The Singing Wilderness

This morning Josh Borchardt set out on a solo expedition through the Boundary Waters Wilderness to raise money and awareness for our film.  Josh has helped out as a guide on two of our previous shoots and has proved himself to be an irreplaceable member of the crew.  Josh will be out in the wilderness for about ten days by himself, experiencing the silence, solitude and wonder of the wilderness, made that much more wild by winter.

You can follow his movements live via GPS Spot tracker:

Day 1

As of about 3 p.m today you can see that Josh has reached his planned base camp on the eastern shore of Horse Lake. Tomorrow he plans to head up the nearby Horse River toward Basswood Falls, along the Canadian border.  Here’s a map of his planned route:

Note that he is starting near the center of the map, entering at Mudro Lake, heading up the Horse River to Basswood, doubling back and finally coming out at Fall Lake.

Please consider supporting Josh in his cause by making a donation toward the production of “The Singing Wilderness” and click on one of the donate links to the right. Click on the IFP logo to make your contribution tax-dedictible – it’s the end of the year after all. Josh and I thank you for your support!

My friend Dick Haskett, a very handy woodworker, came up with the idea to make a set of salad tongs in the likeness of a pair of canoe paddles.  It was like this little revelation: you think, “well duh, someone must have done this already.”  Something you feel like you’ve already seen, and grasped – but you haven’t.  It’s just so natural that it seems familiar, even though it’s brand new.

Paddlecraft from Interstate Films on Vimeo.

He offered that single set at the silent auction for our fundraiser in the spring of 2010, and it was probably the most popular thing there.  When I asked him about the possibility of making them in some quantity to help raise money for the project, he tinkered around in his wood shop up on the farm in North Branch Minnesota and finally came up with the idea to cut ‘blanks,’ which could then be crafted into paddles using a variety of tools, and hand sanding.  I helped him out a bit and we managed to push out another half dozen sets – and I think they’re pretty damn nice. And we will make many more, if people want more.  I am asking for $150 contribution toward the project for this premium.  I know – no one needs a pair of canoe paddle salad tongs that badly.  You have to want to see this film get made too.  Thanks.

In 1949 Sigurd Olson wrote, directed, and starred with his son Robert (whom I interviewed some sixty years later) in a 16mm, 30-minute color film entitled “Wilderness Canoe Country” to call attention to the issue of the increasing use of bush planes to fly sportsmen in to fishing resorts.  Filmed by naturalist and photographer Grant Halladay and narrated by famed broadcaster Paul Harvey, it tells the story of a father and son on a wilderness canoe trip in the Quetico-Superior, whose solitude is shattered when a bush plane lands nearby. “The Film built more vital support for the airplane ban in northeastern Minnesota than all of the speeches, articles, and other conservationist propaganda put together” (David Backes, from “A Wilderness Within – The Life of Sigurd F. Olson“). President Truman signed the executive order thanks to Sig’s efforts, and the ban stands to this day. Of course there are new threats…  

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Some behind the scenes silliness:

“A new adventure is coming up and I’m sure it will be a good one.”

These are Sigurd’s last written words, found on a sheet of paper in his typewriter after he died while out snowshoeing.  I think 2012 is going to be a good one, and if all goes well, it’ll be the year this project sees completion.  Thanks again to all of you for your support.  Here’s wishing you great new adventures in 2012…

Image “Frozen Stream, Purple Sky” courtesy Bryan Hansel, Bryan Hansel Photography.