From The Sigurd F. Olson Website, http://www4.uwm.edu/letsci/research/sigurd_olson/contents.htm, comes this quote:
Such vivid awareness is swiftly lost today, but if it can be held into adulthood it enriches and colors all we do. How often in the wild country of the north I have been aware of the spirits of the voyageurs, the shadowy forms that once roamed the rivers and lakes. Often at night it seemed I could hear ghostly songs coming across the water, the rhythmic dip of paddles and the swish of great canoes as they went by.
I’ve included this quote here as I firmly believe that anyone who picks up a paddle and takes to the canoe in the north country is following the path that the voyageurs first took. It is as if those of us so inclined to go canoe tripping are listening to the voyageur’s songs. Mind you the voyageurs were not on a pleasure cruise….it was all business….and the portages with heavy laden packs and long days of paddling were literally killers….far from what a typical modern day canoe trip involves with ultralight Kevlar canoe and lightweight tent, pack, and other gear (including freeze-dried food that once prepared can seem like it came right out of the fanciest restaurant). But the sense of adventure must have been similar….even the country traveled through by the voyageurs and their modern day counterparts remains the same for the most part….and for many today as yesterday, the song of the paddle is literally music to their ears.
