Archives for July 2016

At dawn I walked out onto the bedrock jutting into Basswood Lake. Standing in the silence, I watch as the stars slowly disappeared in the pre-dawn light.
Watching the light return I thought about the water flowing past me, traveling northeast towards the sun, into the heart of the Wilderness.
The scary thing is, much of this water flowing past me now recently flowed through the proposed site for the Twin Metals Mine. The Twin Metals Mine is being proposed along the southern edge of the Wilderness, next to and under Birch Lake.
Multiple studies, including one published recently in the Journal of Hydrology, show a high probability that pollution from the proposed mine would flow into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

We have spent the last 312 days in the Wilderness working to protect this national treasure. The Boundary Waters belongs to all Americans, those living now and generations from now. It is up to us to speak loudly for this quite place. Visit http://ift.tt/1x2erSX, sign the petition and take action today!

#wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #onlyinMN #BoundaryWaters #Wilderness #sunrise #wearethewild

I am not sure, but I think Tank might miss the Girl Scouts even more than Amy and I will. We had a lot of fun with them yesterday. Helping young people spend time in nature is something we should all strive to do more. Their excitement is contagious (and Tank loved all the attention)! Let’s @savetheBWCA for them! #BoundaryWaters #Wilderness #wildernessyear #BWCA #canoeing #girlscouts #savetheBWCA dog

Why do I find myself thinking about water so much? Is it because our bodies are mostly water or because, along with air and sunlight, water is what makes life on earth possible?
I wish I could say it was, but I think it’s just the fact that for the last 310 days we have dipped our pots, cups, bottles, and hands into hundreds of lakes to gather one of the earth’s most precious gifts.
No faucets or pipes, pitchers or glasses appearing on tables, or plastic bottles from who knows where brought water to us. Instead it is all around us, dropped from the sky as rain and snow, delivered by rivers, and held briefly in the lakes on it’s way to the ocean.
It belongs to all of us. It is ours to drink, it is ours to protect, and it is ours pass on to our kids and grandkids– for them to fish and swim and play in, but most importantly to drink.
20% of all the freshwater in all of the National Forests in the United States is right here in the Superior National Forest. 10% of all the freshwater in the world is in Lake Superior. Proposed sulfide-ore copper mines in Northern Minnesota threaten something we can’t live with out, something that is abundant here, but scarce in may places.
Sign the petition at @savetheBWCA (link in bio) and protect your water. This water doesn’t belong to me, or to Amy, this water belongs to all of us, so we all must take action.

#wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #water #onlyinMN #BoundaryWaters #Wilderness

We heard a chorus of girls singing “We’re off to find the Freemans” to the melody of the Wizard of Oz theme song this afternoon as two canoes filled with Girl Scouts from the Girl Scout Canoe Base on Moose Lake paddled up to our campsite with our resupply.

We enjoyed several hours visiting with them, including going over the map. We talked about many of the places we have visited during our first 309 days in the Wilderness, showed them where the Twin Metals mine is being proposed and talked about where the water flows. Maybe someday they will follow the water all the way to the Arctic Ocean. You never know where the skills honed and dreams planted here in the Boundary Waters will take you.

We look forward to spending tomorrow exploring the Wilderness with them. Their smiles and energy are a reminder that Wilderness protection is really about them, not us. This national treasure must be protected for future generations. Proposed copper mines like Twin Metals just aren’t worth the risk.

#wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #onlyinMN #BoundaryWaters #Wilderness #girlscouts

As the sun began to set, we walked out to the point facing east down Knife Lake. The stiff wind had blown itself out, leaving a mirror smooth surface. The clear emerald water revealed the rocks and boulders leading into the depths. It was calm and quiet as we sat on the warm rock waiting for the cool evening air to bring relief at the end of a hot day. Even out here it can be easy to rush around doing chores, fiddling with odds and ends and busying ourselves to the point where we miss the daily rhythm of watching the passage of the sun.

Some days we glance up and realize the cloud-covered sky is hiding the sun’s golden glow so we busy ourselves with whatever tasks are at hand or perhaps we climb into the tent early to read or write. I don’t mind these evenings, and in some ways it’s nice to crawl into the tent early on a gloomy, wet evening. What bugs me is when I look up and see the sky on fire and realize that we have frittered away a beautiful moment, not slowing down to take in a beautiful sunset.
Last night’s sunset wasn’t anything to write home about. The cloudless sky let the sun slip away without much color and fanfare, but the silence that settled over the Wilderness as the light slowly changed held its own delicate beauty.
The Boundary Waters continues to surprise us, even after 308 days in the Wilderness. Everyday we see and hear something new and we are constantly reminded what a special Wilderness we are immersed in. Please follow @savetheBWCA , sign their petition, and help protect the Boundary Waters from the sulfide-ore copper mines being proposed along the edge of the Wilderness.

#wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #sunset #onlyinMN #BoundaryWaters #BWCA #canoe #canoeing

Today Amy and I watched a group of boy scouts sail by as we lounged in the shade, enjoying the cool afternoon breeze. They were smiling and laughing as they cruised down Knife Lake, propelled by the wind in their improvised sail rather than their paddles. Sailboats are not allowed in the Wilderness, but you are allowed to rig a sail using a tarp and paddles.

