News - Page 22 of 100 - Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters

Savoring Life

I went for a walk yesterday morning. It was about 40 degrees, so the fog was on everything, but lifting in the sunrise. I don’t know how we got so lucky to have September weather the first week in August, but it’s golden.

My heart and head were both swelling, with the details of the day, and with the enormousness of life. Usually they don’t both hit at the same time. But on this particular morning they did.

And in the afternoon, a worn out young man trudged up the outfitting steps. I knew he was coming back early, I had already spoken with a deputy.

Because I’m a mom, I opened my arms to him, and ….probably because I am a mom, he stepped into them and started to sob. I think I could feel the grieving brother’s heart breaking right through his chest.

In another story–one of our Gunflint Trail neighbors who has been picking blueberries around here all his life, went out a week ago, and hasn’t come back. His truck, parked in his favorite picking spot, is still the only clue.

You know, usually, I’m all about figuring how to minimize risk, avoid death at all costs. And while that’s a really good point (and I’ll continue to make it….remember, I am a mother to the core)…… that is not THE point.

Here I am on the periphery of all this grief, and it strikes me that the main point has to do with the way we live. Those fine young men were in the boundary waters because they have always shared a profound love for this place. And when I’m 82, I hope I still have the spunk and independence to drive my truck up to the BEST spot in the woods, and pick my own blueberries.

As a witness to this incredible sadness, I feel a strange combination of melancholy and reverence which isn’t completely comfortable, but it does feel like my heart is running at full capacity. I cannot control all of life and death. It’s simpler than that. I can look around me. I can be kind. I can be grateful for where I live, for who I’m with, and vow to savor it all for this day.

Boundary Waters Trip Tips and "How To" / Life at Tuscarora Lodge

Frost River Adventure

What do Tuscarora staff members do on their days off? Some of us go fishing; others sleep in or hike on a nearby trail or drive to Grand Marais for time on Lake Superior. And this past week four of us decided to spend two nights and a day off in the best way that I personally can imagine: exploring the lakes and rivers that make up our wilderness backyard. Elizabeth was pretty excited too:

We decided on a Frost River loop, which started down our driveway at Cross River public access and took us south through Ham, Cross Bay, Long Island, and Frost Lake to the Frost River before turning back north through Mora, Crooked, and Gillis and taking us home through Round. We felt like the Lewis and Clark expedition as we paddled through this relatively remote area of the Boundary Waters.

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Soon after starting on Monday afternoon, we discovered that our equipment pack was a LOT heavier than we remembered packing it. Good thing Shelby’s brother Dan had remembered to slip in one of these rocks for us…they come in so handy out on trail.

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We camped at Long Island Lake our first night and woke up to sunshine, oatmeal, a gentle breeze, and syrup shots (we ended up making a little more than we needed and didn’t want to leave a trace!).

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Once we got to the Frost, it started feeling really Lewis-and-Clark-y. Anything could be waiting around each grassy bend of the river.

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Most often, it was a portage. We calculated that there were 36 portages on this particular trip. They were usually short and around beautiful rapids rushing from all of the recent rain.

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…but we also did encounter a little bit of mud:

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After a day of paddling, portaging, singing voyageur songs, and seeing new places, we found a great campsite on Gillis Lake. Swimming and jumping felt wonderful, and we slept very well that night. It was a perfect way to spend a day off, and we’re excited for our next one! – by Amy

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Life at Tuscarora Lodge

Insect Wisdom by Chelsea

Someone once asked me, “If you could be any insect, what would you be?” I knew my answer right away:

If I could choose to be any insect, I would embody the most kind, community-minded, graceful, and conscious of all insects. I’d never bite. My sustenance would not be earned parasitically, but rather by preying on parasites. I’d approach humans only to balance on their frontal lobes as if to say, “Don’t over think. It’s the simple things in life that count.”

I’d want a supernatural body that is unfazed by gravity or raindrops. I’d want to spend my days zipping around lake skies at a breakneck pace, dancing out of shear joy. A smile would perpetually be renewed on my face. My dazzling, neon, green eyes would remain wide with wonder throughout my entire life.

I’d search forever, looking for others to join me in a sky dance. I’d especially want to find someone trustworthy enough to ride with me on a tandem adventure. My friends would buzz beside me and with my family behind me we’d journey peacefully all together in a harmonic chaos.
And even though my life would be short, I’d appreciate every minute. I’d take time to slow, to perch on a branch and gaze. Until one day my mortality would be revealed. My scaly wings would tear, preventing me from taking the air, but still I’d fight to get up and find my family again. And if there came a time when I knew the fight was done, I’d close my eyes in bliss and remember a life well lived.
The answer is clear. If I could be any insect, I’d be a Round Lake dragonfly.

by staffer Chelsea Lloyd

Boundary Waters Trip Tips and "How To" / Life at Tuscarora Lodge

Lightening Strike!

