BWCA Thoughts on Scenery and Solitude? Boundary Waters Listening Point - General Discussion
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SaganagaJoe
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09/14/2019 10:55AM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
missmolly: "He said that all the lakes looked pretty much alike, which is pretty much true, and he wanted to try other things. "


I decided to start a new thread to explore this idea, based on Kanoes’s stated reason for quitting paddling.

I'm young and Lord willing have many years of wilderness travel yet to take, both in and out of the BWCA. However, Kanoes was right that all of the lakes do more or less look the same. I hike out west if I want to see sights that take my breath away. While canoe country is beautiful, I ultimately don't do it for the scenery. I go canoe tripping if I really want to get out in the wilderness and experience a sense of solitude and consciousness. As far as solitude, there's a world of difference between five miles from the car by trail and fifteen or more miles from the nearest road by paddle.

Another variable is how you’re looking at the scenery. I read Sigurd Olson’s Wilderness Days prior to my first canoe trip and The Singing Wilderness right after it. It completely transformed how I looked at the woods and the world around me. Do you just see a pretty lake surrounded by a couple of trees, or are you experiencing the scenery? The way a shoreline can be transformed by sunrise or sunset light can make a world of difference in how you see it.

There’s more to discuss here, but a couple questions for the table I guess:

(1) Do you trip for scenery or solitude?
(2) How do you view and process the scenery around you?
 
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SaganagaJoe
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09/14/2019 10:56AM  
I find a picture paints a thousand words:



Ogishkemuncie, probably 15 miles from the nearest road



Crystal Lakes in Mt. Rainier National Park, probably 4-5 miles from the nearest road.

I would pose to you that the scene from Mount Rainier National Park is probably more beautiful, but I got something from that campsite on Ogish that I didn't in the park - solitude, and the feeling of knowing that my car was fifteen miles away and I had everything I needed with me in my canoe.
 
SaganagaJoe
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09/14/2019 11:02AM  



This is basically the same view, and both present a lake with trees. Most lakes in the BWCA probably look like this, and I don't fault Kanoes at all for feeling this way because he traveled a lot and accomplished some incredible feats tripping (i.e. Hunter's Island Loop).

What fascinates me is the difference between these two views, at two different times of day, with a completely different color palate in both.
 
missmolly
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09/14/2019 11:03AM  
Even though I quoted kanoes, I don't see the wilderness through his eyes or perhaps I tend to return to lakes that don't look like other lakes. There's one that's U-shaped and narrow with high sides, so it's like paddling a canyon, which I love. Another lake I love has this shallow bay freckled with lily pads and some low-lying islands. And so on. I even see trees differently than I once did. They increasingly look different to me. Then there are the rocks with their astonishing variety. You're right, Joe, about sunlight forever changing all of it. And I agree too about the solitude and what that delivers.
 
09/14/2019 11:15AM  
Canada = solitude. Always loved BWCA/Quetico but now go only there on the occasional shoulder season trip.
 
MReid
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09/14/2019 12:20PM  
That's an interesting topic. I'm a westerner (WY, MT, AK, WA) but I just got back from my second trip to Quetico (solo). I'm also a long-time photographer. First trip to Quetico, I took 17 pounds of DSLR, lenses, tripod. This trip I took my P&S. I had more fun this time, and not because I was humping less, and also not because I was not trying to get "the shot".

I've paddled in some amazing places (AK, UT, WY, WA, BC, Canadian north) and being a westerner, know what the grand landscape is. But I also appreciate "Canoe Country", and also have an affinity to cypress swamps (e.g. Okefenokee). Canoeing aesthetics (the paddling experience) include scenery as well as the type of water (from mirror-smooth lakes to technical whitewater), solitude (I like solo trips, but I also appreciate being with a small group and not seeing anyone for 40 days), as well as the history of the place.

 
marsonite
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09/14/2019 12:33PM  
That's a good post Joe. I think there's a tendency to focus on destinations. People will come on BWCA.com and want to know what sights are not to be missed in such or so route. Climb this or that hill, visit a waterfall, etc. To me, the beauty of canoe country isn't about destinations like waterfalls and overlooks, but more diffuse and more intimate that what you might find in the mountains. The most beautiful moments for me are things like watching the lake go to glass, hearing a loon call, enjoying a portage winding through a cedar forest, etc.

