A good week

June 13, 2014

I had a great day yesterday despite the rain. It’s been a good week. After working on the drying shed for most of the week and finally getting the roof on the day before yesterday, we worked on two of the canoe trailers for a bit yesterday. We are gearing up for our first group to arrive on Saturday. It was raining steadily all day. We worked in the garage until noon. I came back to the cabin after lunch and read a bit, until we lost power and my lights went out so I headed into town to watch the second half of the first game of the World Cup.

I’ll admit to cheering for the underdog Croatians even though I’ve been to Brasil and own a Brasil National Team jersey. I’ll just say that Brasil’s second goal on the PK was ridiculous. And it changed the game in disappointing ways. But Brasil’s defense played its typical, “they don’t look that good” but somehow they do enough to win the game. Kind of like Italy can look at times on the defensive end and yet they get the job done and the other team just never seems to get a solid shot off or good angle or just miss an opportunity. OK I digress. 

Currently it is 40 degrees, or at least it was last night. I’m cold. Drinking hot coffee and hot cereal for breakfast helps a bit but my toes are cold even with two pairs of socks on. I’m stubbornly trying to save Wilderness Wind some money by not firing up the space heater they provided me in the cabin. And I’m feeling pretty good about that. Last night I wore long pants and a fleece to bed along with 3 blankets. And it was one of those nights where I was warm, but just warm enough. My toes were a little cool but not cold. But I slept fine.

After the World Cup game I traveled North of town about 15 or so miles, out the Echo Trail to the beautiful cabin of Tim Lehman for supper. Tim is the former transitional pastor for both West Clinton and Central. He and his wife now live year round in a log cabin he has been working on for the past 20 years. No running water or septic system, yet. That is coming this year. Currently a gas pump every couple of days brings water from the lake into a large tank on the front porch. I drink 2x filtered lake water in my cabin also. The composting toilet replaced the outhouse in recent years and will soon be replaced by a full septic system. The Cabin has no electricity other than when a generator is running for computer and a cell phone antennae booster. That is about to change within the month. They are installing a solar array soon that will give them full power for lights, etc… currently they utilize little solar lights along with propane lighting.

I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. We talked about church and life in the North woods of Minnesota in a log cabin on the lake. I heard about the male wolf that visited their property regularly throughout this past winter to mark his territory. The yearly weeklong solo Lake Trout fishing trip Tim does into the Boundary Waters each year. The church that they are attending where Tim is volunteering his expertise as a transitional pastor on a half time basis. I left around 9:30 as the light was leaving the sky and caught glimpses of a gorgeous sunset through the trees. The Echo Trail is a road that winds around through lakes and rock formations and timber. And I was eagerly anticipating a wolf sighting or a moose, I did catch a glimpse of a red fox as it shot across the road. I imagined it was being chased by a wolf, though I didn’t see any sign of the wolf. 

As I traveled back to my cabin I was greeted by an especially bright and glorious night sky illuminated by a gorgeous full moon. I had thoughts of capturing some pictures but when I made it back to my cabin the moon was no longer in view. I woke in the middle of the night and had thoughts of going out and getting pictures of it but… It was cold! Maybe tonight? 

As far as birds go, the Loons are by far my favorite of the North woods. Their call throughout the day is so unique… and one just began calling as if on cue. I saw a Bald Eagle last night as I drove out to the Lehman cabin. I think I have identified a tiny little bird that loves the underbrush around my cabin and barely sits still for a second or two at the most as a Ruby or Golden-crowned Kinglet. Almost wren-like, a little smaller than a Warbler. If I can get a picture I will be thrilled and it will be an accomplishment. Of course there are Robins and Dandelions for that matter. On my walk to Kiwishiwi Falls last Saturday I saw what, if I remember it correctly, looked to me to be a Veery. But I can’t be sure. I looked it up when I got back to my bird book but I am not 100%. 

What is it about birding that is so satisfying. I think for me it is seeing the rich variety of birds. The different colors and sizes and bills and patterns. Imagine if all Robins or Starlings were all there was. Not that I dislike Robins or…well I do kind of dislike Starlings (they are so aggressive and nasty) but I think of how satisfying it is to know that there is not one or two patterns for birds. And even amongst the sparrows. You can have a bunch of sparrows in a flock and when you look carefully recognize that there are several varieties present. And this grey camouflaged song sparrow offers a wonderful song. 

I recently taught “bird adaptations” at Amigo Centre to Kindergarten through 3^rd graders. I had no problem speaking with enthusiasm about beaks, feathers, and feet. And how different birds have different beaks, feathers, and feet based on where they live and what they eat. The Loon is a diving bird and can stay underwater for long periods of time. The thing that has fascinated me about Loons is the way they can vary their profile in the water. If you look at the pictures of the Loons I have posted on Facebook you see that sometimes it’s just barely their neck that sticks out of the water as they swim along, like a submarine with its periscope up. The water flows over them like it would over the metal of the submarine. And then at other times they will sit up on top of the water like a duck.

I am also enjoying the staff here at Wilderness Wind. We joked several days ago that we have to be a little “off” to be on staff at Wilderness Wind. Life in the North Woods of Minnesota is a unique experience. It is a wonderfully diverse group.  Only two of the five of us come from traditional Mennonite backgrounds. And four of us currently attend Mennonite Churches. We each have our unique stories to tell and that has added so much to the delight of eating and working together.

I have worked the most with Dave. Dave spends up to half of his year volunteering at a variety of ministries utilizing his carpentry and maintenance knowledge and creativity in Kingdom work. I have enjoyed getting to know him and his rich treasure trove of experience.

     

 Sarah is currently working in the kitchen getting food stuffs ready for the groups who will be going out this summer. She will be leading trips as a guide this summer. She spent last year from April through October completing the Appalachian Trail solo. Her trail name was “Poppins” because, rather than utilize a rain suit she used an umbrella when it rained. It’s a pretty incredible commitment and accomplishment to hike the entire trail from North Carolina to Maine solo. 

Stan is the director of Wilderness Wind and lives in Grand Marais in the UP of Michigan in the offseason. His hobby is running sled dogs. I’ve enjoyed hearing stories about his adventures with his dogs. I would love to watch him run his team sometime.

Annette is from Illinois and is doing a variety of jobs around camp. She too has a unique story although I haven’t had as much of a chance to interact with her.