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A BWCA Glossary
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- Kaapoo
- A lake. Name derivation unknown.
- Kamimela
- A lake. Name derivation unknown.
- Kawasachong
- A lake in the upper Kawishiwi drainage. Name derivation unknown.
- Kawishiwi
- A lake on the southern edge of the BWCAW, headwaters for the Kawishiwi
River.
- Kawishiwi River
- The largest river in the BWCAW
- Kayak
- A small, low-profile boat similar to a canoe,
and increasingly used for wilderness travel..
- Keel
- In canoe design, a narrow spine running down the centerline of the
bottom. Helps tracking in short canoes and will help the canoe’s resistance
to crosswinds by reducing sideslipping. Not so advantageous in
whitewater or where quick maneuverability is essential. Generally
not recommended for wilderness canoes excepting those of aluminum which
require a keel to join the two halves of the boat.
- Keewatin Period
- The earliest geological time for which we have knowledge of the North
Country. The oldest period of the Precambrian,
the Keewatin was marked by massive basaltic lava flows. Of the
surface upon which this lava flowed, we know nothing. From the
Ojibwe kiwédin, "northwind."
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- Kekekabic
- A large lake in the heart of the BWCAW noted for its towering cliffs
at waters edge. Perhaps from the Ojibwe Kekek and Kabik,
"sparrowhawk passing by", or, less poetically, kekkakabikakag,
"there are waterfalls over steep rock".
- Kekekabic Trail
- Perhaps the best known of the BWCAW hiking trails, it crosses through
the heart of the wilderness running from the Gunflint
Trail in the east to the Fernberg Road
in the west.
- Kekekabic Trail Club
- A volunteer organization dedicated to preserving Minnesota's backpacking
trails and in particular those of the BWCA. Sponsors annual trail
clearing expeditions.
- Keneu
- A lake in the Portage River drainage. Name derivation unknown.
- Kerfoot, Justine
- One of the grand ladies of the Boundary Waters.
- Kestrel
- The smallest of our native falcons (Falco sparverius) and
a migrant raptor of the North Country.
From the Middle English castrel, origins obscure.
- Kettle Lake
- A lake of glacial origin, formed when the glaciers retreated, leaving
massive blocks of ice behind, buried in rocky debris. These blocks
subsequently melted, forming small lakes.
- Kevlar®
- A modern light weight fiber from DuPont, with many applications,
including the construction of strong but lightweight canoes.
- Keweenaw
- A small proglacial lake in the southwestern end of the current Lake
Superior near Duluth. A predecessor of Superior.
- Keweenawan
- The late Precambrian in the Great
Lakes region (1.6 billion to 600 million years ago).
- Kiana
- A lake. Name derivation unknown.
- Kingfisher
- Any of the heavy billed fishing birds of the family Alcedinidae.
Represented in the North Country by the Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle
alcyon). Ogish in the Ojibwe.
- Kinglet
- Any of several very small birds of the genus Regulus.
Represented in the North Country by two species, the Ruby Crowned Kinglet
(Regulus calendula) and.Gold Crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa).
The common name derives from their prominent "crowns" and diminutive
size.
- Kinnikinnik
- A low, evergreen, ericaceous shrub (Arctostaphyllos
uva-ursi) of dryer, rocky places. Perhaps from the Ojibwe kiniginige,
"I am mixing together different things", a reference to its use as tobacco.
Also known as Bearberry.
- Kinogami
- A lake. From the Cree, kino, "long", and gamiw
or gamaw, "lake." A good name for the long and narrow lake
that it is.
- Kiskadinna
- A lake. Perhaps from the Ojibwe kishkadina, "there is
a very steep hill"
- Kivandeba
- A lake. Name derivation unknown.
- Kivaniva
- A lake. Name derivation unknown.
- Knife Lake Period
- A stretch of geological time in the Precambrian,
following upon the Laurentian Orogeny and
leading to the Algoman Orageny.
A relatively quiet period in the North Country, with limited volcanic
activity in a region covered by shallow inland seas. Named for
Knife Lake on the border where especially good examples of the period
have been found.
- Koma
- A lake in the upper Kawishiwi River drainage, from the Ojibwe Gomâ,
"middling"
- Kutka
- A lake. Name derivation unknown.
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