A marvelous day for Doug’s Road Scholars

YESTERDAY WAS a marvelous day for Doug’s Road Scholars. After Tuesday’s visit to Sig Olson’s iconic Listening Point with Listening Point Foundation president Patsy Mogush, my great friend, we arose early and hiked in to scenic Kawishiwi Falls, along a trail populated with glorious trees, unique specimens growing over boulders and old white pine stumps, surrounded by blue bead lily,

Road Scholar trip into Voyageurs National Park

AS WE FINISHED OUR Road Scholar trip into Voyageurs National Park, we looked down the lake, down the historic narrows into the past, and there glimpsed a brigade of voyageurs. They raised their paddles in salute, then continued paddling into the pages of history. And our little band of travelers bade goodby to the Canoe Country, taking home with them

A GRAND ROAD SCHOLAR DAY

A GRAND ROAD SCHOLAR DAY in Voyageurs National Park, as we were fortunate to have friend and head Park Interpretive Ranger Mark Miller as our interpreter/guide, with another friend Captain John as our boat pilot, to Kettle Falls and back. The skies cleared, the breezes blew, the sun shone. We stopped at enchanting I. W. Stephens Island, where Mr. Stephens

UP THE NORTH SHORE

SO UP THE NORTH SHORE we went, on our Road Scholar expedition, making favorite stops, doing favorite hikes. Gooseberry Falls, Split Rock Lighthouse, Tettegouch, Shovel Point. But when it drew near time for dinner—at one of my favorite haunts—The Northwoods Family Grill in Silver Bay—the call came on my cell phone. Both our cooks are out, we can’t serve you,

Lovely Autumn Days in New York City

New York City

AFTER FIVE LOVELY autumn days in New York City, it is time to return home. My visit was a fascinating juxtaposition of traipsing the concrete canyons, walking the trails of Central Park and its flood of autumn color, and—mostly—sitting in a small recording booth and reading aloud Sigurd Olson’s ‘Singing Wilderness.’ As I read and the flow of familiar images

A Guided Tour from the Executive Director, of Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning

Osprey Environmental Learning

TODAY WE RECEIVED a guided tour, from the Executive Director, of Osprey Wilds Environmental Learning Center, with special emphasis on their new 100 acre farm. It is sustainable and restorative, featuring pasture, woods, outdoor and indoor gardens, prairie and pollinator fields, grass fed cattle and much more to come. Farm-to-Table, deluxe. The Center has added well over 200 acres in

Igneous Intrusions

Igneous Intrusions - Bedrock

ON FAWN ISLAND, as with many rocky outcrops in the North Country, the bedrock is creased with veins called ‘igneous intrusions.’ This particular white streak is composed of milky quartz. I once wrote of these intrusions in a book called ‘Paddle Whispers’:

Shovel Point, Lake Superior

Douglas wood team on shovel point

A GORGEOUS DAY on Shovel Point, Lake Superior. We felt so lucky to be hiking, absorbing the beauty of blue waters, jagged cliffs, lichens and mosses and little, wind-shaped bonsai spruces. And yet to know that just a few dozen miles away, firefighters are struggling desperately to protect people’s homes and cabins, their dreams, and keep more of the forest

After A Week Of Teaching And Guiding

Trees - after a week of teaching and guiding

AFTER A WEEK OF TEACHING AND GUIDING, sharing Gooseberry Falls, Split Rick, Shovel Point and the North Shore; Kawishiwi Falls, the Dorothy Molter Myseum, the International Wolf Center and North American Bear Center; Burntside Lake and Listening Point; Ash River and Namakan, a Voyageurs Park boat ride to Kettle Falls, a Lake Kabetogama canoe outing and visiting Ernest Oberholtzer’s Mallard

A Day Of Blueberry Pancakes

ON RAINY LAKE, A DAY OF BLUEBERRY PANCAKES AND FISHING, swimming, diving off the dock with front flips, a little tubing, more swimming, (the best way to stay cool on a hot day) then a boat ride to dinner (French onion soup, fresh bread, corn dogs and burgers and chocolate sundaes). Then back across the lake, past sailboats and pelicans