July 3rd, 2008 | by Andy | published in Camping, Outdoor Living
Ironic that Minnesota’s oldest state park, should be the first in our state to adopt that 21st-century amenity known as wireless internet access. But Itasca State Park is making the woods safe for persons entirely dependent upon their laptops and Blackberries. Or at least through year’s end, as part of an experiment of sorts to […]
June 25th, 2008 | by Andy | published in Camping, Hiking, Outdoor Living
This Saturday, over 20,000 people will be celebrating The Great American Backyard Campout to discover and share the joys of the outdoors – even here in our own backyards. Whether you’re a self-described ‘indoorsy-type’ or a seasoned Boundary Waters canoeist, we at UpNorthica want to do our part to get you outside. So let us […]
June 24th, 2008 | by Andy | published in Camping
Blame it on high gas prices, or on low motivation to unplug the Xbox, but nobody disagrees that Americans have migrated indoors in the past few years. That’s no small tragedy, as it means a whole generation is literally missing out on a world of discovery.
Guarantee yourself a great weekend while you help reverse the […]
June 24th, 2008 | by Andy | published in Camping, Gear, Outdoor Living
We recently spent a camping weekend, under siege by wave after merciless wave of invading mosquitos. Our best defense? A kid-friendly bug spray that was so safe on skin, the bugs were misting themselves with it as a moisturizer. I would rather have smoked them out by lighting my own hair on fire, if I […]
June 9th, 2008 | by Andy | published in Camping, North Shore
Two things I learned this weekend. If you find yourself in, or near Superior:
DO… Visit Amnicon Falls State Park, where the Amnicon River thunders through serpentine chasms of glacial basalt, like a… like an ancient Thunder Serpent. The spray-veiled river views are wonderful; the staff conscientious; and as far as car camping goes, the […]
June 4th, 2008 | by Andy | published in Camping, Food
It’s hard to go wrong when cooking Cajun jambalaya – at home. “If it’s in the kitchen, it can go in the pot,” is about as close a dictionary definition of the word, as you’ll find. But how to make a trail-friendly jambalaya with minimum prep and dishes, without resulting in just a heavily-peppered Rice-A-Roni? […]
June 2nd, 2008 | by Andy | published in BWCAW, Camping, Canoeing
In Part 1, we laid out some guidelines on how to tweak your BWCA trip planning, to allow for your kids. Today, let’s talk about what best solidifies a trip as a good memory for your kids: Co-owning it.
May 29th, 2008 | by Pam | published in BWCAW, Camping
So, did your Boundary Waters camping experiences become limited at best after having kids? Do you feel like you need everyone potty-trained before you set your sights on a jack pine again? If you have borderline feelings about hefting the canoe while chasing the two year old for 160 rods, let us assure you: […]
May 28th, 2008 | by Andy | published in Camping
No packing list will ever be complete now, without one of these S’more 101 t-shirts. Gotta get me one o’ them…
May 15th, 2008 | by Andy | published in Camping, Hiking, Outdoor Living
As Minnesota commemorates its Sesquicentennial, it’s great to see a number of the celebrations are in the best places our state has: the Outdoors.
On June 1st, for example, day admission to all state parks will be free, as they host the “Great Minnesota Picnic.” The aim is to encourage folks to bring their picnic lunch, […]
May 2nd, 2008 | by Andy | published in Art, Camping
Seeing this photo reminds me of about a hundred perfect moments I’ve had in the BWCA.
April 25th, 2008 | by Andy | published in BWCAW, Camping, Canoeing, Food, Outdoor Living
I couldn’t even begin to cover half of the presentations, speakers, demos and exhibitors scheduled this weekend for Midwest Mountaineering’s Outdoor Adventure Expo. I certainly won’t be able to attend all the ones that I’d like to. So help a guy out and go to the Expo yourself. We’ll compare notes and share our goodie-bags […]
April 21st, 2008 | by Andy | published in Camping, Gear
So what if Nalgene is phasing out production on all polycarbonate bottles? Who cares if they leach BPAs that result in low birth weights and delayed puberty? You’ve gone thru both of those already; you’re clear, right? That bottle and you have been through a lot together, ever since your company stamped their logo on […]
April 21st, 2008 | by Andy | published in Camping
Despite the recent hysteria over BPA and adverse affects of chemical leaching in the popular water bottles, I’m having a hard time with the thought of pitching mine. Nalgene bottles are handy, multi-functional and can survive being dropped out of a plane. So while I can’t recommend drinking from them, I’ve compiled a modest list […]
April 11th, 2008 | by Arthur | published in Camping, Hiking, Resources
It’s official, we are approaching the time when hardy northwoods people everywhere will walk out their front door, blink their eyes a little and realize that the mukluks and parka are a little excessive. Until this time of showing off pasty white skin we need to find a way to channel our outdoors enthusiasm.
A new […]