Explore the Quetico- Boundary Waters with seasoned paddlers— one a writer, one a photographer—whose work reflects on the spirit of the place, conveying an open invitation to visit an ages-old wilderness.

Canoe country has a strong hold on the imagination. The conifers and rock-ribbed lakes of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and neighboring Quetico Provincial Park are still a remote wilderness where Cree, Ojibwe, and voyageurs once traveled in birch-bark canoes, where lynx, moose, and gray wolves still roam. It is a place and a dream, a source of enjoyment for the hundreds of thousands who have paddled—or imagined paddling—a canoe through these distinctive waters.

Writer Greg Breining and photographer Layne Kennedy have hefted their canoes over many a portage in both the BWCAW and the Quetico, and their new book, “Paddle North,” in words and full-color photos, inspires dreams of simple days out on the water and quiet nights at home in the woods. Meditations on map making and canoe building, on the rock-pine-water combination that defines the northland, on winter weather and forest fire are all accompanied by views of sparkling lakes and rocky cliffs, challenging portages, campfire reflections, and friendships forged away from the hustle of everyday life. Together, these stories and images convey a sense of reverence for the landscape and the playful joy felt by those who paddle north.

Layne Kennedy's photographs have been published in “National Geographic Traveler,” “Sports Illustrated,” “Life,” “Newsweek,” “Smithsonian,” and other magazines. Greg Breining writes about travel, science, and nature for the “New York Times,” “Audubon,” and other national publications. Kennedy and Breining are also the team behind “A Hard-Water World: Ice Fishing and Why We Do It.”

Educated in fine art photography, Layne Kennedy's editorial images blend art and information. His images have been published worldwide on subjects as varied as wolves in Minnesota to pink dolphins in the Amazon River. His feature work appears regularly in “Smithsonian,” “Life,” “Audubon,” “Sports Illustrated,” “Nature Conservancy,” “Newsweek,” “National Geographic Traveler,” “National Geographic Adventure,” “Outside,” and other magazines. He has photographed books for the National Geographic Society and Voyageur Press. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and three children. Despite his best