That guy would, in fact, be photographer/paddling instructor/blogger Bryan Hansel, who recently christened North Shore Expeditions, his new kayak touring service.

No doubt, if you’ve spent any fair amount of time in Grand Marais, you’ll likely have seen him out on the water, giving kayak lessons when he’s not having his own fun.

But after doing private tours and instruction for several years, he’s decided to go big with his dreams to share a passion for paddling.

“I picked the tours and trips based on the ones that I enjoy the most,” he says.

In addition to lessons and shorter excursions, North Shore Expeditions will offer multi-day kayak camping trips on the Lake Superior Water Trail — something Hansel says no one else offers. Ditto, for some more ambitious destinations like Pigeon Bay and the Manitou River.

“I really love the Manitou River paddle. The river drops over a ledge and dumps directly into the lake. This waterfall rivals Spray Fall in Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and hardly anyone ever sees it,”

And for paddlers who *really* want to go the extra mile, how about touring the entire North Shore — Duluth to Sault Ste. Marie? Hansel has trips like this in mind as well.

Confidence in leading such trips rests on not just experience, but also on Bryan’s high safety standards.

All of North Shore Expeditions’ guides (including Bryan) are American Canoe Association (ACA) certified Coastal Kayaking Instructors or trained ACA guides. First aid and CPR training ( whose certifications must be renewed every three years) is required of them, “so you’ll know that our guides know the latest safety and rescue techniques.”

“Not all the outfitters or guides on the North Shore require that, but I think it’s important. Lake Superior can be dangerous and the training helps make sure that those risks are mitigated for our customers.”

Us, we’re banking that by name association alone, clients will be more than confident enough, to follow Brian and company as far as their paddling arms can carry them.

North Shore Expedition’s newly-launched site has details on a boatload of tours, trips and instruction packages for kayakers of all skill levels.

Moving from a comfortable existence in Florida to fifty forested acres, John Coffer has no regrets. A brief documentary titled, This Must Be The Place, portrays his unique way of living for the past twenty-five years. He discusses how he finds fulfillment in managing his land, a handful of animals and his wet-plate photography business. His log cabin, built from a stand of red pine on his property, seems to be a study in efficiency and practicality.

“I like the idea of a log cabin is that nothing is absolutely precise, there’s a lot of round corners, it just seems more of a natural place to live,” he says.

His livelihood is complemented by his wet-plate photography business and workshops that he teaches. In keeping with the idea that less is more, he houses his photography studio in a canvas sided tent. But, he’s not shy about incorporated modern elements too. On his property, he has a wind generator, solar panels and a lap top computer.

Coffer’s life sure seems like a good example of living a richer existence. Heck, with a few techie gadgets, we’d sure be tempted to skip modern plumbing and find our own patch of woods.

COFFER from thismustbetheplace on Vimeo.

Via: Adventure Journal

A recent Star Tribune roundup of predicted culinary trends for the new year includes the use of pine needles:

Chefs will experiment with flavors of the forests, using subtle infusions of pine needles, Douglas fir and eucalyptus to flavor sauces, rubs, meats, jus and broths.

Long considered a good choice for survival food, the stuff is loaded with Vitamin C. Possibly the most common way it’s been served has been in the classic brew of pine needle tea. And how does it taste? Well, rather like how pine needles smell (sorry, we know that’s not quite helpful).

Besides the tea, we can’t say we’ve done much more with the stuff, in terms of eating (we did find this tasty-sounding recipe though).

One word of caution, though: Harvesting living plant matter within the BWCA is, uh, not quite kosher. So be mindful of where you cook with the prickly stuff.

We’re curious about you — have you ever cooked with pine needles?

It’s been a little while since last fall’s blaze, grabbed any headlines. And we’re more than okay with that; moving on is good.

All the same, we admire the moxie shown by Piragis Northwoods Company who, instead of skirting around burnout areas from Pagami, will be offering two guided canoe trips into the heart of them. We sought out Drew Brockett of their outfitting department, for some details.