We always enjoy seeing groups of young people out in the Boundary Waters and we have passed lots of young people on lakes and portage trails recently. One of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness’s greatest assets it is proximity to large population centers like the Twin Cities, Milwaukee, and Chicago. Each summer thousands of youth experience Wilderness for the first time right here in the Boundary Waters.
It is imperative that we protect the BWCAW so that future generations can learn and grow here like we have. Please visit http://ift.tt/1x2erSX and take action today!

#savetheBWCA #WildernessYear #BWCW #BoundaryWaters #WeAreTheWild #Wilderness #onlyinmn #captureMN #canoe #canoeing #youth #sailing

A stiff tailwind pushed us down Knife Lake this afternoon and our favorite site was available, so we decided to stop although it was early. We were happy to find all of the large red pines on the site had survived last week’s storm. A handful of balsams and spruce trees had toppled, along with one already dead red pine. With our @Goalzero solar panel unfurled in the sun, we set about making a gourmet lunch. The base was a @trailtopia Jambalaya 2 person dinner. While it was rehydrating Amy chopped up cabbage from Northern Delicious CSA in Babbitt, plus some pepper jack cheese. Then we combined all of the fixings in a tortilla and made some very tasty burritos!
Our diet has been pretty basic for the first 10 months of our #wildernessyear to @savetheBWCA, but we are starting to branch out and experiment more, asking Levi, our expedition manager, for more fresh fruits and veggies, and trying new things. Our burritos were a big success, so I am sure we will try making those again soon!

Its another picture-perfect summer day in the Wilderness, complete with puffy bright clouds and a breeze that makes the heat less oppressive. Life is so easy now, I think we are getting soft because of all this fine summer weather!

Please visit http://ift.tt/1x2erSX and take action today. The Boundary Waters belongs to all of us and it is up to us, as engaged and responsible citizens, to ensure that this national treasure remains pristine. “The Boundary Waters Canoe Area does not belong just to Minnesotans. It belongs to all Americans, those living now and generations from now… We have no right to risk its vulnerable ecology for the financial benefit of a large international mining conglomerate and their Minnesota investors.”
— Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton
#savetheBWCA #WildernessYear #BWCW #BoundaryWaters #WeAreTheWild #Wilderness @seatosummitgear @frostriverphotos @epicurean_usa

Wednesday was the last day of the Forest Service public input period. Along with its partners, @savetheBWCA delivered over 65,000 petitions to the Forest Service headquarters in Duluth. By the end of the day, the final petition count stood at a whopping 72,137 names– all folks who believe in speaking up for this quiet wilderness.
Thank you to everyone who attended the Listening Sessions in Duluth and Ely, signed the petition, and shared it far and wide. Keep up the good work! We all must continue to advocate for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and stop Twin Metals and other sulfide-ore copper mines that are being proposed along the edge of the Wilderness.

Today we are taking a break for a few hours, reading a book, and eating a watermelon! Thank you Nancy Piragis for paddling and portaging with this large, heavy fruit in your pack! A watermelon has never tasted so good! Despite Tank’s moment of checking it out, he decided that he wasn’t a fan of watermelon– so Amy and I are eating it all.

#savetheBWCA #WildernessYear #BWCW #BoundaryWaters #WeAreTheWild #Wilderness #onlyinmn #captureMN #dog

Around 3 AM on Thursday morning a wall of wind and rain pummeled our tent. I ran out to check the canoe and found it flipped upright with a large cedar laying over it, the trunk suspended a couple feet off the ground by its branches. (We placed the canoe back under the tree to show you how I found it.) I hauled the canoe back into the forest and ran to tell Amy to get out of the tent. Amy, Tank and I huddled in drenching rain near the edge of the lake, watching the trees rock and sway around us, ready to dart out of the way if their trunks or branches crashed down.

All the while lightening flashed continuously overhead, illuminating the churning, frothing lake. Slowly the wind and rain moderated and the lightening passed. We crawled back in our tent, toweled off and went back to sleep. Our 302nd night in the Wilderness turned out to be our scariest night so far. We hope we don’t experience any more storms like that. This morning we picked up gear that the estimated 70 mile per hour winds had strewn about our campsite as another beautiful day began.

We are thankful to have survived the storm unscathed and were so sad learn that the storm claimed the lives of several people and injured several more.
#savetheBWCA #WildernessYear #BWCW #BoundaryWaters

@SavetheBWCA is delivering 65,000 plus petitions to the United States Forest Service today, urging them to not renew two expired mineral leases currently held by Twin Metals. Today is the last day to sign the petition before the 30 day public input period ends.
Please sign the petition at SavetheBoundaryWaters.org (link in our bio) and help us speak loudly for this quite place.

Last night a magnificent red glow caused me to brave the bugs in order to enjoy a spectacular sunset on Knife Lake. Summer is in full swing, the Wilderness is alive with canoeists, the loon chicks are getting bigger every day and learning to dive, and we find ourselves swimming several times a day to cool off. Tomorrow is supposed to top 90 degrees! Heat wave in the BWCA!

#savetheBWCA #WildernessYear #BWCW #BoundaryWaters #WeAreTheWild #Wilderness #onlyinmn #captureMN