Yesterday The Boundary Waters Catalog, 2012 Spring & Summer Edition (Piragis Northwords Co., Ely, MN), arrived. This morning there was an unsolicited email in the inbox from ReserveAmerica, which is the private contractor used by the National Forest Service to process applications for entry permits for the BWCAW/Superior National Forest.

BAM! I suspect my response was akin to that of a hard-core gardener and the arrival of that first seed catalog of the season and, in particular, if that would be the Jung seed catalog.

I was inclined to dig out a sierra cup, brew up a fresh pot of coffee, and sit right down to page through the catalog. I made due with a regular kitchen mug. (I did not want to create a stir with the spouse--attempting to explain the unexplainable--unless one has also been there.) I am not sure what it is with thwart bags and solo canoes, but I found myself lingering over the descriptions, the dimensions (8" x 16" x 3"), and weights (49 lb. in Royalex and 43 lb. Tuf. Flex).

I often wonder if there will be another canoe camping trip in my future. There will not be one this year. Maybe I should bring the AlumaCraft out of its longterm storage place in a back corner of the yard next to the compost pile of yard waste. I could clean off the grim that has accumulated over the past two winters (It has spent last two summers "on the bench" as well.), in anticipation of a daytime paddle on Chequamegon Bay during the upcoming summer months. I am thinking that just being prepared for such a possibility would refreshen the memories from previous trips. Those will have to do for now.