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Stumpy
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01/11/2019 04:47PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
Do you have a favorite tree, that you've returned to on more than one trip ?

I think of the huge White Pine, that I really like, on the portage into Dack Lake in Quetico.

But my favorite, is a huge White Pine in Quetico that shades a canyon like pinch, in the creek, that flows into my favorite bushwhack trout lake. I always plan a day hike, following the moose / game trail, along said creek. One of the highlights is to sit and have lunch, underneath it's bows, as we listen to the small waterfall next to it.
 
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missmolly
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01/11/2019 05:39PM  
If I may pick a Canadian Shield tree that's not in the BWWCA, it would be any of the stands of tall birches I encounter in Canada. So straight and white and I love their dappled shade.
 
AdamXChicago
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01/11/2019 06:11PM  
I'm in the white pine camp - reminds me of the huge one at my parents' summer place on Castle Rock (WI)

AdamX
 
01/11/2019 06:25PM  
On my bushwhack between Zephira Creek ,and Zaphira Lake , there are some old growth poppel trees that are unbelievably large. I don’t know if it was a section that had never been logged off or not, but they were huge. I have not seen any that compares in all my other travels in Quetico or the BWCA.
 
01/11/2019 07:10PM  
Yes.

But perhaps it was as much the memory as the tree. (Caribou Lake, 1992)

 
01/11/2019 08:43PM  
On Joyce Lake in Quetico there's an island camp with a clearing in the rear that holds a red and a white pine side by side. They are the same height. Here's a pic of the white.





 
Great Melinko
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01/11/2019 09:44PM  
White Pine
 
missmolly
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01/11/2019 09:53PM  
Spartan2: "Yes.

But perhaps it was as much the memory as the tree. (Caribou Lake, 1992)


"


Do you mind sharing the memory, Linda?
 
Stumpy
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01/11/2019 11:27PM  
I didn't ask for a favorite species.
That's another good question, if anyone wants to post that.
 
01/11/2019 11:47PM  
I'm a big fan of the tall white pine that towers above an island on Ted. I tramped to its base and part of its height is due to it having taken root a tall projection of rock in the center of the island that is completely capped by this tree.



There is also a tree on the portage between unnamed and Irene (towards Kahshahpiwi) on the unnamed side. Tallest white pine I've seen anywhere. It's unreal [there are also some mighty tall trees on the portage out of Kahsh towards Irene- sheltered by the tall cliff they grow below].
 
01/11/2019 11:50PM  
The one that immediately comes to mind is the huge cedar on the portage from Vera to Knife that was blown over. Not sure if it's the awesomeness of the growth rings you can see where they cleared it from the trail, the location along the portage marking the distance or just the fact that a tree can live so incredibly long and then just like that, a storm topples it over.
 
Stumpy
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01/12/2019 12:10AM  
Banksiana: "I'm a big fan of the tall white pine that towers above an island on Ted. I tramped to its base and part of its height is due to it having taken root a tall projection of rock in the center of the island that is completely capped by this tree.





There is also a tree on the portage between unnamed and Irene (towards Kahshahpiwi) on the unnamed side. Tallest white pine I've seen anywhere. It's unreal [there are also some mighty tall trees on the portage out of Kahsh towards Irene- sheltered by the tall cliff they grow below]."

Cool.... That's what I'm talking about.
 
01/12/2019 07:14AM  
This white pine managed to find a place all it's own on Susanette lake in the Quetico.
Things like this in nature always capture my attention and awe.

 
missmolly
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01/12/2019 09:48AM  
mooseplums: " This white pine managed to find a place all it's own on Susanette lake in the Quetico.
Things like this in nature always capture my attention and awe.


"


That's a beauty!
 
01/12/2019 09:49AM  
mooseplums: " This white pine managed to find a place all it's own on Susanette lake in the Quetico.
Things like this in nature always capture my attention and awe.


"


I love this tree!
 
01/12/2019 09:49AM  
missmolly: "
Spartan2: "Yes.


But perhaps it was as much the memory as the tree. (Caribou Lake, 1992)



"



Do you mind sharing the memory, Linda?"


Not at all. It was the last morning of our 22-day BWCA trip in 1992. A June trip with record cold temps, many lakes, many portages, and more than a few challenges. That morning finally dawned warm, and so inviting. Because I hated so much to end the trip, I was still dozing in the tent while Spartan1 got up and built what he always called a "junk fire" (little dead pine branches and small stuff, not what you would ever cook over) and he warmed up some water for instant coffee.