“We’re embracing it as an opportunity for something new,” he says. The fully-outfitted trips will feature a very hands-on experience with the forest. Long-time guide and staff naturalist Steve Johnson will lead day hikes in areas otherwise inaccessible by foot, as a part of the package.

If you’ve never canoed through a forest in early regrowth stages, the experience is more enjoyable than you might guess. While tree cover is greatly diminished, their absence reveals a beautiful side of the landscape; one that lays hidden under normal conditions. Myriad boulders and dramatic granite faces cover the hillsides. In addition to the fresh greens of new growth, these open areas often yield more sightings of bear and moose. And fires in recent years have even uncovered archaeological sites.

Obviously, Brockett says, nobody can promise discoveries of ancient camps and such. But the idea is, you never know what you might find.

For more info, hit up Piragis’ outfitting department, here.

Photo: Ken Hupila.

Light up your winter adventures with this, our final Holiday Giveaway.

Yup, this is our last one for now, but we first want to say we’ve been floored at the responses and at having heard from so many of you. So don’t worry, we’ll try to do more of this very soon!

So.. whatcha got planned this season — cross-country skiing? downhill? winter camping? ice climbing? No matter which your favorite pursuit is, at some point you’re gonna look up and realize that the 3.4 hours of daylight we have this time of year, are almost up.

That’s where a dependable headlamp comes in; a good one like the Petzl Tikka² LED. For all it’s lightweight tininess (under 3oz), this lamp has some heavy duty power. Four LED bulbs cast a beam up to 29 meters, with no blind spots between them. The Tikka² keeps it simple, with one button that switches between low, high, and flashing modes. And with a burn-time of 90 hours on the high setting, you’ll be good for staying out all night.

How to enter for your chance to win.

It’s a cinch. Head on over to Petzl’s website and check out some of their other headlamps (after all, you wanna gift one to your trail partner, right?) Or, browse their mountaineering and ice-climbing gear. Then, come back here and write down what caught your interest in the comments area below.

At the end of the week, we’ll announce the winner here, as well as on UpNorthica’s Facebook page. Good luck… and cheers!

Remember the old metal slide you went down as a kid?  How about the number of times you got bumped off the teeter-totter and slammed to the ground?

Nothing’s wrong with a good ol’ fashioned playground, but the towns of Crookston and Warren in northern Minnesota have been rethinking about how kids play.  Collaborating with the University of Minnesota, they’re creating nature-based play spaces.  The spaces will be devoid of plastic slides and swings, instead favoring interactive environments of natural play.  Kids will be able to wander through rain gardens, clamber over boulder fields and get messy slipping down dirt slides. The designs include a tipi hideout, a fort building area, willow huts and a prairie grass maze.  Tunnels, logs and bridges are scattered throughout.  A grove of trees will be established just so that kids can climb and hang from branches.  Artists have been tapped to create sculptures and shaded seating areas for moms and dads.  A natural border was included into the design so that kids can play freely and not wander off.

The natural playgrounds are a part of outdoor sites developed by the Children Discovering Nature In Northwest Minnesota project whose efforts encourage active communities.

The Crookston and Warren projects, which began earlier this summer, provided opportunity for the communities to give feedback on the designs and features of the parks. They were presented with final design concepts this fall, which were created by two U of M grad students that were advised by Eric Castle, landscape architect and U of M Crookston assistant professor of horticulture.

Our feedback? About time! It’s so refreshing to see such a… well, natural approach to playgrounds. There’ll be even more discovery than would be found in some indoor, fiberglass and sculpted concrete ‘nature replica’ parks we’ve seen.

Yet it seems that the larger cities and urban areas with little green space, are what need this the most. Northern Minnesota? Y’all don’t know how good you have it up there!

Hopefully, communities in the metro will take notice, and borrowing from the childhood game, follow the leader.

via Conservation Minnesota.

