Breaking Camp
After three days of no bathing, lots of exercise, mosquitoes and no cell phones, the younger members of our camping expedition were fairly motivated to break camp and get back to civilization. I have to say I was looking forward to that shower myself, and I swear if I ever go there again, it will be when I invent something that annihilates blood sucking creatures for a hundred mile radius. We actually got up, some of us ate breakfast, took down our tents, packed up our gear, and shoved off at a little after seven a.m. The lake was like glass, so paddling was quick. Portaging took less time because, duh, there were showers at the other end.
We made it back to Sawbill, greatly enjoyed our showers, and headed for Duluth and a meal at Grandma's Saloon and Grill in Canal Park. We were hoping to get to see Bill and Lois, but there was a miscommunication and I'm sure Bill will never let me forget about it. I'm SORRY you wore your good clothes all day!
While reflecting on the trip myself, and with other family members, I have come to a conclusion about taking such a challenging excursion that most people would not call 'fun.'
I think that the eight of us are very different people in a lot of ways, but also very much the same in that we were willing to put ourselves out there, take risks, embrace challenges, both mental and physical. There were things about the trip that none of the eight of us was pleased to have to deal with (they were different for all of us, the same for some of us). There is something quite rewarding in the fact that we portaged, survived in the wilderness for a few days, didn't succumb totally to the insects, and managed to get along without a lot of amenities that we take for granted. Also, we managed to get along with one another in unusual circumstances, and not a whole lot of space to escape one another. And you get some bragging rights for being able to accomplish what we did. It's not a spa vacation, by any means. But when I look at the pictures, I know exactly why we did it and what I'm going to remember about it. I'm glad I went . . . and I'm glad for my traveling companions.
Now that is an un-messed-with photo, and it doesn't get more beautiful than that. The love of my life and a perfect morning.
We made it back to Sawbill, greatly enjoyed our showers, and headed for Duluth and a meal at Grandma's Saloon and Grill in Canal Park. We were hoping to get to see Bill and Lois, but there was a miscommunication and I'm sure Bill will never let me forget about it. I'm SORRY you wore your good clothes all day!
While reflecting on the trip myself, and with other family members, I have come to a conclusion about taking such a challenging excursion that most people would not call 'fun.'
I think that the eight of us are very different people in a lot of ways, but also very much the same in that we were willing to put ourselves out there, take risks, embrace challenges, both mental and physical. There were things about the trip that none of the eight of us was pleased to have to deal with (they were different for all of us, the same for some of us). There is something quite rewarding in the fact that we portaged, survived in the wilderness for a few days, didn't succumb totally to the insects, and managed to get along without a lot of amenities that we take for granted. Also, we managed to get along with one another in unusual circumstances, and not a whole lot of space to escape one another. And you get some bragging rights for being able to accomplish what we did. It's not a spa vacation, by any means. But when I look at the pictures, I know exactly why we did it and what I'm going to remember about it. I'm glad I went . . . and I'm glad for my traveling companions.
Now that is an un-messed-with photo, and it doesn't get more beautiful than that. The love of my life and a perfect morning.
posted by Mom Thumb at 6:21 PM
9 Comments:
Fantastic!! Very cool trip and very cool documentary! It's all about the people.
randy - Chronicling it has made me appreciate the trip even more. Can't wait to get started on the scrapbooks!
Great pics from a great trip!
What good clothes was Bill talking about? His underwear without holes in them?
jeff - Thanks! I think Bill actually rented a tuxedo . . .
I do have good clothes because Lois and I make a mental picture of all the older men my size in church. When any of them hit the obits, we hit the rumage sale. I even know a mortician that is the best dressed man in town from the waist on down.
bill - Damn it! If you go back to the first post about the BW and the comments, I said I would say something about the mosquitoes, not your clothes, in a future post, and darned if I didn't just mention your clothes. You WIN!
Oh yes, nice story!
So happy for you that you had such a wonderful trip!!! And your pictures were fun to see---Curtis has a beautiful fiance!! (I enlarged the pictures to get a better look). Boy---I give your in-laws credit---don't think I'd care to undertake a trip like that!!!
lois - Yeah, grandma and grandpa left us in the dust! It was a great trip and I've had fun blogging about it. Yes, we adore our beautiful future daughter-in-law.
Post a Comment
<< Home