Archives for April 2016

Spending the winter out in the Wilderness didn’t seem that hard at the time. We were focused on our daily tasks of gathering wood, chopping a water hole, setting up our tent, feeding and caring for the dogs, documenting and sharing our #wildernessyear to @savetheBWCA , and dozens of other repetitive tasks that became part of our daily rhythm.
Now that the ice is gone and we are traveling by canoe, we are struck by how much easier life is. Many of our tasks melted away with the coming of spring and others require less time and effort. Even sitting outside in the sun with bare hands writing this and watching the sun turn the clouds red last night required less effort than they would have several months ago.

There is no need to warm batteries or stoke the woodstove. The singing loons and song birds bring so much joy and the sun’s warmth feels like the most cherished gift. This is a special time to be out in the northwoods. I hope you get out and enjoy the natural world as it wakes up after a long winter’s nap.

We must speak loudly for the otters and the loons, the clean, cool lakes, and towering pines. This Wilderness is too precious to risk. Sign the petition at @savetheBWCA, help us protect the Boundary Waters from a series of proposed sulfide-ore copper mines along the edge of our nation’s most popular Wilderness.

#wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #spring #joy #simple #sunset #wilderness #adventure #BWCA #BoundaryWaters #captureMN #onlyinMN

We spent two days visiting with friends and gorging on fresh fruits and veggies, sweets, and even whole roast chicken with all the trimmings. Our visitors brought in several weeks of much-needed food along with good conversation and treats. We sent out close to 100 pounds of skis, ski boots, an eleven foot Black River Sled toboggan, and a pile of winter gear.
With all that gear our 19 foot Wenonah Itasca was packed to the gills. The only spot left for Tank was wedged in the bow, right in front of Amy. Now we have trimmed down to three large packs and can easily double portage. Tank has ample room in the center compartment and he has his very own dog packs so he can portage his own food.

We have been poking about in our canoe for over a week, but today we paddled and portaged with relative ease, unencumbered by our winter gear. We are tired after traveling all day, but the relatively warm, sunny weather makes traveling so much easier.

This is a special place, a place worth protecting. Please help us protect it. Sign the petition at http://ift.tt/1x2erSX.
#wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #onlyinMN #captureMN #portage #dog #BoundaryWaters #minnesota #BWCA @granitegear

Yesterday Tank surprised us by excitedly barking at the water and biting at the waves. Judging from his reaction, we think that he has never seen waves before. All the lakes he has encountered have been frozen until now. We are hoping that he will quickly learn to love, or at least tolerate, whatever it is he imagines living in the waves.
High winds and cold rain have encouraged us to spend the day in our tent. In no hurry, we baked cornbread for breakfast and leisurely enjoyed our morning coffee. It has been a day of reading, writing, and listening to our tiny radio. Two days of rain and gusting winds have likely opened up most of the lakes in the area. Tomorrow we look forward to breaking camp and moving. In a few days we will send our toboggan, skis, and the rest of our remaining winter clothing and equipment out with a volunteer crew who are bringing in our next resupply.
Sign the @savethebwca petition to protect this wilderness and share it with fellow wilderness lovers. Link in bio.
#wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #bwca #bwcaw #BoundaryWaters #WeAreTheWild #captureMN #onlyinMN

Overnight rain and wind pummeled the remaining ice into submission. We woke up to the sound of gently lapping waves and open water. A few small patches of ice cling to the south shore of Spoon Lake, but the wind continues to howl and I am sure all the ice will be gone very soon. The largest, deepest lakes in the Ely area remain frozen and it appears that lakes farther to the east are still frozen, but for us the paddling season has officially begun! Yesterday we paddled the length of Spoon Lake following a wide, ice-free channel along the north shore. Loons, mergansers and buffleheads flew overhead and floated on the lake’s smooth surface. The thin patches of ice were easy to paddle through. We laughed as we paddled down the middle of the lake for several hundred yards noisily crashing through the ice. When we returned to camp several hours later we realized that we had detached a sheet of ice the size of a football field, which drifted down the lake, disintegrating as it went.

Today is the 215th day of our #wildernessyear to @savetheBWCA . By taking action and speaking loudly for this quite place, we can protect the Boundary Waters watershed from sulfide-ore mines. Please sign the @savethebwca and take action today. #wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #BWCA #canoeing #paddle #canoe #onlyinMN #captureMN #natgeoadventure #WeAreTheWild @MTIAdventureWear

Yesterday we packed up camp and hauled our canoe loaded with skis, toboggan, and mountain of food and equipment down Knife Lake to the portage into Bonnie Lake. As we crested the hill overlooking Bonnie, open water stretched across the lake and a loon floated quietly in the calm water. Loading the canoe and figuring out how to get all of our stuff, Amy, Tank, and me in the canoe was a bit of a jigsaw puzzle. We found that by wedging/lashing our Black River Sled toboggan under our seats, we can portage the canoe with the toboggan left inside!

We paddled, portaged, and pushed our way though the ice across Bonnie Lake and Spoon Lake. Between our unusually large assortment of gear that we are carrying during the shoulder season and the challenge of pushing our way though the remaining patches of ice, it was a hard day- but it felt great to paddle and travel.
The haunting cry of a loon echoing across the Wilderness filled me with joy at dawn this morning. In late November we said goodbye to the last loon of the season. Back then, their call echoed across Knife Lake until many of the smaller lakes were frozen. As the smaller lakes open up, the loons are returning along with many of the other birds.

