May 11th, 2009 | by Andy | published in BWCAW, Books, Resources
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, [...]
April 8th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Books, Camping, Canoeing
If you’re a total paddle-head, the kind who spends hours online devouring trip reports, we’ve got a rare treat for you.
Our tour has been one of daily excitement, filled from first to last with grand old forests, noble waterfalls, picturesque lakes, and cascades. A region in which an artist might linger many weeks with profit [...]
March 30th, 2009 | by Andy | published in Books, Wildlife
Through the branches of an alder tree, our view zooms in on the opposite bank of a small river, where a female kingfisher emerges from her hidden nest. Swooping suddenly from her roost in a cacophony of warning calls, she banishes a group of ducks and a hapless frog from the pool below her home. [...]
January 21st, 2009 | by Andy | published in Books, Canada, Nature, snowsurfing
You rush to the window for a look: Every tree-top branch is traced with careful white lines, while the grass, the walk, the streets have all but been erased. The din of traffic has been swept away, replaced with an almost church-like hush. There’s a certain kind of magic to snow that transforms our surroundings [...]
January 5th, 2009 | by Andy | published in BWCAW, Books, Canada, Canoeing, Environment
I’m always fascinated by the people and events that came together over the course of many years to create what is now known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Many times, it almost never was. We have this unique bounty of land that culminated because of numerous hearts, minds and hands.
One of those minds, [...]
November 20th, 2008 | by Andy | published in Books, Canoeing
For over 60 years, readers have traced the fictional journey of Paddle-to-the-Sea, a wood-carved canoeing Indian, across the St. Lawrence Seaway to the ocean. The children’s storybook classic is a must-have for any outdoorsy parent. So it’s great to see that it still inspires the creation of real-life Paddle-to-the-Sea boats.
The most recent report comes from [...]
July 15th, 2008 | by Pam | published in Books, Outdoor Living
I have a yearning for the north. Someday I plan to own a cabin, living as simply as possible (if I’m lucky, it’ll be without running water or electricity.) Like Elliot Merrick in his classic 1933 memoir, True North, I often contemplate the balance between the need to make a living and the need to [...]