Men's Wilderness Adventure

Thursday, August 31, 2006

I got up this morning and told each of the kids goodbye as they headed off to school.  It seems to get harder & harder to leave them each time I go.  I had so much to do and was a bit overwhelmed (but not all that anxious).  Finally I had everything ready to go while keeping in mind that I had to be forgetting something.  I told Shawna goodbye and headed off to pick up Ron.  On the way I called Jack Rowell to let him know how sorry I was that his mom had passed away the night before.   I felt a bit bad that I wouldn't be at the funeral but I guess that's the way it goes.  I picked up Ron and he was ready to go when I arrived (yeah Ron!).  Everyone was meeting up at Bass Pro Shop (at Sycamore View & I-40).  When Ron & I arrived Charles was already there dropping off Trebe.  About a minute later David Halsted arrived.  Sheila was going on about how nervous she was.  Trebe & I went inside the store and I ended up buying a ballcap (since I had left Superman at home).  David Myers showed up next and Laura was a little late dropping off Dennis (only by 5 or 6 minutes).  We then left and headed over to the Laniers to pick up Ed & Christopher.  They also were ready to go upon our arrival.  Anyway, Joe called while I was still on Austin Peay making sure I was making it out of town on time (it was 2:45PM and we were trying to leave by 3PM).  I ended up driving from Memphis to Sikeston with no major issues except Chris kneeing me in the back the entire time.  Oh, and he insisted on watching a movie but we had no extension cable to plug it into the cassette player in the van.  Anyway, we had a nice dinner at Lamberts.  I had the small (huge) Country Fried Steak with green beans, corn & mashed potatoes.  And I forgot how AWESOME the rolls are there.  Trebe drove from there.  We stopped at a Walmart shortly after leaving Sikeston to get that extension audio cable and to get a huge pair of panties for Joe (practical joke).  Trebe drove for hours (until maybe 1 or 2AM) with me as the navigator.  Finally, during one of our stops, Dennis took over driving and Ed navigated.  Trebe & I moved to the back row (and of course I let Trebe have the window seat so the he would have something to lean on... Being the gentleman that I am... Knowing that I would probably get no sleep… ).  After much rigging of packs & sleeping bags, I think I slept for 2 or 3 hours.

Friday, September 1, 2006

When I woke Trebe took over driving (and me as the navigator).  We stopped at a gas station, got breakfast and by 8AM, we were meeting Joe, Jim & Dr Jim at the Comfort Suites in Duluth, MN.  Immediately, we left (following Joe, his guys & the canoe trailer).  After a few hours we stopped at Grand Portage National Monument on the Grand Portage Indian Reservation (on the US /Canadian boarder).  Evidentially it had been a huge trading center for hundreds of years (and they suspect it may had been as many as 2000 years!).  It was pretty cool (but especially cool because I got to sit on a toilet one more time before entering the wilderness.  Finally we made it to the boarder station (no problem... right?)  Joe's truck made it through no problem but they stopped us and we had to go inside.  After a few minutes, an immigration officer took our ID's and started checking the records of each of us.  Long story short, they called one of our guys back privately (for about 20 minutes).  Finally he came out and gave us the story.  Basically 8 years ago he had a criminal conviction and now Canada said he was not welcome.  The other option was to pay $200 and apply as a temporary resident agreeing not to come back to Canada (and leaving within 7 days).  Finally, we were off again.  We got fishing licenses and got to call home one more time (it was so great to talk to Shawna & the kids).  A few hours later we were at Browns Resort loading canoes in the water.  We were so late that we only made it across Clearwater Lake.  We're camping right now beside the Clearwater Portage.  Everyone got camp up quickly but was so tired that we ate some trail mix, brushed teeth (yeah!) and went to bed.  Here I am in a tent with Ron, Trebe & Dennis about to pass out from a sleeping pill.  It's 10:47PM.  I'm going to pee & pass out...

