New MN Canoeing.com Blog!

I decided to start a blog for MN Canoeing.com. Why? Several reasons, I guess. First, I want the website to get some more exposure and traffic. I am hoping this helps. Secondly, I didn't have any place on the website to announce website plans and changes, talk about BWCA news, and write down my random canoeing thoughts. Finally, I have a passion for canoeing and the Boundary Waters, and a blog (in addition to the website) would help me be able to share that passion with others.

What is MN Canoeing.com?
MN Canoeing.com is a not-for-profit website that I started in April 2011. The purpose of the website is to serve as a guide and resource for planning Boundary Waters and Quetico canoeing, camping, and hiking trips. It is also a place to share experiences through trip reports, photos, and campsite reviews. (A message board/forum may come in the future.)

Is it really not-for-profit?
Despite the ads that appear on the site, MN Canoeing.com is not-for-profit. The advertisements serve two purposes. First, since the ads are hidden for signed-in users, they are there to encourage people to register (which is free) and share with others. Second, I hope to be able to recover at least some of the cost of running the website. Since some of the data, such as the Quetico campsite and portage data from Quetico PCD, was given to me contingent on being not-for-profit, if I recover the cost of running the website, I will take the advertisements completely off the website. I don't anticipate ever being able to do that, though.

What makes MN Canoeing.com unique?
The most unique portion of the website is the RouteFinder on the map. I had always wanted to find a website that had something like "Google directions" for the Boundary Waters. I finally realized that there weren't any, and if I wanted one, I would have to make it myself. Many, many hours of research and labor went into the project over the span of a couple of months. I was able to create a service that would be able to tell you approximately how long it would take to get from any campsite, portage, or entry point in the Boundary Waters to any other. At the moment, this is only available for the Boundary Waters. I have the Quetico about 25% done and will release it when I finish it. 

What will be in this blog?
This blog will probably evolve over time, but my initial plans are to talk about:

• Plans for updating MN Canoeing.com
• Recent events and news relating to canoe country
• Gear (I don't have any sponsors, so this will be as unbiased as I can make it)
• Lakes, fishing, campsites, etc.
• Personal canoeing experiences
• Other random thoughts related to the Boundary Waters/Quetico 

How can I help? 
There are several ways that you can help me in making MN Canoeing.com better. The most obvious way is to donate to help me offset the cost of running the website. However, donating is not the only, or even the most helpful, way. My purpose in running the website is to share the passion that I have and to provide useful information and tools for others. I would like to see many people using the tools that I have spent countless hours making. Share the website with others. Tell others about it. Place a link to MN Canoeing.com on your own blog or website. Write trip reports, rate campsites, and upload photos. Tell me what you would like to see on the website. These are all valuable ways you can help me make MN Canoeing.com better.