UpNorthica

A hydration bladder for wine? Lemme put it this way: If I were soloing in Quetico for 17 days carrying only a fanny pack — I would still figure a way to cram this inside.
PlatyPreserve is the long-awaited wine storage solution from hydration wizards, Platypus. And for foodies like me, who love the challenge of [...]

Count yourself lucky if you happen to spy eagles fighting for dominance. But if you chance upon an all-out air/sea battle like this — and have your camera handy — count yourself Voyageurs National Park staffer Ed Lombard.
We recently saw these photos in an Outdoor Expo presentation by Chris Holbeck, Conservation Planner at Voyageurs’. While [...]

What if those shiny, fancy titanium sporks, actually *weren’t* the End All Be All camping utensil?
Someone’s made an interesting Venn diagram proposing a few ‘nother kinds of hybrid cutlery. Funny. I guess we’ll now have to err on the side of preparedness and pick up all of them at the outfitters. Via Kottke.

I just about laughed my pants off, reading this: A guy tests the wickability claims of his ExOfficio skivvies, not changing them for a whole week. He puts them through the rigors well enough — creekboating, biking, fishing, etc. — but his greatest challenge is in keeping his little experiment a secret from his wife. [...]

This limited-edition silkscreen print caught our eye and just may have us by the pocketbook too. Looks perfect for the walls of any house… or boathouse.

With their lovely plumage, haunting calls and graceful poise, who doesn’t love catching a glimpse of loons in the Boundary Waters? If you’re really lucky, you may’ve even seen one of their grisly, bloodthirsty territorial battles.
For years, the MN-DNR’s efforts to keep loon populations stable in Minnesota, have been supported by scores of volunteer [...]

The immediately likeable author/paddler Kevin Callan explores Wabakimi Provincial Park, whose history is just as unique as its geography.
Deep within the park lies Whitewater Lake and upon it, Best Island — hermitage of amateur scientist Wendell Beckwith. Dedicating his life to researching everything from astronomy, to human migrations to the pyramids, to the recurrence of [...]

The craggy, gelid waters of Lake Superior have sunk more than a few ships in their day. They’re also really cold. So anybody who would meet them in battle, paddling a homemade birch bark canoe, is either crazy — or is someone like Erik Simula. There’s a big difference.
The off-the-grid living forest ranger/wilderness guide/dog sled [...]

One of the oldest naturalist writings on the Boundary Waters, is still one of the best. Sigurd Olson’s collection of essays The Singing Wilderness belongs on your shelf if you’re reading this post; but if you haven’t read it, now’s the perfect time.
MN Read, the book club of Twin Cities publication Secrets of the City, [...]

Disclaimer: Not my fault. I did not create this trailer for the Reel Paddling Film Fest. I will not be personally offended if you forego this four-minute advertrailer timesuck (If you’re quick enough with the pause button, you might actually catch a shot of people paddling boats.)
Ahem. That said, the festival itself (in Minneapolis on [...]

Missing thousands of Kodak moments to shutter delay over the years (thank you Coolpix) will teach you something: To appreciate the pure experience of simply seeing a thing. You learn how to watch actively. And if perchance you are witness to something remarkable, you become exceedingly good at relishing the magic of that moment. The [...]

It’s a honking shame, but the rumors are true: Vandals have cut down the famous “Honking Tree” that stood along Highway 61’s median, just outside Two Harbors.
Back in the early 1960s, while clearing the strip of land to become the Highway 61 Expressway, one road builder insisted that the pine tree shading his favorite lunch [...]