Iowisota is my usual paradise, full of ecological wonders, embellished with modern day comforts. Last week I took a little vacation in a completely different setting: The Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA), in far northeastern Minnesota. My daughter guided me and two other mature-aged women on a 3-night trip on Saginaga Lake, at the end of the Gunflint Trail. This week’s blog includes some observations about the differences and similarities between these two amazing places.
In the “Driftless Area”, we lack glacial drift, since the last 3 or 4 glacial periods “missed” us. Our ancient landscape was shaped by the waters that flowed from glacial melt, but they weren’t scraped clean, compressed, or buried by moving sheets of ice. The basic landform and bedrock are vastly different between Iowisota and BWCA. Northeast Iowa has deep nutrient-rich soils over pocketed limestone, versus thin soils over granite, which leads to a huge difference in vegetation. The BWCA is full of conifers (3 types of pines, spruces, fir, and northern white cedar), whereas I can hardly find a conifer in northeast Iowa, except the rugged red cedar on the south-facing slopes and a few white pines. The great gift of the Northwoods, with their dry acidic soil, is blueberries; there should be a fine crop this year, but I was a bit too early to enjoy them.
It has been a wet year in the BWCA as well as in the Driftless. The lakes are full up there, as are the rivers here. In both places, water gives life. So much life. The beavers were active on our route through the wilderness, entertaining us with their busy activity at each of our campsites. We also enjoyed turtles, loons, rabbits, chipmunks, and many other creatures. No moose or bear this time. Before I turned off my phone and headed into the wilderness, my Merlin app had told me that chestnut-sided and Tennessee warblers were among the chorus of songbirds. I had heard both birds in the Iowisota woods in early May, as they headed north. It reminded me that we are connected by so many things, including paths of migration.
I have always thought of the rocky northern reaches as a much less rich environment, yet this is where many neotropical songbirds go to raise their families. “Why is this?” I contemplated as I swatted at another mosquito. Then it hit me, or should I say bit me. The hordes of insects. Life in the north IS abundant. The summer season is short, but not lacking in richness.
Vacations too are short, and I am now back in my own paradise, with chiggers instead of mosquitoes and a soft bed each night. A trip to the BWCA makes me appreciate what we have here, and also what we have there. As an Io-Wi-‘Sotan, I embrace and celebrate all the natural places in our name, even the ones in far northeast Minnesota! And maybe I’ll go pick blueberries in the barrens of Wisconsin next weekend. Until next time…
PS: go to the events section of the website to check out our upcoming Iowisota events. The Women’s Walk (free) will be a hike up the bluff this coming Thursday July 18th. We also have some spaces left for July 27 class on preparing wild foods. The August foraging class with Sam Thayer is full. I’m getting excited for our October mushroom foraging class. I hope to add another class of some type later this fall. As always, if you’ve got an idea of something you’d like to see or do out here (even if it isn’t on the schedule), reach out to me!
Comments