My family always jokes about how nice a lake is because it has rocks, trees, and water. And that's true. There are nice lakes, and not so nice lakes, but the nice lakes are all more or less the same. But somehow that doesn't really bother me.

To answer your question, I go for scenery and solitude, and to clear my mind and reflect.

Another big difference between canoeing and hiking out west is the campsites. Most mountain campsites I have been to are pretty spartan affairs. Not the kind of place you'd contemplate spending a few days. In the canoe country, getting to a campsite can be like having your own private cabin.

As far as solitude goes, canoeing is much better. Even in the BWCA. I was shocked this summer how quiet the interior was. I think more and more people are going in one or two lakes.
 
KarlBAndersen1
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09/14/2019 01:45PM  

(1) Do you trip for scenery or solitude?
"


I "trip" for fishing. Scenery is a distant second.
 
09/14/2019 03:47PM  
Solitude by far. I agree that it all looks the same. However there a few lakes I have gone to many times and have shared with my father and those lakes also have great memories on top of the solitude. To me the sky is the scenery and sometimes the lake if it has fog or looks like a mirror.
 
09/14/2019 03:47PM  
Solitude by far. I agree that it all looks the same. However there a few lakes I have gone to many times and have shared with my father and those lakes also have great memories on top of the solitude. To me the sky is the scenery and sometimes the lake if it has fog or looks like a mirror.
 
Bearpath9
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09/14/2019 04:15PM  
Both. I am a quiet kind of guy, so the solitude is right up my alley. The scenery is the one thing I really enjoy, and while the lakes do seem to look alike after a while, they are all unique in their own ways. I am trying to impart that sense to my grandson, who is my trip partner, and teach him to really look, not just glance. There is always something that you haven't seen before, you just have to take the time to slow down and observe what is around you, and remember it.
 
09/14/2019 05:20PM  
I'm one of those people who get a kick out of seeing other people. I love to paddle. So for me it's the pull on the paddle and the glide of the canoe that floats my boat. I totally disagree that all of the lakes start to look alike. I always find some sort of unique quality to every lake and portage.Yes some lakes are prettier than others. Kind of like pizza. There's no bad pizza, just some better than others. The same can be said about another thing, but i don't want my post removed. Been going to the BW since the mid 80s btw
 
justpaddlin
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09/14/2019 05:32PM  
I admire kanoes for trying new things; I think that's very cool and very human and good for just about everyone.

I also think that all of the pictures posted are magnificent.

But "all the lakes look the same?". My take is that you could spend a lifetime on only one lake and have a new experience every day. I remember a similar discussion on a forum years ago and someone mentioned the expression "you never paddle the same river twice". That captures my feelings exactly.

I don't know what kind of insect it is but one day this summer I was surrounded by these guys all day...but just on one day.

I took the pic of the Concord grapes a few minutes ago when walking the dog in the vineyard at the edge of the neighborhood. I've been in that vineyard thousands of times but I was still impressed with the beauty today and the whole vineyard smells like Welch's grape juice and I haven't gotten tired of that.

I've done lots of paddling with dogs over the years. We seem to share a similar mindset where we are deeply content with wherever we are and just observing and enjoying whatever stimulates our senses.

I like every form of nature...desert, mountains, northern forests, Florida, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia and everything I've ever seen. I'd like to spend a lifetime in every state and many other places. I take in "scenery" (nature) with a sense of wonderment. I also enjoy the aesthetics of canoeing.


 
09/14/2019 06:36PM  
My number one reason I go is for the fishing . It seems that world class fishing and solitude go hand in hand. I do think that I do not spend enough time enjoying the natural beauty that is all around me. I spend most all of my time staring at my depth finder, and trying to figure the fish out. I need to just chill out , relax, and cherish all the beauty and understand how luck I am to be able to be in such a great place. On my last trip I remember thinking that I could honestly say there is no place on this earth I would rather be.
 
