This content was originally published in the 2021-2022 Ely Winter Times. We like to claim author Sarah Stonich as our own, partly because she lived in the area for many years, but even more because she creates scenarios and characters that feel local in the best sense of the word. Readers from other parts…
Let It Snow! was first published in the 1998-1999 Ely Winter Times: Snow is pretty amazing stuff. Did you know that a light powder snow cover is 92% air? It has a higher R-value than fiberglass insulation. Just nine inches is enough to keep the soil from freezing even in sub-zero temperatures. In fact, snow…
The following was originally published as the sidebar text accompanying the above photo for November in the 2017 Boundary Waters & Quetico calendar. It’s time to winterize, and the herps (reptiles and amphibians) of Canoe Country have remarkable adaptations to winter weather. They brumate, rather than hibernate, which means they reduce their metabolism so much…
The following content was originally published in our 2016 Boundary Waters & Quetico calendar. Photo credit: Steve Voiles. Depending on your perspective, aspen trees are pulpwood, weeds, or trees at add beauty and character to canoe country. There are three species here, the most common being Populus tremuloides, or quaking aspen, also called popple in…
The following text was the September 2002 sidebar content in our Boundary Waters & Quetico calendar. Photo credit: Paul Sundberg. Lake Agnes. In the BWCAW and Quetico, peak leaf color is usually from the middle to the end of September. As early as July, single red maple leaves add bits of color to the…
The following article was written by Libby Fena, and originally featured in the 2004-2005 Ely Winter Times. The six of us skied quietly. Behind us, two teams of dogs followed. We had been following the trapper’s tracks for hours. The creek under our feet wound back and forth, creating oxbow after oxbow. Whereas the…
The above image, Dave & Amy Freeman ricing on Nina Moose Lake, was featured in the 2018 Boundary Waters & Quetico Calendar. The following article was originally published by Raven Words Press in the 1999 Ely Summer Times. In late summer, when the wild rice ripens on the shallow, mucky-bottomed waterways near Ely…
Photo credit: Paul Sundberg. This image and text below were featured in the 2017 Boundary Waters & Quetico Calendar. Blueberries are more than delicious, abundant, and free for the picking. They are also one of the most healthful of all fruits and vegetables. With plenty of fiber and vitamin C as well as natural…