“We’ve decided to take this camp site,” Jared called to us when we got closer. We paddled towards the island, and I jumped ashore. I balanced the canoe so Mike could get out. Grabbing a pack, I headed up the steep slope to the top of the slab of rock that we would be camping on. I saw several good tent sites and a fire grate. Making the short trip down a well marked trail, I found the latrine.

Returning to the others, I helped pull the canoes up onto shore. We hauled all the packs up to the center of camp and instinctively began setting up camp. “Look, Becky, God built you a natural counter!” I said pointing to a large slab of rock that would nicely hold the stoves. “That’s funny!” she responded. “I’ll start getting dinner ready. You go ahead and get the tents set up.”

I walked over to help Grandpa and Rachel set up our clothes line, when suddenly Amy gave a shout from a little ways up. “One of our canoes is drifting away!” I looked out across the lake. One of the canoes, with a pack still in it, was drifting about twenty yards off shore. “Let’s go get it, Ryan!” I hollered. We all ran down to shoreline, and Ryan hopped in the back of one of the canoes. I tried to hop in the front of the canoe, but my boots hit a slippery rock and I fell into the lake. Ryan pushed off and started off towards the drifting canoe. “Thank heavens for my waterproof camera case,” I muttered. “Hold on!” Becky called to Ryan. “How do you plan to get the other canoe back by yourself?” Ryan didn’t listen. He zipped out into the lake and was soon alongside the other canoe. After pondering the situation for a minute, he stuck one of his legs out and caught the other canoe. Straddling both canoes, he paddled the short distance back to our camp site. We all pulled the canoes up out of the reach of the waves. “I don’t believe this, Becky,” Mike commented. “The one worst thing that could have happened on this trip happened.” “No, that’s not the worst thing,” she responded. “The worst thing begins with a B and rhymes with ‘scare’.” “Good eyes, Amy!” I said. “We probably would never have noticed that! Now that all the canoes are completely secured on shore, we should be okay. Nice save, Ryan.” "I'm in the TV business, Joe. I have to make quick decisions all the time," he dryly remarked.

Ryan and I then worked on the tents, which efficiently popped up with little effort. Our tent and Mike’s were near the fire grate. The girls’ tent was pitched in a good place on the trail to the latrine, and Jared and Grandpa would be sleeping at the other end of camp. Jared and Rachel emerged from the woods with plenty of firewood. Using our axe and saw, Jared cut it up and began to build a fire in the fire grate. Jesse jumped on a large bent stick in an attempt to crack it in half. The stick flew up and hit him in the head. “Are you okay, Jesse?” Jared asked. Jesse nodded. I could tell he wanted to cry, but he shook it off and kept on helping the others. He was really tough. I knew this before the trip, but I knew it even more now. This trip had clearly developed a lot of character in him.

Jared lit up our fire, and Mike and Jesse paddled out in one of the canoes to pump water for our water bottles. “What’s on the menu for dinner tonight?” I asked. “We’re going to eat this beef Stroganoff with blueberry pancakes,” Becky stated. “They look like two of the easier things to cook.” “Anything sounds good after a paddle like we had today,” I responded. “Are the stoves working well?” “They’re both working, which is nice. Our equipment’s actually quite good. The challenge is cooking for nine people in this tiny frying pan. I’d never get a white gas stove again, though.” “Propane might have been a better choice, huh?” I asked. “Without a doubt,” Jared answered from over by the fire. “At least I now know how to outfit a trip,” I said. “This has been a great learning curve, and I’ve learned a lot.”

After about half an hour, Mike and Jesse returned with all of our water bottles filled. Dinner was ready at about the same time. “These are pretty sorry looking pancakes,” Becky commented, as I took a picture of our feast. “They sure don’t taste sorry, though,” I responded. “This beef Stroganoff really hits the spot after a hard day. The sausage is great too!” I cleaned off my plate and headed in for a second. As I did, I noticed two hot dog buns that no one had claimed. "Are those by some chance some of the incredible hot dog buns I had last night?" I said with my mouth watering. "They are," Becky laughed. "Since you've been talking about them all day, you have to eat them both." "Well, don't worry about that," I replied, tossing them on my plate. "I'm telling you, they're just the right consistency."