Bearpath9
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09/14/2019 06:46PM  
(I like every form of nature...desert, mountains, northern forests, Florida, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia and everything I've ever seen. I'd like to spend a lifetime in every state and many other places. I take in "scenery" (nature) with a sense of wonderment. I also enjoy the aesthetics of canoeing.)


I was hiking in El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico, came around a bend on the trail, and there was a stand of pine trees . Right next to them, maybe 10-15 feet, was a stand of bamboo. It was a kind of a brain freeze for me. That forest was so different from what I have experienced up here in North America (so far) that seeing those pines next to the bamboo just stopped me in my tracks. Instead of squirrels and the critters we are used to seeing, there are lizards, there are snails, some pretty colorful birds, and I had never seen any of the plants before until then. I've gone back twice since then, and I still get amazed there. I may get down there this winter, I want to see what the hurricane did.
 
mpeebles
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09/15/2019 05:16AM  
Great thread. Thanks for starting it.

What's funny is that on my last trip I had the feeling for the first time ever that the lakes were starting to look the same. I don't quite know what to make of it.

As far as paddling goes I would say that I rank solitude, scenery and fishing of equal value. I would also rank going someplace new in with that group as I think planning and anticipation are a large part of the equation as well. I tend not to go to the same place more than once. Perhaps I'm more biased to adventure, who knows?

Safe travels.......



 
mjmkjun
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09/15/2019 06:08AM  


 
mjmkjun
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09/15/2019 06:08AM  
Bearpath9: "(I like every form of nature...desert, mountains, northern forests, Florida, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Asia and everything I've ever seen. I'd like to spend a lifetime in every state and many other places. I take in "scenery" (nature) with a sense of wonderment. I also enjoy the aesthetics of canoeing.)



I was hiking in El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico, came around a bend on the trail, and there was a stand of pine trees . Right next to them, maybe 10-15 feet, was a stand of bamboo. It was a kind of a brain freeze for me. That forest was so different from what I have experienced up here in North America (so far) that seeing those pines next to the bamboo just stopped me in my tracks. Instead of squirrels and the critters we are used to seeing, there are lizards, there are snails, some pretty colorful birds, and I had never seen any of the plants before until then. I've gone back twice since then, and I still get amazed there. I may get down there this winter, I want to see what the hurricane did."


(strays from subject)
OK. That's it! El Yunque National Forest, Puerto Rico has been on my bucket list but I just keep putting it off. Time to do it. Thanks for the inspire, Bearpath9. :)

On subject: I do not share in the opinion that all the lakes look alike. No way! Granted, I have explored and paddle a small fraction of the BWCA compared to Kanoes. I cannot speak for Kanoes, of course, but if I'd ever get to the point of thinking all lakes look alike then I'd consider myself to have reached a burnout point. That's not necessarily a negative. It just may mean I may need a pause.
Solitude and serenity are why I have ventured out in the BWCA. When tripping I like to test and challenge my capabilities. During the last couple of trips, I've noted my capabilities diminished considerably from just five years ago. OK. Doesn't come as a big surprise as I'm a member of the 'over the hill gang'. I'll work with it.
I process the rewards that flow inside me when I'm tripping the BWCA without analytical thoughts. Pretty much like a cat purring. It just happens.
 
09/15/2019 06:47AM  
Bearpath9: "Both. I am a quiet kind of guy, so the solitude is right up my alley. The scenery is the one thing I really enjoy, and while the lakes do seem to look alike after a while, they are all unique in their own ways. I am trying to impart that sense to my grandson, who is my trip partner, and teach him to really look, not just glance. There is always something that you haven't seen before, you just have to take the time to slow down and observe what is around you, and remember it."


While I am not, by nature, a quiet person, everything said above still applies to me, and to us as a tandem pair. To answer the question: both.