Remember when socks as a gift were something relegated to stocking stuffer status? You’d blurt out a ‘ThanksMomandDad’ and toss ‘em into the gift pile, moving on to bigger quarry? Well, you’re older and wiser now, and socks are too.

Darn Tough makes socks they way they name ‘em. Sure, they employ top-notch materials like merino wool and Coolmax technology that wick away moisture, but they then use high-density knitting to construct socks that last years. We reviewed their Micro-Crew socks four years ago, and those pairs are still going strong, and absolutely still among our most comfy. Oh, and that ‘high-density knitting’ thing? No tech-talk mumbo jumbo there. The thread count in Darn Tough socks isn’t just higher than competitive brands… the difference is a visible-to-the-naked-eye one. But we’ll speak no more of nakedness here; especially not of naked feet.

So we’re giving away a Men’s pair of Micro Crew merino wool socks, as well as a Women’s pair of Micro Crew hikers made with Coolmax. Both are ideal for hiking and trekking, but you’ll end up wearing them as often as possible. And don’t forget, unless our math is bad, all this would mean TWO WINNERS this week.

How to enter for your chance to win.

It’s pretty easy. Head over to Darn Tough’s website and check out some of their other socks that would make good gifts; they have products designed for skiing and riding, hunting & fishing, etc.
Then come back here and write down what caught your interest, in the comments area below.

At the end of the week, we’ll announce the TWO WINNERS here, as well as on UpNorthica’s Facebook page. NOTE: If you don’t choose to leave your email address now, don’t forget to check back here on Friday! If you’re a winner, we’ll need a way to contact you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mark your calendar to attend the Outdoor Adventure Expo, November 18-20, 2011. Located in the heart of the Twin Cities, the expo features vendors, speakers, films, and workshops catering to outdoor enthusiasts. Check out kayaks, snowshoes, and hiking packs, then settle down to view the Banff Mountain Film Festival or listen to one of the many speakers who spend most of their lives outdoors.

Here are our must-see’s for the weekend.

Minnesota native, Lonnie Dupre will provide a interesting account of his January 2011 attempt to solo ascend Denali, North America’s highest mountain at over twenty-thousand feet. He was stopped just short of the summit by unforgiving weather. With temperatures that dip into the -50′s, it’s winter camping when it’s most callous. He will share his ideas for his next attempt, slated for January 2012, an aspiration thaat only one three-man team has accomplished.

How about spending the winter traversing the Northwest Territories with a dozen fluffy companions? That is what Dave and May Freeman did last winter as they made their way by dogsled beginning on the Mackenzie River to the end of their journey at Great Slave Lake. With exciting encounters of wildlife and beautiful photography of a rugged region, their stories are sure to stir your imagination. This trek is just one part of an ambitious 11,000 mile expedition across North America that they are experiencing by canoe, kayak and dogsled.

Well, you can’t possibly head out into the backcountry with out some decent gear. Outdoor adventurer and journalist, Stephen Regenold (aka: GearJunkie) will provide his Top 10 Gear recommendations that he’s tried and tested. He’s fresh off the trail, having just completed the grueling, 65 mile, Border Route Trail in northern Minnesota. He’ll even tell you about it and some of his other adventures around the world in video and photographic presentation that highlights some of the gear that was involved.

Multi-sport adventuring just might be the next big thing. In his seminar Three Rivers Traverse Expedition, adventurer and NOLS instructor, Rob Walker talks about his adventure exploring the Yukon and Alaskan Arctic Wilderness in 2007. He journey included a 33 mile canoe portage on the Chilkoot Trail, a 1000 mile canoe paddle down the Yukon River and 200 miles of canoe lining up the Chandalar River. But he wasn’t finished. In 2010 he returned to the Chandalar River, hefting a 85 pound pack, to traverse the Romanzof Mountains, hiking into the Brooks Range. His journey ends by packraft on ice-clogged waters at the remote whaling village of Kaktovik.

