A Family Tastes the Wilderness, and it’s Good

Posted byGary FultzPosted inabundant life, accomplishment, adventure, Adventure story, Boundary Water trips, Boundary Waters, Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness photos, camping, canoeing adventure, Fishing, fishing adventure, Gary Fultz, gone fishing, Nature, Nature and Inner Peace, Outdoor Adventures, Outdoor Cooking, outdoor scenery, perspective, Planning, quality of life, relationship building, Uncategorized, Vacation, wilderness adventureTags:,
Another Small-mouth bass for release

My oldest grand daughter is going into her senior high school year so she had the privilege of choosing the family vacation. She chose to go to the BWCA wilderness with grandpa as guide. How cool is that? 5 days unplugged from technology and looking at the sky for hints of a weather forecast. 5 days of learning how to see. Really see. 5 days of soaking in all that nature provides at it’s whims without asking. 5 days of gorgeous blue waters, rain storms, wind, cold, hot, starry skies, open fire cooked foods and, well, mosquitoes and black flies.

To all you families considering a week of being unplugged; go for it and work through the learning process. You will be better, much better for it. Kids, go for it. Your eyes and ears will be opened and conversations and memories will be had the rest of your life. Take a peek at a few highlights.

Grandma and grandson on the portage trail between lakes in the rain.
Otter eating fish swimming by camp
Yep, big walleye, catch of a lifetime
And she caught supper. This Kentucky girl knows how to fillet fish as well.
My son with a very nice small mouth bass
Sunset after a long rainy day
Ahhh…The art of taking all the bones out of a pike on a canoe paddle with enough fish left to eat
The boys were always drying something around the fire
Fire, hot chocolate and great conversation. A family that loves each other.
Wonder boy won the tussle from shore after almost being pulled into the lake
little man decided frogs were safer after hooking a huge alligator by the canoe (probably a monster pike). Lost the fish and all his line …Proud of his “frog moat” though

We watched a nymph crawl on the tent and become a dragonfly. We used life jackets for sleeping pads. The kids found out that 30 degree (F) ratings on sleeping bags mean you will get cold at 40. The colors in nature never clash, they just enhance each other. There must be 30 shades of green! It would take a lot of faith to believe all this order came randomly by chaos. We love the wilderness! Life lessons abound and were talked about (another time with more pictures).

Now we are home, it was better than a good dream. Tonight we toasted our wilderness trip with Smores (toasted marshmallows over a fire put into a graham cracker sandwich with a piece of chocolate bar).

These pictures are but a very small taste of our wilderness experience. Thanks for coming along, and yes we ate several meals of bass, pike and walleye as well as returned most of our fish to live a bit longer. Many fish stories for another time. You really should go into the wilderness if you can…go for it. Unplug awhile!

Gary

Published by Gary Fultz

Outdoors Man, Hunter, Fisherman, Guide, Writer / Author, Photographer, Public Speaker, Musician, Song Writer, Story Teller, Follower Of Jesus. Love God and family and total strangers

15 thoughts on “A Family Tastes the Wilderness, and it’s Good”

    1. Thanks G.W. All did have a great time even in the challenging times of wind, cold and mosquitoes. The overall consenses was graet and pure adventure. More to come on possible lessons learned

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      2. Ah, Yes Frances, (fising and camping is but a great setting) You hit the very thing (how to raise kids in discipline and intimacy to know and walk with God intimatly) that the God of this world is desparate to stamp out. Our culture has disconnected severly and kids are starving for meaningful relationships…now you got me going!

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    1. Its really a blessing to have all my kids and grandkids love the wilderness and the roughing it that goes with it. The rewards of just being there is worth it. Liz, made it happen (oldest grand child with 28″walleye). The youngest hooked a pike ovdr 20 pounds, it came right in to the canoe but then decided the other end of the lake would be better…best fish story.

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      1. Haha, I love it. We’re still vacationing in WI at the moment… saw a muskie the other day and was really hoping my wife would get to take a ride. No such luck though… better keep trying. As soon as this rain stops we’re headed out. Have a great week and talk soon, Gary! -AJ

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