When we started going in the early 1970's, for me it was mainly the solitude. The silence. The peacefulness. I was a full-time Mom who left two small children in the care of others and spent anywhere from 4-12 days alone with my husband. No fishing, no basecamping. Canoe tripping, as I learned to love it, was a circular route with a different lake every day. If I could go now, that is still the way I would prefer to do it.

But alone time, quiet time with my husband, that was the goal. And it was precious for me. For us.

But as time went on, I began to really see more. As some others have said, there are all kinds of lakes. And the same lake in all kinds of conditions. A rainbow, a sheet of glass, a menacing cloud, a storm, a sunrise to take the breath away, and then a sunset that makes that sunrise seem ordinary by comparison. Fish jumping on a quiet evening, all sort of ubiquitous insects and small "critters", as well as the larger ones that are less common and more thrilling.

I think my interest in photography helped me learn to love the lakes, rocks, and shorelines. I know my interest in photography created a new love for small wildflowers, insects, and the more common scenes of a canoe trip. The "small wonders." We have a shelf full of "canoe trip books", and I can see in them the evolution of my photographic eye, as well as the improvement of my equipment from 1971 to the present time.

We love to travel. We take cruises, we go to football bowl outings. We take a vacation every summer one-on-one with each of our grandchildren. We enjoy road trips, too. We haven't limited ourselves to just lakes, rocks and the Boreal forest. But still, every year we return to the canoe country. The pace of life there is more peaceful, and the memories are still there to be made.
















 
09/15/2019 06:53AM  
Something like 35 countries and five continents have been part of my life's travels and all 50 states. Still, canoe country holds a special place for me. I think maybe instead of saying all lakes look the same, I would say all lakes are beautiful. There is something about traveling by canoe and being self-sufficient for a Time, combined with water wood and Stone that just fills me with peace.
 
missmolly
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09/15/2019 08:09AM  
If you're setting across one big lake after another, yeah, they look similar, but if you're a shoreline hugger, like I am, no way. I still see as many trees and rocks that surprise me as I did when I was young.
 
Pilgrimpaddler
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09/15/2019 08:30AM  
For me, it’s primarily the solitude that I value the most. However, I find that there is far more than just the scenery that also calls to me - it’s the sounds, the odors, the feeling of the sun and the wind on my skin. Perhaps the slower pace of living and the need to be more deliberate in the wilderness environment lead to a heightened sense of awareness, but I find that all my senses are more fully engaged when I’m “out there” than they are in everyday life.
 
09/15/2019 10:32AM  
I think a lot of it may also be in how we see. I recall that a lot of "Name that lake" pics would look similar to me, and not distinctive for a particular lake, whereas Cowdoc could clearly (and frequently accurately) recognize aspects unique to a particular lake that he had visited. I had been to many of the same places, but simply had not seen and remembered in as exact a fashion. I envy that ability (or mental diligence?)
Solitude is a weird thing, or maybe the word itself has different meanings based on context or mindset; it can somehow lead to connection, as experienced out in nature, or it can be a kind of punishment or at least trial, as in prisons.
 
carmike
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09/15/2019 12:43PM  
I don't find the BWCA/Q especially scenic, to be honest, at least compared to other wilderness areas like the big national parks out west, the Canadian Rockies, Alaska, etc. (I guess I just prefer mountains and desert landscapes...).

I do like solitude, however, and I'll take it any day in the BWCA/Q over a mass of humans lumbering about a national park looking at a big rock.

Of course, my preferences might change.

 
09/15/2019 08:04PM  
I consider the Bwca very scenic. Some of the best pictures can rival pictures of mountains and such. Of course some places are more “scenic” then others. But if you haven’t experienced scenic, I don’t know what to tell ya. I find solitude more often then not... but it’s more then solitude and scenery... history, diverse landscape, wildlife and yes fishing... With the increase in off road vehicles it is nice to have a place to run off to escape that. So if your looking for what I’m looking for... well it’s the whole package! I feel they go hand in hand. If you think the lakes all look alike... well you need to take your blinders off. I’ve traveled all over and really like the mountains and such. But canoe country is tops in my book.
 
