The concept is simple: eliminate everything man made except what is carried in and out. And yet, it's one of the hardest concepts to grasp in today's technological society.
I'll never forget 1986 when I entered a world based on this concept for the first time. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area: the sound of a paddle dipping into the water, the splash of a beaver tail, the echoing call of a loon, a northern sun setting on a glassy lake, tall pines whispering with the winds. As an avid outdoorsman, an inquistive explorer, and an appreciater of natural beauty, I couldn't help but feel at home in this habitat foreign to man.
Located in northeastern Minnesota's Superior National Forest, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) is approximately one million acres in size, contains hundreds of lakes and rivers, has 1,200 miles of canoe routes, and is home to threatened and endangered species. No motors are allowed inside the area, and everything carried in must be carried out. Travel is done through canoeing and hiking.
I returned to the Boundary Waters in 1987, and soon an annual vacation to the heart of the land became tradition. While no camera can capture the grandier of the Waters, it has always been a sanctuary of beautiful natural photography. For this reason I've always kept a carefully organized photo album of our pictures. It's even served as a good recorder of our fierce fishing competition. As the years have passed, the photo album has turned into something more than what I expected: a great chronicle of myself and Mike coming of age. You can actually see us growing up each successive July.
Due to work committments I had to stop attending the annual trips after 1993. Luckily I had the chance to return in 1999. I've been to the Boundary Waters many times. Looking at these pictures, I'm able to go back.
What follows are a year by year chronicle of our trips. I tried to choose pictures which display the ordinary (because even 40 miles away from any technology you have to do dishes!) the exciting (sometimes of which appeared unexpectedly,) and, of course, the beautiful. I hope you enjoy the photography.
