Back to the Ozarks

I leave the day after Easter for back-to-back Ozark canoe trips. First the majestic Buffalo River in Arkansas, and then the less heralded Eleven Point in Missouri. With The Rio Grande in February and now the Ozarks I guess this is my new idea of winter camping –chase the sun. Larry Rice keeps writing me about the wonders of Panama. Maybe a January canoe trip down there next year or the Everglades with Cliff Jacobson if we can pull that together?  Anyway right now I am focused on the Ozarks. Last year we hit the Dogwoods in bloom and the woods were a fairyland, this time, a focus on the waterfalls. With a late spring in Minnesota I am going to bring along my Kifaru tipi and a tiny woodstove. If we catch some cold April rain it will be nice to have a warm, dry tent to retreat into after a day in the elements. If you e-mail me over the next couple weeks expect a slow response. When I am in the bush, I am in the bush.

There is still space in all 3 sections of Sue Plankis and my BWCA guided trip/class “Bird Ecology of the Northern Forest”. I feel like I am shamelessly “hawking” this opportunity but I really believe the future of  wilderness depends on people learning about wild nature and living it. These classes are an opportunity to do both, if only for a few days. All I can say about birding is, it’s not about what you don’t know, it’s what you don’t know you don’t know. Paddle a lakeshore or walk a portage trail with Sue Plankis and you will learn amazing nature lore that will stick with you forever and make all your future walks deeper and more appreciative.

Other offerings? One summer leadership class is full, but plenty of room in the other two. August in the BWCA? There is no place better. Shoulder season trips when I pair up with the legendary Dan Cooke are great fun and a way to hone your bushcraft and paddling skills at a time when the less hardy have left the Boundary Waters to the Pine Martens and Whiskey Jacks.  Sign up now especially if you are interested in paddling solo canoes. USFS regulations limit group size to 4 canoes, so these are small groups and will fill fast.

My arctic Kujjuua trip in July  has shifted 1,000 miles east to Alaska and the Noatak. A little sad not to be returning to my beloved Canadian Arctic but the Noatak although a bit less wild, is north of the Arctic Circle too, 400 miles long and not as logistically challenged as the Kujjuua. It’s been a long time since I have been to Alaska. Can’t wait for it to happen.

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