09/15/2019 09:09PM  
I find it interesting that some believe that all BWCAW lakes look the same. While I respect that opinion, I actually have the exact opposite opinion. I feel that every lake has a different look and feel. The shoreline, the trees, the secret bays, the wildlife, the flowers and plants all give each lake a different vibe. Even the same lake on a different day will have a completely different feel. But our individual views of the wilderness are what makes us all unique. To each their own.

I trip for both scenery and solitude. I'm always searching for that perfect combination of both. Sometimes I find more scenery and that makes up for some lack of solitude. Sometimes I find complete solitude in an area that might lack the ideal scenery. It seems that I am always seeking that balance of both.

I try to process the scenery around me like I'm a part of the environment. Although photography is a big part of my trips, I attempt to find my place within the scenery and be in the moment instead of always trying to capture some moment digitally.

 
09/15/2019 09:25PM  
Now that I basecamp most of the time, the attraction is the company I spend my trip with and the view from the camp. Day trips break things up and the view always changes through out the day dawn through dusk.
 
Bearpath9
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09/16/2019 06:01AM  
BWPaddler: "Something like 35 countries and five continents have been part of my life's travels and all 50 states. Still, canoe country holds a special place for me. I think maybe instead of saying all lakes look the same, I would say all lakes are beautiful. There is something about traveling by canoe and being self-sufficient for a Time, combined with water wood and Stone that just fills me with peace."


While I haven't traveled nearly as much, I have experienced mountains (Bighorns, Rockies, Tetons) and deserts (Death Valley). And they do have some amazing scenery. But my heart will always be "up north". That is where I learned to love the wild spaces, even though it was on a dinky little lake between Park Rapids and Menahga, and the forest surrounding it. From the time I was about 8, until my grampa sold the place when I was 18, I spent as much of my summers up there that I possibly could. If I could choose where to spend the afterlife, that would be it.
 
bwcasolo
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09/16/2019 07:10AM  
over the years i have learned to adapt to others being around me in the wilderness. i know at some point in the trip there may be others. depending on their behavior, i tolerate a bit more external noise now, and enjoy the quiet and solitude when it presents itself, early mornings, travel days. my off season trips usually give me the solitude i enjoy.
i enjoy all scenery wherever i travel. i do not take a camera anymore due to the large volume of photo's i have taken and own. i have not regretted not having a camera as i can just enjoy the view and the moment.
 
ZaraSp00k
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09/16/2019 07:24AM  
SaganagaJoe: "I find a picture paints a thousand words:





Ogishkemuncie, probably 15 miles from the nearest road





Crystal Lakes in Mt. Rainier National Park, probably 4-5 miles from the nearest road.

. "


the scenery out west can't be beat, but camping solo on Jake Lake in WCPP gave me a feeling I only get when camping ... in other places like Wabakimi, Quetico, and yes even BWCA, there is something about canoe country that no other place I have been to has
 
09/16/2019 09:14AM  
Bearpath9: "While I haven't traveled nearly as much, I have experienced mountains (Bighorns, Rockies, Tetons) and deserts (Death Valley). And they do have some amazing scenery. But my heart will always be "up north". That is where I learned to love the wild spaces, even though it was on a dinky little lake between Park Rapids and Menahga, and the forest surrounding it. From the time I was about 8, until my grampa sold the place when I was 18, I spent as much of my summers up there that I possibly could. If I could choose where to spend the afterlife, that would be it."


I envy you that upbringing. I have always been drawn to water, but didn't canoe trip in the BWCA until age 32. Two siblings left the lower 48 to become Alaskans and they need mountains as well as water to soothe their souls. Not me. Mountains are dramatic, but the core components for me are water, wood (trees), and stone.

Sometimes you don't have to search the world to know what feels like home.
 