There will be workshops on snowshoeing basics, cross-country ski waxing, basic-first aid for cold weather injuries, winter bike commuting and igloo building. Plenty for everyone to jump into.

How about you? Are you planning on attending?  What will you be sure not to miss?

For more info on the expo go here.

The 13th Annual Winter Camping Symposium was a bigger-than-ever success. The variety of seminars and activities was wider, the music was fantastic, and we didn’t get rained on like last year.

There’s plenty to cover here, but if you haven’t read Part One of our report, check it out first.

As Saturday progressed, attending every single seminar became impossible, but we loaded up on as much as we could. So read on, as we unpack all of what we found…

Gear on a winter camping trip is a huge consideration. With less-than-featherlight, yet essential, materials (like canvas and wood stoves), weight adds up quickly. So learning how Brian Maruska has refined his ultra-light setup, was a must.

Brian Maruska's winter camping gear.

Brian unpacked his own toboggan, noting each item not only for its weight, but also calling out any multi-functional uses. There was the tote for the wood stove’s firebox, that’s also used to haul firewood; the portable ‘camp kitchen’ that’s also a bench and a cutting board (all that from what had once been a plastic waste basket).
Gear was also packed very thoughtfully; an ice chisel’s handle is sectioned in lengths that will fit inside his stovepipe.

And as if it weren’t clear already, thriftiness lightens his load, too. Most all of his items were DIY’ed from materials purchased locally. There was even a crafter’s wicker basket used because of its weight and size.

Brian assembled his whole camp—tent, stove, cot—and had everything organized and inside the tent in a very short period (did anybody catch the actual time?).

Done, and done! Brian's quick tent setup left extra time for questions.

The clear afternoon was perfect for the annual Tent Tour. Symposium organizers Chad Nelson, Ryan Fox and Duane Lottig (of Snowtrekker Tents) led the procession. At each tent, the given camper said a piece about how they had made or modified their winter home-away-from-home.

On the grounds were structures from Frost River, Cabela’s, and even GoLite. Many, however, sported some nice touches by the owners; a DIY rainfly over one person’s tent, for example. Others were entirely hand-made; one was even furnished with painted chairs and decorative hangings.

This year we followed along with Rhonda and the judges of the Winter Cook Off, one of whom happened to be our son. This meant two things: A few extra photo ops… and tastes of anything he had to sample (what! that’s not a crime. it’s not).

Winter Cook Off Tip #1: Everybody loves hot cider drinks.

Entries from this year’s contestants were all rather exceptional and would make this winter camper never wish to return home. Jackie prepared a warm, unfiltered cider drink with apple slices, cinnamon, spices and Applejack (yeah, I had no choice but to stand in for my boy here). Delicious and heartwarming. Fritz’s gumbo was a rich, complex spicy treat which he served with a jalapeño cornbread. Mike, in his first-ever use of a dutch oven, baked a pineapple upside-down cake that looked and tasted like perfection. And Sydney cooked a dish with tender duck, sauteéd vegetables and subtle orange flavoring.

Gumbo, anyone?

Judge Stuart deliberates over Fritz's Jalapeño Cornbread.

The Winter Cook Off judges sample Mike's Pineapple Upside-Down Cake.

In the end, Sydney’s fine meal earned her this year’s Golden Spatula award. Congrats, Sydney!

Sydney's winning entry, which featured duck, orange, and sauteéd veggies.

Maybe it was no coincidence that the Cook Off was just shortly before dinner. A good call.

And if you weren’t hungry from the gourmet offerings, you were hungry from the cutthroat bidding of the Gear Swap. Me, I was out-bid on a wood stove by a Maruska. Huh. I don’t want to talk about it, let’s just eat.

After the meal, wilderness explorer and Ely resident Tyler Fish, had the floor. His keynote centered around the most recent of his ventures: the First American Unsupported North Pole Expedition and the Catlin Arctic Surveys of 2010 and 2011.

