It seems like every place in the world has locals that love saying “If you don’t like the weather just wait five minutes.” I cannot say why they do it because in most cases and places its not even close to the truth. Is it some misguided meteorological pride? Maybe it’s just really easy to make that comment when it...
The air surrounding you is thick with a stagnant, almost viscous humidity and the sky above is a wide open blue that houses a glowing white orb of radiating pain that has not moved for what seems like hours. The lake underneath you amplifies this pain by reflecting a mirror image of the menace in the sky and you apply...
Whether by circumstance as a result of multiple similar occurrences or as a result of myself being in a generally more reflective state I find myself asking why more often lately. As this specifically relates to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area I wonder why the million acres of woods and waters in Northeastern Minnesota was designated as a space that...
Over the years of travelling throughout the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and Quetico Provincial park I have seen many interesting things. Recently the possible existence of ancient dolmens being constructed as a means of navigation or otherwise in the wilderness has me wondering about the legitimacy of their origins. A dolmen is a megalithic structure that typically sees one...
With fear of alarming too many of you with my previous post about how fast the summer flies by I just want to say we do get out and enjoy ourselves from time to time. Having one of the worlds best wilderness areas right at our doorstep to explore means we can head out on a whim for the afternoon,...
I once heard somebody compare the speed of a life to driving down a highway. The years go by at the rate of an occasional side road as a youth, then like power poles, and eventually they fly by as quickly as fence posts. It may be more a matter of perspective and memory but it sure does seem like...
A night spent camping in the Boundary Waters can’t be beat. The time and effort put into hauling all of your gear and canoes multiple portages and lakes deep into the wilderness is made up for by the time spent next to a crackling fire at the end of the day enjoying good food and even better company. Nothing will...
The topic of bears comes up on an almost daily basis around here. It should not be expected that you would need to consider bears to be a nuisance once you find yourself inside shelter, but that is not always the case. I would like to share the words of my wife Tori who had the incredibly rare experience of...
The views from what is known as the Gunflint High Cliffs are some of the best in the area, and they are also some of the easiest to access. An expansive 180 degree vista to the west and north is what you will find after making the trek up from Gunflint Lake along a network of ski trails and sunsets...
“I never want to do anything like that again” were the words I spoke to my father after my first paddling day trip into the Boundary Waters at the age of 14. Growing up we would stay at cabins on lakes around Ely and fish out of motorboats and the concept of the adjacent wilderness was absolutely foreign yet captivating. ...
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