09/16/2019 11:08AM  
I can't decide if it is scenery or solitude. I am an introvert so being alone or in a small group helps recharge my batteries. However I always take my son or nephew on BWCA trips or backpacking trips. I have never tried a solo.

On my BW trips I always plan to take in the scenery but always seem to get too focused on getting to the next portage/campsite/lake. On my last trip we would have paddled right past the pictos on Crooked had my nephew not reminded me we were looking for them. There are never as many pictures or videos at the end of the trip as I had planned to take.

I also do a lot of family camping in the National Parks. My wife is not going into the back country so there is very little solitude. Those trips are about the scenery, history and education.

I think I just want to be outdoors and see or experience new places.
 
09/16/2019 07:22PM  
missmolly: "If you're setting across one big lake after another, yeah, they look similar, but if you're a shoreline hugger, like I am, no way. I still see as many trees and rocks that surprise me as I did when I was young. "


Nailed it.
 
Basspro69
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09/16/2019 08:57PM  
fadersup: "
missmolly: "If you're setting across one big lake after another, yeah, they look similar, but if you're a shoreline hugger, like I am, no way. I still see as many trees and rocks that surprise me as I did when I was young. "



Nailed it."
+1
 
09/16/2019 09:34PM  
Great post.
 
jillpine
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09/17/2019 04:20AM  
For the first twenty years, it was adventure, fishing, go go go. Sometimes I wonder if I even noticed twisted cedar bark. The next twenty years, it was about raising my sons to have this area be part of who they are as people. The majority of the next 20 will most likely be solo-tripping. Solitude versus scenery? It's a little like asking heartbeat or respiration. :)
 
09/17/2019 12:59PM  
I've been a wilderness tripper for 45 years, starting at age 13 with a backpacking trip in Montana. For me it's a spiritual connection to the real world (nature) that has a lot of appeal, as well as everything that goes with it---managed risk,the challenging and physical work of getting from point A to point B, fishing, wildlife, the sense of satisfaction of getting to the top of remote peaks out west or travelling through long canoe routes in the North, etc.

Scenery and solitude are in the eye of the beholder. A bleak, Hudson Bay shoreline has beauty and an overwhelming sense of solitude. A vista from a mountaintop in the US Rockies can have overwhelming beauty and solitude, but not the type of solitude you get in the far North, hundreds of miles from a road.

I prefer the longer backcountry trips where the end of the trip is far enough away that it is out of mind and you can get into the rhythm of nature without the distraction of the outside world. You end such trips lean and in excellent physical and mental shape.

But, it's all good, and everyone should have at least SOME of the real world in their lives.
 
missmolly
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09/17/2019 02:40PM  
"You end such trips lean and in excellent physical and mental shape."

Amen, Arctic. I love emerging from the woods looking like the love child of beef jerky and a reed.
 
09/17/2019 03:04PM  
For me, fishing and solitude go hand in hand; The scenery is just given. Each lake has its own distinct scenery and "feel." I enjoy fishing mostly the smaller lakes in the BW. Smaller lakes allow you to explore the shoreline and find "surprises." Also, there seems to be a sense of intimacy on smaller lakes, especially if I'm the only one camped there. I'd rather stay on a less "scenic" lake than stay at the bottom of Lower Basswood Falls with 30 canoes paddling by during the day.
 
flynn
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09/18/2019 12:23PM  
This is a good topic. I have thought for a while now that I generally don't mind portaging, because you get to see the woods, the forest that surrounds the lakes. There can be some really interesting stuff back there! I recently did a 3 day hike on the Border Route Trail and Caribou Rock Trail and saw an incredible variety of terrain. Wild swings in elevation, climbing 100ft of mossy rocks at a 45deg grade. Open groves of cedar. Plants and bugs I've never seen before. Little groves of bright green baby pine trees growing on the edges of the trail. TONS of mushrooms, some I had never seen before, up to a foot in diameter. Oh, and you cannot forget that refreshing smell you get when walking through a grove of aromatic firs! This is why I don't mind portaging. Given optimized packs with very little excess and lightweight gear, and Kevlar canoes, I can still enjoy the wilderness around me on a portage.

