natethenorsk

One of the most tranquil places I’ve been on earth. I’ve been up in this area about a dozen times as my great uncle owns a cabin just outside the BWCA. My dad and I have made multiple excursions up into the wilderness area and a couple of times have gone deep into Canada. The lakes are crystal-clear, you often won’t see another human for days in a row (especially in Quetico), and the wildlife is everywhere! I’ve seen moose, black bears, wild turkeys, loons (my favorite, they have this eerily beautiful call), frogs, beavers, fish (of course), and more. Fish practically jump into your canoe.

Some advice:

Use an aluminum canoe. Yes, it weighs 75 lbs vs the 40 lb kevlar boats, but it’s much steadier. The last thing you want is to be in the middle of a large lake when a storm blows in and have to worry about keeping your lightweight canoe from capsizing and having your gear float away or sink! Plus, you really don’t have to carry it that much. Take your time, there’s lots to see if you keep your eyes open. You’ll likely see lots of Native American petroglyphs on the cliffs at the edge of lakes. Prepare for leeches and LOTS of mosquitos.

This place is run by the coolest hippies I’ve ever met. You have to try La Folie if it’s available to sample. It’s their award winning Belgian sour brown (it beat out every sour brown in the world, including every entry from Belgium!).

You’ll understand the conflict after visiting Palestine. Despite hearing some gunfire at night I felt very safe everywhere I went. Customs in Tel Aviv was a bitch. If you venture into Gaza or the West Bank, tell the agent you’re there only to tour, nothing else. I was in Beit Jala to help repair a Palestinian elementary school. The customs agent didn’t appreciate the fact that I was doing that and that I called the town I was in “Beit Jala” (Arabic name) instead of “Har Gilo” (Hebrew name).