Thursday, July 31, 2008
Boundary Waters Pictures
Here's a link for you to use to check out some pictures from our Boundary Waters trip. Here are just a few faves...
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Boundary Waters
For Joy and me, this has been the summer of vacations. Sounds glamorous, huh? First, it was Disney World with her family, followed immediately by time in Missouri with mine. We spent a week in Ohio over the 4th of July, and then we had one final vacation that was finished this week: five days in the Boundary Waters of northern Minnesota (I'll post pictures soon). We went with our friends Luke and Becca who have been staples in our lives since moving to Chicago, and our time here has been immensely blessed by their friendship. Indeed, they will be sorely missed when we move off to Ohio in a few weeks. So we decided to have a final big hang-out before we moved, and we spent several glorious days canoeing in lakes and streams on the border of the US and Canada. We'd heard much about the beauty of the Boundary Waters, and yes, it was beautiful, although in all honesty, I'm not sure it was as beautiful as we anticipated. Part of that was due to the fact that last summer there was a large fire, so much of the area we canoed was devastated. This sparked the first of several devotionals throughout the trip, as Becca challenged us all to find "Beauty in the Burn." (Another favorite topic was "Following the Master Mapmaker," which even turned into a campfire song we created.) In total, we canoed about 30 miles over the course of four days, and each was unique and wonderful.
The FIRST DAY was spent exploring Mufasa's Land (where the burn was) on Seagull Lake and we had two portages. The first portage was up some mild rapids, where we found great pleasure in pulling our canoes up the rapids. The second portage was much more difficult, as we had to carry our canoes over land for 48 rods (we learned that each rod is 16 feet). We were definitely tired on that first day, and after some swimming to cool us off, we slept soundly as some light rain dropped onto our tents.
On DAY TWO, we arose to sunny skies mixed with a little wind, and we paddled out of some small lakes into Saganaga Lake, a larger lake which forms the border between the US and Canada. After a lovely lunch on Long Island (LaBianca, we thought of you! Oh wait, I thought of you while Joy thought of the drink), we went into the open waters, which at this point were more choppy than desired, with some white caps spilling some water over the sides of the canoes. After some hard paddling, we came to an inlet and found a gorgeous camp site. Excited we were, and just as we were about to unload our canoes, we looked down and realized that there were thousands of red ants all over the place. Wondering just how bad they might be, Luke asked if they bit, and it was about two seconds later when he confirmed that, yes, they did indeed bite. The weary soldiers got back into their canoes to find another campsite. This second island was pristine as well, but as we were setting up the tent, it seems we disturbed a gnat nest. The plague from Egypt had found its way to this island, and Joy announced in horror: "This is it; this is the way I am going to die." While perhaps slightly melodramatic, it was intolerable for the first many minutes, but we built a smokey fire and the gnats eventually settled down to allow us some peace. We did some swimming and bathing (thanks to Becca bringing along some luxury shampoo and soap), and then enjoyed the fire while we watched a glorious sunset late into the evening.
DAY THREE consisted of paddling some open waters before finding a nice little island to spend the day. We decided to set up camp to claim the site and then go explore a waterfall we saw on the map. As we were setting up camp, a rodent approached ever so boldly. At first I thought it was a chipmunk, but as we looked closer, decided it must be a type of squirrel. Either way, it was as bold as my back was sun burnt, and as Joy made the PB&Js, the squirrel came right next to her and started licking the peanut butter lid. Well, he simply could not be persuaded to leave us alone, and then he began to rummage around our food bags. Dismayed at his relentlessness, we decided we couldn't leave our food on the island while we went to explore the waterfall, and loaded them back into the canoe. The waterfall ended up not being all that impressive (although Joy did pick some nice blueberries for us to enjoy and Becca found an increasingly-unique restroom location), and we came back to our island for a nice mid-afternoon nap. While we were soundly asleep, that Squirrel of Satan (okay, perhaps he was simply the Squirrel of Human Socialization) ate through one of my camping bags to get at our trail mix and chewed through the drawstring cord of another. I was livid, and done being the nice guy. I was seething: If this squirrel was going after all my food and nuts, then I was going to have to go after his. I mean, what would he (and surely he had multitudes of friends) do to the food while we were sleeping all night? Luke and I became cavemen engineers while the squirrel was laughing at us in the background, heckling joy at his clever ways. We found a large and somewhat flat rock, which we propped up on a small branch. Next, we tied some rope around the branch and put some trail mix under the rock. I was poised and ready to pull when he came close. On the first try, I pulled too late, and the little bugger got out. On the second try, the rock fell off the branch before he even got too close.