Polar explorer Tyler Fish details his latest expeditions.

The account was fascinating; the journeys, grueling. The constant race against time, tides, temperatures and the constant psychological battles, left Fish and his travel partner absolutely drained by the end.

But the evening was not over yet! Local bluegrass greats, the Sans Souci Quartet, provided music and entertainment late into the night. And Surly provided some of their top-notch beverages (which in itself may have accounted for the huge jump in Symposium attendees this year). A fantastic night.

Sunday.
Nobody was ready to leave yet.

With still a little time to find inspiration, we caught “Camping with Kids at 26 Below,” by Chris Evavold, owner of Black River Sleds. Having brought his children onto winter trips since they were basically toddlers, Evavold had a wealth of advice and sound opinions on raising kids to love the outdoors.

Chris Evavold's slideshow of winter adventures with his kids.

At times, Evavold says, bringing kids means bringing a few extra comforts (games, books and treats) than one might normally want to include. He also emphasizes that everyone pulls their own weight, be it backpacks or a small sledload for each kid. But in Chris’ slides, the only kids we saw were happy ones, so the guy is doing something right. And we loved the idea of going ahead of the kids on a portage, leaving surprises and snacks for them to discover. Inspiration achieved.

Campers assembling their own Black River Toboggans.

A few more workshops beckoned after the brunch. For those who wanted to build sled assemblies, Chris Evavold offered a toboggan construction course. Ed Bouffard (of Ed’s Wilderness Systems) also led a hands-on pulk sled assembly course. And master of the blade, Warren Peterson, had a workshop on antler handle knife making.

Elsewhere, others assembled pulk sleds under the direction of Ed Bouffard.

Warren Peterson teaches a antler handle knife making workshop.

The final event was the much-vaunted Saw Off Competition. This weekend, numerous manufacturers donated their products for campers to demo, discuss and decide upon. But everything culminated right here, right now. Choose your weapons, gentlemen.

Contestants hack it out for glory in the Saw Off Competition.

The competition was fast and furious, but it was a certain Michael Maruska who ‘made the cut.’ Nice work, sir!

The Winter Camping Symposium was not just bigger, and not just better, than last year’s. We felt it to be more diverse (with activities for kids, as just one example) and it attracted some fantastic sponsors as well. We even met a photojournalist who’d covered the event professionally last year, and had since changed careers, now working for one of our great local gear manufacturers.

A success? Yes, we very strongly believe so. And many thanks to Bridgit, Chad, Ryan, Matt, and the staff of YMCA Camp Miller for hosting a fantastic weekend.

What did you think of this year’s event?

If you didn’t make it to the Winter Camping Symposium this year…rest easy. We busted our very humps sprinting between as many of the workshops, seminars and activities as we could, all to bring you a toboggan-load packed with winter camping goodness. Pull on your bread-bag liners, get on your boots, and let’s jump into this.

Friday.

With the wooded acreage of the camp serving as both classroom and campgrounds, legendary author/instructor Mors Kochanski shared his wisdom with about a dozen people. Knowledge of plants, cold weather clothing guidelines, and primitive shelter building were just a few of the topics covered.

Mors Kochanski discusses how an Army surplus parachute canopy can aid in shelters.

Kochanski’s perhaps most popular book has been Bushcraft; a veritable Bible of outdoor skills. I grew up with a copy of it in the house, where I’d spent hours poring over Kochanski’s information-rich drawings outlining fire-building technique, shelters, and axecraft. I was not a little bit grieved that I couldn’t attend the course. Mors is a never-drying well of knowledge; one participant later told me that Kochanski was often the first to rise and the last to retire, constantly sharing resources and answering questions. [We are hoping to retrieve more photos from this course, so check back here later this week.]

Not pretty, but pretty warm: A 1-person shelter using cattail sedge, pine boughs, bent willows and insulative wrap.

