Tag: BWCAW

Balance- Minnesota Canoeing

June 26, 2022

With the Minnesota vacation behind us we are trying to “find” our balance with our jet lagged bodies. After two years of hardly touching the water we now seem to be strengthening our under used paddle muscles.

Morning paddle on Eagles Nest Lake 3 close to Ely, MN

Canoeing is all about balance. Balance in paddle strokes to smoothly get through the water. Balance with your paddle partner (maybe a good dose of communication would help here too) to know when you will suddenly move inside or out of the canoe, failure to do so can cause one or both of you a nice swim in the water.

Balance with nature. While in a canoe or kayak you are the closest you will ever be with undisrupted nature. Suddenly you are part of the story that going on all around you.

A beaver dam at Bear Head Lake State Park. Ely, MN

When things are in balance then wonderful happy things occur. Like running into a free concert at the State Park.

Minnesota Lumberjack songs performance at Bear Head Lake State Park.

Sometimes practice on balance is needed or a reminder that maybe ego can be bumped.

“Cool! I can still portage a canoe…what was that sound? OMG!!! I am so embarrassed.”
Balance is needed when looking for the small wonders in nature. Here we are in a search to find wild orchids that grow on these semi submerged logs. Instead of orchids we found wild fly catcher plants.
Balance.

We are now home in The Netherlands, new adventures coming soon.

Eagles Nest Lake 3. Ely, MN

We hope that each of you have found balance in your current lives.🛶

© The Cedar Journal, 2022, all rights reserved.

Memorable Monday

June 20, 2022
The view from our rental cabin in Ely, MN

Now at the end our vacation and waiting to see what sort of chaos waits us at the airport. I want to share some of the peaceful memories we had from our time in Minnesota.

Sunrise at the cabin
A mayfly and the moon from our cabin overlooking the lake.
Cool wild fly catcher plants we found on one of our paddle trips
Looking up at the tree I hugged.
A family of geese glide across a beaver pond at William OBrien State Park

Deep breath, bags packed, memories documented, blog adventures to write, and an eight hour flight home to the Netherlands. My wild heart and love of the Minnesota wilderness renewed.

© The Cedar Journal, 2022, all rights reserved.