February 27th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Canada, Environment, Wildlife
Today in our Friday Films series, we’re covering the caribou. Though their herds no longer roam Northern Minnesota, they’re closer than you think. Here’s an intimate look at Being Caribou.
In this feature-length documentary, husband and wife team Karsten Heuer (wildlife biologist) and Leanne Allison (environmentalist) follow a herd of 120,000 caribou on foot across 1500 [...]
February 26th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Winter Sports
Hard to pronounce? Yes. But hundekjøring, or dog-driven skiing, is easy to appreciate:
You, on your skis, go faster while still getting a workout. And little Speck gets out of the house to play.
The latest issue of Minnesota Conservation Volunteer offers this helpful introthis helpful intro to the nordic-style mode of self-propulsion. Along with sharing its [...]
February 19th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Voyageurs
International Falls always gets special mention from Al Rokers far and wide, for its record low temps. This November though, the Minnesota city known as “The Nation’s Icebox” will soon be on your idiot box.
A pair of Weather Channel producers recently spent time there interviewing residents and sampling the ice fishing culture (wow, that’s original.) [...]
February 18th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Outdoor Living, Survival Skills
Drop in for a quick visit inside the wintery abode of one “Igloo Ed.”
The man who could be called ‘winter camping’s first celebrity’ gives a casual interview laying out the advantages of winter camping in an igloo, as well as how he builds them with his Icebox igloo maker (dang! do I want one of [...]
February 18th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Art, Environment, Nature
We at UpNorthica love Nature. And we love Art. But one of our greatest loves is Art that speaks about Nature.
Alastair Heseltine is a sculptor who does just that. Drawing influence from design, craft production, farming and rural life, Heseltine creates pieces that seem to reflect on the balance of living in cooperation with the [...]
February 17th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Camping, Food
Less than half-excited about your default instant oatmeal breakfast? Tamia over at Paddling.net extols the virtues of hot cereal on the trail.
Besides a good list of ingredient options, she opens the vault and shares a few recommended recipes for that Most Important Meal of the Day. There are also some good ideas for toppings [...]
February 13th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Art, Canada, Canoeing, Environment, Nature
Our Friday Film today is likely a familiar one. And on this day before Valentine’s, it’s appropriately about Love. Waterwalker is a classic documentary about the love of Nature, Solitude and all things that make canoeing such a magical experience.
Naturalist Bill Mason’s reflections and Bruce Cockburn’s music round out this feature-length film.
The filmmaker and [...]
February 11th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Outdoor Living, Survival Skills
Stuff that’s too cold can really mess you up. Frostbite, hypothermia, supersized Icees that give you those ice-cream headaches…
But please don’t let stuff that’s too warm (like melting lake ice) mess you up permanently.
We found some useful tips here, about how to judge the safety of a frozen lake, including this one:
Mottled and slushy or [...]
February 11th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Gear, Outdoor Living
Caring for your your personal electronics (if you must bring them), is enough of a challenge out on those winter trails. Keep this one cold, but keep the batteries warm, use extra of this and that… But how about simply using them? Small devices with small buttons and interfaces are great everywhere but out here. [...]
February 10th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Camping, Gear, Hacks
Meet Sean Emery, or “Shug” as he’s known to a growing audience of gear addicts. This self-described juggling, unicycling, bluegrass picking and backpacking comedian has been building up a library of camping and backpacking how-to videos. All of which, I might add, are so entertaining and informative that I entirely forget about the ‘juggler, unicyclist, [...]
February 9th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Winter Sports
If you’re good at only skiing or only snowshoeing, but have only dabbled in the other, this short quiz on Backpacker may help you find your fit. Although most of you reading this have tried both and like both, it’s probably more helpful if you’re only just beginning to explore winter fun in the outdoors.
I [...]
February 6th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Camping, Gear, Hacks, Winter Sports
The problem of how to best carry your winter gear, goes beyond just how frickin’ heavy it all is. Shoeing through deep snow with a backpack can be uncomfortably top-heavy. But pulling your stuff behind you in a pulk sled makes you less navigable in the woods, and can be daunting on hillls. What’s a [...]
February 6th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Art, Canada
As part of our Friday Films series, today we dedicate our feature to our world wide winter camping posse. [That was likely the whitest-sounding shout-out in the history of shout-outs -- apologies.] Anywho, we’re headed wayyy Up North to watch a documentary about people who winter camp all year ’round.
The Living Stone explores the story [...]
February 5th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Art, Camping, Outdoor Living, Resources
The only thing that bites worse than the -40 windchill on a trip Up North, is having all your photo ops go into epic fail mode. Between overexposed shots and simply dealing with the cold’s effect on electronics, I’ve gotten all too used to bad experiences with winter photography.
So I was glad to see these [...]
February 4th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Camping, Gear, Resources
If your favorite boots need repair; if you need to patch a tent, sans duct tape; if your down bag smells a little too much of mildew and man-scent… look into McNett Outdoor.
McNett offers a variety of no-gimmick repair and cleaning products for your gear. New products intro’ed just last week include Tenacious Tapes (tent [...]