Saturday, September 2, 2006

This morning I woke up with a splitting headache!  I was hoping to avoid that here.  I headed out for breakfast which was a choice of either oatmeal or grits.  I chose oatmeal but all I could find was plain.  After a minute of searching I also found some honey.  Not a bad mixture.  Packing took some time.  I think I still packed too much!  Dennis helped me carry the canoe, I got my small drybag and David Halsted got my larger one.  I felt bad having the guy with bum knees carrying my bag but he wanted to help.  Soon we set out from Clearwater Portage north toward Myer Island.  David Myers caught a bass while trolling right beside us.  Pretty cool!  We finally got to a small island near Myer Island (1 mile away) and Joe decided to stop.  Trebe and I pulled up to a rock & I jumped out.  I told Trebe to stay put while I pulled the canoe closer.  In doing so, I must have lifted the front too high because I dumped Trebe right into the freezing water.  I thought the water was shallow but Trebe went all the way under water before coming up.  It was a hoot, everyone was laughing, and I apologized to no end.  Joe even made a joke about me baptizing Trebe into our church.  Anyway, Joe had a new idea... Our trip should have been about over but it was only 10 AM.  He said we should go ahead 5 miles further to shave those miles off our 17 mile journey tomorrow.  I said "cool... let’s do it!"  He also said we should cook a hot lunch before leaving.  Dennis ended up making macaroni and bacon.  While it was cooking, some folks fished & some swam.  Lunch was good (especially with some hot sauce in it).  Trebe also changed into dry clothes.  Joe showed me the island to head for (the one where he had changed into rain clothes when we were canoeing on my first trip... right by White Otter Lake Castle).  Me, Trebe, David H & Ron went headed way.   Eventually we were so far ahead of everyone else that we went to the castle to wait for the others.  I walked around & took pictures.  I was at the top of the tower when David H signaled that he saw something.  He said it was bear cubs!  I ran downstairs but they were gone.  I could hear them in the woods but wasn't about approach a female with two cubs.  They had walked by literally 30 feet away from David!  After a while we realized the other guys weren't coming and noticed them on a shore SSE from us.  After a bit of debate (on whether we should go on to the specified island or go meet up with the group) we went with my plan.  It was a good thing!  I guess Joe had changed his mind and was done for the day... This was to be our camp.  Several folks were fishing and swimming but I figured I had better make myself useful.  I helped get my tent up, unloaded the canoe, and then helped Dennis with dinner.  Soon dinner was ready and we ate rice with chopped meat.  Not bad but the Oreo pie was quite good.  I then informed everyone that we would be meeting at the rocks at 6PM.  I did a short teaching from Jeremiah that seemed to go well.  After dinner Dr Jim and I took Joe's canoe back to White Otter Castle for sunset.  At the castle, I got some good shots and Dennis & I talked a lot.  Dr Jim & David M rode Joe's canoe back and Christopher went alone.  Dennis & I returned a little later.  Upon returning some folks were headed to bed.  I stayed up watching the stars (saw 3 shooting stars, 1 satellite and 2 constellations) with Dennis.  Chris, David M, and Ron made the fire huge and almost set the woods on fire until Jim C yelled at them from the tent.  I stayed up talking way too late.  The food is protected and I'm in bed.  It's 12:06AM & I'm crashing...

