Time in the North Woods, Boundary Waters Vol. III Final Edition
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| The bow pointed north into new lake country. |
The lake country of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) is a pristine wilderness full of untouched beauty with bountiful room for exploration. Close your eyes for a moment, take a deep breath and try to put yourself into a gliding canoe skimming across an untouched lake deep in the north woods. Breathe deep again and the scent of old growth pine and fir trees fills your senses and a cool lake breeze presses against your face. Listen closely for the gentle chop of the lake waves bouncing along the hull of your canoe. Feel in your seat and legs the slow rock of the canoe underneath you, steady and sturdy an ancient form of travel rooted deep into the soul of a Wild Man. Holding you up against all depths, loaded heavy with necessities true to survival, the canoe is a genuine tool and companion of the wilderness.
Paddle travel is one of the purest forms of transportation. The oldest canoe known to history is the Pesse Canoe dating somewhere between 8200 and 7600 BC found in the Netherlands. Ancient man used waterways and paddle travel as a livelihood for thousands of years and across the continents. Canoes have served for generations of mankind as modes of trade and travel, providing for exploration and the ability to haul freight. I think it is this primal thread of DNA written somewhere on the soul of man that brings us home to wild lakes with a paddle in our hand. Men of domestication, men of education and men of commerce come to the north woods to find in themselves an ancient flame now reduced to a glowing ember. Time in the wilderness, be it lakes or deserts, mountains or prairies; blows life into those failing embers and starts a wildfire where there has been only cold smoke.
I find that when I venture into the north lake country and the BWCA, that the north country finds me. The north country finds me and my cold ember, drawn weak by modern society and civilization. Months and years, moon phases and time passed since an intimate experience in lake wilderness vanish like a spark cast into the air from an evening campfire. The first shove off of a heavy canoe loaded down with trappings for a week's worth of wilderness living blows life into my ember, each new experience, the slap of a beaver tail or the new song of a lake bird adds fuel to the fire. With each stroke of my paddle into new country further and further from civilization and closer and closer to the heart of mankind I find that my inner fire soon grows into a warming blaze.
The Boundary Waters is full of beauty, teaming with wildlife and freshness kept new by the cleanest air and water on earth. Giant lakes whose depths are scathing fill the landscape connected to one another by smaller bodies of water most would consider sizeable. The BWCA territory is so much more diverse than most explorers anticipate on their first journey here. Giant granite boulders and cliffs sewn together by the tangled roots of old growth conifers give way to meandering rivers and low lying wetlands. Beaver dams reaching heights taller than a man and spanning hundreds of feet create beautiful backwater pools dotted with water lilies and water grasses bent by the slow current. One of the main ingredients of a wilderness paddle trip is the necessity to slow down. Travel here is deliberate and focused. Propulsion under one's own power finds us examining the environment around ourselves. A small dark frog perched on a lily pad, the split track of a moose sunken deep in the mud of a portage filled with morning rain or the quick stroke of a water bug dancing on the surface all be clear and noticeable.
Canoe travel in the north woods is not all blue skies and strolls in the park. The wilderness area of the BWCA provides to modern mankind real adventure, real wild places and real opportunity to fully experience mother nature. While some trips into the north woods are graced with fair weather and calm waters, the lake country does change moods and wind and rain and cold are often a ration endured while tripping. Shelter on a paddle excursion here is provided only by the shelter you freight in your canoe and carry on your back. Thin nylon walls of pop up tents and kitchen flies do their best to keep travelers dry. The rough country of the north requires rough and robust gear. Rest assured, the lake country of the north will test your gear. Campsites are often nothing more than a small spot of loamy soil parked between granite boulders. Warmth and drying out come in the form of camp fires here. There is no park attendant to sell firewood or ice cream sandwiches. The pavement and gravel roadways end well before the first stroke of a paddle. Tools for each job must be packed and hauled including the camp hatchet and saw, tents and cookware. No trappings or tools await visitors in camp, every ounce in every pack must be considered. Gales of sharp winds in the face of a traveler's route can build rolling white cap waves chopping at your canoe like a sledge hammer. Men searching for their primal urge to live life and find contentment through adventure and the wilderness often find they had no idea they were searching for those things at all. Most times travelers here find more than they had imagined, more than they know to expect or look for. Struggling hard long into a head wind, pulling deep strokes of shoulder burning paddling into oncoming waves knowing that you are two or three days travel from anything or anyone is exhilarating. Spray coming across the bow of a heavy canoe is somehow rejuvenating and invigorating. My experience in the wilderness has proven that the stormy winds and weather of lake country travel reveal more to us about ourselves than we had ever imagined possible.
