I was awake at 4 AM listening to the sounds of the early morning: loons, soft raindrops, breeze in the trees, and Grandpa’s even breathing (punctuated by periods of snoring). After one too many years sleeping on a thin Thermarest, Grandpa had purchased a new twin full size air mattress at Walmart for the obnoxiously outrageous price of seven dollars, so he had a comfortable place to sleep. I stubbornly stuck with my Thermarest and my lower back was telling me about the wisdom of my decision. 

We enjoyed a delicious breakfast of pancakes (a just-add-water, shake and pour product) and bacon, topped off by a cup of Folgers instant coffee. The rain started up again after cleanup was done, so we headed back to our tent for a few hours. I applied hydrogen peroxide, Bacitracin and a fresh bandage to Grandpa’s recovering head while he read Our Daily Bread. I read from my Bible and we prayed aloud for about a half hour, praising God, thanking Him for his many blessings, and praying for our family and friends. The ultimate reason I come to the wilderness is for the silence and freedom from distraction that allows me to focus on God’s Word and God’s works. Grandpa and I share the same love for God so we always place our time with the Lord as a priority on our trips. Today was no different.

After the rain stopped, we loaded up our canoe and headed on a day trip to Zephyr Lake as the sun began to appear. The five rod portage was fairly easy and a good first portage for my thus far unused portaging muscles. We worked the south end of the lake pretty thoroughly as we looked for the walleye Deb had told us about. I caught an average sized bass, which we kept, but otherwise we didn’t catch anything. I caught a smaller bass trolling through Saganaga’s third bay on the way back to our camp.

We spent the afternoon just relaxing around camp. I got my guitar out and we played and sang all for about an hour. I was careful to play quietly and I knew that because the wind was blowing directly into us we weren’t much of an annoyance. Another rain shower then drove us into the tent where I spent some time reading G.K. Chesterton while Grandpa rested. His energy level was down this trip because of his recovery from surgery and the fact that he had just finished a pretty intense golf tournament just two days before we left. For that reason we usually spent the afternoon relaxing around camp for the remainder of the trip. Simply the fact that we were in the wilderness, surrounded by silence and peace, was enough to recharge me. I didn’t have to be on the move all the time.

The rain stopped and the front moved out to leave a beautiful evening. I made a delicious dinner of beef and barley soup, fish, and coffee. After cleanup was done, I cut and split some firewood and we enjoyed a long campfire as the sun went down and the stars and nearly full moon appeared. As always our fellowship was meaningful. I am so grateful for Grandpa’s listening ears and wise perspective and the input he gives into my life. Silence settled over the lake as I put out our campfire. We fell asleep as a rain shower moved in overhead.