The third try worked brilliantly.
He went for the food. I pulled the rope. The rock went down. All we could see was part of his tail sticking out from under the rock, and we were all screaming with horror and awe that the contraption had actually worked. And even better, we have the whole thing on video.
DAY FOUR was the most beautiful day of paddling, as we canoed through a narrower area working our way back to where we had started several days before. In essence, we completed one large circle, and it was exhilarating to think that we might actually have navigated the islands and lakes successfully. After a few hours of paddling, we knew that the final test of our expedition was in going upstream where there were some rapids. We remembered doing this on the first day and found it so enjoyable, so we were hoping this would be the great culminating moment of the trip. Well, these rapids were much longer and must stronger, but we decided to try it anyway. Luke and I did some scouting, and we managed to get both canoes about halfway up the rapids before the river turned.
Luke and I decided to take one canoe at a time the rest of the way while the ladies secured the other canoe in a quiet area. He and I were moving well and felt optimistic about what lay ahead, but then we encountered a large tree laying in the middle of our path. As we tried to go around the path, the canoe caught on a branch of the tree and began to turn on its side. We were too slow and too late. As soon as any water got into the canoe, the whole thing began to be swept downstream. The canoe turned completely on its side, and several bags were swept out of the canoe and into the rushing water. The ladies were watching with horror a little downstream, and they secured the canoe they were managing and went to see if they could rescue the bags which were whirling past them. Meanwhile, Luke and I were able to secure the canoe with some rope, and tried to think of a plan to get the now-submerged canoe from following the bags downstream. Our plan did not work, and with a giant snap, the rope broke. The canoe began tumbling down the rapids, aluminum bouncing off rocks as it writhed in anguish at our own stupidity. While we managed to gather all of our lost belongings (well, there was that one paddle...), our spirits were low and the Lentschers' tent was soaked. We paddled just a short distance and saw the ramp where we had begun our journey.
We were revived as we unloaded our boats and reflected on our days on the water. As we drove away tired but content, we heard the sound of thunder behind us and pelting rain on our hood. We found a quaint hotel in a Grand Marais, MN and enjoyed some hot showers and fine pizza.
While I was watching the sunset one night and pumping water, I reflected that while I was on the water and out camping, I realized that I was content. For me, this was a bold realization, for contentment is something in my life I regularly seek but rarely find. Yes, indeed, the Boundary Waters were simply exquisite.
The FIRST DAY was spent exploring Mufasa's Land (where the burn was) on Seagull Lake and we had two portages. The first portage was up some mild rapids, where we found great pleasure in pulling our canoes up the rapids. The second portage was much more difficult, as we had to carry our canoes over land for 48 rods (we learned that each rod is 16 feet). We were definitely tired on that first day, and after some swimming to cool us off, we slept soundly as some light rain dropped onto our tents.
On DAY TWO, we arose to sunny skies mixed with a little wind, and we paddled out of some small lakes into Saganaga Lake, a larger lake which forms the border between the US and Canada. After a lovely lunch on Long Island (LaBianca, we thought of you! Oh wait, I thought of you while Joy thought of the drink), we went into the open waters, which at this point were more choppy than desired, with some white caps spilling some water over the sides of the canoes. After some hard paddling, we came to an inlet and found a gorgeous camp site. Excited we were, and just as we were about to unload our canoes, we looked down and realized that there were thousands of red ants all over the place. Wondering just how bad they might be, Luke asked if they bit, and it was about two seconds later when he confirmed that, yes, they did indeed bite. The weary soldiers got back into their canoes to find another campsite. This second island was pristine as well, but as we were setting up the tent, it seems we disturbed a gnat nest. The plague from Egypt had found its way to this island, and Joy announced in horror: "This is it; this is the way I am going to die." While perhaps slightly melodramatic, it was intolerable for the first many minutes, but we built a smokey fire and the gnats eventually settled down to allow us some peace. We did some swimming and bathing (thanks to Becca bringing along some luxury shampoo and soap), and then enjoyed the fire while we watched a glorious sunset late into the evening.
