UpNorthica

Are there any scary ghost stories from the Boundary Waters? That’s a tall order, I gotta admit. I’m neither historian, mystery buff, nor ghost-chasing psychic with a hotline, so why should I know something so obscure?
Just so happens, that while working on another post, I recently came across a very mysterious native legend.
One of [...]

A toasty, warm balaclava will ward off the cold. It’ll also repel most females. That’s a darn shame, ‘cause the ladies need to stay warm too, right? So what’s a girl to wear, without looking as creepy as you do?
Luckily, we found a decent selection of handmade women’s balaclavas on Etsy. Here’s the clincher: They’re [...]

Find a wolf print on the trail? Hmm, that’d make a neat photo… Meeting a whole pack of wolves, face to face in the wild? Now you’ve got a real story.
Hiker/blogger Nina Asunto and a companion were recently on Isle Royale, when they experienced a close encounter of the Canis Lupis kind; one I’m sure [...]

Nobody loves the Gunflint more than you and I, but for those who’ve never been there, its spot on the map just got a little brighter.
The Gunflint Trail has now been designated as a National Scenic Byway (PDF.) That’s a good thing, says Nancy Seaton of Hungry Jack Outfitters. The Chair of the Trail’s scenic [...]

I need someone to high-five this girl —STAT!
Big time props go to UpNorthica staffer Pam, who spent a long, hard weekend earning her Wilderness First Aid certification through NOLS.
The National Outdoor Leadership School taught the course on the grounds of Macalester College, where passersby got to observe Pam and classmates in numerous training scenarios. [...]

Winter seems poised to come in like a lion (or a snow leopard, or something) so why not meet it head-on this weekend at the Winter Camping Symposium?
For the uninitiated, ‘winter camping’ continues to encompass a panorama of outdoor activities. Having surprisingly little to do with trying to keep warm, its biggest challenges lie in [...]

Never mind that this is how crazy Scandinavians have fun in winter — think of the sheer practicality of a racing reindeer at your beck and call!
Just imagine how fast you could haul your winter camping gear with ol’ Blitzen at the helm! A 12-point rack that’s tailor-made for drying out damp socks and mittens! [...]

With your Fall chores out of the way (oh wait, it never came this year,) you oughta have a few slots open for some hard-earned fun. So why not check out these events, sponsored by Midwest Mountaineering.

Winter Camping: Traveling
Thursday, October 29, 6:30pm, in the Expedition Room
If you’ve only winter camped a little, survived it, and [...]

A proposed mining operation that could drain sulphuric acid into neighboring federally-protected waterways (that would mean the BWCA.) Wow, that’s an even brighter idea than building an open-air ball park, next door to a municipal garbage incinerator!
Next week, PolyMet Mining will release their environmental impact statement (EIS) regarding a copper-nickel mine they’d like to hollow [...]

With snow falling already, (sheesh!) holiday shopping can’t be far behind. So why not throw in your bid for this vintage portage pack from 1882? The “buy it now” price is a mere $100,00 American dollars.
While packs like this have never been cheap, this one’s value rests upon more than just how well-preserved it is. [...]

I took my life into my own hands last weekend, when I lured an unwitting group of testers to a cabin in Wisconsin and made them all try… instant coffee.
Before you, too, cringe, consider this: Starbucks VIA just may be the best solution for coffee on the trail. It comes in small pre-measured packets, [...]

The windstorm that buffeted Minnesota’s Arrowhead region last Monday, is gone. And gone with it are miles of clear hiking trails.
Best to plan carefully if you intend to hit the Superior Hiking Trail or the BW anytime between now and spring, as reportedly the damage is significant in some areas. How significant?
The SHT has [...]

After canoeing last week through parts of the Boundary Waters ravaged by the 2006 Famine Lake fire, I had to smile at this one…
Duluth illustrator Rick Allen’s logo design for a microbrew, offers up sage words. And, as always with Mr. Allen’s work, it’s served with a chaser of mirth and wit. Witnessing how just [...]

Are people crying wolf, over the rise in cougar sightings in Minnesota?
Sure, there’ve been a few publicized cases in the last several years. Even one of our favorite paddlers, Erik Simula, blogged about facing a big cat in the Arrowhead this summer. But when a motorist killed a cougar near Bemidji in late September, [...]

In a day and age when people kayak down ski hills and surf in Lake Superior during winter, I’ve decided there’s no such thing as an ‘end-of-season’ anymore. For any outdoor activity in Minnesota. We just crazy that way.
That said, you’d be really crazy (in the literal sense this time) if you didn’t check out [...]