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Monthly Archives: September 2009
Turn Your Facebook Friends Into a Rescue Squad
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. Think we can get a few bars on our cell phones out there?
See you in a few!
Two Harbors Gets 28 Miles of Trail
Photo: Flickr user 'loimere'
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 creation:
Although at first there was no obvious route to take around Two Harbors, determined SHTA volunteers spent years pouring over maps, speaking with landowners, scouting the woods, and hanging pink ribbons until a path around town began to take shape.
Screening of Minnesota’s National Parks Documentary Tonight
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 at Bell Museum of History; the TPT-produced documentary looks like it could also cover the history of these places *before* the NPS came along. Images of native peoples harvesting wild rice in Voyageurs(?) and quarrying in Pipestone, were pleasant surprises as I watched the trailer. I’m glad to see their heritage and legacy recognized. I also got excited about the shot of Taylors Falls, ’cause I’ve totally been there before — like, a hundred times!!
The screening’s at 7pm; check here for details. Via Wilderness News Online.
Brandenburg Sees Infrared
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 sauna since the Roman baths.
Lovely work, Jim! We all love to see what you see.
White Linen Dining — on Top of a Canoe
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 — one taste of the salsa reminded me it was worth it. I was feeling pret-ty good about my latest culinary feat.
And then I read this article.
Six dudes on a river camping trip, dining better in the wild than I do in Uptown Minneapolis: Vietnamese pho, lamb tagine, seafood paella, duck confit… I don’t even know what a confit is! Thankfully, they share some of their meal-prepping secrets with the rest of us plebes — right before listing the entire jaw-dropping 12-day menu. Sure hope my keyboard’s warranty covers drooling mishaps.
Diggable Archaeology on the Gunflint
Voyageurs at Dawn, by Frances Anne Hopkins
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 fur trade era encampment mentioned by Alexander Henry the Elder in 1775. Numerous artifacts dating to the Late British-Early American periods of the Fur Trade were recovered during archaeological excavations in the eastern BWCAW area.’
The Legacy of the Chainsaw Sisters
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 its 18 years of operation. Off the beaten path, off the grid and comfortably off-the-cuff in character, the place was immediately endearing. Fishing trophies and photos. A friendly update on trail conditions going in; reminiscing over a can of beer from the mini-fridge coming out (only cans, never glasses.) And stapled over every wall surface: dollar bills scrawled with the signatures, shout-outs and memories of a thousand happy campers. It was like a yearbook for everyone who’d ever paddled the Boundary Waters.
Happiness is a New Hiking Trail
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 will connect to the Port Arthur Railroad bed built in the early 1890′s. After the Ham Lake Fire, several of the old mine pits and railroad beds were exposed and that’s how Tom Kaffine, Forestry Technician and wilderness guru, came up with the idea of this historical trail.
Both exciting and encouraging. The Kekekabic Trail has been getting a lot of love ‘n’ attention ever since 2 lost hikers required rescue from its overgrown, poorly-marked paths in ’08. I personally think too many people had never heard of it until then. Now, with volunteer clearings up and of course, the forthcoming Centennial Trail, I’m very glad for the awareness. Word is, they’ll be opening it in conjuction with the new Chik-Wauk Museum, so definitely watch the headlines for it. Seeya on the trail.Via Boundary Waters Blog.
“If You’re Not Fast, You’re Food” Commercial
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.
Voyageurs’ Million-Dollar Views — on the Quarter
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 quarters will be minted following the order in which each park was established. That means you’ll have to wait until 2018 to see Minnesota represent.
At least we have plenty of time to guess exactly what’s going to be pictured. Which places/things would you like to see on the coin? Give us your two cents (sorry, couldn’t resist.) Via the Strib.
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