colton Witte, both ’08 graduates of Chaska High School, are paddling 2,250 miles from their hometown to Hudson Bay, this summer. Though inspired by Eric Sevareid’s similar journey there from Minneapolis, (as told in his classic book “Canoeing With the Cree”) the duo may reach their goal in half of Sevareid’s time. At last update, they’d spent the night near Knee Lake in Manitoba [map], possibly the last patch of civilization before reaching the Hudson Bay community of York Factory.
I’m not sure that enough people have made that trek, to officially say they’d be breaking a record? I can say with all confidence though, that the journeys of Bloomfield and Witte do officially blow my mind. Powering through unforgiving weather and waters; fed on week-old, moldy pizza and other meager provisions… nobody will ever call them ‘boys’ again.
You can follow their progress on a site run by their family, and perhaps find inspiration for an adventure of your own.
UpNorthica Reviews: Darn Tough Micro Crew and Boot Socks
I am darn good at putting holes in socks. From special order Icelandic hiking socks to popular domestic brands, my feet for some reason seem to be genetically designed to destroy socks. Over the last few months I’ve had the opportunity to test new challengers: Darn Tough Socks. I’ve worn them on early spring Lake Superior slush and Minnesota trails, and I can unequivocally say that they are my new favorite socks.
I tested both the Hike•Trek Micro Crew and the Boot Sock.
When in Superior…
Two things I learned this weekend. If you find yourself in, or near Superior:
DO… Visit Amnicon Falls State Park, where the Amnicon River thunders through serpentine chasms of glacial basalt, like a… like an ancient Thunder Serpent. The spray-veiled river views are wonderful; the staff conscientious; and as far as car camping goes, the sites are generously spaced and pleasantly primitive.
DO NOT… If you are dining anywhere in Superior (if you *must* eat there,) I repeat, do not order the ungodly union of beef patty and brat patty called The Badger Burger. After the fight it put up inside me, I think there must have been some badger meat in there as well.
“Leave no trace” vs. “positive trace”
I just listened to an interview with Norm Kidder, VP of a non-profit that teaches primitive technologies (as in stone tools, adzes, bows and arrows. etc). He discusses why primitive tool-making still has a place in our modern world. The highlight, though, comes when he points out the problem with the ‘leave no trace’ ethic.
The concept of ‘leave no trace’ implies that humans aren’t a part of nature – that’s what I object to. And so the goal of people shouldn’t be, leave no trace; but leave positive trace… Participate in a positive way in the environment, don’t attempt not to be a part of it, because then your whole mental concept is: ‘I’m separate. Everything I do is damaging and I have to tiptoe around.’
How does one leave that ‘positive trace’ in the wild? Where can implicitly hands-on activities like bushcrafting and primitive tool-making, meet on common ground with the hands-off principles of wildlife preservation? Listen to the full podcast for further discussion.
Canoes sure to float your boat
Shopping for a new canoe? Could I borrow it when you get one (uh, actually that wasn’t a joke).
Before you shell out your life savings for that new escape pod, have a look at Backpacker‘s recent list of testers’ top canoe picks. You’ll find best-of’s in six categories and even tips on what to look for when shopping for used Bargain Boats.
I felt a warm glow of pride when I saw that Minnesota brand Wenonah‘s Champlain expedition canoe (above) earned high marks for both its load capacity and speed. Then I felt a cold twinge of shame and dejectedness when I saw the MSRP (sigh). Now clicking back to Bargain Boats page…
Take-a-Kid-Fishing Weekend at Minnesota State Parks
This weekend, several Minnesota State Parks will be hosting kid-friendly fishing events, in celebration of National Boating and Fishing Week. If you’re over 18 and your kid is under 16, admission to the parks is free for you. Moreover, to help get you and your guppies out there, they’ve set up a page with a whole mess of helpful resources. Included among them are 2008 Regulations, a trip planner and a statewide map of fishing piers [these last two links are downloadable PDF files].
And just remember, if you don’t catch any, use that quality time to teach your child how to tell a straight-faced fish tale.
UpNorthica Eats: Campfire Jambalaya
It’s hard to go wrong when cooking Cajun jambalaya – at home. “If it’s in the kitchen, it can go in the pot,” is about as close a dictionary definition of the word, as you’ll find. But how to make a trail-friendly jambalaya with minimum prep and dishes, without resulting in just a heavily-peppered Rice-A-Roni? Not as easy.
Optimized for minimal prep work, this dish needs only a pot, a large cup, a spork and a cutting knife, so this is very much a 1-pot meal. Any chopping is coarsely done, right in the pot. The only item requiring cold storage, is optional. Even the rice mix base has a comparitively quick cooking time. Bada-bing…
But what makes this recipe a ga-ron-teed winner, is not only its savory-spicy flavors; it’s also very scalable. Skipping the chicken, you’d still have Cajun dirty rice so good that it’s downright Filthy. Or add to it, some frozen andouille sausage links and you’ll nearly double the number of flavors (and most importantly, the servings)….Bada-BAM! Eat up.
Click below for full recipe.
MORE
Canoe Camping with Kids (Part 2 of 2): Sharing Your Trip
In Part 1, we laid out some guidelines on how to tweak your BWCA trip planning, to allow for your kids. Today, let’s talk about what best solidifies a trip as a good memory for your kids: Co-owning it.
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