Sunrise on Friday morning was our warm welcome, however. The day’s schedule was largely reserved for workshops and courses requiring several hours each. So, what’ll it be: making beautiful, useful things all day for the coming winter? or learning vital skills on foot, with the oaks, pines and lake as a backdrop?

Yup—we went for ‘em all, and got enough of each to share with you.

Anyone who chose the Basic Land Navigation workshop, chose well. Instructor Lucas Will knows a thing or two about finding his way around; weeks ago, the guide completed a 1,200-mile circumnavigation of Lake Superior.

Lucas Will sketches a topo map in an outdoor orienteering exercise.

Will first spent some concentrated time with the class on compass and map reading, from the basics on up the finer points. Using topo maps of (what else) the grounds of Camp Miller, they then put it all into practice and stepped outside. Lucas led the group as they took bearings and eventually ranged out and away from the camp structures.

The long lodge at the lakeshore, hosted not one but two workshops.

Ian Andrus, with a completed black ash basket.

On one end, North House Folk School alum Ian Andrus led a group in creating Black Ash Pack Baskets. The yurt-dwelling Andrus is a model of self-reliance in the woods, and the care he shows for natural materials and utilitarian, yet beautifully-crafted items, clearly shows through.

Though time-consuming, each step of the class’ progress we observed seemed an extremely gratifying tactile experience. Having a pair of Ian’s finished baskets along served as a pretty good carrot, too.

On the other hand, a true education on knives was being shared. Woodworker Jarrod Stonedahl led a workshop on creating crooked knives—and no. That is not a typo. What a crooked knife is, is a nomadic tool (also known as the mokotagan) dating far back in North America. Used in carving snowshoes, canoe paddles, even birch bark canoe frames, it’s extremely versatile. Think Swiss Army knife, but probably way better. And probably not Swiss. Participants here walked away with history, technique, and a mokotagan of their own making.

Jarrod Stonedal demonstrating carving technique. It's okay, you can try this at home.

Greg “Burnie” Burns oversaw the Snowshoe/Paddle Dip again this year. It was cool to see that more people have come to anticipate this workshop; a clear sign of this was the sight of a Winter Camping Symposium logo that someone had ‘tattooed’ onto their paddle. And just as a tatt stays around for a long time, so too will all the newly-varnished wooden gear brought in.

Snowshoe Dip: BYOS.

These snowshoes have just doubled their lifespan.

Remember from last year, how DIY gear ninja Brian Maruska constructed a wood burning stove in an hour? An amazing feat, that one single hour of that one day… But you don’t actually think he stopped there, do you?

Brian Maruska and his many stoves.

In “Burning with Brian”, the thrifty Maruska led a tour highlighting all the portable stove-building projects he’s undertaken in 2011. Always encouraging a ‘why not’ experimental approach, his enthusiasm was as infectious as ever. Which was the overall favorite? Was it the portable meat smoker, made from a hot water heater? The wood-heated boiler that now permanently keeps the camp’s shop toasty warm? The mini-stove whose firebox used to be an Oberon beer keg? Or the nano-stove that’s little larger than a matchbox? You decide, while Brian goes off and builds more stuff.

Brian Maruska adds a brew to his smoker.

Brian threw some pork butt into the smoker, and then proceeded to clamp down some snowshoe frames he’d just been steaming with—you got it—another contraption of his own making. This filled out the ‘action-packed’ portion of the workshop, as Brian recruited three other able-bodied persons to quickly wrangle the wood into the jig before it stiffened. The guy just won’t sit still.

Meanwhile, a class led by Kevin Kinney (of Empire Wool & Canvas) fashioned deer and elk hide mitten shells. The work looked meticulous and painstaking. But lost in their enjoyment of making things that last, and in conversation with newly-made friends, nobody there seemed to feel so.

Making mitten shells—and making it look easy.

