Blog Action Day - Sulfide Mining in the BWCA

October 15th, 2010 is Blog Action Day, an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day with the aim of sparking a global discussion and driving collective action. This year's topic is water.

I've opted to post a short treastise on the subject of sulfide mining and how it poses imminent danger to one of the greatest watersheds in the world, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico Provincial Park. Sulfide mining, which extracts copper, nickel and other metals from sulfide ores has "...decimated water supplies, killed fish, destroyed entire landscapes, and left taxpayers holding the bag for expensive clean-up operations almost everywhere it’s been done before" according to the Friends of the Boundary Waters, a non-profit group who's mission is "to protect, preserve and restore the wilderness character of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Quetico-Superior Ecosystem."

Visit the Friends of the Boundary Waters to learn more about the debate over mining, jobs and the environment taking place all over the world and particularly in the vast lakes and forests of the Boundary Waters and Quetico Provincial Park.

Below is a representation of the stunning beauty and tranquility that is to be found in the quiet, northern reaches of the United States.

Boundary Waters Part 2 from Alex Horner on Vimeo.

Backpacking the Spanish Peaks of the Madison Range

The crew I was part of in college refers to ourselves as Flavor Country and a small subset of this crew has been taking an annual backpacking trip since somewhere around 2002 or 2003.  I and my roomate (also a part of Flavor Country) have the fortune of living in a place where there is ample and awesome backpacking so a couple of the guys from the Midwest came out to visit last week and we hit the trail for four days and three nights.

There was some big ol' glacial erratic along the trail.

We found ourselves way up in the high country singing "Misty Mountain Hop".

Then it snowed.  Eric was so afraid he had to close his eyes.

Someone left a metal grill at the site so we steamed some beef sticks in a sardine can.

It was pretty much exquisitely beautiful. 

Eric constructed the best firepit ever.  'Twas a shame to practice LNT and tear it down in the morning.

At trip's end we had to fight Jax dog for the last tall boy of Old Swill.  

Backpacking the Spanish Peaks at EveryTrail

Local T-Shirt Competition, Go Vote

A local Bozeman gear shop is hosting a t-shirt contest with proceeds from shirt sales to benefit a Bozeman non-profit (hopefully the Bike Kitchen). I entered a design but take a look at vote for the design most appealing to you.

Vote in the Northern Lights Trading Company t-shirt contest.