Thunderstorms blow in and out quickly around here. Yesterday morning dawned hot and humid and even at 6 am you could feel a thunder storm brewing. The sticky humidity blurred the far side of Round Lake as thunderheads grew in the north-west. Around 3 the wind started to pick up and distant rumbling heralded the start of the rain. The wind grew fierce forcing curtains of rain across the lake so dense the far shore was obscured. Lightening and thunder crashed over head as Denali cowered in the corner.

Within an hour the storm had blown over. The air was cool again and smelled fresh with the rain. It was time to play the “what’s missing” game. The joy and curse of living in a forest is the trees. Trees provide shade, sing in the wind, and house the birds. Trees also tend to come down at inopportune times and usually in the wrong place. Walking around looking at the canopy after a storm, it can be difficult to tell if something is missing. Yes, you look out the same window every day, but will you really notice when a tree is suddenly not there when it is surround by a forest?

The first clue was a snapped off poplar trunk. The freshly splintered wood was white and stood out against the wet dark green leaves. A dead tree that had been standing for a few years had lost the top 20 feet. A quick walk about discovered the top had fallen cleanly in the brush and would not need any clean up. Perfect!

Walking back, a large spruce top was laying across a path. The top had popped off in the high winds and fallen, missing two roofs. A small 10 foot chunk, no problem. Toss it in the back of the pickup and done.

The next problem was a tree across one of the driveways. Slightly more substantial but a quick chainsaw job and a full pickup load of wood and the road is clear again.

The more serious report comes from down the road near the Cross Bay parking lot. A large white pine had been struck by lightning. The tree still stands, but a long spiraling crack has formed all the way down the trunk. Chunks of bark have been blown off and charred. Although not a problem right now, it is a tree to be monitored. Lightening strikes can start trees and duff smoldering. The heavy rainfall will prevent flare ups initially, but a few days later when the forest starts to dry again, small embers can ignite new fires.

We had some guests out in the storm paddling. The rain was so heavy at one point they could not see the shore of Brant Lake! When storms like that blow in, it is best to get off the water and hunker down in the safest place you can find. It is awe inspiring part of wilderness travel to watch storms roll across the lake as long as take precautions to keep yourself safe!

Canoe Trip Reports

Kurt’s 50th Birthday Quetico Adventure

Our friend Kurt is turning 50 this year. To celebrate, he started planning last winter for a solo fly in Quetico adventure. With advice from Andy and a lot of careful planning he mapped out a route from Mack Lake over through Kawnipi and out through Cache Bay. Tuscarora took care of all the flight arrangements and permitting so when Kurt arrived, he was all set and raring to go for his long awaited trip.

The flight was scheduled for 6AM with a 5AM tow out to meet the plane, which feels like an early start to most, but not to Kurt. I’m still not sure who was more excited for the pickup, Kurt or our tow boat driver Caleb. Neither of them reported getting much sleep the night before as they excitedly ran through the details in their minds.

Sunrise on a glass smooth Saganaga Lake is a beautiful thing! Kurt and Caleb were both in good spirits by the time they met up with the pilot, Brian. Kurt’s little solo canoe was lashed onto the plane’s pontoon and the gear loaded. Caleb stuck around to watch the float plane take off, which is where our pictures end, but not the adventure.

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After a short flight from Saganaga to Mack Lake, Kurt was soon paddling and picking up walleyes right away on the north end of the lake. Kurt then made his way north into Mack Creek past an old trappers shack. The spring rains and the beavers have kept the water levels sufficient to paddle north along the Wawiag River. The Wawiag River is an adventure in itself as it winds through alder brush and cedar groves often haunted by moose.

Making his way towards Kawnipi, Kurt passed through Kawa Bay where evidence of an old Indian village complete with pictographs can still be found. Kawinip Lake, renowned for its history and fisheries, is a great place to explore and fish. One could spend weeks fishing the numerous bays and never visit the same place twice!

From Kawnipi, Kurt headed south into the Falls Chain to try his luck fishing for lake trout on McEwen Lake. The waterfalls from Kawnipi Lake south down the Kawnipi River to Cache Bay are some of the Quetico’s most impressive. During wet springs, high water levels keep the water falls roaring, which can make navigating around portages a bit tricky. Review your maps and ask advice when attempting this beautiful stretch of water.

After landing trout on McEwen, Kurt rejoined the Falls Chain south of Koko Falls and continued south to Cache Bay and Saganaga where Caleb met him for a tow ride home. It was fun to facilitate Kurt’s 50^th birthday Quetico solo adventure. There are other stories along the way that we will leave for Kurt to share with those who ask him…..Happy birthday Kurt! See you again soon!

(If you are interested in learning more about fly in trips to Quetico park and how Tuscarora can facilitate, please ask! We would love to discuss the details and help you plan your next adventure.)

Update – A few pictures from Kurt!

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