Sunday, September 3, 2006

Today, today!!  Well, I woke up like I did yesterday with congestion and a splitting headache.  Unfortunately, the headache didn't really leave me for the rest of the day.  This morning I was not one of the last to have my things packed.  I did it all before leaving the tent. Breakfast consisted of oatmeal (yeah).  I asked Joe to share with the guys for a few minutes before leaving and he did a great job.  He talked about a period in his life when he thought he had to be a perfect man (at least before people).  And then how he was out with some kids camping and they caught him taking a dump, with marshmallow stuck all over him from cooking, and a piece of toilet paper stuck to his face.  They saw him as he really was and most men fear that.  It was quite a good object lesson.  Anyway, we left and headed north.  The water, once again, was incredibly smooth, like glass.  Our first stop was a WWI POW camp.  It wasn't in as good of shape this time as I remembered. People had taken off with most of the stuff.  Trebe did find a barrel dated 1902.  We left there and headed to Nora portage.  By the way, I was in the front, Dennis was in the back and Trebe rode garbage (cool thing is that he paddled the whole time too).  The first portage was pretty hard.  It was a bit longer than I expected and then there was the fact that we were riding the heaviest canoe.  Trebe carried the bags and Dennis & I tackled the canoe.  It was a bigger feat than I expected.  We tried just picking it up, and then we put it on our shoulders (but mine were really sore).  Then we put it on our heads upside down.  This worked but it made my back hurt more and my neck began to hurt.  David H did well and we actually had to slow him down reminding him to take it easy after his knee surgery.  Anyway, we were finally off again.  The weather was incredible and the water was smooth as glass (pretty much the entire day).  This has been so much different from what I remember last time and what I expected.  I even got a photo of a golden eagle in a tree.  The second portage was a bit more hellish.  Is hellish too harsh a word?  Dennis is telling me "yes" at the moment (as we sit by the fire at 9PM writing journal entries).  Joe said he thought it was about as long as the first one... he was really wrong.  The only thing that saved me was a peanut butter & jelly tortilla and a peanut butter & honey tortilla (oh, and piece of summer sausage and a piece of cheese, as Ron just corrected me).  OATMEAL IS NOT FILLING!!!  The portage was probably 4 times as long as the last and 75% was uphill.  It was pretty hard.  Trebe & Dennis got "Big Mama" (our canoe) thank goodness!  Ron and I got one of the others.  I think I made 3 trips back and forth on that portage.  The next portage was probably only half a mile away.  It was still a bit tough.  Much of it was uphill but there was a pretty long downhill as well (which can be even more difficult because your legs want to give out).  Several of us made 3 trips back & forth.  Me & Ron were carrying a canoe with a pack (and several other things) in it.  It was heavy and pulling to the left (on top of our heads).  I was most of the way through and starting the downhill when Dennis showed up and grabbed it from me (I was struggling and told him NO but he strongly insisted and took it).  At the end of the portage, as everyone left, Trebe, Dennis & I decided to stick around, sit down and sip on some water for a few minutes.  Finally we left.  We were so thirsty that I think we stopped for a drink 4 times over the next hour.  We finally made it to the next portage which was relatively short because it simply went around a waterfall.  Last time we were here we actually went down the falls but someone died in this spot recently and the water level is low (which could damage the boats).  I carried 2 canoes (with help) and finally we were back in the water.  The waterways here were much more narrow.  It was cool because there were reeds stick up out of the water everywhere.  There were also a lot of rocks (& a few sandbars).  Joe & Jim got stuck on sand once and Ed & Chris got stuck on a rock (David M went back & saved them).  May I also mention that Christopher did excellent today.  He worked hard & made multiple trips on the portages.  Anyway, Joe claimed to see a moose during this time but Dennis checked with his binoculars and said it was a tree (Joe stills says it was a moose... of course, we gave him a hard time about it).  For the next hour or two Joe would tell us that camp was just around the corner (bull).  We made it to a spot where you could see mussels (shell fish) in the water.  Some of the guys got in the water & grabbed them for dinner.  We continued on toward camp.  Finally we made it to the campsite and it was really nice (pretty).  The rest of the guys showed up with the mussels and dinner preparation began.  I put up my tent & prepared my sleeping area. I also did some reading & reflecting to prepare a little for tonight’s discussion.  Joe ended up calling on me (he calls me his pastry chef ever since I made that Oreo pie last night… imagine that… I’m great at desserts that require little to no preparation… how funny!).  I made a peanut butter pie tonight.  Then I finally went to the bathroom (number 2) for the first time.  There was a little make-shift toilet back in the woods (with half the seat missing) that I ended up using.  Not too bad an experience.  Anyway, dinner for me did not include mussels.  I just don't like the idea of slimy shell fish.  I had noodles with cooked summer sausage in it.  Then we ate the peanut butter pie.  It seemed that much of the mussels were thrown back into the water alive.  I don't think many people liked them.  We then went right on into my discussion around the fire.  It went really well tonight.  I started by talking about running “the race” & relating it to today’s adventures.  More & more of the guys started speaking up & we had a great discussion.  David H ended with a song and prayer.  Most everyone is now in bed.  Dennis, myself & Ron are around the fire.  Dennis just burned his shoes by the fire (I thought I smelt plastic, or rubber as he just corrected me, burning).  Man, we've seriously got some snorers on this trip.  There are at least 4 people snoring really loudly in camp right now.  I can hear wolves out in the distance.  It's 11PM.  I have to go to bed.

