3 weeks ago I was camping with my wonderful husband. We were really roughing it. Not the KOA type. Wilderness roughing it. Real camping! Rugged! We were canoe camping in northern Minnesota’s BWCAW. The kind where we pack as light as possible and weigh the slightest item to determine if it is worth carrying on our backs. We set out on our adventure early in the morning--4:00 to be exact. Not far out of the city, a semi truck carrying fuel swerved into our lane forcing us not only on the shoulder, but off the road completely. The driver had fallen asleep. Fortunately, our honking horn woke him and he did not complete the unknown deed of nearly killing us.
Was this an omen of what was to come? I think not.
We arrived to get our permit. Watched the mandatory video about leaving no trace and what to do if a bear enters our camp, etc., answered our questions to be sure we paid attention to the video, and talked with the other family ready to enter on their own adventure in the Wilderness. This family were great! Instantly, we hit it off with them and felt like we had known each other for years. Turns out, they were entering the exact same place we were entering! We discussed the various lakes in the region and what fish are most prevalent there. They even gave us a tip of an unmarked portage we could take to shorten our journey. We parted, hoping for another opportunity to meet again.
Our friends needed to rent a canoe from a nearby outfitter. We were sure we would be on the trail before them. However, we missed our sign identifying our entry point and arrived after our friends! No matter, we got to meet again and promised to be in contact, if possible, in the Wilderness.
Luckily, we found a parking spot near the portage entrance. This will come in handy when we are ready to leave! The entrance begins with a 40 rod portage (the equivalent to a city block). Carrying my pack weighing 50-60 lbs, I followed my husband down the trail. He carries the food pack, kitchen set up, ropes, etc. PLUS the canoe. We don’t believe in making more than one trip on a portage if we can help it.
We take our time getting to our preferred lake. It has been a difficult and emotional couple months for us and we needed time to relax. You see, our dear friends (they call me “Mom” and my husband “Dad”. Their parents live in another state and so they adopted family while living here. They just had their first child, Joshua. This baby was beautiful, perfect, and oh so LOVED! His mother had laid him down for a nap in the morning and went down stairs to start some laundry. Soon after, she went to check on her baby only to find he had choked on his spit up and was laying lifeless in his crib. An hour after we received this report, we were notified that our 30 year old niece (and mother of 2 young children), Sara, was working as a home health aid in Arizona. While at work, her heart suddenly stopped. She too was in critical condition on life support. Later that day, some good friends posted on Facebook that his father was in critical condition with a heart attack and pneumonia complication. After a valiant battle of only a few days, baby Josh decided to stay in Heaven with Jesus. Our niece and friend’s father were still struggling for their lives. It was with this concern and heavy heart that we made our way to our place of refuge and peace.
Our trip to our first campsite was long and tiring but also uneventful. We welcomed the “home away from home”. We stayed only one night and left the next morning for our true destination, Bear Track Lake. On our way we decide to use the unmarked portage. 263 rods of ungroomed trail replete with large fallen trees blocking the trail. It was brutal. The lake we ended up on was very much worth it. The lake was pristine and actually blue like the ocean. Most lakes are stained a dark tea color from all the iron in the area. This one was perfect. Our friends were on the only campsite at this lake. We enjoyed lunch together as well as each other’s company. We arrived at Bear Track by supper time. We read books, fished, and relaxed. After two days, we decided to move to Gun Lake. The fishing was better there, according to our friends, and we thought we may have a chance to see them again.
We stayed on Gun Lake enjoying good fishing of bass and just exploring the Lake. The water was clean and we were quite happy with ourselves. We always bring good books to read. Usually I read to my husband satisfying my need to relax and do nothing, while my husband washes dishes, splits firewood, looks at the map for his next adventure. Our first book we read, Heaven is for Real was quite gripping and caused us to think deeply about our eternal life after we die. The second was The Forgotten God by Francis Chan. It too gave us pause to reflect on our life and if we truly live a life that emulates Christ. It was Sunday afternoon. I was reading the Heaven is for Real book when I heard the Holy Spirit tell me that I didn’t need to pray for Sara any longer. I needed to pray for her immediate family. For those wondering, it was not an audible voice. Hearing God speak is different for each person. For me, it is language spoken inside of me rather than externally. It is like an unction, an awareness, something much more than a feeling. We had heavy hearts the rest of the night.
