The BWCA fire that’s now consumed about a tenth of the wilderness area seems to be slowing down in recent days. Which gives me a chance to breath. It’s taken up a lot of my time since it really got going about a week ago.

We’ve done some interesting online coverage of it at MPR, but this is my favorite. I’ve asked people to send me their old photos from the burn area and then put them in a slideshow and plot them on this map:

View Pagami Creek fire in a larger map

It’s a little labor-intensive, but well worth the effort.

The USFS has really taken it hard from residents and some politicians over this fire; it started about a month ago and smoldered for about 2.5 weeks before it got out of hand. Fire is a natural part of a forest’s life, that much is clear. But I think Bryan Hansel really hits it on the head with this post:

In the Boundary Waters, we face several factors that must be juggled differently than they are in other Wilderness Areas:

• It’s the most used Wilderness Area in the nation because of the scenic beauty. Campsites and the relatively untouched beauty of the area draw people from around the world. Over a quarter of a million people visit the wilderness each year.
• It provides significant income to the surrounding communities, such as Grand Marais and Ely.
• Fire keeps the forest healthy and creates habitat for creatures that are currently struggling due to climate change. We need fire.
  Big fires can ruin (1) and (2).

He concludes:

So what to do? My gut tells me that the Forest Service should put out natural fires, especially when fire conditions are high, and then later carry out prescribed burns when the conditions are right. They should use a controlled method that would mimic the natural progression of smaller fires while protecting the shoreline, portages, trails and campsites.

We’ll have to wait a few years I’m sure to find out what the Forest Service is going to change, if anything. But I can’t imagine the public being any happier with them next spring when it starts to get busy up there again.

Taken when we had no blisters or injuries.

One hundred-forty miles doesn’t sound like much — if you are in a car, I suppose.

But we were in canoes. Two old, heavy and dented aluminum canoes, that is. By the end of the first 160 rod portage from the parking lot to the Moose River, my friends were all ready letting me know what a pain in the neck — literally — they were. But I didn’t really notice. I’d been planning and looking forward to getting back up north for so long I practically ran down the trail.

And just like that, we were back. Within hours, we’d seen muskrats swimming up the river before us, heard the call of loons at dusk and felt that aching yet satisfying soreness that comes with thousands of paddle strokes and rods walked.

Annemarie and I had seen part of our route before in a previous trip; we’d taken the Moose River north to Lac La Croix and over to Curtain Falls. That was part of what turned out to be a leisurely trip. Not so this time around. We traveled from 12-15 miles on an average day, with our longest day ending at about 20 miles. (We were ready to call it quits after about 15 miles, but a bear camped out at our would-be site forced us to keep moving.)

The variety of country we saw through the whole trek (map) really was astounding:

Crazy cliffs:

Cliffs on the eastern Canadian shore of Lac La Croix.

Gorgeous sunsets:

The sun sets as we return from said cliffs.

Curtain Falls:

Curtain Falls, between Iron and Crooked lakes.

Towering pines:

Pine trees on a small Canadian island on the far west side of Lake Saganaga.

Burn areas:

Burned forest on Lake Saganaga.

More photos here.

After so many long days, I’m thinking next time will be a little more laid back. I loved seeing so much in one trip, but I would’ve liked more time to stop and smell the roses, as it were. Good thing I’ve got plenty of years (I hope) and plenty of lakes, rivers and trails left to explore.