UpNorthica

Feeling antsy as you wait for the water to open up? Restless for the feel of the trail beneath your feet? Thirsty for adventure? Might I interest you in the foolishly dangerous variety?
If you’re looking to inspire your inner dirtbag, don’t miss the Radical Reels Film Tour, featured at Midwest Mountaineering’s Outdoor Adventure Expo. The […]

Sometimes when I hear self-described ‘non-outdoors types’ bemoan why they hate to camp, I catch myself chuckling inaudibly. Comedian John Pinette’s reasons had me laughing out loud.
Via Uncooped.

A record-setting $34,000 grant has funded the purchase of one sweet-looking hovercraft for the Excelsior Fire Department. The vehicle provides a far safer means to rescuing dumb-as-an-ox snowmobilers and drunken ice fishermen, than the common belly crawl. It’s also a handy ride when you need to go shopping for R-2 units or head into Toshi […]

Question: How easy is it to find a decent, reputable web site with tips on finding shed deer and moose antlers?
Answer: About as easy as finding the antlers themselves.
Ugh. Ya know, I do my best to be a resource, honestly I do. I mean c’mon, gathering antlers is a great way to get outdoors and […]

The MN-DNR’s site has a set of helpful tips for ice safety and recommended ice thicknesses, including a downloadable wallet-size reference card.
I would also add that you should never, ever, EVER do this.

There’s no shortage of exotic ways to tackle Northern Minnesota’s backcountry. There’s canoe camping, dogsledding, snowshoeing with pulk sleds in winter… you can even x-country ski from yurt to yurt. But here’s something we don’t yet have:
Pathfinder Lapland is a reindeer-trekking guide service in the northernmost reaches of Sweden. Lennart Pittja’s business not only keeps […]

Holy buckets! Beginning March 8th, several Minnesota state parks will be teaching free classes on how to harness the pure, raw power of Maple. Learn about the history and process of maple syruping, or better yet, register to take part in tapping, collecting and boiling down a batch for yourself.
I was blessed as a kid […]

From the Land of 10,000 Lochs, I give you The Bushcraft Boyz. Equipped with minimal gear, mad skills (and the occasional shot of malt,) these young Scots exemplify a simple message: Bushcrafting is Fun. And they do so, sans the “expert outdoorsman” egotism that one often tires of seeing. City slickers, take heed! Watching the […]

It’s impressive to see him assemble this tool with the ease of preparing a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Despite all the din of ’survival’ shows and celebs nowadays, Kochanski has quietly remained one of the true masters of bushcraft over the years. Watch and learn.

My buddy Chris passed this along to me… Now, I don’t care if this article is set a little further afield than Northern Minnesota. Or if there are no useful recipes for your Eelpout Festival catch. You’ll still read it at least twice, and marvel at the netloads of great photos, won’tcha? That’s what I […]

Here are the best of mine…sadly, the best I could get were these stills from my camcorder. How’d yours turn out? Post your links in the comments.

Props to Sue at Voyageur Canoe Outfitters, for pointing out this Wednesday night’s full lunar eclipse. From about 9:00 to 9:52pm, clear skies allowing, you’ll be able to enjoy the sight, but you won’t get another chance until the year 2010. Whether you ski, snowshoe, hike or other things of that nature, come on out. […]

I’ve posted before about Minnesota’s vibrant ski culture, but this was completely new to me…
In 2005, a film crew journeyed into China’s mountainous Altai region, to document a people whose history with skis dates back thousands of years. The clip here is an excerpt from that project, “Skiiing in the Shadow of Ghengis Khan: Timeless […]

Here’s something to heighten your enjoyment of a winter campout — tracking animals in the snow. In anticipation of last weekend’s snowfall, I picked up this pocket guide to identifying tracks. And as Providence would have it, my first walk was right after said snowfall and well after dark. These conditions must be the ideal, […]

A rather spirited rant from Outside Magazine attempts to resolve a conundrum all too common nowadays: When to bring your techno-toys on the trail… and when to leave ‘em home.