Monday, September 4, 2006

I woke this morning with some serious congestion but it was nothing a little Afrin couldn't handle.  Breakfast consisted of.... Guess what...? OATMEAL!!   I had TWO packets today.  Joe's word this morning was quite good.  By about 9AM we were on the water.  Trebe & I took one of the Trackers.  I was in the back for the first time and it was really nice.  I even put our sleeping pads behind me so I was able to lean back taking the pressure off my back.  We canoed through perfect weather and water that was smooth as glass.  Our first stop was at the red fox pictograph.  Ron, myself & Dennis climbed up on the rocks & David M took some pictures.  We were then off again.  Our pace was not rushed but rather very leisurely.  For the next hour and a half to two hours we canoed onward this way headed due south.  We could have sped up a little to catch up with the others but our main concern was with Ed & Christopher who were very far behind.  We decided to just talk & take our time.  Finally we made it to camp & it was the most beautiful one yet.  It was on a point, between two small bays, with a northern exposure.  We put up our tent and Dennis started making lunch.  Lunch consisted of a tuna & cheese wrap and some macaroni with salmon.  The guys started fishing and were catching fish within minutes.  We ended up with 6 bass.  Christopher got David M's pole & started fishing.  This was my cue to disappear (or at least get WAY back).  Well, Chris (who must consider himself to be a master fisherman since he's always telling folks how to do it) kept screwing up his casts.  He ended up casting over Trebe (while Trebe was casting).  Their lines tangled in the air and flew over me.  I was crouched down on the ground.  I approached the tangled lures and told them not to move.  Immediately Christopher's lure began to move.  "Dude, don't move."  It moved again.  I repeated myself 3 more times and within seconds, the lure would move again.  I finally realized that he was doing it just to irritate me and then he started laughing and calling me a “wussy.”  I walked away (afraid that I would knock him out in front of his dad).  Later on Ron, David M & Dennis were bathing & swimming.  I just didn't feel like swimming in that freezing water.  I did take a little bath washing my face, hair & pits.  I then took some pictures as the guys jumped off some rocks into the water.  I ended up changing clothes and using the bathroom in a little box on the site.  I was having to try and shoo off a stupid squirrel that didn't want me around.  Every 10 seconds I'd have to shake a stick at him.  Anyway, a little later, our good buddy Christopher wanted to go swimming.  Jim C told him not to get in the water barefoot because of sharp rocks but (or course) he did it anyway.  Within minutes he sliced his toe open on a rock.  Dr Jim looked at it and decided that it needed stitches.  Ed held Christopher's hand while the doc did the work.  Chris cried, and cried some more.  I would have wanted to give him some of Jim's whiskey but I guess that was out of the question..?  I know it had to hurt!  I'm really afraid of how this will affect tomorrow.  Will we be another man down?  I ended up talking to Dr Jim about scuba diving for a while and Joe about folks at Christ the Rock.  Joe & Trebe started dinner and I made a cheesecake.  Dinner consisted of a Cajon soup made of rice, black beans, summer sausage & the bass that was caught today (the cheesecake was good too).  I got some good sunset pics tonight.  We even went out to get some pictures of the moon in the canoes but we couldn't keep it still enough for the shutter to be open long enough.  Joe & the two Jim's went to bed early.  Trebe gave a short word on commitment & told the story of the car accident.  It was pretty moving and Trebe got pretty emotional.  He then had us sing 3 songs.  One was a Christmas song(?), one was "Jesus Loves Me(??)," and one was "Shout to the Lord."  David M spoke up last of all about how much this trip meant to him as well as the relationships.  He said that he really wanted to be a committed part of the church.  I hope he's serious!!  I'm in bed, Goodnight.

