David Sproat presents everything you need to know about hiking Isle Royale in one week. The route across this national park runs from Washington Harbor to Windigo and includes the beautiful but arduous Minong Trail. Learn about the region, how to get there, and what to expect from traversing the Minong Trail.
Location: The Duluth Pack Store, 365 Canal Park Drive
Registration: None; FREE for all participants and observers
Mel Leach, who has 20 years of experience traveling and photographing
the Northwoods, will discuss the history of the Quetico Provincial
Park, give some comparisons of traveling in the Quetico compared to
the BWCA, and present some of his beautiful photography and
incomparable stories of traveling in this beautiful land. Mel will
introduce you to how to prepare for a canoe trip in Quetico, discuss
why and when you may want to go there, and why you will keep going
back.
Previously an engineer officer in a Royal Navy submarine and an executive in the Federal Government. He is now self-employed in the consulting business.
Location: The Duluth Pack Store, 365 Canal Park Drive
Registration: None; FREE for all participants and observers
Throughout a vibrant history, people have interacted with the Apostle Islands for a diversity of reasons. There have always been paddlers and contemporary sea kayakers can discover evidence of former Island life as they explore the beaches, forests and shorelines of Lake Superior’s treasured Islands.
En route through this presentation you’ll vicariously paddle over historic shipwrecks, walk the dunes of Julian Bay on Stockton Island, and experience the multitude of features that bring adventurous kayakers here each year; breathtaking sea caves of Sand and Devil’s Island, high cliffs and emerald waters of Mawikwe Bay, remote beaches, and a glimpse into the Island’s lighthouse legacy. Lake Superior’s tumultuous weather has shaped many a destiny over the years and no Superior story is complete without its mention.
Grant Herman has spent a lifetime paddling, racing, teaching and engaging in just about every discipline of silent boating; white water canoe and kayak, ‘C-1-ing, freestyle canoeing, sea kayaking and Stand Up Paddling (SUP). Expeditions have taken him across the Great Lakes by kayak and into remote northern rivers and Hudson Bay by canoe.
One of the most versatile trees in the Northland is the Paper Birch. For the Cree and Anishinaabe, this tree was indispensible. Birch Bark was used to make everything from shelters and canoes to storage containers and maple syrup buckets. Unfortunately, using the bark of the birch tree is becoming a lost art in modern day America.
Based around making a miniature birch bark container, Bill will share with you all the skills necessary to use the bark of this versatile tree. From harvesting to storage to preparation, the student will learn the techniques used to creating unique items made of birch bark. You will also see examples of other projects that can be made using the skills learned in the class. Bill has spent the past 10 years learning how Native peoples used natural products for daily use. Class will be held at the Duluth Pack Store at 365 Canal Park Drive. There will be a $10.00 material fee paid directly to instructor the day of class.
Location: The Duluth Pack Store, 365 Canal Park Drive
Costs: Fee: $5.00/Class $10.00/Materials
Needed: Materials Needed: Small needle nose pliers, cloth measuring tape
Class size: Max class size: 10
In the wetlands all over the Northland, one will find the Black Ash. Used for centuries by the native peoples, the skill to harvest and use this most versatile tree has mostly been lost by today’s society.
This two day class will introduce the student to the knowledge of using black ash by creating a small splint basket. The first class will form and weave the splints up to the rim. After a night to allow the splints to dry, the student will lace in the rim. To view a finished basket, go to www.duluthpack.com and click on the outdoor programs/events tab. Classes will be held at the Duluth Pack Store at 365 Canal Park Drive. There will be a $25.00 material fee paid directly to instructor the day of class.
