Save the Boundary Waters (A Year in the Wilderness)

“Dave and Amy Freeman will embark on a yearlong adventure in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in support of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters’ efforts to protect the Boundary Waters from proposed sulfide-ore copper mining on the Wilderness edge. The two will travel more than 3,000 miles by canoe and dog team as they explore more than 500 lakes and streams throughout the year. The journey will begin on September 23, 2015, the fall equinox, on the edge of the Boundary Waters in Ely, Minnesota, and conclude with a paddle along the proposed sulfide-ore copper mining’s path of pollution through the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park. In 2014, Dave and Amy traveled by canoe and sailboat from Ely to Washington, DC, on the Paddle to DC as a first step in their efforts to protect the Wilderness.” – savetheboundarywaters.org

Please help show your support for the boundary waters by visiting the website and signing their petition. Mining affects many of our great canoeing regions. This reminds me of the Temagami region in Ontario and the pressure that mining companies constantly exert on our pristine wilderness areas. What’s unique to the BWCA is the special place it holds in the hearts of many of the American veterans. It serves as a healing place for many of these veterans and is the least we can do as a country to protect it for them.

“Path of the Paddle” 1977 – Bill Mason

Waterwalker_blog_header“This short film from canoeist Bill Mason illustrates the joy and poetry of paddling solo. All the basic strokes used to control the canoe are rendered with perfect clarity through animated lines.” from the National Film Board of Canada.

This is a great video demonstrating several basic paddling techniques by the best. Bill Mason was a Canadian conservationalist, filmmaker, artist and author. He is well known in Canada for his popular canoeing books and films. He accomplished a great deal for conservation and spread his love for nature to others through films such as this one. Enjoy.

Watch the film here