We swatted our first mosquitoes last night as well! We are excited to get a new Cooke Custom Sewing Lean soon. The CCS Lean is a really neat tarp shelter which will make it easier for us to cook, eat, write, and relax in a dry, bug-free environment. Cooke Custom Sewing is a great example of the many businesses who are supporting our efforts and are dedicated to protecting this national treasure for future generations. Please join in the effort by signing the @savethebwca petition at link in bi)!
#wildernessyear #SavetheBWCA #Wilderness #Canoe #ice #BWCA #BoundaryWaters #OnlyinMN #CaptureMN #natgeoadventure

Yesterday we took advantage of another warm, sunny day to carefully explore Knife Lake. The ice is degrading quickly and we expect that many of the small and medium sized lakes have opened up in the last few days– and the large, deeper lakes will soon follow. Traveling now requires extreme caution but we are thankful that we can still travel and explore the Wilderness as the forest awakens all around us.
The ice is pulling away from shore and narrows and shallows are open. To get up onto safe ice we paddle as hard as we can and drive the bow up onto the ice.

Please sign the petition and learn more about our efforts to protect this national treasure at http://ift.tt/1x2erSX . Now is the time to act!

#wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #canoeing @MTIAdventureWear #spring #onlyinMN #captureMn #paddle #canoe #canoeing #boundarywaters #BWCA

We went paddling today! On April 16th, the 207th day of our #wildernessyear to #savetheBWCA , we opened the 2016 canoeing season with our first few paddle strokes and Tank’s first ride in a canoe. After breakfast we packed a day pack, put everything we needed into the canoe and headed east, hauling our canoe over the slushy surface of Knife Lake. Knife Lake is covered in a foot of ice, which is still solid enough to safely walk on in most places.
The ice is dotted with things that look like the outline of octopuses of varying sizes flattened on the ice. These unique patterns were made by old slush drain holes that refroze leaving a circle ringed with squiggly tentacles branching off in all directions.

We portaged into Bonnie Lake and found a lane of open water lining the shore in front of the portage. We used the canoe to break up the ice and paddled out into the lake breaking ice with the canoe, looking for the same 12 inches of ice that covers Knife Lake. Bonnie is a very shallow lake and even when we drilled test holes 100 feet from shore there were only about 6 inches of very rotten ice that would barely hold us.
We decided to go paddling in the narrow strip of open water in front of the portage and work on getting Tank used to riding in the canoe. He was a little nervous at first, but with lots of dog treats and praise he became an eager study. Before long I think he will be napping in the bottom of the canoe with his head perched on a gunwale.
Even though we only had a lane of open water about 200 feet long and 10 feet wide in most places, it felt great to paddle again. In fact, after paddling on Bonnie we hauled the canoe down to the narrows 2 miles west of our campsite and paddled around some more!

Thank you @MTIAdventureWear and @DarrenBush for providing us with amazing new dry suits! They are perfect for what we are doing right now.
#BWCA #canoeing #paddling #onlyinMN #captureMN #BoundaryWaters #Wilderness

Lounging in the sun, we gazed down Knife Lake past Isle of the Pines and on to the west where generations of Native Americans, voyageurs, and now modern canoeists have unloaded their canoes on their way west along this watery Wilderness highway which has been in continuous use for centuries.

When we climbed to the top of Thunder Point, Knife Lake was covered in a soft blanket of snow. Over several hours we watched pools of slush form on the lake’s surface, replacing the shiny white with a dull gray. Once the layer of reflective white melts away, the sun’s rays are able to melt the remaining snow and ice more quickly. It was interesting to watch this transition from above.
Immersed in the calm, silent Wilderness, we were totally alone. The only human sign was the narrow ribbon in the melting snow that we made as we skied across the canvas of white stretching to the horizon.

By the end of today only patches of snow will remain in the shadows, protected from the sun. We are so lucky to be out here watching spring unfold. We have wanted to spend break-up in the Wilderness for many years. Now that dream is becoming a reality. We look forward to documenting and sharing this unique moment in the Wilderness with you as we bear witness to the land to remind us all what a special place this is. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is like no other place on earth. This National Treasure must be protected. Please sign the petition at http://ift.tt/1x2erSX and help protect the Wilderness.

#wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #Wilderness #captureMN #onlyinMN #BWCA #BoundaryWaters #WeAreTheWild #Minnesota

Bright rays of sun shone through the walls of our tent went I opened my eyes around 6:30 AM yesterday. The land was still, the storm had passed and the constant sound of wind beating on the tent were gone.

I lay in my sleeping bag watching the glow on the thin nylon intensify knowing that these first rays would soon bring warmth to our tiny cocoon and the Wilderness.

The 203rd day of our #wildernessyear to #savetheBWCA was off to a good start.

#Saganaga #sunrise #Wilderness @seekoutside @darntoughvermont #BWCA #BoundaryWaters #tent #sun

35 mile per hour gusts are raging across Saganaga Lake, buffeting our thin nylon home, and emmiting a dull roar as they surge through the pines around us. Yesterday we skied across Saganaga, weaving through an intricate maze of islands, exploring the mouth of the Granite River, and venturing into Tenor Lake. As we finished our 13 mile loop snow had begun to fill our tracks and swirl over our skis.
Overnight the winds increased, swung to the northwest, and by morning a blizzard buffeted our tent. Taking a cue from Tank, we have been content to sip tea, write, and read. Between snacks and brief forays into the wind to add more guy lines to the tent, gather water, and haul in firewood, we have fallen into a steady rythm of reading and writing. For much of the day I have read A Whale for the Killing by Farley Mowat aloud while Amy transcribes her handwritten journal into a digital form.

We are hoping the wind will die overnight and tomorrow we can move on. It looks like this blizzard may be winter’s last hoorah. We hope to traveled for another day or two and then look for a place to wait out the thaw.
Please support @savetheBWCA and help us protect the Boundary Waters from the sulfide-ore mines being proposed along the edge of the Wilderness. #wilderness #wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #BWCA #captureMN #minnesota #Saganaga #BWCAW