The deep forested canoe country lakes of the Northwoods keep calling me back, and I pray that my time there is not over. I pray that sometime and somehow I can share the landscape and adventure with my children and hopefully their children one day. Each time I return I long for the third day in camp and tripping. Something changes on or near the third evening of a wilderness trip, something in our physiology. Sounds and thoughts become clearer after the third day, time is deliberate and the impatience of the modern world fades away. The sun becomes our clock and comfort is found in things like a woolen shirt, a crackling fire or the smile of a friend whose adventure is tied to you and your life now forever. When I think back on trips made into the BWCA I first find the memories of people, people I shared time and adventure with and now stories and memories. The oneness and wholeness that wild places like the Northwoods provides is pivotal and life changing. I have witnessed boys become men and fathers reconnect with sons under such circumstances, the effect of the wilderness between people is amazing and for far too many, unknown.
Gear and trappings, canoes and grub are all considerations for wilderness canoe travel. The BWCA has called me back time and time again since my first visit there as a boy. I have used multiple outfitters, gone self outfitted and partially outfitted. I have paddle Quetico, the Canadian side of the BWCA, and Minnesota waters. For my time and dollar I have found that Piragis Northwoods Outfitters is the best in the business. These guys know their stuff and have some of the best equipment for rent and outfitting. They are terrific at helping you plan a trip to fit your group and walk you through all the permitting, paperwork and logistics. An outfitted trip into the BWCA is surprisingly affordable, as far as outfitting goes, and without a doubt the guys at Piragis will take care of you. When you give them a call ask for Adam or Drew and tell them Modern Wild Man sent you!
I hope you enjoyed a small part of the Northwoods here and that I can somehow bring a small sense of the grandeur and serenity of the lake country to you.
If you enjoyed reading this post please be sure and check out the Boundary Waters Vol. I and Boundary Waters Vol. II also on the Modern Wild Man blog.
Modern Wild Man on Facebook Modern Wild Man on Twitter
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| Modern Wild Man with a great smallmouth bass in the BWCA. |
I find that when I venture into the north lake country and the BWCA, that the north country finds me. The north country finds me and my cold ember, drawn weak by modern society and civilization. Months and years, moon phases and time passed since an intimate experience in lake wilderness vanish like a spark cast into the air from an evening campfire. The first shove off of a heavy canoe loaded down with trappings for a week's worth of wilderness living blows life into my ember, each new experience, the slap of a beaver tail or the new song of a lake bird adds fuel to the fire. With each stroke of my paddle into new country further and further from civilization and closer and closer to the heart of mankind I find that my inner fire soon grows into a warming blaze.
The Boundary Waters is full of beauty, teaming with wildlife and freshness kept new by the cleanest air and water on earth. Giant lakes whose depths are scathing fill the landscape connected to one another by smaller bodies of water most would consider sizeable. The BWCA territory is so much more diverse than most explorers anticipate on their first journey here. Giant granite boulders and cliffs sewn together by the tangled roots of old growth conifers give way to meandering rivers and low lying wetlands. Beaver dams reaching heights taller than a man and spanning hundreds of feet create beautiful backwater pools dotted with water lilies and water grasses bent by the slow current. One of the main ingredients of a wilderness paddle trip is the necessity to slow down. Travel here is deliberate and focused. Propulsion under one's own power finds us examining the environment around ourselves. A small dark frog perched on a lily pad, the split track of a moose sunken deep in the mud of a portage filled with morning rain or the quick stroke of a water bug dancing on the surface all be clear and noticeable.
