Mark enjoys sharing the joy of canoe camping with first-time BWCAW visitors. When he’s not paddling and portaging, he is an avid woodworker. He builds canoes, kayaks, snowshoes, paddles, and recently completed a 20-foot sailboat! In the winter, he enjoys camping, ice fishing, skiing and snowshoeing.
A retired engineer for 3M company, he has been an avid outdoorsman all his life, camping, hiking, and fishing. He was active in the Boy Scouts as a youth, and a leader in both Cub and Boy Scouting. Mark and his wife are currently hiking the Superior Hiking Trail in sections, completing approximately 50 miles per year.
Mark is a regular speaker at the annual Winter Camping Symposium, giving tips on outdoor winter photography. He is a contributing author and photographer for the Boundary Waters Journal.
There is magic in the feel of a paddle and the movement of a canoe, a magic compounded of distance, adventure, solitude and peace. The way of a canoe is the way of the wilderness and of a freedom almost forgotten, the open door to waterways of ages past and a way of life with profound and abiding satisfaction.
-Sigurd Olson