What does it take to transport seven landscape artists from their dusty urban studios to the mighty Lake Superior or the secluded Agawa Canyon? For the legendary "Group of Seven" painters in 1920 it was the Algoma Central Railway and the promise of an unfettered wilderness. They stretched their canvases to accommodate the vistas before them and thus made Algoma known to the rest of the planet. Today, that train still takes you there and the trails still beckon. The scenic mountain overlooks of Bellevue, Searchmont and Batchewana, as well as the wild Goulais, Chippewa and Agawa rivers invite you to participate. A pileated woodpecker taps out a message to decode. Close by, the musings of a nuthatch capture your attention. A kind of echo resounds; a call perhaps answered across the great expanse. Depending on the season at hand, you may choose a scenic turnout, dip your paddle, wax your skis, or calibrate your camera.

How do we best approach a land and water scape so splendiferous?... Several welcoming accommodation lodges and adventure opportunities are scattered across the community of backcountry Algoma. At each niche, your hosts may share their particular love of the land. It might have been an Ian Tamblyn song or an A.Y. Jackson painting that first brought us here; certainly it is the uplifting landscape that makes it home. You are encouraged to try out kayaking, canoeing, hiking, mountain biking, snowshoeing, back country telemarking, cross country or downhill skiing. Choose a guide to help you discover remote lakes, interpret intact ecosystems or experience a star-filled sky and the stunning Aurora Boreals. But always it is the silence that will most overwhelm, as you take time to let your stresses evaporate.

This wilderness is nearly as unfettered as it was some eighty years ago. A natural ruggedness has helped preserve its integrity. In the backcountry, trek the Canadian shield, a spine of granitic rock nearly as old as the earth itself. You may get a chance to focus on the dwarf ginseng or a nodding trillium; perhaps hear a question posed by a great grey owl or listen to the haunting answer of a loon. From the new Algoma Headwaters Park to the micro-sites within the Achigan wilderness, we encounter a blended forest of ancient yellow birch, cedar, hemlock and white pine, threaded with rushing waters and splattered with lakes of every description.

All this is wrapped within the aura and mystique of northness, rich in culture, history, art and song. After a day outing we take the time to sit around a warm fire to rekindle that spirit. We tune to a mutual key, and celebrate with music, sauna and conversation. This is the language and the inner landscape of our Algoma Backcountry Community.

Jeffrey Riordan Hinich, Copyright 2006