 |
| A beautiful scene of a wild lily along the bank. Notice the grass bent by a slow current. |
Canoe travel in the north woods is not all blue skies and strolls in the park. The wilderness area of the BWCA provides to modern mankind real adventure, real wild places and real opportunity to fully experience mother nature. While some trips into the north woods are graced with fair weather and calm waters, the lake country does change moods and wind and rain and cold are often a ration endured while tripping. Shelter on a paddle excursion here is provided only by the shelter you freight in your canoe and carry on your back. Thin nylon walls of pop up tents and kitchen flies do their best to keep travelers dry. The rough country of the north requires rough and robust gear. Rest assured, the lake country of the north will test your gear. Campsites are often nothing more than a small spot of loamy soil parked between granite boulders. Warmth and drying out come in the form of camp fires here. There is no park attendant to sell firewood or ice cream sandwiches. The pavement and gravel roadways end well before the first stroke of a paddle. Tools for each job must be packed and hauled including the camp hatchet and saw, tents and cookware. No trappings or tools await visitors in camp, every ounce in every pack must be considered. Gales of sharp winds in the face of a traveler's route can build rolling white cap waves chopping at your canoe like a sledge hammer. Men searching for their primal urge to live life and find contentment through adventure and the wilderness often find they had no idea they were searching for those things at all. Most times travelers here find more than they had imagined, more than they know to expect or look for. Struggling hard long into a head wind, pulling deep strokes of shoulder burning paddling into oncoming waves knowing that you are two or three days travel from anything or anyone is exhilarating. Spray coming across the bow of a heavy canoe is somehow rejuvenating and invigorating. My experience in the wilderness has proven that the stormy winds and weather of lake country travel reveal more to us about ourselves than we had ever imagined possible.
The deep forested canoe country lakes of the Northwoods keep calling me back, and I pray that my time there is not over. I pray that sometime and somehow I can share the landscape and adventure with my children and hopefully their children one day. Each time I return I long for the third day in camp and tripping. Something changes on or near the third evening of a wilderness trip, something in our physiology. Sounds and thoughts become clearer after the third day, time is deliberate and the impatience of the modern world fades away. The sun becomes our clock and comfort is found in things like a woolen shirt, a crackling fire or the smile of a friend whose adventure is tied to you and your life now forever. When I think back on trips made into the BWCA I first find the memories of people, people I shared time and adventure with and now stories and memories. The oneness and wholeness that wild places like the Northwoods provides is pivotal and life changing. I have witnessed boys become men and fathers reconnect with sons under such circumstances, the effect of the wilderness between people is amazing and for far too many, unknown.
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| Modern Wild Man paddling through Boundary Waters Canoe Area. |
Gear and trappings, canoes and grub are all considerations for wilderness canoe travel. The BWCA has called me back time and time again since my first visit there as a boy. I have used multiple outfitters, gone self outfitted and partially outfitted. I have paddle Quetico, the Canadian side of the BWCA, and Minnesota waters. For my time and dollar I have found that Piragis Northwoods Outfitters is the best in the business. These guys know their stuff and have some of the best equipment for rent and outfitting. They are terrific at helping you plan a trip to fit your group and walk you through all the permitting, paperwork and logistics. An outfitted trip into the BWCA is surprisingly affordable, as far as outfitting goes, and without a doubt the guys at Piragis will take care of you. When you give them a call ask for Adam or Drew and tell them Modern Wild Man sent you!
 |
| Coffee break time after a long portage. |
I hope you enjoyed a small part of the Northwoods here and that I can somehow bring a small sense of the grandeur and serenity of the lake country to you.
If you enjoyed reading this post please be sure and check out the Boundary Waters Vol. I and Boundary Waters Vol. II also on the Modern Wild Man blog.
Modern Wild Man on Facebook Modern Wild Man on Twitter
