Maybe a totally dumb post here but here it goes. I've been to the same area in Saganagons for the last 12 years or so with 6 trips. The first trip I would have had a compass. I have not had one after that first trip. I never thought I needed it after knowing the area and having maps. I just got back from that same area and have always been bewildered about how the sun seems to set in the north and not in the west.
I may be putting myself out there for the "you dummy" response but I look at the maps and I can't understand how the sun seems to sets to the north. I should probably find my compass and put it to the map before I post this.

B1lee: "...the sun seems to set in the north and not in the west.

This is an optical illusion perfected by the Canadians. Believe me... the Canadians have this, no really. The Canadians are best at it and I know. They have been doing this a long time. Long time. They're the best. Nobody even seems to get, I mean, in trouble. You could get in trouble. Cause the sun. It just keeps going. Yeah, the Canadians. I won't even mention their money. Like a loon on their dollar. Crazy. Who'd believe. And the penny is history.

During the course of the year the sun moves from south to north and back again. In the winter the sun is in the southern part of the sky, in the summer the north. The summer solstice marks the farthest north the sun appears, the winter solstice the farthest south.

bobbernumber3: "

B1lee: "...the sun seems to set in the north and not in the west.

This is an optical illusion perfected by the Canadians. Believe me... the Canadians have this, no really. The Canadians are best at it and I know. They have been doing this a long time. Long time. They're the best. Nobody even seems to get, I mean, in trouble. You could get in trouble. Cause the sun. It just keeps going. Yeah, the Canadians. I won't even mention their money. Like a loon on their dollar. Crazy. Who'd believe. And the penny is history."

Please come by my house and help get the coffee off my computer screen.

TZ

Actually no, not an optical illusion.

On the Summer Solstice the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer (roughly 23* N). At the moment you are witnessing sunset on the Summer Solstice from the BWCA or Quetico (48ish* N), the sun would be directly overhead the Pacific ocean in the area between Guam and Tokyo Japan. Because Earth is roughly spherical rather than cylindrical, you are figuratively peeking over the shoulder of the planet (looking North to see South) to see the sun sunset.

Or.... Canadians,

A simplistic explanation.
The only days that the sun raises in exactly the east (90degrees) and sets in exactly the west(270degrees) is the spring and fall equinox. After the spring equinox, March 19, it would set a little further north each day until the summer solstice, June 21 and then start moving the sunset south again until it reaches 270 degrees again on the fall equinox.

It is more exaggerated as you travel north. At the Arctic Circle and beyond the sun does not set on the summer solstice, but just continues around the horizon.

At the latitude of the bwca at your time there the sun would be setting in the NW near something like 320 degrees.

B1lee: "Maybe a totally dumb post here but here it goes. I've been to the same area in Saganagons for the last 12 years or so with 6 trips. The first trip I would have had a compass. I have not had one after that first trip. I never thought I needed it after knowing the area and having maps. I just got back from that same area and have always been bewildered about how the sun seems to set in the north and not in the west.
I may be putting myself out there for the "you dummy" response but I look at the maps and I can't understand how the sun seems to sets to the north. I should probably find my compass and put it to the map before I post this.

"

I'm really glad you asked.
Short answer: the sun is always moving in relation to our perspective here on Earth. Sometimes it looks to set on the horizon north while looking west, sometimes straight west, sometimes south of west.

Long answer: The earth rotates around the sun. One rotation around the sun is a year.

If you were to draw a line straight though the earth from the North Pole to the South Pole, this line would be called the Axis. The earth also rotates around this Axis. One rotation around the Axis is a day.

This Axis also "wobbles", kinda like a dreidel or a spinning top. This axis wobble causes the seasons, and the appearance that the sun is setting further north or south. As the Axis tilts or wobbles towards a vertical line, more sunlight gets north, and the sun appears to set further north. This is Summer. As the Axis tilts more away from vertical, less sunlight hits the north and the sun appears to set further south. This is Winter.

But remember, this Summer/Winter perspective is from our viewpoint here in North America. If you lived south of the Equator, these seasons are opposite and coincide with the loss/gain of sunlight.

If you lived on the equator, the sun wouldn't move all the much. At the height of summer you would have 12 hours of sunlight, and in the depth of winter you would have 12 hours of sunlight, plus or minus a small amount.

If you want further in depth reading, here ya go: Penn State Earth's Tilted Axis's%20energy.