For those who regularly paddle in the barrens, does it ever get monotonous, and of so, how long does it take to get bored looking at openess?
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Goin' Treeless
- Thread starter Black_Fly
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While I can't say for sure since I've never been to the Barrens I personally feel I might prefer it to the boreal. Oftentimes I get tired of feeling hemmed in and not being able to see very far (except across the lake). I certainly appreciated the more open and scrawnier forest as I approached (but never reached) the treeline a few years ago.
One of the things I dislike about the boreal is how it's often impossible to just strike off through the woods for a exploratory walk if there isn't already a trail.
If it makes any difference I grew up (and still live) in the middle of the midwest in what used to be the middle of the tall grass prairie. While there are only tiny reclaimed patches of this ecosystem left I've grown quite fond of them and the landscape. There is a lot of life and variety in what can seem like an empty landscape.
Alan
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It may take a couple days to get used to the openness, but there is a lot to see. Bring binoculars. After that, it grows on you and you may wonder how you were ever able to see anything in the forest.
If people are regularly paddling on the Barrens, I think it's safe to assume that they are not bored looking at open spaces. The longest Barren Grounds trip that Kathleen and I have done was 37 days on the Thelon River. We were bored, combined between the two of us, for a total of zero seconds. In fact, just the opposite. We were generally exhilarated and at peace with the vast vistas.
That is Whalebone Hill in the background.
The following is from one of our slide shows:
I have read that the ancient Greek athletes performed in the nude so that the competitor’s muscles and strength were in full display. Similarly, every ripple and nuance of the tundra, unclothed by trees, is readily and dramatically visible.
Of course, the Barrens is not for everyone. I talked to a guy once who had paddled the Hood River. He said he didn't like it. There were no trees. I'm with Alan and Al. I like the openness to move and hike, which is often more difficult in dense forests.
G
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Like Alan I’ve never been to the Barrens, but I’ve spent a fair amount of time above timberland and in deserts out west. As an east coast forestland dweller those expanses of uninterrupted view and open space to wander are appreciated.
Back east, along the same lines but more paddling-oriented, I like the open vista expanse of salt marshes and coastal bays.
nope . There is a lot of variety underfoot in the tundra, Or desert for that matter. Just finished a three week trip in desert including a week in Death Valley. Wish we had stayed longer
As others have mentioned, the answer is nope. I barely sleep at night when canoeing the barrens. While the others sleep I hike. So much to see, no place to hide. For me, it's the ultimate canoeing destination.
Here's a few pics from the Horton River of fauna and flora not seen elsewhere but on the barrens.
The local Mafia
Golden Eaglet
Crepis Nana
Here's a few pics from the Horton River of fauna and flora not seen elsewhere but on the barrens.
The local Mafia
Golden Eaglet
Crepis Nana
Calling the north the barrens is misleading, it definitely isn’t.
I've only been once, but we spent about half of out 43 day trip in the Barrens. I totally loved it, and getting to the Barrens was one reason the trip initially appealed to me. The coastal plain a day or so from Hudson Bay was getting a bit monotonous, but that's about it. I love the Alaskan tundra too, and the alpine areas in the Rockies. I like seeing far. Oh yeah, I'm going back as soon as Covid lets us.
Seeing far:
I
Seeing far:
IAnd lots of stuff to look at:
Looking at this thread I am reminded of comments of a friend who grew up and lived his life out west where the sight lines are long. He said he hated hiking and bike touring in the east (he wasn't a boater) because according to him all you ever saw was green. He said it was like being in a long green tunnel all the time. Having grown up in the east I was a little surprised at that, but it is another way of looking at it.
The only barrens I have paddled in are the NJ pine barrens so not really treeless, but I have hiked and bicycle toured in a lot or treeless areas having ridden coast to coast a couple times and having hikes above tree line a good bit.
Biking, I found the Great Plains interesting but the Southern Tier was kind of tedious. West Texas in particular was brown nothingness day after day after day, but again that was on a bike. On a river I think things are always more interesting.
Hiking above tree line was awesome. Beautiful alpine lakes, long sight lines, and so on...
The only barrens I have paddled in are the NJ pine barrens so not really treeless, but I have hiked and bicycle toured in a lot or treeless areas having ridden coast to coast a couple times and having hikes above tree line a good bit.
Biking, I found the Great Plains interesting but the Southern Tier was kind of tedious. West Texas in particular was brown nothingness day after day after day, but again that was on a bike. On a river I think things are always more interesting.
Hiking above tree line was awesome. Beautiful alpine lakes, long sight lines, and so on...
From West Texas.. beauty. 
Often times, what one enjoys is a function of one’s personal experience, I read an article once about a prairie farmer who was visiting British Columbia.
”How’d you like the scenery.”
”Well, I guess it would would be ok if the mountains didn’t block out the view.”
Similarly, Kathleen and I have tripped almost exclusively on larger rivers. We just float along while the river does most of the work. We are less enamoured with tripping on lakes. Paddler has to do all the work. Once we did a trip on a drop-and-pool “river.” Essentially lake paddling with many must portages. For us, it was the least enjoyable of all our tripping experiences. That’s just us, though. I completely accept that many trippers enjoy drop-and-pool. As they say, whatever floats your boat!
PeteStaehling;n122904He said he hated hiking and bike touring in the east (he wasn't a boater) because according to him all you ever saw was green. He said it was like being in a long green tunnel all the time.[/QUOTE said:
I've never paddled in the barren north except some day trips in Alaska. I would have liked to. However, I suspect I would have gotten bored eventually by a treeless landscape unless there were elevations to look at -- cliffs, hills, mountains. I have never particularly liked paddling (or driving) through flat waters in flat, featureless lands such as can be found in many places in the American South and Midwest.
I like paddling and driving through much of the American West, though the very dry places with endless brown dirt hills can be boring.
Northern California can be particularly beautiful, with lots of hills and mountains filled with golden or green grasses (depending on season) and dotted with black and blue oak trees spaced widely apart at certain elevations. You get the feeling of open space, interesting topography and lovely trees all at the same time.
I like paddling and driving through much of the American West, though the very dry places with endless brown dirt hills can be boring.
Northern California can be particularly beautiful, with lots of hills and mountains filled with golden or green grasses (depending on season) and dotted with black and blue oak trees spaced widely apart at certain elevations. You get the feeling of open space, interesting topography and lovely trees all at the same time.
After disrespecting west TX scenery, I will say that I really enjoyed the food and the people when I rode my bicycle across TX. The people I met seemed to be an endless stream of interesting misfits who migrated there because they didn't fit in somewhere else. It is a good thing I enjoyed the people and food because it was a long way across the state (close to 1000 miles the way I went).
BTW, I was really happy when things were suddenly green at Del Rio.
While the Sonoran desert of Arizona, or it's pinion-juniper foothills are remarkable. I found west Texas to be more than a little boring. I'd probably like the barrens as long as there was wildlife or interesting landforms. I guess season matters.
there are plenty of artifacts in the Barrens historical not to be touched. Wildlife tracks are abundant. Caribou and grizzly bears! Its fun to see them in their native habitat. Wildlife out in the open has to adapt to being seen while moving so some birds are good at camoflage. Wildlife is not so easy to spot with trees.
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