When I was finished, Grandpa and I headed down to the shoreline to try our hand at some fishing again. Grandpa set up two or three poles, and I began to work the shore line with a leech as the hazy orange sun slowly sunk towards the western horizon. The lake was calm and smooth as glass. “I think this is the best day we’ve had yet,” I said to Grandpa. “I agree,” he replied. “I think we hit our turning point this morning.” “Oh, there’s no doubt about that. We conquered the portages well today, and nobody had any melt downs, at least yet.” “That makes me glad. At least we can enjoy a leisurely evening tonight. Tomorrow’s paddle shouldn’t be too bad,” Grandpa stated. “You know, everyone’s doing a great job on this trip,” I said as I slipped a new leech on my line and tossed it back out. “Truth be told, we’ve all had our moments, but when all is said and done, I think we’ve overcome this obstacle course with God’s help and had a little fun on the side.” “I agree. Mike and Becky sure did fill a key role when Mike unloaded the canoes on the one end and Becky re-loaded them on the other. That took pressure off of Jared, who was our canoe hauler.” “I’m really impressed with Rachel and Amy,” I added. “They’re real troopers on the portages and have maintained a great attitude despite the adversity. You know, they’re modeling for me what I’m looking for in a wife. I want a woman who is tough, but still beautiful.” “That’s great, Joe," Grandpa laughed. "And how could I forget Jesse?" I went on. "This trip has done wonders for his maturity and for our relationship." "I think this trip has been great for all of us, but especially for my grandchildren," Grandpa said. "Neither Ryan nor you are in sports, so I think it was important for you to get pushed to your limit and gain strength that way. Don't you feel so strong and fit?" "I don't know if I have ever felt any better in my life! But I have a feeling that a whole lot of that is just being with you up here. I'm so grateful that God has kept you around so that we could take this trip. Thank you so much for this trip, and for your investment in me," I stated emphatically. "It's my pleasure, Joe," Grandpa said with a smile. Ryan and Jesse came down to try their hand at some fishing. We lost several leeches but overall had no success.

“Hey, you guys, come here for a second,” Amy called from up above. We put our fishing poles away and headed up to see what she wanted. “I’ve got a great idea,” she said. “Everyone has to wash their own dishes tonight.” “That sounds great, Amy! Let’s go do that now,” I replied. Grandpa, Jesse, Amy, Ryan, Rachel and I headed down to the shoreline and began to work on the dishes. “I dropped my fork,” Jesse groaned. “Shoot!” Ryan said. “Let me see if I can find it.” Pulling out his flashlight, he scanned the water for a while. The search turned unsuccessful. We all continued to scrub away at the pots and pans, while coming down with a bad case of the tired sillies. “I feel as bad as buckwheat pancakes,” Amy laughed. “So you’ve heard that story, huh?” I said as I scoured a pot. “I have. That story is funnier than buckwheat pancakes,” she said, and started laughing again. “Son of a buckwheat pancake,” Ryan muttered, to no one in particular. I couldn’t keep a straight face at that even if I tried to. I roared for about two minutes and then joined in the fun. Everything under the sun was compared to buckwheat pancakes. "Wasn't that sunset beautiful?" I stated. "It sort of looked like a buckwheat pancake to me," Amy laughed. Grandpa looked at me and shook his head. “This is getting a little annoying,” he commented. “Better laughing than crying, though, right?” I said. “I guess you have a point there,” he replied. Once the dishes were done, we helped Becky put them away in the packs, still cracking an occasional “buckwheat pancake” joke.

After that, some of the others made their way to their tents, but the rest of us stayed outside to enjoy a campfire. I played guitar, and Grandpa, Jesse, Jared joined me around the fire grate. It felt good to finally have a proper campfire with music. Grandpa and Jesse made their way to the tents. “Are you coming in yet, Jared?” Grandpa asked. “No, I think I want to sit out and look at the stars for a while.” “I’ll stay out too,” I said. “I’d also like to see some northern lights if I can.”

Jared threw the rest of our wood on the fire, and we leaned back and fixed our gaze on the stars above while our mosquito spray kept the bugs at bay. The dim light in the west slowly disappeared, and more and more stars began to come out. The heavens spread themselves out before us in an amazing display of light, order, and unity. Fireflies began to dance through the air, and I could hear the quiet ripple of Seagull Lake down below. Old familiar night noises started up and grew stronger. The wilderness was going to sleep. “Isn’t this beautiful?” I said, breaking the silence. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen stars like this before.” “I love looking at the stars, and especially after this trip, am grateful that I have the cabin for that,” he responded. “I’ll bet! Have you seen any shooting stars yet?” “Not yet, but I’m looking. Look over at that island across the lake, Joe. Can you see the fireflies?” Glancing across the water, I beheld one of the most incredible things I had ever seen. The shoreline was sparking with phosphorescent light. “That’s amazing!” I said.

At that minute, a loon called from the lake. Another answered it. The two continued to call to each other until their two voices blended into an incredible fusion of laughter and joy. Neither of us said anything until it was over. “That was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard,” I replied. “Moments like this are what I came here for.” "Wasn't it neat how they were calling to each other?" "It was unreal. Have you seen any northern lights yet? I read that this year was the best year for seeing them within the past decade," I asked. "It looked a little hazy to the north, so I doubt that we'll see anything. You never know, though," he added. “Look, there’s a shooting star!”

The two of us continued to admire the glorious framework of the sky for about an hour, watching satellites drift across the sky above us and shooting stars darting here and there. The Aurora Borealis never showed itself. After putting out the camp fire, I made my way into my tent, curled up into my sleeping bag, and was soon enjoying my hard-earned rest.

Lakes Traveled:

Ogishkemuncie Lake

Kingfisher Lake

Jasper Lake

Alpine Lake

Seagull Lake

Portages: 4; 213 rods