First trees planted...

Windy, warm.  A red flag warning of potentially harzardous windy fire conditions issued today.  The forests have had little rain since the snow melted.  The giant Lake Superior iron ore ships are following the shore.  They are cautious as a strong northwestern wind is gusting up to 30 mph.  A black wall of cold superior wave trains pushing them out to the great lake.  In the woods, the warm air is heavy with the pungent smell of pine.

The great canoe waterways of the Border Country are open early.  We loaded the canoe with a day pack and lunch and entered the wilderness at Baker Lake.  We paddled north to Peterson Lake.  At the northern point of the lake we landed for a shore lunch.  The first paddle of the year feels like running into your childhood best friend for the first time in years.    There is a level of comfort that I feel in the wild places of this world that I would feel closing up the house for the night.  It's like going home.

After a rest at the Kelly Lake portage we paddled back south.  Amy showed off her strong draw from the bow while shooting the rapids between Peterson and Baker.  The move kept us in the current and away from a rock garden and grounding in the middle of the run!

Back home I planted the first trees on the property this week.  Two white pines have found new soil just below the spruce knob on the north western corner of the property.  After logging hundreds of trees during the winter it felt good to start the other half of my forestry plan: replant species with succession into a warmer climate.  Red and white pine, white spruce, sugar maple and red oak will dominate the landscape.  And with these two 10 inch tall white pine saplings my replanting begins.  

Since these first pines were planted one has disappeared.  Deer: I'll hope for a 50% survival rate.  

White spruce, northern white cedar and tamarack have also been planted.  Nonetheless I intend to keep planting...