Afternoon saw a new (and much appreciated) addition to the WCS’s schedule: A workshop for kids! Bushcrafting legend Mors Kochanski invited the younger attendees (and anyone else who wished) on a nature hike. Clipping and handing out samples of young birch, aspen, oak and alder branches, Kochanski taught in a most tactile way. Stopping here to show the uses of cattail sedges, pausing there to discuss how pine sap can serve as a bandaid for burns, he passed on more knowledge that would be actually retained, than I’m sure most schoolbooks could in the same timeframe.

Mors Kochanski hands out peacock fern fronds to young naturalists.

Findings from Mors' nature walk with kids.

"Sedges have edges!" Kochanski employs a very hands-on approach to teaching about plant life.

This knowledge transfer continued after dinner, during Mors’ keynote presentation. His free-range teaching style covered native wisdom, winter clothing recommendations, survival shelters… even how to find some of the best possible shelter materials at the Dollar Store. Everyone left a little smarter as an outdoorsy type, and I’d like to think, a little wiser as a human.

In his keynote, Mors Kochanski discusses frugal, yet valuable, finds like this survival blanket.

Saturday.

Most people greet the morning with just coffee. Fred Boulay met it today with laughter as well. The well-versed winter camper is a mainstay of the Symposium; he loves to be here and it shows in his seminar on Winter Camping 101. With no small amount of humor, Fred shared not just technique and gear choices, but also things he’s learned from mistakes. In addition to discussing the finer points of hot tenting (that is, using a canvas tent/wood stove combo) he also included a handout featuring several primitive shelters.

Learning the ways of Boulet.

And what better a follow-up, than Winter Camping 102?

Michael Maruska, like his brothers, is known for his ingenuity in making (and modifying) his own gear. So if the “102″ implies a greater mindfulness towards self-reliance in this respect, the seminar is aptly named. Michael had two of his latest tent creations on hand, and dissected his pulk setup as well.

An attendee inspects Michael Maruska's pulk sled.

Where to start? The toboggans themselves were sturdy, but minimal, and I daresay, do-able. He pulled out a pair of lightweight wanigans—wood framed chests meant for storage of gear when in travel. Yet Michael’s weren’t of the traditional solid wood construction. These featured wood only on the frames and lid (which for one chest, doubled tripled as a cutting board and bench.) Stretched canvas served as the other surfaces, and metallic insulated wrap inside one of them, too. Another notable hack: a pair of boot liners had been dipped in protective rubber coating (available at Menard’s) to keep out moisture.

Michael Marusksa's storage boxes (wanigans.)

Michael’s most recent tent project was a double-walled structure, with the inner wall made from canvas drop cloth (again with the Menard’s.) Plus, the particular shape of the tent, with its generous headroom, seems particularly ideal to Michael. And to most people who bring their heads with, when camping. Awesome ideas all around; certainly too many to share here.

Michael, outside his new double-walled tent mod.

As midday approached, more folks began to trickle in, and the familiar village of white Snowtrekker tents began to spread. Yet in contrast to last year’s proliferation of portable yurts among them, this year saw a greater representation of hammock campers.

One of the first of these to arrive was John MacEntyre Allen, owner of Molly Mac Gear, a line of versatile packs and hammock camping gear. The North Carolinian spends his winters in the Appalachians, but spent this weekend with us.

MacEntrye shares his secrets of hammock camping.

His seminar, Hammock Camping: Nothing But the Soles of Your Feet Touch the Ground, was new territory to many of us. But it wasn’t hard to ‘get’ the concept of comfortable, insulated sleep, removed from contact with the snow. MacEntyre covered the anatomy of a winter hammock outfit, demo’ed how to lay in it (there is a wrong way,) and also showcased his own innovation, a gear hammock that’s, well… just that! A suspended cache for your stuff.

The clever 'gear hammock' keeps stuff out of the snow.

Pining for more? Oh, there is more. The second part of our Winter Camping Symposium report will post in another day or so. Keep watching!

