Boundary Water Reflections

Growing up in the land of 10,000 lakes provided many opportunities to fall in love with the tranquility of the lake shore. A normal summer activity for Minnesotans is to pack up the truck with boat in tow and head north to the cabin / resort.

If you want to fully appreciate these waters, leave the motor behind and head to the Boundary Waters with paddle and canoe. While MN is literally sprinkled with lakes throughout the state, the northernmost tip provides chains of lakes connected by small sections of white water or gentle streams, like a pearl necklace beautifully strung together. With map in hand, you can easily navigate between the lakes by portaging your canoe and belongings a mile or so to the next lake. (If you've never portaged a canoe - this is what I'm talking about.)

The sounds and smells of this wilderness are like no other. Deep inside me echoes of the MN woods still emerge from time to time... I hear the crackle of the campfire mixed with water lapping the stones on the shore. Then a loon enters the mix and eerily calls out across the lake only to dive swiftly out of sight. The moonlight wants to play a part and casts it's beams through the pine trees while stories around the campfire grow louder.

One particular trip to these northern Boundary Waters trickles up from the recesses of my memory. The canoe caravan party consisted of two families composed of 4 teenage girls, 2 pre-teen boys and 4 crazy adventurous adults. With canoes filled to maximum capacity, we shoved off dry land into the maze of lakes. Paddling along we filled the time with songs, pre-teen boys discovering the joy of using canoe paddles to splash their sisters, and Dad's attempting to read or fish from the canoe. Me? I became more and more worried that we would never make it back to the launch site. I made mental notes of specific rock formations, unique islands, shorelines, etc., because after the third or fourth lake, everything starts to look the same.

While I'm sure there were many good times that I should remember about this trip, the one thing that stands out the most is the snake incident. I hate snakes. My brother knows this. Unfortunately for me he decided to taunt me and my friend all week by chasing and throwing snakes at us. I'm not sure why this game started. I guess all it takes is 2 teen girls and 2 pre-teen boys to make this a hit. Anyway, jumping off cliffs into the lake doesn't solve the problem either. You see - snakes can swim and slither across the surface of the water. Gross! The peacefulness of the evening quickly changed as teen aged girls screamed while frantically trying to dive under the water in life jackets. It is funny now - not so much at the time.

After a week of cliff jumping, fishing, roasting marshmallows around campfires and surviving the antics of my younger brother and his friend, it was time to navigate our way back. I'm proud to say that I was the only one that was not lost. I managed to get our canoe party safely back to home base. So, if you are ever fortunate enough to experience these tranquil waters in the Northern regions of MN, my advice to you - bring a map and leave the younger brother home. (J/K Danny - I Love you! Now.)