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The 12 Longest Portages in Canoe Country
The act of portaging between two waterways is usually, understandably, an intentionally short affair. Paddle to the closest point between two water bodies and then portage. This doesn’t make it easy or “type 1 fun” every time, but it’s the burden we bear for wilderness travel. Some portages stick with us whether they are steep…
How to Chase the Northern Lights – A Short Story
Article writing can be a process for me. I usually have five or six partial articles in the queue and sometimes take long breaks from one before coming back to it again. Sometimes there are complicated graphics or illustrations to put together or lots of research to be done. Very rarely is an article reactionary…
Flying South – Where Do the BW’s Birds Go?
Every winter, the forests of canoe country fall silent as so many of the sounds of summer fade with the season. With the coming of winter’s chill, many of the birds that call these wild shores their summer home head south to milder wintering grounds from the rivers of southern Minnesota, the southern states, all…
Let’s Break the Ice on a BWCA November Canoe Trip!
It’s been snowing all week here in Ely which points to a winter season fast approaching. In the meantime, this is one of the more challenging seasons for wilderness travel with many big lakes still open, smaller lakes starting to freeze, and trails and forests covered in fresh, wet snow. To the majority of…
Map Mondays – Week 5 – Baker to Magnetic
As part of our continuing series on the “route planning game,” we are creating routes using randomly selected entry points, exit points, and number of days to create unique and fun BWCA routes. This week highlights a route across some of the busier routes on the eastern BWCA but, in using some creative strategy, allows…
The Ten Most Challenging BWCA Lakes to Visit
The Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness encompasses over a million acres and 1100 named lakes interconnected by portages and streams, but sometimes that vast expanse can feel a little cramped, especially along entries where larger numbers of groups congregate. For the cynic who feels the BWCA is lacking some inherent quality of wilderness in this…
Trail Stories: Why I Love to Share the Wilderness
In my time in the Boundary Waters, I have come to love sharing the experience with people who are completely new to it all, yet there is so much potential for things to be frustrating when introducing people for the first time. Perhaps you won’t be able to travel as quickly as you normally…
How to Hike the BWCA this Fall
For those of us whose Boundary Waters trips don’t end with canoe season, Fall can be a challenging time to decide what activities to pursue. As the ice begins to line the outer edges of the lakes and canoeing becomes tougher, it’s just the perfect time of the year to hit the trails and backpack…
Five Ways to Make the Most of BWCA Permit Day
With BWCA permit day just around the corner, plenty of people are waiting in eager anticipation of how opening day will set the trajectory of their summer trips. Some people will log on the moment that permits open to try to reserve a premium entry point on the dates that they are available to go.…
The Ten Types of BWCA Campsite
Every traveler to the BWCA has their ideal of what a campsite should look like and what features it should have. Perhaps it has a sprawling camp kitchen or a nice overlook. Perhaps it’s perched on an island or alongside a sprawling beach. But whether the campsite is easy to access or is tucked back…
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Good stuff! But I feel like you missed an important point with the newest design – they are intended to increase accessibility for people with limited mobility by providing edges to grip for support. And the lids keep flies from bringing poop germs into the camp kitchen. And rangers often portage in a new latrine with the hole over their head!
Old enough to have experienced the original! Great article.
In each of my 15 BWCA adventures I conclude by making a video entitled “Walk to the crapper”. A simple video that starts at the campsite with a walking tour to the latrine. It’s often my favorite video of the trip.