Fire making. Music. Ice climbing. Hiking. Gear swap. Survival skills. Cook-offs. Bushcrafting. Exploration of lands both North and South of the Arctic Circle.

There! we could end our post right there and it’d be enough to sell anyone on the Winter Camping Symposium. But we won’t stop there; in fact, we’ll be liveblogging the event from YMCA Camp Miller in Sturgeon Lake, MN. So even if you can’t make it, rest assured we’ll be covering all we’re humanly capable of.

Hope to see you there, but if not… be here.

Not gonna lie to you: Keeping warm is a constant consideration when winter camping. And especially if you’re hot-tenting, the effort of processing firewood will take care of half of that problem. But who’s to say work can’t be fun?

That’s why the organizers of the Winter Camping Symposium are debuting a new event this year: the “Saw Off.” It’s a chance to try your hand at numerous saws for the next trip, testing weight, balance, tooth, portability… and sheer badassitude, no doubt. Which blades work best with dry, dead wood? Which collapsible is the least fuss to assemble? Which doubles best as a defense against rogue wampas? You decide, my friend. You’ll be able to freely demo products from Silky, Trail Blazer, Fanno Saw, and Fast Bucksaw, among many others. And if you feel man (or woman) enough, sign up for the actual competition, culminating on Sunday morning.

The Winter Camping Symposium is THIS WEEKEND! UpNorthica will be there to liveblog it all (or at least all we can!) While the schedule of classes, workshops, seminars and live music begin on Thursday, you can attend whichever days work for you. But make no mistake; with events like the Saw Off, this great festival has all the earmarks of a ‘better than ever’ weekend. Sign up! Hope to see you there.

Photo by Flickr user Clairity.

This spectacular moment in time was captured by Ethan G. Knuti. We just love how every space of the exposure is utilized to capture color and beauty in this photo, Autumn Colors & Loon. Even the wake stirred up by the loon pulls in more color — the hue of the clear sky on that day.

But don’t think that’s all there is to see from Ethan. In fact, Flickr lists him as the third-top contributor to The Boundary Waters group pool. Take a look at his work and be inspired.

Thanks for the share, Ethan!

enLIGHTened’s Epiphany quilt might change how you sleep.  What makes it worthy of your gear pile?

Ultralight and durable. The Epiphany is constructed with lightweight Cuben fiber which is a non-woven fabric used in equipment that requires extremely strong rip resistance and light areal weight.  A dependable option for rough, wilderness camping.

No-sew baffling is waterproof. Your sweat stays out of the insulation and rain won’t migrate into it. So, you can sleep outdoors and not fret about the morning dew.

Box style baffling helps control temperature preference. Square baffles control the shifting of down head to toe and side to side.  A nylon foot bed is covered by an inflation tube that helps fill the quilt with air. Just shake and fluff to your preferred thickness. Because the quilt isn’t air tight you can increase or decrease the loft, thereby adjusting temperatures to your comfort.

Snap cords allow you to customize your fit. Footbox snaps staggered at 6″ and 12″ above the foot space will open or close for draft control.  You who like sticking your feet out from under the covers?  This is for you.  Removable under-cords cinch the quilt around you on cool weather nights.  If you’re traveling in August, just leave ‘em home.  A neck strap and draw cord keeps the cold breeze or errant bug out.

Choice of length and loft for everyone. The Enlightened quilt comes in a variety lengths and lofts, so everyone from the freeze-baby to the really tall dude can find a quilt to fit their own needs.

Versatile for varied camping styles. Use as a liner or an under-quilt with your hammock to block out cold or wind. Add it to your regular sleep system for extra heat. Bring it along during summer rambles when you want light bedding that accommodates summer’s moody weather.

Um, did we mention ultra-light? With a maximum weight of 8.75 ounces, you’re camping pillow is gonna weigh more.

Best of all, enLIGHTened equipment just merged with Sanborn Canoe Co. in Winona, MN.  Three cheers for locally made goods!

Find here.