Tuscarora Lodge & Canoe Outfitters

Our friend Jerry Vandiver wrote a little Valentines ditty and dedicated it to the Boundary Waters Sweethearts. Not sure if this is how it works for you–out in the woods….

But we sure get a kick out of Jerry, his songs, his sparkle.

I recognize plenty of Boundary Waters mavens in the photos from the slideshow–people from the bwca.com club. If you haven’t discovered them, they’re part of  a fun little community that connects with each other about all things Boundary Waters.

Check out Jerry’s new paddling CD too—you can bet we’ll have them at the Tuscarora Trading Post this summer!

This time of night, Denali likes to snuggle on the green couch as close as she can get, with her nose touching my chin, if possible.   Who can resist this?   We are her pack, and she just wants to go where we go.  Outside is best for exploring and throwing the ball, inside is best for napping.  She sends the universal black lab message: might as well enjoy the moment, live a simple life.

I look at her and I think of that looooong thread that ties her to the wolves.  It’s a stretch, but still a canine connection.

photo:  courtesy of Sheryl and Bonnie-location– I’ll NEVER tell.

Always I’ve loved the wolves, even when I didn’t know any of them.  They are fast and beautiful and sneaky, and they can collaborate and catch deer.  Can you imagine?  Without a doubt they’re the smartest animals in the woods.   Which is also why they make the hair on my neck prickle; I know they might be able to kill me. Dr. Mech reports 19 million visitor days in the Superior National Forest with not one aggressive wolf encounter.  Denali and I have encountered them several times, and not been threatened.  It’s almost as if they could take us, and they are wiser than that.  They just don’t attack people.

Yet, they’re predators, and people search for the outliers, the horror stories.  My ears perked up to this this runner story last month in Alaska.  I heard on the radio that The Gray is the hottest movie out right now.  It’s because those wolves are big and baaaaad.  

Apparently the wolves in MN are prolific enough to be taken off the endangered species list.   The DNR reports that hunting/trapping might begin as early as next fall.  I listened to guru Dr. Dave Mech‘s ideas about managing the wolf population.  I’ve been reading his books since I was 15:  I’ll defer to him.  He knows wolves, and seems to have a balanced approach when considering all the  stakeholders..  I won’t picket the DNR,  but I don’t have to like the idea.  I’m not sure, it just seems like—they’re our allies.  Partners in the hunt, not the hunted.

Our galloping girl broke a tooth a while ago, and she was drooling drooling drooling all over, so we  paid the vet to pull it out.   The vet said we’d better quit giving her the soup bones to chew on, her teeth have to last quite a few more years.  So we can keep feeding her and housing her, and throwing the ball.  She’s ensured her survival in the craftiest of ways.  She wins the evolutionary battle, doesn’t she?

Photo courtesy of Sheryl and Bonnie  Location:  BIG SECRET.

Check out the wolf in this photo.   If he breaks a tooth, I’ll bet he doesn’t even FEEL it, he’s so tough and cool.

  What kind of crazy world do we live in where our goofy dog trumps this wolf in survival tools? 

If you’ve visited Tuscarora during late July—during the Spriggs/Butler/Hanneman/Tipping/Gibbons week in the cabins—you might have seen Cam Tipping. Actually, it’s hard to pick out Cam– he’s almost always part of the Cam-Leo-James trio. Those guys spend hours playing in the water. They can also dance a mean cupid shuffle, but honestly….James is the one that stands out there because he has the moves.

This year, Cam was the video guy for the American Heart Association. I’ve talked to Marla about homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. But it was just a word. It didn’t  define Cam, of CamLeoJames.   The video shows a whole different side of that family than the one that I know.  As I understand it more fully, my admiration  runs even deeper.

This  family crowd really knows how to have fun. They model a  powerful lesson about living each day with gratefulness, joy, and humor.

Here’s  Bill Tipping  (sporting purple polyester with Jim Hanneman in peach) These guys can surprise me into spitting my coffee all over the deck, they’re that funny.  Bill’s the kind of guy that carts all the kids out in the dark at midnight to find the wolf puppies (and actually finds them).

Did you notice the tame Yahtzee game in the video? Yeah, well, this is not the Marla who plays Yahtzee at Tuscarora. Don’t let the kind polite mother thing fool you: she is ruthless (and also really witty).

   This nice family spreads a lively sparkle to everyone around them –including us.  Today, I’m praying for a cure for Cam’s disease. If you are so inclined to that, can I summon you also for this great kid?  

I’d say staffer Andrew had a pretty successful opener.……..Get a load of those brook trout