I do think some lakes can look the same, especially in low light. If the elevation in the distance is pretty steady, there is just a flat boring ridgeline. Sure, there are a lot of views like this in the BWCA. But there are also a lot like this:

(Cherry Lake)

(Cherry Lake)

(Hatchet River)

(Oyster Lake)

I have enjoyed scenic overlooks as well, though this one is a demanding 1.5-2hr hike from the Stairway Portage:

(South, Rat, and Rose Lakes)

There is so much scenery to be enjoyed in the BWCA, both on the water and off the water, that it doesn't too much matter to me if some lakes look kinda flat and generic. I like to spend more time on the east side of the BWCA to get more elevation, as I find being surrounded by huge hills and cliffs, almost like being in a mountain valley, feels really cool. Plus the water is pretty clear in a lot of spots in the east BWCA as well which I enjoy. I have been to Alaska and it is beautiful in its own way, but I started to take the mountains for granted after a week. I didn't do any big hikes unfortunately, but I got used to them being there, and sometimes it felt cool to have them around, other times they were just there. The BWCA is the same with trees and rocks. Sometimes you just get that awesome set of conditions, a flat campsite with an open grove of cedars and pines with red needles all over the ground, overlooking a small narrow lake with huge hills off in the distance, and cliffs lining the opposing shoreline, facing west for epic sunsets, with the loons talking back and forth, fish eating anything you throw at them, bugs nowhere to be found. You know what I am talking about. A moment where the best of everything comes together to provide a moment of soul-filling bliss. Hard to beat that, for me.

I don't mind sharing this experience with other people in the wilderness, as long as I can't hear them when I'm at my campsite and I can easily forget they are even there. Seeing an occasional canoe on the lake is fine. I do prefer solitude for the most part however, and have no problem with, and even enjoy, not seeing another person besides my group for 5 or 6 days at a time. It feels like all of that wilderness is mine in that moment, and that my experience is unique.

To come around a bend in a river and find a big bull moose grazing quietly in the distance, or to hear a group of bald eagles calling to each other, back and forth, or to be kept up all night by loons having a nocturnal family reunion while the Milky Way shines brightly overhead in a moonless sky. Those are the moments I can't get anywhere but canoe country. The less interesting experiences just make the amazing ones that much better. And, at the end of it all, it's a day away from work, where all you have to worry about is where/when to sleep, what/when to eat, and whether you should go fishing or not. :)
 
TreeBear
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09/19/2019 11:08AM  
I love this discussion and all of the different perspectives given. Here are my two cents.

My dad brought me to the BWCA for the first time when I was 6 years old, and I was absolutely enamored with the place. My perspective of those first trips on Daniels was very much the perspective of a child. For hours I would ask questions about the huge trees that were blown down around the lake. I would get so excited over catching a little smallie or with seeing a beaver. My imagination would run wild when we found a sunken beaver lodge or someone's lost tent pole. I loved the Boundary Waters for the little things.

My first intensive wilderness trip was right after senior year of high school. I tagged along for a huge, week long loop through the Quetico. I had a totally different perspective of the wilderness than I did as a little kid, but loved it just as much. On this trip, I appreciated the silence of the place. I was amazed with the huge sections of fire that had completely changed the landscape. I still enjoyed catching fish, but it wasn't the huge draw for me that it was as a little kid. The sense of encountering the unknown and finding new and unique places that I had never been before became so important to me. Places like the Wawiag River stole my heart with the amazing topography, and incredibly unique plants and wildlife. I stood in awe at the giant White Pine on the Munro portage, and I was even more amazed at the tree on Dead Mans that was even bigger. I loved the sites and sounds so much, but I also found a connection with the challenge. No matter how experienced members of our group were, or how well we planned, the wilderness still could throw us curve balls (we all had our butts kicked on the Munro to Mack portage.)

