UpNorthica

Aspire to go winter camping, but have cold feet? Backpacker has posted a fairly comprehensive ‘winter camping essentials’ guide to help allay your fears and warm you up to the experience.
The collection of articles covers how to dress, what to bring, and how to do what you need to do — all without losing precious [...]

With your Fall chores out of the way (oh wait, it never came this year,) you oughta have a few slots open for some hard-earned fun. So why not check out these events, sponsored by Midwest Mountaineering.

Winter Camping: Traveling
Thursday, October 29, 6:30pm, in the Expedition Room
If you’ve only winter camped a little, survived it, and [...]

Raise your cans of Leinie’s and join us in toasting a victory for the BW: The former site of the Chainsaw Sisters Saloon is now federally-protected wilderness protected from the development of kajillion-dollar log cabins.
With the Mudro Lake entry point literally just out the back door, the rustic saloon became a favorite trailhead stop in [...]

Fact: 200 years ago this week, voyageurs coming off the trail didn’t have the luxury of browsing the gift shop for birch bark picture frames and moose poop incense.
What they did have, was the Rendezvous: a merry mid-summer celebration with plenty of food, sport and dance. This weekend, you’re invited to join them.
Grand Portage National [...]

How to find the right-sized paddle for you? Sheesh, I still struggle in remembering how to fit a backpack for hikes on the SHT. So I’ll gladly hear how the folks at Duluth Pack do it.
Check out the methods they use, maybe you’ll learn something too. Unless, that is, you have a method they don’t [...]

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Hey, when’d Highway 61 get Street Views? I sorta found out by accident just yesterday and so yeah, I had to do a little sightseeing.
The ‘coverage’ goes all the way up to the tip ‘o’ the Arrowhead, allowing for visits to faves like the Silver Creek Tunnel, the bridge over the Cross [...]

Every so often, we’ll see a photo on the Boundary Waters Flickr Group Pool that’s worthy of mention.
“Words Can Not Begin to Describe,” (above) left us a little speechless.
Taylor, a photography major at University of Central Missouri, also has several others he’s taken in the Best Place on Earth Ever. Speaking of which, Matthew — [...]

This week, President Obama proclaimed June “Great Outdoors Month,” and with good reason. There’s a slew of celebrations during the month, including National Trails Day, National Fishing and Boating Week, National Get Outdoors Day, and the Great American Backyard Campout.
But before you start Googling all those, check out our list of Five Free Things offered [...]

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, [...]

Midwest Mountaineering kicks off their Outdoor Adventure Expo on Thursday. Still going strong in its 48th year, it doesn’t look at all downsized due to the recession, we’re happy to report.
That’s only sorta good news, because it’s still impossible to see and do everything. From discovering Arctic Scandinavia by paddle, to protecting our own [...]

If it’s bigger than a puddle and it’s in Minnesota, Lynne and Bob Diebel have likely canoed it. The lifetime paddlers traveled almost 3,000 miles along 58 rivers in researching their books Paddling Northern Minnesota and Paddling Southern Minnesota.
Now you get to ride along as they host Tales of Water Trails, a new weekly podcast [...]

Here’s a good problem to have: How do you go about storing your *nine* canoes?
Crap, don’t look at me… Instead, check this article featuring avid canoeist Dave Birren’s boat storage solutions.
Accompanied by numerous reference photos, this article gives some great recommendations on protecting both wooden and non-wooden canoes. Although they should’ve thrown in [...]

This is the best time of year – March 15 through April 20 – for maple syruping, says the MN-DNR. And they want to show you how.
Numerous state parks will be sponsoring family-friendly syruping events, beginning this weekend. You’ll get to help harvest sap, see how it’s boiled down to make syrup, and learn [...]

The only thing that bites worse than the -40 windchill on a trip Up North, is having all your photo ops go into epic fail mode. Between overexposed shots and simply dealing with the cold’s effect on electronics, I’ve gotten all too used to bad experiences with winter photography.
So I was glad to see these [...]

If your favorite boots need repair; if you need to patch a tent, sans duct tape; if your down bag smells a little too much of mildew and man-scent… look into McNett Outdoor.
McNett offers a variety of no-gimmick repair and cleaning products for your gear. New products intro’ed just last week include Tenacious Tapes (tent [...]