We ended our trip by paddling/portaging to Shell Lake. It was my birthday. We arrived to what we thought looked like a decent campsite and started to unload the canoe. We were so tired. We didn’t even notice that someone was entering the site on the other side and already had their tent set up in the woods! We apologized and left to find another site. Arriving at our second chance at rest, we looked around the place. Beautiful! This site went on and on. It must have had 7 different places to set up a tent. It was right next to an inlet/river. There on this waterway we see our friends! We make plans to go out together the next morning after breakfast. That night, a thunderstorm hits the area and everything is drenched. Nonetheless, the next morning we quickly tear down our campsite, eat our breakfast, and wait for our friends to pick us up. The rains stopped in the night but the winds were still strong. We see our friends and decide to paddle out to them. We take our time leaving this beautiful place. We say goodbye to our favorite wildlife, the loons. We enjoy seeing a great blue heron on the river bank. It is now time for our last portage, the 40 rod leading to our parking lot and our truck.
The rocks in the BWCAW are very slippery when wet. Our friend reached the portage first and were already headed to their vehicle. My husband always goes first with the canoe because he walks faster than I do and if he drops something, I can more easily pick it up. So I brought up the rear. There is one rock that is particularly large. It always makes me nervous to walk on it when the ground is wet. I passed it in safety and kept moving on. I see a man with pack and canoe and two very excited little boys coming into the BWCAW. I think the boys are entering for the first time. The excitement and joy in their voices and actions is contagious. I think back to my first trip in this beautiful country. The hard work, the satisfaction of overcoming my fears and doubts about myself. I am also thinking of who God is. What his name means. Jehovah Rohi, the Good Shepherd. Jehovah Jireh, my provider. Jehovah Rophe, my healer. Jehovah Shammah, The God Who is There. Jehovah Shalom, God is our Peace. I serve an awesome God! The man and his boys pass me and I am once again traveling this path alone, yet not really alone for I know my God is near me. I hear the man and one boy coming back for more gear. They must have left one child behind to stay with the canoe and gear they brought the first time. They are walking faster than I am so I will need to make room for them to pass. Meanwhile, a man is approaching me with his pack and canoe. Now I must truly get off the path so both parties may pass me. Once in the clear, I again proceed at my snails pace to get to my truck and congratulate my husband on another great adventure. As I maneuver up a small boulder, my foot slips and slides underneath my fallen body. My body and pack come crashing down dislocating my ankle and breaking both my tibia and fibula. I scream and the man and his son come running to my aid. I am pinned down by my pack like a turtle flipped on it’s shell. The pain is immense! Finally, I am free of my pack and the man carries it to my truck, notifying my husband to come to me. He is there within minutes and carries me piggy-back style the remaining 150’ to the truck. He deposits me on the tailgate and leaves to find our friends. Meanwhile, a man entering the BWCAW sees my pain and approaches me. He identifies himself as an EMT and offers his help. I gladly accept it. I now have a professional helping me. Our friends come with some Advil and wood for a splint. As soon as the splint is in place, a woman asks us if we need ice. She produces three one-gallon bags of ice cubes.
Normally when leaving the Wilderness we see one or two other parties. This day was like Grand Central Station! People were coming and going constantly. Our friend’s son went with us the hour long drive to the nearest emergency facility. X-rays were taken and I was sent via ambulance to Duluth for surgery. Duluth did not do surgery; rather, they splinted my leg, gave me pain killers and sent me home to find my own surgeon who could do my follow up care. The surgery was three days later.
During this time, I reflect on my trip. I am amazed that I have such a loving Heavenly Father that is there when I need Him most. He not only showed up at the time I was attacked by my enemy, He provided for everything I needed. I didn’t have to wait for anything! I never once went into shock. I had joy and peace continually throughout this ordeal. Now I am in the healing process. I have two girlfriends that both broke their ankles similar to my injury. They are both amazed that I am doing as well as I am and without great pain.
Life is a little boring because it is my right ankle which means I cannot drive yet. My family is gone at college or work and I spend most of my time alone. Hence this blog is born! I hope you enjoy my musings and observations of life. I hope to offer an array of topics and information on this site to appeal to a wide range of audience.
Oh, one more thing... When we got to the hospital, we finally had cell coverage. It was confirmed that Sara died in Arizona at around 3:00 Sunday afternoon. We were able to go to the funeral the weekend after my surgery. God is good! He prepared our hearts so the news wouldn't be devastating to hear right when I was dealing with a broken ankle.