Post college, I guided two different summers. Because of my experiences, I could now appreciate Canoe country for even different reasons than before. I absolutely love the complex ecology that plays out in the wilderness. I love seeing first hand environments growing and changing around me. I love the quiet (and thus struggle to appreciate places like Basswood, Moose, or the Numbers in peak season.) I also crave the personal challenge whether that be packing on miles, or pushing myself to get to a particular lake or destination, or even journeying back into the PMA's.

What is my point? What guiding taught me is that Canoe Country is different for every single person because every single person is different. I had grown and changed between my different wilderness experiences, and because of that, my experiences changed. With the people I took out on guided trips, some of them loved fishing, or the solitude, or the challenge. Some were 11 years old and others were 71 years old. Each and every one of them encountered canoe country in a different way. Even if one lake looks like the lake next to it, it truly isn't the same so long as the people who encounter it are changing and the natural world keeps changing too.

As for me. I never have found one lake to look like the one next to it. I can be amazed at the cliffs on Knife, and then still be amazed when I paddle Kek or Wasini. Then I take a trip to Watap and am equally amazed. The same scenario repeats itself on Fishdance, Revel, Smite, Abinodji, and on and on it goes. I can be amazed at the Pines on Saganana, or the Cedars on Hanson, and still appreciate the returns of the next generations in the burn zone. I love the crystal clear waters of Mountain, but still find beauty in "Coca-Cola" colored lakes like Sprite. And nowhere else can I be lulled to sleep by the sound of Upper Basswood Falls, or a loon tremelo echoing down the lake. Also, I have never found two night skies or two sunsets that look the same. There is beauty in all of it. Each lake has a personality to me, but maybe that's because the draw for me is those little details. Each lake may look the same, but there are so many little complexities and subtitles that make each lake a brand new experience. I have visited 125 named BWCA lakes on my last count, and I can't think of any two that were exactly the same to me. I don't blame anyone that tires of it, and I can see where they are coming from. As for me, every trip binds me closer with the place, and makes my heart ache more the longer I am away. Every person goes for a different reason: fishing, challenge, scenery, camaraderie, silence, or a thousand others. But, as for me, the hallowed northland has yet to come up short in terms of challenging me, humbling me, pushing me, amazing me, and has a permanent grip on a piece of my heart.
 
Gadfly
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09/19/2019 12:02PM  
A lot of great points made here. For me it is about the fishing and solitude. While I agree that in general the lakes in the BWCA area all start to look alike, the same could be said for mountainous areas. The best example I can give is the grand canyon. I we years back with my wife and we stopped at about 25 different lookout spots. After about the 5th one I realized we were stopping and basically looking at the same thing every time and I quickly became bored with it and have zero interest to go back. The BWCA gives me something that keeps me coming back multiple times a year.
 
Basspro69
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09/19/2019 09:39PM  
egknuti: "For me, fishing and solitude go hand in hand; The scenery is just given. Each lake has its own distinct scenery and "feel." I enjoy fishing mostly the smaller lakes in the BW. Smaller lakes allow you to explore the shoreline and find "surprises." Also, there seems to be a sense of intimacy on smaller lakes, especially if I'm the only one camped there. I'd rather stay on a less "scenic" lake than stay at the bottom of Lower Basswood Falls with 30 canoes paddling by during the day."
I couldn’t possibly say it any better than that !
 
09/22/2019 10:33AM  
Another thread urging thoughtfulness and I have thought about this. Our brains are tuned into something new and finding a new perspective is stimulating. So in the end it is not the scenery nor the solitude (Jillpine noting heartbeat or respiration). It is not what is seen, but the one doing the seeing. Perspective.
At times in life I have felt burned out and everything looked the same, and fortunately those times have passed. I enjoy exploring new places and feeling the difference of different waters in different places. Paddling the Tetons was awesome. And I have watched the evolution of the numbered lakes back to Insula having been there before, during and after the Pagami Creek Fire. I intend to continue exploring and return to visit old friends. I have a trip planned for early October and solo tripping shoulder season should give solitude. It will be nice to visit old friends and reflect on how we have both changed.
 
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