I Love Paddling

If winter dreams of next summer’s canoe trips have left you longing for the calm of a northern lake or the challenge of the portage, Larry Christianson’s poetry will have you back there in no time. In spirit, at least. The Minnesota poet and pastor explores the essence of the wilderness experience in his new […]

Howes Pass may not be a familiar name to many, but its discovery 200 years ago by Canadian fur trader and explorer David Thompson was critical to the fur trade. Knowledge of the pass made it possible to paddle from the heart of Canada to the Pacific Ocean at a time when the fur trade […]

A Minnesota Conservation Volunteer article on the moose of northeastern Minnesota recently caught our eye. A DNR study has confirmed what, until now, had been rumor and speculation; the area’s moose herd is in decline. Of the study’s radio-collared moose, 21% perished. That’s nearly double the national average, and over half of them died from […]

We enjoyed Paul H. Heinz’s recent story in the Boston Globe about his canoe journey along the 740 mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail. Traveling from Old Forge, NY to Fort Kent, Maine, Heinz bills it as a paddle through time. Yet as we follow him through the communities that line the trail, his story quickly […]

Thanks to cooler temperatures, more precipitation and shorter days the Forest Service has lifted fire restrictions in the blowdown area of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Campers may now use campfires, charcoal, and wood-burning camp stoves, and the Border Route Trail system and the Kekekabic Trail have re-opened for public use. As always, the […]

The Superior National Forest has issued fire restrictions for portions of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Effective Thurday, August 21, the use of campfires and charcoal and wood burning stoves is prohibited in the blowdown area. You can download a map of the blowdown HERE. The Kekekabic Trail east of Disappointment Lake and the […]

Three young boys swimming in South Carolina’s Keowee River made a surprising discovery in July: an ancient dug out canoe. At 21 feet long, 2 feet wide and 16 inches high, the watercraft is likely half its original length. Several state agencies examined the canoe and believe it to be hundreds of years old. While […]