When I finally made myself crawl out of the tent shortly after sunrise had faded, I saw him standing under the tree with his first cup of coffee, looking out at the lake. A single loon was calling, not too far in the distance. Because I never crawled out of the tent without my camera around my neck, I snapped this photo before he knew I was awake.

It was a very special morning for us. We lingered around camp and had breakfast. We were in no hurry. When we finally got to the Lizz-Poplar portage, I cried all the way across my second carry. This had been our "trip of a lifetime" and we both knew it. We didn't know then, but Spartan1's kidney disease diagnosis came that autumn and we began a long 16 years on the infamous "kidney diet", followed eventually by dialysis, and then the miracle of the transplant ten years ago.

But that last portage just ripped my heart out. I had thought that after three weeks I would be ready to leave the canoe country, and instead, I was still wanting more. When we got to Poplar, rather than heading directly back to Rockwood Lodge for our car and our trip back down the Gunflint, we paddled down to the other end of the lake and just puttered around there. Then we stopped at the dock for Trail Center, and walked up (incredibly grubby after three weeks on the trip) and enjoyed big burgers and malts for our lunch. And finally we had to go face the end of our trip.

Whenever I see this photo and think of that wonderful tree, I am carried back in time to that morning.

 
01/12/2019 10:18AM  
I'm always amazed at the ones growing right out of a crack in the rock. I would imagine these trees are fairly old even though they are small in stature.

From L to R. A) Unnamed between McIntyre and Fishhook (Earl). This one might be the landing at "Ho Ho Lake". B) McDougal Lake. C) On portage from Kett to Basswood.






 
01/12/2019 10:45AM  
In the book Gunflint Burning they mention and show a photo of what they say is the oldest living tree in Minnesota - a cedar on Seagull Lake. I've never seen it (yet), but if I had that would almost certainly be my favorite. Just think of how much has happened during that one tree's lifetime of 1,000 years.
 
01/12/2019 10:56AM  
I have no picture but a cool story.

Not the BW but in Isabella.
Just off state hwy 1 on the south side of the road, east of the Little Isabella River campground is a White Pine about 1.5 - 2 feet in diameter.
This tree survived the 1999 blow down, sits all alone after all its nieghbors were downed.
The area was salvaged logged, and now it was ready for a prescribed burn as a site prep prior to replanting.
I was burn boss of this prescribed fire project, we lit the fire and things were progressing just fine, the fire was getting closer to this lone White Pine and I knew it would not survive the fire since it had jack strawed logs all around its base. (The radiant heat would have killed its cambium)
I continued to ponder about this lone tree dying and as the fire got ever closer to this tree, I instructed one of the BIA fire engines from the Fondu Lac Rez to "Save that Tree"

The fire crew pulled hose up to that tree and did indeed save it.

That lone tree still stands guard over its siblings that were replanted and are about 15 feet tall now. I look at it every time I drive by it and recall its story of survival.
 
missmolly
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01/12/2019 12:15PM  
Linda, your story make me cry too. Thanks for sharing.
 
01/12/2019 01:06PM  
Jaywalker: "In the book Gunflint Burning they mention and show a photo of what they say is the oldest living tree in Minnesota - a cedar on Seagull Lake. I've never seen it (yet), but if I had that would almost certainly be my favorite. Just think of how much has happened during that one tree's lifetime of 1,000 years. "




The one on Bayley bay on basswood is even older...? If I recall 1100 yrs old.
 
ellahallely
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01/12/2019 01:49PM  
Bayley Bay tree.
 
missmolly
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01/12/2019 02:59PM  
ellahallely: " Bayley Bay tree."


That looks like an Ent!
 
01/12/2019 03:07PM  
That one could use some pruning.
 
SaganagaJoe
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01/12/2019 04:35PM  
Fire engine red maples are my favorite, followed closely by tamarack/larch.



 
01/12/2019 05:31PM  


I have a few favorites in the southern Appalachians. Many familiar trees were lost in recent times in the canoe country. This cedar is on the shore of Cherokee Lake. There is a little, narrow sand beach there and both times I have visited there were wolf tracks on that beach.
 
01/12/2019 06:16PM  
favorite tree is any easily climbed pine in a group of pines. The true saying that "there is always a breeze in the pines" has helped keep me cool for a while on a hot summer day. An island in Basswood bay not far form the long portage comes specifically to mind.

On the same island, there was/is a tree by itself up the hill perfect for a portable shower.
 
01/12/2019 06:31PM  
Stumpy: "Do you have a favorite tree, that you've returned to on more than one trip ?

I think of the huge White Pine, that I really like, on the portage into Dack Lake in Quetico.

