On August 5, 2020 we lost a wilderness legend. An ambassador to the backcountry, a passionate voice for Quetico Provincial Park, a trailblazer, a source of knowledge, a true hero.
“What matters is that you get out there and plunk yourself in the bush. Breathe it, hear it, smell it, feel it, taste it, wander in it.”- Janice Matichuk
Many who paddle from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness into Quetico Provincial Park marked their trip with a stop at the Cache Bay Ranger Station to pick up their permit and receive invaluable trip guidance from Janice. In over 35 years on the remote island, she listened to each group of travelers, got a sense of their experience level, tried to help them have an incredible – and safe – wilderness experience.
When Janice Matichuk accepted the position of Interior Park Ranger for Quetico Provincial Park in 1985, her daughter was five months old. “We had no idea what we were getting into,” Janice remembered. More than a permit-issuer, she thought of herself as an ambassador on the doorstep to the wilderness. She was responsible for many water rescues on Lake Saganaga, and she often cautioned groups about their expectations for a Quetico canoe trip, which could be both stunningly beautiful, humbling, and potentially dangerous. She helped plan canoe routes, navigate around waterfalls and animal encounters, and tried to share a respect for the wilderness with every visitor. At the same time, she reported annual declines in visitorship, and lamented the lack of young paddlers especially, knowing that wilderness tripping was historically a family tradition.
“Janice was indeed legend in canoe country. She was very, very nice to countless YMCA Camp Menogyn teenagers over the years who were experiencing the Quetico for the first time. And I don’t think anybody really knows how many lives she’s probably saved.“ – Paul Danicic, former Executive Director YMCA Camp Menogyn and Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness Executive Director
“She was so dedicated,” paddler Carolyn Hipp told MPR News. “And she was really concerned about having you be safe, making sure you knew where you were going, and that you were prepared.”
“Janice has been a fixture at entry point #75 into Quetico Park for years and will truly be missed by all the US visitors entering the Park via Cache Bay. She cared for all her visitors as if they were her own children and would not let a journey continue on without first shaking down the group’s knowledge, gear, preparations, and preparedness for a successful wilderness experience. Truly a one-of-a-kind Ranger.” – Tim Eaton, Canoeing.com
Janice shared stories in a 2013 interview with Quetico Superior Wilderness News:
“The island is just heaven on earth for me,” she says. “I like the challenge of the isolation and the challenge of living with the elements of nature and having to live with it as opposed to battle it.” Read More >
“I thought I would remember all the canoe rescues I’ve done. Not! People continually remind me of their brushes with wind and waves that caused them to be topsy turvy in the frothy water of Sag or Cache Bay. For many campers returning to Quetico each year is a mustdo. I’ve learned that several have a Quetico scrapbook! They remember everything because that one trip each year is such an important part of their life.” Read More >
A biography titled “Her Island: The Story of Quetico’s Longest Serving Interior Ranger” by WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs is coming soon, “This is the story about life inside one of North America’s most remote places, Quetico Park. It is a reflection on a woman who broke through barriers and refused to conform to societal norms. Ultimately, however, it’s an examination of the challenges that life presents, and that even on a secluded island in the wilderness, human nature still lurks in the shadows.”
In July, Friedrichs spoke with Matichuk about her health, reflections on the community and her life’s work, saying “Let’s be good to each other and the earth…” Hear the full interview here >
An Obituary for Janice Matichuk appears in the North Bay Nugget >
‘She was a legend’: Quetico ranger remembered for her guidance, grit, MPR News >
Janice Matichuk: Quetico Ranger and Ambassador to the Wilderness >
Share Your Memories
Did you paddle to Quetico and meet the intrepid Park Ranger at Cache Bay? Have a memory to share? Go to our Facebook Page and post a comment on this story or email editor@queticosuperior.org.
