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A book like this could never have been written without the help and encouragement of many people. Foremost are those with whom I have paddled during these many years. While I stepped off portage trails, paused to take notes, backtracked on lakes to seek a desired photograph, or paddled and portaged out of the way to investigate some unknown territory, the patience of my companions was (and still is) certainly appreciated.

Long before the idea for this book ever entered my head, my father, the Scoutmaster, introduced me to the joys of camping experiences while my mother, the English teacher, always encouraged me to write about those experiences. Throughout the years since the publication of my first book in 1978, U.S. Forest Service personnel were quite helpful in answering my questions and supplying statistical data included in this and previous editions.

When finding the time for research could have been a serious obstacle, my employers (formerly the Eddie Bauer company and most recently the State of Minnesota) granted me summer leave to explore the Wilderness. Canoes were loaned for research trips at no charge by the Eddie Bauer company, Lowe Industries, Piragis Northwoods Company, and Hill’s Canoe Outfitting. The W.A. Fisher Company supplied the maps used for most of my research, while Chuckwagon Foods supplied the trail food at a discounted price for many of my earlier trips. Most of all, I thank my wife for her steadfast support and encouragement—and for not divorcing me when I spent $200 on my first electric typewriter at a time early in our life together when funds were extremely tight!

—Robert Beymer

June 2000