This summer I took my what I said at the time was “my last trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe and Wilderness Area.” It’s not true, but it’s how I felt as I left. This will surprise regular readers of this blog who know that I have enjoyed the BWCA for 25 years now. In fact, my reviews of various tents (The Equinox 6, Grand Mesa 4, and Timberline 4) and BWCA gear are still among my most-read posts by those searching the web for information.
The truth is: I love the Boundary Waters. But at times I hate being/going there because the trip confronts me at so many levels. It’s not about the BWCA… it’s about what wilderness camping reveals about me that I don’t like to recognize. So, I’ll go back again with Kelly. In fact, this past Saturday I was longing to be out in a canoe up there.
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Posted on Monday, November 12th, 2012 at 7:49 AM in IN THIS CORNER. 2 comments
A misty morning departure over Hudson Lake.
This summer we took our annual trek to one of the greatest, and most magical, places in American, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. One of the by-products of a wilderness camping trip is determining what gear to take. And researching and buying that gear is part of the fun! No matter where you camp, I recommend Piragis to you as one of the coolest camping stores in the US. And their storefront is even better.
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Posted on Tuesday, August 16th, 2011 at 7:23 AM in IN THIS CORNER. No comments
Each year, Kel and I take folks into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota. The response is usually positive, though I did have one trip where most participants were glad when it was over – and have never been back (thanks to cold weather, poor fishing, and knee-deep mud). When we share photos with folks, many say they’d love to do that, but don’t know where to start. Well, I’m gonna’ tell you.Follow these five steps for a great ‘first experience’ (if the weather and bugs cooperate) for you , your family, and/or your friends to visit the Boundary Waters.
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Posted on Tuesday, August 9th, 2011 at 5:48 AM in IN THIS CORNER. No comments
Yesterday I shared that we have our permit for our annual trip to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota. This controlled wilderness features some of the most pristine wilderness in the United States, not to mention some great fishing. I have taken a number of folks into this area through the years. Each approached the experience very differently and in ways that mirror how I’ve observed leaders at work. Yesterday I noted three self-centered approaches. Today, I note three that are more communal in nature.
1. Complainer – You know this person. Everything is bad. The weather (doesn’t matter what it is, it’s awful), the food, the fishing, the accommodations, and the bugs. They may help, pull their own weight, but each experience has a negative side to it – and he/she lets that be known. I’ve come to the realization that complaining (and its opposite) is a learned behavior. Doesn’t matter the setting, I’ve found that folks can choose to complain. Or they can choose to find the good and compliment. Effective leadership doesn’t have room for complaining – leaders set the positive pace versus pointing out the problems.
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Posted on Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 at 6:08 AM in LEAD WELL. No comments
We just received our permit for our annual summer trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota. This year it’s our “boundary waters baby” Sean’s turn to accompany us into the wilderness and enjoy a week of canoeing, camping, fishing, exploring, and dealing with whatever nature sends our way. I can’t wait and wish we could do a second trip this summer too.
A wilderness camping trip reveals a lot about a person, pushing him/her past self-imposed limits, eliminating the artificial elements that surround us, and thrusting us into an unforgiving natural environment. I’ve taken nearly 40 different people into the wilderness on different trips and watched people react to the demands. I’ve noticed some similarities between how people approach wilderness camping and working with others in leadership positions. read more…
Posted on Monday, January 24th, 2011 at 5:40 AM in LEAD WELL. No comments
Where did you go this summer on vacation? What were the crowds like there? If you could, please share a bit because I’ve had three different experiences this summer where the tourists were clearly somewhere else. Others have noticed the same at Niagara Falls, the Caribbean Islands (a steep decline!), Alaska, and the Western US. In fact, world travel as a whole is in decline, though there is hope that it could grow in the future. But, many of us have had our salaries frozen or cut and our expense accounts trimmed while cost-of-living continues to rise.
I’ve done some research and discovered that tourism is down in general. And I’m not sure you can blame the economy in every case. I think we’re in the midst of a shift between generations and the future of tourism will go to those who can recognize it. I studied tourism research in my doctoral program at Purdue. Because short-term missions practices parallel tourist practices, the literature helped develop my background knowledge.
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Posted on Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 4:51 AM in IN THIS CORNER. 2 comments
Coffee and a pristine morning in the Boundary Waters
The summer season means vacation and we are among those who often like to get away by truly getting “away” into the wilderness. Our favorite outdoor adventure in the US isn’t a sandy beach just outside a resort. No, we head north into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota. We spent a week up there recently and I wanted to post some updates on our experiments with various gear. (NOTE: You don’t have to buy any gear to camp here – you can use an outfitter. But, we go so often and pack our own food, so it makes sense for us to have our own.) Kel and I overpacked some extra items to see how they held up in the field and help us in planning for future, more adventurous trips. Here’s what we think is the best camping gear for a Boundary Waters trip.
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Posted on Friday, July 9th, 2010 at 9:01 AM in IN THIS CORNER. 3 comments
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