UpNorthica

The drudgery of waiting for decent snowfall got me thinking about that old adage. You know, the one about the Inuit language having hundreds of words to describe ‘snow.’ Turns out, that’s way off. In my extensive research during the last few minutes, I found counts as low as seven words. It’s all a dozen [...]

Instead of simply pontificating about ‘lessons learned’ from those 2 lost hikers along the Kekekabic, trail founder Martin Kubik decided to walk a mile in their shoes. Or make that, a whole bunch of miles. Following in their footsteps with camcorder in hand, Kubic sought out to find just what they were up against. A [...]

So here’s a fun fact to share over your morning “Caribou”. The name of our local coffee chain isn’t as random or inaccurate as we all think. The North American version of reindeer were relatively common in northern MN until the 1940’s. While they’ve all but disappeared in Minnesota, they’re still hanging out nearby on [...]

For over 60 years, readers have traced the fictional journey of Paddle-to-the-Sea, a wood-carved canoeing Indian, across the St. Lawrence Seaway to the ocean. The children’s storybook classic is a must-have for any outdoorsy parent. So it’s great to see that it still inspires the creation of real-life Paddle-to-the-Sea boats.
The most recent report comes from [...]

When blowdowns, forest fires and global warming all threaten to forever change the Boundary Waters, would it really help to plant more pine trees?
Tonight, the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness will host this discussion (7pm at Macalester College), led by U of M ecologist Dr. Lee Frelich. If you’ve not been to one of [...]

Although the leaves had already fallen, we found nothing *but* color on a recent hike near Moose Lake. Head over to the UpNorthica Flickr Pool for a view of the gorgeous “post-peak” colors we saw.

Wish I could say you can find this sweet environmental art, somewhere off a lonely Gunflint Trail portage. I can’t though; it was done in Finland. But I can tell you that: 1) It rocks, and 2) Sculptor Sauli Miettunen made it.

The works have memories of and references to nature: animal vertebrae, trees and gardens, [...]

A clip from Earl’s Canoe, a documentary about an Ojibway man’s construction of a traditional birch bark canoe. The camera follows his whole process, beginning with selecting bark in the woods of Madeleine Island. This definitely looks like one of those fascinating step-back-through-time films.

With the passing of the Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment on Tuesday [insert spirited “Woo hoo” here], you may now be wondering what the next steps are. The vote means a lot of money, but the needs across the state are great, so who gets how much?
This article gives a good idea of [...]

Before you hit the polls, don’t forget to:

Draw a deep breath when you first step outside
Take a walk on a trail during lunch break
Make a point of counting how many lakes and rivers you pass on your commute
Think of your favorite outdoor destination in Minnesota
Recall the best art and/or cultural event you’ve seen in the [...]

Whether you prefer to backpack in the boreal forests, or along the edges of rural cornfields just before sunrise, is your business. Either way, the deer opener this weekend means that you’ll want to be smart and safe, wherever you may roam.
So take a few to check out these safety tips for hiking during hunting [...]