Tuesday, September 5, 2006

This morning I think I was one of the first people awake... I had to pee!  After using a tree, I tried to go back to sleep for a while but it was no good.  Finally I got up & Joe was make something similar to pancakes but made of cornbread.  We ate them with syrup and bacon.  It really wasn't too bad.  We weren't going to leave until after lunch but Joe was a little worried about the weather.  It got considerably colder last night and the wind was picking up this morning.  Because we had a 9 or 10 mile run ahead of us (and a couple portages) we decided to go ahead and leave ASAP.  Before doing so, Joe had every man speak for a few minutes about what the trip had meant to them and what they had gotten out of it.  Everyone did really well.  David M shared again & got a bit emotional.  It seems his life has really been impacted.  Joe gave Ed a word basically telling him that there were many areas in his life that God wanted to change but the first step for Ed was realizing that there was nothing wrong with him... That he is a creation of God.  It was pretty good. Christopher said that he had learned to listen to his elders.  Joe asked him whether he learned that before or after he got stitches.  He said after.  Joe wanted to know then why he had been smarting off to hid dad this morning.  He was quite direct but everything really seemed to come in love.  We did some final packing and finally, we left.  Christopher rode garbage with Dennis & David M.  We went 3 miles north around a point and then WSW 3 miles back to White Otter Lake.  From there we went 3 miles south to a portage.  Ed was with Doc Jim.  This was a bit of a scary combination (HA!).  Crossing the portage really wasn't too bad.  Trebe & I got all our bags & paddles first and ran them across.  We then ran back & got our canoe.  Christopher ran back for a second load of supplies (with stitches in his foot!).  We were off again for a short run before our second portage.  This portage was even easier.  We followed the same routine and were ready to go in minutes.  Camp was just around the corner.  The funny thing is that Ed & Doc were preparing to leave the second portage they flipped their canoe into neck-deep, cold water.  Anyway camp was on a very small island.  The only places for the tents were right beside each other (thus I can clearly hear load snoring at the moment).  Some of the guys went to catch fish (I think they got 4 bass & 2 large pike).  This was cooked up for dinner along with rice & Romain Noodles.  There was also a little Oreo pie left.  I decided that we needed to go to bed early and get up early to head for the van so that we could get out early.  I'm in bed and I'm about to pass out.

