After marveling over the Witch Tree for a long while we hopped back in our canoe and around Hat Point. As we rounded the point we saw the Grand Portage fort in the distance and could make out the path that we would follow over the Grand Portage in the coming days. Thoughts of voyageurs arriving from Montreal swirled in my head, and I could almost hear the canons firing to welcome use as they did for the great canoe brigades of the past.

We landed at the Fort and walked into the encampment. It was like walking back in time. It was 1796, and the Fort was bustling with activity. Everyone was dressed in traditional clothing and busy mending birch bark canoes, preparing wild rice, tanning moose hides, and preparing beaver pelts for the journey to Montreal and then onto London.

A native woman showed us the vegetables that she is growing in her garden and explained the differences between first growth birch bark and second growth birch bark. After bark is stripped from a birch tree, the tree then re-grows the bark. After about 10 years the second growth bark can be harvested. It is much darker in color and stiffer. It was usually used for making small baskets and other house hold items. First growth bark was preferred for canoes because it is not as brittle.

September is the month that wild rice is traditionally harvested. To the right, Frosty sifts through a makuk, or birch bark basket, full of parched wild rice. The rice then needs to be "danced on" to remove the white husk. The dark kernel of rice is very nutritious and was the staple of Ojibwe diet.

Tomorrow we will visit with the students at the Grand Portage School and then tackle the mighty Grand Portage. We are excited about following this historic trail and uncovering some of its hidden mysteries.

For the past two days we have been traveling on Lake Superior. It is the first time that either of us has been in a canoe on this mighty lake. During our planning we built in a few extra days of travel in case the lake would be rough due to its notoriously violent storms.

However the gods of Gitchigumi have been kind to us, welcoming our canoe with blue skies and light tail winds, making for easy travel. We are amazed at the beauty of Lake Superior. Three billion year-old granite walls make up most of the shoreline. This landscape is interrupted by beaches of fist sized rocks made smooth by eons of crashing waves.

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The first few paddle strokes of the Jiime Adventure! We need a name for our canoe if you have suggestions post them to the message board.

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We stumbled onto these bird nests on a small island about one mile from the mainland. We didn't see any birds, but we saw about 100 nests. What species of bird built these nests, and why do they choose to nest here? We are counting on you, so please post your answers.

Tomorrow we make that short paddle to Hat Point, home of the Witch Tree. We will have to get up early though, because the forecast calls for increased winds which could mean larger, more dangerous paddling conditions. During this time of year the voyageurs were often wind bound on Lake Superior for days at a time waiting for calmer weather.

The votes are in, and Dave's beard will be coming off! Stay tuned for photos of the Witch Tree, a beardless Dave, our visit to Grand Portage, and a whole lot more!

It's been a little hectic and very exciting around the Wilderness Classroom office for the last few days. Final preparations and packing are all completed as we prepare to paddle Lake Superior tomorrow morning.

On Thursday and Friday, we drove from Chicago to Kenora, Ontario to drop off food and other supplies that we'll pick up along the adventure. Driving the route gave us a clearer understanding of the natural changes we'll encounter along our route. As we headed north, deeper into the Canadian shield, granite outcrops became more dramatic. The rocks served as visual reminders of the glaciers' power that shaped this unique landscape. Friction, heat, and climatic change are all key ingredients for vast wilderness and exquisite canoe country: the perfect place to conduct a learning adventure.

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Dave testing out the Satellite Phone and computer this morning. They still work like a charm!

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Yesterday we came across a Moose and Black Bear with in a mile of each other as we were driving along a dirt road north of Tofte, Minnesota. We hope to see a lot more critters in the coming weeks.

Native people and European explorers and settlers have traveled by canoe deep into the Interior of North America for various reasons. The fur trade of the 16th and 17th Centuries ignited a passionate wave of exploration that would ultimately form the United States and Canada.

One of the most important places to the fur trade is Old Fort William. Situated on the Kaministiquia River this trade post was the North West Company's alternative to Grand Portage. The North West Company, together with its rival the Hudson's Bay Company, competed for the thickest beaver furs. These beaver furs would then be exchanged with the native people and shipped back to Montreal and Europe to be made into hats. It may seem a little silly to think that a hat could help cause the formation of the United States and Canada, but it sure did. In the 1790s and up to the 1850s, beaver hats were the most fashionable and necessary article of clothing for men. It is even said that a gentleman would rather be caught without his trousers than without his hat!

As we embark on our journey, consciously moving away from the distractions of civilization, we hope to rekindle the connection to the natural world, traveling in the footsteps of those that came before us. We are very enthusiastic to share all of the adventures yet to be with you all.