Editor

Poem: Listening by Larry Christianson

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LISTENING . . . Listening . . . to wilderness wind sweeping through forest and across water, speaking with wisdom for all who pause. In the distracting clamor of modern life, …

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winterwolves-courtesyvoyageursnationalpark

A Winter Wolf Story

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by Paul Schurke Ask most of us dogsledders and skiers about what we find so compelling about the Quetico Superior country in the snow season, and the answer is often the …

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The paper with the possibly prophetic last words Sigurd Olson ever typed remains in the typewriter in his writing shack. Photo by Greg Seitz.

Sigurd Olson’s Legacy Returns Home

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By Greg Seitz The soul of Sigurd and Elizabeth Olson lives on at their home in Ely. The soul smells of fresh-baked cookies in the kitchen. In the writing shack on …

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Hiking Voyageurs National Park

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Voyageurs National Park may be best known for paddling and boating, but for the hiker it offers spectacular vistas and a variety of forest scenery. The park has just launched a Hike to Health program and opened the new Rainy Lake Recreation Trail — two great reasons to plan a trip to Voyageurs…

Northern Lakes Canoe Base

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Picture the Girl Scouts, and it’s likely that young girls selling cookies come to mind. And while that can be part of the experience, Northern Lakes Canoe Base is offering up …

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Laketrails Base Camp

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By Alissa Johnson When Laketrails campers arrive at base camp, costumed counselors greet them, singing and dancing, hooting and hollering, and banging on drums. “We’re famous for our welcomes of campers,” …

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State of the Boundary Waters and Paddling to DC – Wilderness News Fall Winter 2014 Issue

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Cover Story: How will proposed mining, climate change, invasive species, nutrient loading, and algal blooms change the border lakes? The Quetico-Superior region of Minnesota and Canada bring to mind lake country—a landscape characterized by glacier carved lakes filled with clear, cold and clean water. Yet the list of possible impacts on northern Minnesota water quality is long: proposed mining, climate change, invasive species, nutrient loading, and algal blooms to name just a few…

Rebecca Falls on the BWCAW-Quetico Park border. Photo by and courtesy of Terry Schocke.

State of the Boundary Waters

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The Quetico-Superior region of Minnesota and Canada bring to mind lake country—a landscape characterized by glacier carved lakes filled with clear, cold and clean water. Yet the list of possible impacts on northern Minnesota water quality is long: proposed mining, climate change, invasive species, nutrient loading, and algal blooms to name just a few. In some places, like Lake of the Woods, evidence suggests that changes are already under way.

Dave and Amy Freeman portage their canoe “Sig” in front of the Washington Monument, photo by Nate Ptacek

Paddle to D.C. Ely Adventurers’ Latest Expedition Carries Concerns About Mining

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This epic expedition was inspired by what the Freemans see as an existential threat to a national treasure: mining. “The Boundary Waters is our nation’s most popular wilderness area, it receives a quarter million visitors per year. Every year I guide people in the Boundary Waters from Texas and California and all across the country. We need to make sure people all across the country understand how special the Boundary Waters is and understand the threats it faces.

Duff Day, Larry Christianson.

Paddling on Route 66

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by Larry Christianson Paddling season arrived for me with great personal meaning as this is the time where I planned to catch up to my age in the sense of arriving …

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