UpNorthica

We’re headed off for 5 days of adventure along the Frost River — where the forecast may indeed call for some frosty mornings.
But don’t worry, we know preparedness is the key: If things go bad, we’ll just do what those two Aussie girls did on Sunday when they got lost in a sewer for hours. [...]

The “Second Best Long Trail in the Nation” (according to Backpacker Magazine) just got longer — and best-er.
A lucky hiker previews a 28-mile addition to the Superior Hiking Trail. What’s it like? Lovely views, including crossings over the Knife River and Stewart River. Moreover, the stretch fills a gap left wide open since the trail’s [...]

SPOILER ALERT: You won’t see Voyageurs National Park in Ken Burns’ new documentary. Or the St. Croix Scenic Riverway. Or any of the other worthy NPS sites in Minnesota. You can, however, be one of the first to catch them all tonight, at a special screening of Minnesota’s National Park Legacy.
Fitting that it’s premiering [...]

They radiate light and warmth, while plunging us into deep, cool shadow. And they’re not even in color.
Jim Brandenburg’s latest infrared photos once again prove his talent in capturing not only moments and places, but also light. These exposures were apparently taken at his home, just outside the sauna. Which is apparently the most beautiful [...]

I was up last night until umpteen o’clock, prepping meal ingredients for an overnighter on the Namekagon River. With all the planning, portioning, storing and bear-proofing measures taken, my food will be traveling way more safely and comfortably than my buddies and I. Though all the effort was for just one meal— breakfast burritos — [...]

Everyone knows that fires like Ham Lake blaze can help spawn new growth in the forest, but who would’ve guessed it would pave the way for archaeological discoveries? Sue Prom has posted word of exciting goings-on, along the Gunflint Trail.
First, the potential discovery of a fur trade encampment:
‘Forest Service archaeologists may have identified a [...]

Raise your cans of Leinie’s and join us in toasting a victory for the BW: The former site of the Chainsaw Sisters Saloon is now federally-protected wilderness protected from the development of kajillion-dollar log cabins.
With the Mudro Lake entry point literally just out the back door, the rustic saloon became a favorite trailhead stop in [...]

Not that anybody’s hiking season is over, but here’s something to look forward to for 2010. Crews are hard at work on a new trail, just off the Kekekabic:

The Centennial Trail will be a loop trail of 3.3 miles. It will incorporate 1.2 miles of the Kekekabic Trail and a new section, currently under construction, which [...]

I like to tell my non-outdoorsy friends that the BWCA is *always* like this commercial for Timberland’s Mountain Athletics shoes. Little do they know, you only get chased like this when you don’t seal up your beef jerky well enough. Suckas. Via The Adventure Blog.

From big views of Voyageurs, we go to really small ones: The scenery of Voyageurs National Park is to be featured on quarters from the U.S. Mint.
The “America the Beautiful Quarters Program” will feature 56 national parks and sites from every state, on the tails side of the coin. But don’t hold your breath; the [...]

A single photo of Lac La Croix can’t easily capture its marvelous expanses. Maybe that’s why these panoramics by Bryan Hansel are so successful.
The Grand Marais photographer and avid paddler recently uploaded the stunning views of border lakes in his photostream. Lac La Croix here is only one of the lucky subjects in the [...]

The long last legs of Erik Simula’s Arrowhead Journey must have seemed like a blur, for all the experiences that filled them. As the multi-talented canoe maker, guide and ranger has wrapped up this amazing solo trip, we’re tempted to let our little re-cap become an all-out Russian novel. But we’ll leave the writing of [...]

I woulda waited to post this ‘til later, but given the low temps all summer, I figured why not?
The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon just posted this on their Facebook page: a new logo!
Very cool; and as another FB’er pointed out, it has a nice reference to the Sawtooth Range. A nod to whoever created [...]