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Wilderness Voices: Kelly Beaster

“While I create each drawing, I get to re-visit past trips and adventures, and I notice things from the drawing itself that I didn’t from the photograph, details that were always there, but the drawing has brought out new details…”

Wilderness Voices: Travis Novitsky

“Some of my most unforgettable moments are sitting on the shores of a boreal forest lake on a calm night with no wind, watching the northern lights dance overhead while the haunting calls of loons echo across the water.”  

Winter Patrol in the Boundary Waters

How is the BWCAW patrolled in the winter? When snow covers Boundary Waters lakes and portages, wilderness rangers turn to sled dogs, snowshoes, and cross-country skis to complete their work…  

Wilderness Voices: John Ratzloff

Photographer reveals the role of people in wilderness, from cliff-rimmed lakes in Quetico to ancient trees in the Boundary Waters… 

Honoring Veterans with a Boundary Waters wilderness experience

In July, five veterans of our US armed forces gathered to celebrate Independence Day in the BWCAW. The group had never met and most had never paddled before, but they were all ready to leave civilization behind to enjoy peace and serenity, and hopefully some good fishing.  

The State of the Boundary Waters Report

How healthy is the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness really? Will the Boundary Waters survive climate change, mining, invasive species and the myriad of issues faced today? The Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness released an extensive and revealing report…  

Uncovering the secret lives of wolves

Imagine a wolf kill, and the remains of an ungulate—a hoofed animal like a moose—probably come to mind. Yet scientists have known for some time that wolves also eat smaller prey, like deer fawns and beavers. This is particularly true during summer, when wolf packs primarily hunt and travel as individuals or pairs.

Meet Amy Freeman, Wilderness Guide

One winter day in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, an otter ran across the path of a dogsled team on Basswood Lake. Excited, the dogs picked up the pace, then Amy saw something else out on the ice: wolves…

Paddlesongs: How one country songwriter married his love of music and canoeing

In 1994, Nashville singer-songwriter Jerry Vandiver, whose song “It Doesn’t Get Any Countrier Than This” had just been recorded by Tim McGraw, portaged a behemoth of an aluminum canoe across a rocky and root-filled portage. He was no stranger to paddling; he’d moved that canoe from his hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, to Nashville when he set out to see if he could make it in the country music business. But this was his first trip to Quetico Provincial Park, and lugging that canoe over such a challenging portage inspired him