Wednesday, September 6, 2006

We all woke up before 6AM this morning.  BOY HAD IT GOTTEN COLD!!  Clouds had rolled in and we were all a little nervous about the weather.  Quickly, I packed and had two packets of oatmeal (and 3 of hot chocolate with a little cappuccino).  By 7AM we were on the water.  Trebe & I took "Big Mama" with Christopher riding garbage (we gave him a paddle and told him that he'd be helping today).  Getting out of this lake was a bit tricky.  We shot down a small opening but the water was extremely shallow and there were the remains of a beaver dam.  Dennis & David M had actually checked out this route yesterday and knocked down part of the dam.  Anyway, we made it through but then came to another very narrow pass with a beaver dam.  Part of the dam was underwater so we picked up speed and scraped right across the top.  We were now back in Clearwater Lake.  It was a straight shot of about 4 miles back to the van.  We kept having issues with "Big Mama."  I think we were very heavy (being three of us & being loaded with packs) and Christopher & I were close to the stern.  This seemed to cause the front end to pivot and gave the bow less control.  We finally made it to the shore right in front of the van with only Ron & David H getting there about a minute before us.  The other 3 canoes came in over the next few minutes with Ed & David M bringing up the rear.  We packed up everything very quickly & drove around the corner to Brown's Resort.  There each of us paid almost $6 for a bathroom & hot shower.  It felt so much better to shave.  We then left & headed for Atikokan.  Thirty minutes later we were pulling up in front of a little restaurant for breakfast.  I had "The Outdoorsman" which consisted of bacon, sausage, eggs, toast & pancakes.  I also had a side of pan fries & a glass of OJ.  It was good (though anything was good at that point).  Finally we started our trek home.  I waited & waited for a cell signal.  I needed to talk to Shawna.  I need to see my kids.  Eventually I got a signal & was able to call Shawna & call dad.  The only big news in the world was that the "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin was dead.  I guess he was swimming with a deadly stingray filming a new TV shows when he was stung in the heart.  How unfortunate.  We finally made it to the border.  The first order of business was to take Ron's forms inside on the Canadian side.  There were no problems.  US immigration simply looked at our papers & sent us on through.  We followed Joe toward Duluth for an hour or two and ended up at a state park (Gooseberry Falls ?).  There were some pretty waterfalls.  The water was quite low so we were able to jump around on the rocks.  We went back up to the parking lot to tell Joe, Jim C & Doc Jim goodbye.  Soon we were back on the road.  We stopped at a DQ in Osseo, WI (just south of Madison) for some dinner.  Christopher fell asleep rather early.  That was nice because I don't know how much more of his burping, farting & such I can take.  Right around midnight, Trebe and I swapped places with Dennis & Ed.  At the moment Dennis' driving is making me nervous.  Hope I don't have to ask him to pull over.

Summary

I came into this trip with certain expectations.  Honestly, my only point of perspective coming into this trip was my first experience nine years ago and it’s impact on my life.  At that time, I was in many ways a different person.  For many different reasons, I had very little self-esteem or confidence and I think I had something to prove to myself.  It was the first of many trips I would take in an attempt to prove that I was able to conquer absolutely anything.  I went on to lead kids on camping trips, 3 missions trips into Jamaica, 2 weeks in Africa, a week ministering at the Dream Center in LA, 3 weeks with Indian tribes on the Amazon River, a trip to the Grand Canyon area along the Havsau River and even more.  A few years ago I found that after all this I was conquered by some unfortunate events in my church and family.  I’ve come out on the other side of these unfortunate events somewhat guarded, still recovering from wounds but more mature, ready to submit to leadership and do what God has called me to do.  In late 2005 I found myself wanting to revisit this area in Canada that had almost conquered me 9 years before.  I was interested to see how I would handle it and respond to it.  I think, because of my first trip, I had mentally prepared myself for the wind, rain, storms, cold and everything else that comes with this experience.  What I found was completely different.  It wasn’t even half as difficult as my first venture.  There were no storms, no rains and little wind.  The water was so smooth and the temperatures so moderate.  It was an extremely relaxing experience.  The worst part of the trip was truly the van ride.  While considering all this, it’s amazing how different people can view similar experiences in such different ways.  A couple of our guys gave up and a few didn’t know if they would be able to make it.  God is still showing me the revelation of how every person is at different places in their experience of life.  It was amazing looking at these men and seeing their varying views of what we encountered.  For me, God showed me that I need to relax.  Life is always going to be there to throw you a curve ball but many times things are not nearly as bad as we make them out to be in our minds.  We’ve got the Lord, our brothers, our church family and others to lean on when things get tough.  God promises to never allow anything to come our way that we can’t handle.  In the past few years I have counseled a lot of different people and I’ve seen a lot of “victim mentality.”  The victim mentality is such a lie!  I am not a victim.  I choose my direction and I can handle whatever comes my way because I am not alone. 

** To see high-quality pictures of our trip click here to go to Rob Thomas Photography. **