Location: The Duluth Pack Store, 365 Canal Park Drive
Costs: Fee: $5.00/Class $25.00/Materials
Needed: Materials Needed: Small needle nose pliers, cloth measuring tape, clothes pins, or small clamps
Class size: Max class size: 8
Rob Kesselring has completed 16 canoe trips north of the sixtieth parallel including the Nahanni, Hood, Mara-Burnside, Mountain, Thekehili, Taltson, Elk, Little Buffalo and the Snowdrift. As a young man he lived in the Northwest Territories for eight years including a year in the bush, when his nearest neighbor was 100 miles away. Rob has written four books and writes for several outdoor magazines. His company Uncommon Seminars LLC brings wilderness canoeing metaphors to companies and organizations faced with change or renewal. He is the father of five daughters, all of whom (some enthusiastically, some reluctantly) have gone on extended canoe trips with dad. He is a frequent speaker at outdoor symposiums including Canoecopia, the Indianapolis Quiet Sports Expo, the Far North Symposium, the Maine Canoe Symposium and the Midwest Adventure Expo. Rob has been stabbed, shot at, buried in an avalanche and charged by a grizzly bear. On March 6th he will be talking about a Wabakimi Park and the Kopka River, two amazing, Ontario canoe destinations within an easy day’s drive of Duluth. Visit his website and blog at robkesselring.com
Wood burning saunas, moose crossings, frolicking otters, abandoned suspension bridges, famous “sin” buns, remote archipelagos and sandy beaches. Experience them all from your sea kayak! Starting at the outskirts of Thunder Bay lay a rugged coastline stretching to the Michipicoten River. Please join Lucas Will as he shares pictures and stories about kayaking from Silver Islet to Rossport and Hattie Cove around the big bulge to near Wawa, Ontario. These two inland sea paddling destinations offer true wilderness and adventure and while only 60 miles apart, they are very different shorelines. Come for tips before planning your own trip along the true north shore of Lake Superior. Lucas is the Recreation Director at Lutsen Resort on Lake Superior and in 2010 spent 97 days circumnavigating Lake Superior in his kayak.
The Sylvania Wilderness and Sylvania Recreation Area, is located near Watersmeet, Michigan and is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. It is a special area in the US Forest Service, Ottawa National Forest in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Combined with the adjacent Recreation Area, the 18,327 acre wilderness offers an outstanding experience for those who want to camp, fish, hike, canoe, ski or enjoy the solitude of a wilderness experience. Few Wilderness compare to Sylvania. Here you will find 34 named lakes - some with sandy beaches, others surrounded by record-sized red and white pines. This large natural area with its old growth forest and pristine lakes provides habitat for a wide range of living things. While exploring Sylvania you might see threatened or endangered plants and animals - like rare orchids, bald eagles, loons and osprey. It can be a special place for families to experience the original forests and lakes of Syvania, located on the Michigan-Wisconsin border, just 3 hours from Duluth. Brashaw will present an exciting visit into Sylvania's unique history, forests, fishing, hiking and camping opportunities.
Growing up in Wisconsin's northwoods, Brian Brashaw heard great stories of old-growth forest, pristine lakes and incredible fishing in the Sylvania Wilderness. During college at UW Stevens Point, he began over 20 years of canoe camping trips to this treasure located in the Ottawa National Forest. Brashaw is a resident of rural Duluth, working as a Project Leader at the University of Minnesota Duluth's Natural Resources Research Institute, with a background in forestry and wood products. He has made over 15 canoe camping trips to Sylvania with family and friends.
In 1992, Cliff Jacobson and Sue Harings were married at Wilberforce Falls on a canoe trip along the Hood River, in Nunavut, Canada. The story is in Cliff’s book, Expedition Canoeing.
This year, the couple will celebrate their nineteenth wedding anniversary and will re-live the magic of their Wilberforce Affair through this stunning slide presentation. See Susie’s reaction when she learns that Cliff has left the wedding pack (which contained her ermine-trimmed wedding dress!) at the float plane dock in Yellowknife! Later, thrill to the daring of the float plane pilots who flies it to the wedding. See the grizzly that nearly killed the marriage commissioner and ended the wedding; account for the deep spiritual message that was delivered by a raven.
The Wilberforce Affair is more than just an Arctic canoe trip. It is for everyone who has ever been in love or wants to be. This heartwarming story will be enjoyed by all, even those who don’t canoe.
