I Love Paddling

Longtime Arctic paddler Brian Johnston is inspired by a famous rock pile, or cairn, in the barrenlands near the headwaters of the Dubawnt. It was constructed by J.B. Tyrrell in 1893, who left a note in a jar to commemorate his journey – it was a moment when he and his brothers were short of food, and had to decide whether to turn for home, or venture further north…

  Ok, so we know that the Okee Dokee Brothers are much-acclaimed musicians for kids, but this song is too good to be typecast. Have a listen! It’ll make your day, and then pass it along to a young paddler-to-be! CLICK HERE to play the songs >   A month-long canoe trip down the Mississippi […]

The publisher of Bound for the Barrens has been honored for introducing girls to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness during the 1960s. At the time she had the opportunity to take boys into the BWCA, and she asked the Outward Bound board if she could take a group of girls canoeing. According to a […]

When I was 22 yearsold, I led a group of 5 girls to the Arctic. For six weeks we paddled the Anderson River to the Arctic Ocean. Thanks to that trip, plus years of taking 12-year-olds to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, I’ve never doubted that it’s possible (and fun) to take kids canoeing. But […]

If winter dreams of next summer’s canoe trips have left you longing for the calm of a northern lake or the challenge of the portage, Larry Christianson’s poetry will have you back there in no time. In spirit, at least. The Minnesota poet and pastor explores the essence of the wilderness experience in his new […]

If you’ve recently decided to become the greatest canoe-tripper of all time, to cross continents, to brave coasts, to risk friendships and family to reach your goal … spare yourself. It’s been done already and it’s unlikely to ever be outdone. Don’t believe us? Just pick up a copy of Phil Peterson Sr.’s All Things […]

Three days into a 1979 canoe trip intended to take Dennis Weidemann and three companions from western Minnesota to York Factory on Hudson’s Bay, disaster struck. Rounding a bend on the Otter Tail River, Weidemann and his bowman were face-to-face with a fallen tree straining the cold, fast water for three-quarters of the river’s width. […]

Speaking of the North West Company … We thought it worth noting that a new edition of Jean Morrison’s Superior Rendezvous-Place: Fort William in the Canadian Fur Trade was recently published. Morrison’s history of fur trade activities in the Thunder Bay, Ontario region is a fine read for history buffs, fur trade enthusiasts, and paddlers […]