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       Trip Report - Parkour chipmunks, ninja rabbits, and the nighttime musings of an 11 year old adventurer
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Date/Time: 03/28/2024 03:55AM
Trip Report - Parkour chipmunks, ninja rabbits, and the nighttime musings of an 11 year old adventurer

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Previous Messages:
Author Message Text
onajourney 09/12/2019 09:11AM
The rabbit story brought back memories. Once on Frost Lake we heard all this running around our tent right at dusk. We had fun trying to figure out what it was from inside the tent. Finally took a look and it was two smaller rabbits chasing each other around the tent. It happened on and off all night so we didn't get much sleep. When we got up we noticed they chewed the guide ropes from our tent that were in their pathway!! Glad we had extra parachute cord with us!! Needless to say we packed up and moved to one of our favorite campsites on the other side of the lake once it was vacated.


So glad you took your son. We didn't start our BWCA adventures til our boys were in college. Only had one trip without youngest before he graduated, got married, and started his Air Force career. Once adults the were just got too busy for anything more than quick day trips. You'll never regret creating those memories now.
callofthewild 09/06/2019 04:03PM
Thank you for the report. There is something special about a first trip to the BWCA. Here is hoping you have introduced him to a lifelong hobby and love of the BWCA great outdoors. Happy Paddling!!!
callofthewild 09/06/2019 04:03PM
Thank you for the report. There is something special about a first trip to the BWCA. Here is hoping you have introduced him to a lifelong hobby and love of the BWCA great outdoors. Happy Paddling!!!
gravelroad 09/05/2019 12:20PM
I'm pretty sure you just posted what is and will remain my all-time favorite trip report. I'm afraid I have bad news for you, though: You have doomed your kid to a lifetime of seeking outdoor adventures.


This part reminded me of a similar experience, when I caught a 6-pound laker (my biggest fish in my ten years on the planet at that point) and my dad pulled in an 8-pounder right after. :-)


"Jaden boated the fattest and heaviest 18.5" smallmouth I had even seen, and I fully expected it to be a 20" fish when I first saw it. Two casts later he landed an 18" largemouth.
I caught the longest bass of the trip later in the day on a windy Indiana Lake- a nice 19"smallmouth from a small weedbed near a beaver lodge."
naturboy12 08/28/2019 08:45AM
jillpine: "Those trips you're taking with him now are worth their weight in gold later. They ground us in a turbulent world. They help instill confidence and character for those times when we need it the most"


Thank you, and I 100% agree. My older son, a very different kind of kid who thrived on this type of outdoor adventure, did this for seven years with me before heading off to the military. I can't wait to make more impact/lasting impressions on both of them in future trips.
naturboy12 08/28/2019 08:40AM
arm2008: "



You may wish to help him develop coping skills to manage his fears. When he asks "are you going to fall out of the boat" you can play "what if I did fall out of the boat?" "Well, I'm wearing my pfd, and I'll stay next to the boat and we'll get to shore and I'll get back in."



We have definitely done this, and for many other scenarios as well. He's learning and adapting, which is what I hope happens for all kids his age in new scenarios.


"It's not the end of the world."


Coping skills are the issue (for the mental side of things), but those will come with more maturity and more experience. I certainly did not mean to paint a picture bleak enough to bring "end of the world" into the conversation. He helped me write portions of this, many of the comments are his own words.
Bearpath9 08/27/2019 02:55PM
Excellent ! As somebody who is introducing another youngster (14) to the joys of the BW, it sounds like everything went well. Caught some nice fish, the weather seemed cooperative, and the talking in his sleep cracked me up.
jillpine 08/27/2019 10:41AM
Those trips you're taking with him now are worth their weight in gold later. They ground us in a turbulent world. They help instill confidence and character for those times when we need it the most. When my son was around ten years old, on probably his fourth trip or so, he developed this emotional attachment to the new canoe sponge, naming it, "Roger". He refused to allow it to be used to soak up the canoe muck and instead protected it and talked to it. Looking back, it was just like Wilson the volleyball in Castaway. Growth and development are anything but linear. Thanks for the report, enjoyed it very much!
Driftless 08/27/2019 09:07AM
Great report!
minnmike 08/27/2019 01:01AM
Thanks for sharing. 11 is a tough age. Good thing he has a dad like you! Nice trip report.
airmorse 08/26/2019 10:52PM
Nice report. I'll be looking forward to tripping with him next year.


You gotta look out for those Ninja Rabbits.



Ninja Rabbit
arm2008 08/26/2019 08:43PM
Sounds like a great trip. I hope he decides to go every year!


You may wish to help him develop coping skills to manage his fears. When he asks "are you going to fall out of the boat" you can play "what if I did fall out of the boat?" "Well, I'm wearing my pfd, and I'll stay next to the boat and we'll get to shore and I'll get back in." He knows you fell out of the boat previously, he's old enough to know that you can fall out again, it's a realistic fear. It's not the end of the world.
johndku 08/26/2019 05:57PM
Glad you had a great trip. Nothing better than kids in the BWCA.


Those ninja rabbits/hares can be weird. We had one on Red Rock lake that stayed in the bushes two feet from us, all day, when we fished from shore. I'm assuming it was taking cover from the bald eagles. (?) At night it would go into the middle of camp and "thump, thump,thump, thump, thump" with it's hind legs for hours at a time, making it hard to sleep. Have no idea why it showed that behavior.
boonie 08/26/2019 04:30PM
Thanks for the report. I enjoyed reading about it. It sounded like a really good trip for you and your son.
TominMpls 08/26/2019 02:54PM
Nice write-up, he's at a good age to be exploring the wilderness. Hope you get to make other trips soon.
straighthairedcurly 08/26/2019 12:26PM
Great report with a great title. The sleep talking reminds me of a friend of mine at canoe camp. She talked every night..."Get the paddle out of my sleeping bag!"..."Turtles aren't allowed in the tent."


Glad Jaden had a fun experience.
naturboy12 08/26/2019 12:07PM
New Trip Report posted by naturboy12

Trip Name: Parkour chipmunks, ninja rabbits, and the nighttime musings of an 11 year old adventurer.

Entry Point: 26

Click Here to View Trip Report