Of Memory and Ashes

May 9, 2007

I saw a report this morning that Superior-North Canoe Outfitters has lost most of its structures to the Ham Lake Fire, which is currently burning in the Boundary Waters. Superior-North outfitted the first BWCA trip Rosie and I ever went on together (which was my first ever).
Every Journey Begins Before A Single Step
I was 18 [...]

###

Spring on the St. Croix

April 23, 2007

Sleepy and I paddled my favorite stretch of the St. Croix River yesterday, from Osceola to Log House Landing (near Copas just north of William O’ Brien).
We put in about 11:00 under partly cloudy skies. The forecast was calling for showers and maybe thunderstorms later in the afternoon, but it sure didn’t seem possible at [...]

###

The Cliffs of Kekekabic, Part Five: The Winds of Kekekabic

December 1, 2006

“Switch!” Rosie yelled from the bow. I switched sides and dug in with my paddle against the fierce wind that was blowing relentlessly down Kekekabic Lake, making forward progress seemingly impossible and whipping up whitecaps that tossed our canoe around like a toy boat in some sadistic child’s bathtub. The muscles in my shoulders were [...]

###

The Cliffs of Kekekabic, Part Four: Day of Rest

November 13, 2006

It was Monday. Not a bad day for a layover day in canoe country. Thoughts of what was going on around my workplace barely entered my mind. Today would be the only day we would not have to break camp and set up camp during the trip. We had a nice site with lots of [...]

###

The Cliffs of Kekekabic, Part Three: Blowdown and Beyond

November 2, 2006

We were up at dawn. The morning light was metallic on the water and it was very quiet. The day had been planned as one of our biggest days in terms of miles to travel and, as a result of the previous day’s wind, we had even further to go than originally intended. We would [...]

###

The Cliffs of Kekekabic, Part Two: Impediments and Improvisation

October 11, 2006

When we woke up in the morning, it was not the 70 degrees and sunny Rosie had hoped for as we fell asleep the night before, but it also wasn’t raining (as it had off-and-on during the night) and we were content just to be able to make and eat our breakfast on a fine [...]

###