DAY THREE consisted of paddling some open waters before finding a nice little island to spend the day. We decided to set up camp to claim the site and then go explore a waterfall we saw on the map. As we were setting up camp, a rodent approached ever so boldly. At first I thought it was a chipmunk, but as we looked closer, decided it must be a type of squirrel. Either way, it was as bold as my back was sun burnt, and as Joy made the PB&Js, the squirrel came right next to her and started licking the peanut butter lid. Well, he simply could not be persuaded to leave us alone, and then he began to rummage around our food bags. Dismayed at his relentlessness, we decided we couldn't leave our food on the island while we went to explore the waterfall, and loaded them back into the canoe. The waterfall ended up not being all that impressive (although Joy did pick some nice blueberries for us to enjoy and Becca found an increasingly-unique restroom location), and we came back to our island for a nice mid-afternoon nap. While we were soundly asleep, that Squirrel of Satan (okay, perhaps he was simply the Squirrel of Human Socialization) ate through one of my camping bags to get at our trail mix and chewed through the drawstring cord of another. I was livid, and done being the nice guy. I was seething: If this squirrel was going after all my food and nuts, then I was going to have to go after his. I mean, what would he (and surely he had multitudes of friends) do to the food while we were sleeping all night? Luke and I became cavemen engineers while the squirrel was laughing at us in the background, heckling joy at his clever ways. We found a large and somewhat flat rock, which we propped up on a small branch. Next, we tied some rope around the branch and put some trail mix under the rock. I was poised and ready to pull when he came close. On the first try, I pulled too late, and the little bugger got out. On the second try, the rock fell off the branch before he even got too close.
The third try worked brilliantly.
He went for the food. I pulled the rope. The rock went down. All we could see was part of his tail sticking out from under the rock, and we were all screaming with horror and awe that the contraption had actually worked. And even better, we have the whole thing on video.
DAY FOUR was the most beautiful day of paddling, as we canoed through a narrower area working our way back to where we had started several days before. In essence, we completed one large circle, and it was exhilarating to think that we might actually have navigated the islands and lakes successfully. After a few hours of paddling, we knew that the final test of our expedition was in going upstream where there were some rapids. We remembered doing this on the first day and found it so enjoyable, so we were hoping this would be the great culminating moment of the trip. Well, these rapids were much longer and must stronger, but we decided to try it anyway. Luke and I did some scouting, and we managed to get both canoes about halfway up the rapids before the river turned.
Luke and I decided to take one canoe at a time the rest of the way while the ladies secured the other canoe in a quiet area. He and I were moving well and felt optimistic about what lay ahead, but then we encountered a large tree laying in the middle of our path. As we tried to go around the path, the canoe caught on a branch of the tree and began to turn on its side. We were too slow and too late. As soon as any water got into the canoe, the whole thing began to be swept downstream. The canoe turned completely on its side, and several bags were swept out of the canoe and into the rushing water. The ladies were watching with horror a little downstream, and they secured the canoe they were managing and went to see if they could rescue the bags which were whirling past them. Meanwhile, Luke and I were able to secure the canoe with some rope, and tried to think of a plan to get the now-submerged canoe from following the bags downstream. Our plan did not work, and with a giant snap, the rope broke. The canoe began tumbling down the rapids, aluminum bouncing off rocks as it writhed in anguish at our own stupidity. While we managed to gather all of our lost belongings (well, there was that one paddle...), our spirits were low and the Lentschers' tent was soaked. We paddled just a short distance and saw the ramp where we had begun our journey.
We were revived as we unloaded our boats and reflected on our days on the water. As we drove away tired but content, we heard the sound of thunder behind us and pelting rain on our hood. We found a quaint hotel in a Grand Marais, MN and enjoyed some hot showers and fine pizza.
While I was watching the sunset one night and pumping water, I reflected that while I was on the water and out camping, I realized that I was content. For me, this was a bold realization, for contentment is something in my life I regularly seek but rarely find. Yes, indeed, the Boundary Waters were simply exquisite.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