But my favorite, is a huge White Pine in Quetico that shades a canyon like pinch, in the creek, that flows into my favorite bushwhack trout lake. I always plan a day hike, following the moose / game trail, along said creek. One of the highlights is to sit and have lunch, underneath it's bows, as we listen to the small waterfall next to it. "


That tree is a awesome one.
My favorite one or maybe two is the huge white cedar on the portage between Hansen and Knife. So beautiful. I think i have heard like 500-1000 years or so?

According to Lee Frelich
University of MN
Department of Forest Resource in 2002.
Threemile Island has several excellent stands of ancient cedars. One of Frelichs
favorites is on a small bay delimited by a little granite peninsula about
50 feet long with six cedars all between 500 and 1000 years old along its
outer edge. These cedars have all the hallmarks of ancient cedars:
 
01/12/2019 07:39PM  
One of my favorite trees in Canoe Country is this bonsai in Quetico's Sarah Lake:



My favorite local tree is this white pine "donut tree" behind my mountain bike (Tarkiln Branch Trail, DuPont State Recreational Forest):

 
01/12/2019 10:06PM  
TrailZen: "One of my favorite trees in Canoe Country is this bonsai in Quetico's Sarah Lake:



"


Love that Sarah tree (just N and east of the bay holding the portage to Tuck).
 
Portage99
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01/13/2019 05:16AM  
I love trees and enjoy reading about these trees.

My favorites are cedar, oak and poplar in that order.

During my Wabi trip last year, we investigated a very unique, old cedar grove that had the river running under the root system. So, I would stand on this web of ancient roots and watch the water running underneath. It was just an unbelievable experience, like the grove was one one living, breathing being. The toppled, exposed root balls were sometimes 6' high and covered with new, tiny trees. Exploring the grove was like entering a strange, new world. Even a couple feet from where we entered, you felt "lost" and climb over all types of root webs. *Cherish that memory*

I have many favorite trees that I visit regularly. 2-3 years ago we had a super bad ice storm that took out a lot of trees. I went walking in the storm because I love that extreme weather. And, I went walking after the storm. 3 of my favorite pine trees toppled from the weight of the ice, and the woods looked really unreal. It has been interesting to see how the woods recover. The root balls created these little caverns that are still there. Very cool. Pix below with my pooch.

The other picture is an oak (distant oak in pic) that appears to reach a hand or tendril down a hill towards a local river. I visit this tree often.

And, a random shot from this autumn.

One of my favorite quotes:

“I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines.”

? Henry David Thoreau







 
OldTripper
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01/13/2019 10:06AM  
I have a very specific tree that if I travel passed it I have to stop and pay a visit.
I have several pictures of it taken over the years posing with different friends.
What makes it unique is it grows out of the ground, makes an almost 180 degree bend back towards the ground, then curves back up towards the sky again.
When I first found it, it was only 3-4 inches in diameter. Now it's 7-8 inches.
It's located on Insula, site 1334 I think, but not certain.
 
Basspro69
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01/13/2019 11:37AM  
Any birch tree is my favorite tree especially in autumn !
 
TuscaroraBorealis
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01/13/2019 04:08PM  
 
CrookedPaddler1
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01/14/2019 10:53AM  
Like many people here, the White Pine is my favorite. From a distance with their branches curved upward it seems like they are raising their limbs to the almighty power above!

My second favorite would have to be the black spruce of all things. Brings back so many good memories of dogsledding through the black spruce swamps of the BWCA!
 
01/14/2019 10:58AM  
TomT: "I'm always amazed at the ones growing right out of a crack in the rock. I would imagine these trees are fairly old even though they are small in stature.

B) McDougal Lake.



"


McDougal Lake, Quetico park, Ontario, 2007.
 
01/14/2019 11:48AM  
Argo Lake, early June, 2019.

 
Stumpy
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01/14/2019 05:33PM  
Springer2: "
TomT: "I'm always amazed at the ones growing right out of a crack in the rock. I would imagine these trees are fairly old even though they are small in stature.


B) McDougal Lake.




"



McDougal Lake, Quetico park, Ontario, 2007. "

Love that Black & White !
 
goatroti
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01/15/2019 05:28AM  

Pines like this grow on Philip Edward Island on the north shore of Georgian Bay, due south of Killarney Park. They spring from bare rock, desperate to get a root hold. They are buffeted by the onshore winds, crushed by the winter snows and ice spray, yet they carry on like the Elephant Man seeking their place in the forest rabble.

