UpNorthica

Happy to see, at last, some report of last weekend’s race.
Participant Chris Stromberg took the images and all in all, it sounds like a good race with only a few small injuries. Well done, everybody! Via Canoeing.com.

Race results are (finally) in from this weekend’s Cross Quetico Marathon Canoe Race. We have few details so far, but for a brief comment by USFS Recreation Planner John Pierce:
I’ve been around people when their tank is empty due to a long race or some other event, but my admiration seeing everyone in that canoe [...]

In just two days, the waters of Quetico will be astir with twenty-plus canoes in a fervid, knuckles-down race — but not one to claim available campsites.
As the date of the Cross-Quetico Marathon Canoe Race now approaches ramming speed, the teams are undoubtedly coveting the first prize of $5000 cash money. You always have to [...]

To the sounds of traditional dances and the firing of musket and cannon salutes, the Canoe the Heart Expedition has come to a close at Historic Fort William in Thunder Bay.
Its crew of Canadian and American park officials, forestry staffers and avid paddlers alike, pulled into port and was greeted by guests in costumes from [...]

“Canadians and Americans joining forces to fight invasive species and tackle climate change — two nations in one canoe, on a mission for Good in the heart of the continent.”
…Sound like a movie trailer? or one of those DC/Marvel comic book crossovers?
Maybe that’s on account of the heroic push the Canoe the Heart Expedition [...]

Day-long hard paddling made bearable by frequent breaks, a little esprit de corps… and a lot of second helpings at supper time.
The first report from the Canoe the Heart Expedition sounds strikingly similar to a day in the life of the voyageurs. Minus, that is, the pipe-smoking at every break. Put nine people from Canada [...]

It’s the closest thing to a rock tour, ever to hit the Boundary Waters.
The Canoe the Heart Expedition begins today with the launch of a 24-foot voyageur canoe in Atikokan, Ontario. Paddling the tour bus-sized craft are rangers, parks staff and wilderness advocates from both sides of the border.

Just as the BWCA wraps up its 30th year, Ontario’s Quetico Provincial Park begins its 100th anniversary (wow!) celebration. More on the anniversary itself, in another post, but one upcoming event you should know about is the Cross Quetico Lakes Tour.
Hosted by a local x-country ski club this March, the tour spans the frozen [...]

Paddling in the Boundary Waters, I’ve taken for granted how easy it is to pass between lake and portage with the aid of well-marked maps and a compass. Nature’s job is reduced to providing the scenery.
In the early years Native guides helped trappers and Voyageurs, without a single waterproof MacKenzie among ‘em. But with all [...]

These days, the moss is looking pretty green on the other side. The last several months have seen Canada taking huge steps to preserve its boreal wonderlands for future generations. The latest announcement comes from Ontario and Manitoba, who have agreed to establish and co-manage a new Interprovincial Wilderness Area. And it’s freaking huge [PDF [...]

If you’re planning on doing some fishing across the border on your next canoe trip, be aware of the new regulations that came into effect this past January. The use of barbed hooks, live bait and formerly live bait are now banned. Barbless hooks reduce the damage done by a hook and lower the mortality [...]

A collaboration between artists, scientists and educators, “Paradise Lost: Climate Change in the North Woods” does more than spread awareness about climate change. On exhibit through April 11 at the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis, it’s inspiring as much as it is, sobering. And in a more digestible format than Al [...]

Headed up into Quetico this year? Here’s a heads-up about new regulations, effective January 31, on acceptable forms of identification as you cross into Canada. Sounds like, “Hi, I’m Me, and I’m an American” won’t cut it anymore…