Inspiration

Wilderness Voices: Layne Kennedy

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“There are many reasons why this pristine wilderness along the shared border of Minnesota/Ontario is important. A close encounter with nature can turn into a tremendous learning experience. The fair price for wilderness travel is awareness…”

Sharing the wilderness with women—of any age

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“There is a measurable amount of growth with every trip and every person I take out… And it really is empowering, especially for mature women who think that, physically, they aren’t capable anymore,” wilderness guide Peta Barrett says.

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

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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

Sawbill Canoe Outfitters: The family behind the legacy

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There is an outfitter at the end of the Sawbill Trail where customers and staff return year after year, a network of people connected to the place and the family at its center. The Hansens, and now the Shirleys, have been running Sawbill Canoe Outfitters since 1957, where annual traditions, lifelong friendships and marriages have been born.