This one caught my attention out behind Site #144 on Nellie Lake in Killarney. It's a cedar tree and a birch growing from the same trunk. They fused long ago and then went their separate ways, forever affixed at the hip.
 
missmolly
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01/15/2019 07:33AM  
goatroti: "
Pines like this grow on Philip Edward Island on the north shore of Georgian Bay, due south of Killarney Park. They spring from bare rock, desperate to get a root hold. They are buffeted by the onshore winds, crushed by the winter snows and ice spray, yet they carry on like the Elephant Man seeking their place in the forest rabble.

This one caught my attention out behind Site #144 on Nellie Lake in Killarney. It's a cedar tree and a birch growing from the same trunk. They fused long ago and then went their separate ways, forever affixed at the hip."


Beautiful line here: "... yet they carry on like the Elephant Man seeking their place in the forest rabble."

Cool photos too!
 
Diego
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01/15/2019 09:21AM  
Spartan2: "
missmolly: "
Spartan2: "Yes.



But perhaps it was as much the memory as the tree. (Caribou Lake, 1992)



"




Do you mind sharing the memory, Linda?"



Not at all. It was the last morning of our 22-day BWCA trip in 1992. A June trip with record cold temps, many lakes, many portages, and more than a few challenges. That morning finally dawned warm, and so inviting. Because I hated so much to end the trip, I was still dozing in the tent while Spartan1 got up and built what he always called a "junk fire" (little dead pine branches and small stuff, not what you would ever cook over) and he warmed up some water for instant coffee.


When I finally made myself crawl out of the tent shortly after sunrise had faded, I saw him standing under the tree with his first cup of coffee, looking out at the lake. A single loon was calling, not too far in the distance. Because I never crawled out of the tent without my camera around my neck, I snapped this photo before he knew I was awake.


It was a very special morning for us. We lingered around camp and had breakfast. We were in no hurry. When we finally got to the Lizz-Poplar portage, I cried all the way across my second carry. This had been our "trip of a lifetime" and we both knew it. We didn't know then, but Spartan1's kidney disease diagnosis came that autumn and we began a long 16 years on the infamous "kidney diet", followed eventually by dialysis, and then the miracle of the transplant ten years ago.


But that last portage just ripped my heart out. I had thought that after three weeks I would be ready to leave the canoe country, and instead, I was still wanting more. When we got to Poplar, rather than heading directly back to Rockwood Lodge for our car and our trip back down the Gunflint, we paddled down to the other end of the lake and just puttered around there. Then we stopped at the dock for Trail Center, and walked up (incredibly grubby after three weeks on the trip) and enjoyed big burgers and malts for our lunch. And finally we had to go face the end of our trip.


Whenever I see this photo and think of that wonderful tree, I am carried back in time to that morning.


"


You have a way with words... beautiful story and an inspiration for us all to get out and make all we can of what we are given. Thanks for sharing that day with us.
 
tumblehome
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01/15/2019 12:16PM  
To the above post and picture.

That is an amazing photo. Lots of words in the picture. I see a lot of serenity and love in it.
I think that's the place we all want to go to in our dreams, right there.
 
01/15/2019 01:53PM  
I always love the big pine forest south of lac la croix. The big pines always inspire me. Returning to my home I have a white oak in my yard that is a remnant of the oak savanna that was here prior to development. Many of these trees remain in my area. The city forester estimated my tree as at least 250 years old, most likely quite a bit older. I imagine what this tree must have witnessed, herds of Buffalo, elk, Dakota Indians traveling between the villages on the minnesota river to the village on bde maka ska. My dog appreciates the squirrels that call the tree home.



 
01/17/2019 04:45PM  
I honesty don't recall exactly where this tree was but it left me in awe because if it's size. We Camped on Duncan that year and visited Rose, Partridge and even went into Canada for a bit.

 
01/17/2019 08:23PM  
White pines and burr oaks are my favorite trees.
 
missmolly
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01/18/2019 09:04AM  
jwartman59: "I always love the big pine forest south of lac la croix. The big pines always inspire me. Returning to my home I have a white oak in my yard that is a remnant of the oak savanna that was here prior to development. Many of these trees remain in my area. The city forester estimated my tree as at least 250 years old, most likely quite a bit older. I imagine what this tree must have witnessed, herds of Buffalo, elk, Dakota Indians traveling between the villages on the minnesota river to the village on bde maka ska. My dog appreciates the squirrels that call the tree home.



"


I love the old oaks. I love how their branches have bent double elbows, where the branch takes a 90-degree turn followed by another 90-degree turn.
 
missmolly
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01/18/2019 09:14AM  
msnature: "I honesty don't recall exactly where this tree was but it left me in awe because if it's size. We Camped on Duncan that year and visited Rose, Partridge and even went into Canada for a bit.


"


That bark looks as big as loaves of bread!
 
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