In northern Minnesota we are blessed with one of the most unique wilderness areas in the nation and perhaps the world. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is 1 million acres in size and has over 1000 lakes. It is set in the rugged Laurentian Highlands on a land sculpted many years ago by glaciers. The waters of this area have never know industrial development. There are no roads or homes.
Generally speaking Minnesotans are divided into three groups of opinion on the BWCAW. There are those who fight fiercely to protect it from overuse even if some know little about it. There are those who have never heard of it and don't like that kind of vacation anyway. Finally there are those who renew their souls with a trip in the Boundary Waters.
Bruce and I just came back from a canoe trip with another couple. It confirmed our membership in that third group. August is a busy time for resorters so it has to be a pretty special trip to draw us away from home. Out in the canoe country the phone doesn't ring; there is no TV; the radio is silent. Time is measured by the sun rather than something strapped to your wrist.
So what do you do in the wilderness? You absorb the magnificent natural setting that is 360 degrees around you. Wildlife is peeking out from around every corner.. One of our most interesting sightings was a family of rabbits who joined us for breakfast each morning. They munched on leaves. We are oatmeal. The two adult snowshoe rabbits were starting to get ready for winter. Their back paws were partially white. Cedar wax wings fed on the red berries of a tree at our campsite. A large snapping turtle swam by our swimming hole one morning. We thought about sharing the hole with him Of course, the ever present squirrels and Canada jays were looking for handouts.
We like to fish and explore new lakes. One day we went into Rabbit Lake and caught some lake trout for dinner. Another day we went into Bullfrog Lake for largemouth bass. None of us had been to either lake and we had them all to ourselves. Neither lake was a long paddle or a strenuous portage from our base camp. The fresh fish for dinner was just a bonus.
Part of being on a canoe trip is to sit and look and listen. We watched clouds blow by. The waves on the water with occasional loons popping up offered endless variety. There is nothing that can compare to being in your tent at night listening to the loons calling and the wind blowing in the trees. For a short time at night, I even enjoy listening to rain falling on my tent. You feel cozy and all tucked in.
Like all good things, there is a price to be paid for canoe trips. Paddling into the wind makes my arms and shoulders ache. Portaging a food pack over an 80-rod portage is no joy either. But it is all possible. You take your time and do it one paddle stroke or one step at a time. At night you are tired not from stress but from physical labor. Sleep comes easily and refreshes your mind and your body.