Post by wildernessmama on Feb 15, 2005 23:31:56 GMT -5
A Season For Wilderness, by Michael Furtman
Most of us only dream about spending the entire summer in the BWCA, but for Michael Furtman and his wife Mary Jo, the chance was just too good to pass up.
Living in the Crooked Lake cabin below Lower Basswood Falls, the couple spent the entire 1986 canoeing season as wilderness ranger volunteers with responsibilities of digging and replacing latrines, maintaining trails and campsites, checking permits and reminding campers of wilderness regulations. They also participated in wildlife surveys, monitoring animals and nests; their observations extended to that of campers and their use/misuse of canoe country.
The Furtmans combined their labors with the pleasures of fishing, camping, and exploring the wilderness. They followed trails of prominent figures such as Sigurd Olson, Bill Magie, the voyageurs and the Ojibway, those who left stories and memories along that same border route. For months they were confronted with the same challenges that most of us face in each visit experiencing the wilderness in its many temperaments.
Furtman uses words to paint incredible pictures of that area of the wilderness, pictures that make readers eager to experience it for themselves. When Marshall and I explored that area several years ago, it was easy to visualize their life on Crooked Lake. While the cabin is no longer there, the boathouse remains near the dock, private property of the Forest Service. But that same wilderness which deepened the lives of the Furtmans is still there, waiting to enrich our lives as well.
Most of us only dream about spending the entire summer in the BWCA, but for Michael Furtman and his wife Mary Jo, the chance was just too good to pass up.
Living in the Crooked Lake cabin below Lower Basswood Falls, the couple spent the entire 1986 canoeing season as wilderness ranger volunteers with responsibilities of digging and replacing latrines, maintaining trails and campsites, checking permits and reminding campers of wilderness regulations. They also participated in wildlife surveys, monitoring animals and nests; their observations extended to that of campers and their use/misuse of canoe country.
The Furtmans combined their labors with the pleasures of fishing, camping, and exploring the wilderness. They followed trails of prominent figures such as Sigurd Olson, Bill Magie, the voyageurs and the Ojibway, those who left stories and memories along that same border route. For months they were confronted with the same challenges that most of us face in each visit experiencing the wilderness in its many temperaments.
Furtman uses words to paint incredible pictures of that area of the wilderness, pictures that make readers eager to experience it for themselves. When Marshall and I explored that area several years ago, it was easy to visualize their life on Crooked Lake. While the cabin is no longer there, the boathouse remains near the dock, private property of the Forest Service. But that same wilderness which deepened the lives of the Furtmans is still there, waiting to enrich our lives as well.