In the wake of French-Canadian fur traders

John Haugen-Wente, Madison, Wisconsin

The sound of something massive was running through the dense forest. Could be a bear, moose or great woolly mammoth, I thought. Ever closer, crashing louder and louder, it was headed my way. The woods ended at a small backwater marsh, where my sailing canoe was pulled up on the sand. I hopped down from the campsite to my canoe, staring hard into the trees. 30 feet away a deer literally exploded from the woods, was airborne as it did a forward dive a third of the way across the marsh. Before it even hit the water a big grey wolf appeared, did a 90-degree turn and sprinted around the shore through the marsh grass, trying to cut the deer off. Even so, the deer bolted from the water a good 40 feet ahead of the wolf. The chase was still on as they both went flying through the woods, the sound getting dimmer and dimmer until the deer escaped or became dinner. I will never know how the story ends, but the image I will never forget.

This was the 4th night of an unforgettable trip into the Northwoods.

Voyageurs National Park is over 200,000 acres of mostly water, encompassing four large lakes, surrounding the Kabetogama Peninsula. Voyageurs borders Quetico Provincial Park to the east, Boundary Waters Canoe Area to the Southeast, and a huge track of Canadian Wilderness to the North. Rainy Lake is the biggest lake in the park; 60 miles long, 12 miles wide, with 2,500 miles of shoreline, and 1,600 islands both named and unnamed. The border between Canada and the U.S. runs right down the middle of Rainy Lake. Three hundred years ago French-Canadian Canoe men plied these same waters, bringing in trade goods from the St. Lawrence Seaway to barter for beaver furs, high fashion when turned into hats for well-to-do Europeans. Compared to the namesake Voyageurs of yesteryear, who paddled 40-mile days and hauled 180lb portage loads, our trip was less than ambitious. We wanted to travel by sailing canoe, melting into the landscape; exploring islands and backwaters, crossing the bays, hiking the trails, sleeping under the stars, watching the moon climb into the night sky. We planned our trip for the last week in September, when the maples and birches are brilliant against the backdrop of firs, water, and rock.

Singing and Sailing

Jackie, my sailing partner, and I are both old enough to qualify for our AARP cards, and because we have lived long enough and still have most of our memories intact we know a lot of songs, sometimes singing the songs as written, but more often following our own lyrical path. Singing Voyageur tunes (I know no French), to early country classics, we sailed from Ash River Ranger Station on Namakan Lake. Heading east, we were followed by ominous clouds and funky winds. We stopped long enough to watch six eagles fight over one slab of meat. Working together only two of the eagles filled their bellies. One would drive the others off while the other eagle; creating a wall using his five-foot wingspan, would enjoy dinner. They would then switch, while the rest of the eagles watched helplessly, screeching displeasure to anyone who would listen. The dominant eagles were listening but did not seem to care.

The rumblings of thunder, and the furious blasts of wind, made us think about a campsite. Two hundred free backcountry campsites are spread throughout the park, each with a fire pit, a picnic table, bear box, and a pit for a toilet. The campsites are impeccably clean. Voyageurs is a multi use park; fisherman, house boaters, a few canoes and kayaks all vacation up here. People not only seem to respect the land, but packing out what you pack in seems to be understood.