The Lakes In My Head

Planning The Trip Not all of life's twists and turns can be planned in advance. Most of my wilderness adventures have been in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northeastern Minnesota. Before any paddling trip in the BWCA it is important to plan and map it out. Made up of living things, wilderness is fluid and constantly changing. If you are going to travel through wilderness, you must have the proper equipment for the unpredictable events you undoubtedly will encounter. You will need to secure a permit from the Department of Natural Resources. You will need shelter, enough food for the entire trip, suitable clothing, canoe paddling equipment. I usually pack too much clothing. I have a weakness for buying rain gear and polar fleece jackets similar to how some women have a weakness for shoes. When he goes camping my husband, Ken, has a weakness for technical gadgets, only packing clean clothing as an after-thought. Okay, that was unfair; I don't want you to get a bad impression of my husband. He would remember to pack clothing. He might not pack an extra shirt in case the one he's wearing gets splashed on or mauled by a black bear. (Just kidding. That's never happened to us.) Ken and I would also recommend that it is absolutely mandatory to leave a detailed plan of your trip with someone who can follow up should you unexpectedly encounter a situation you can't handle. Someone needs to know where to search for you if you become lost. I have for many years wanted to write a book, to be an author, though I never thought I'd be writing about myself, which is what I'm about to do. This is an awkward task for me, because I have a disability that makes story-telling difficult. I keep forgetting where I am in the story. I was sure, having an undergraduate Bachelor's degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry, that my future writing would be about all things scientific: animals, plants, geography, ecology, caring for the environment, global warming, ornithology, canoe trips into vast uncharted wilderness, and topics like that. Then, as my life continued on, I dabbled in inspirational writing. God has always been important in my life, even as a child. I tried combining writing about things biological and inspirational at the same time. Once, my work was published in a tiny, but well-distributed, devotional magazine. I guess the editors thought having an inspirational article about prayer and dolphins was different enough that people would read it and remember to pray. That's good. That's why I wrote it. ...Now, however, I have a unique reason to write. I've paddled a unique route. Someone wiser than I mapped it out, and provided me with the resources I would need on the trip. This paddling route was the most arduous, challenging trip I've ever taken and I barely left my house to complete it.