A Weekend of Growth

pmPilgrim resting along the shore of Lake Superior in the Apostle Islands of Wisconsin.

So why would a 57-year old, out-of-shape, and a little overweight, guy spend a weekend doing something relatively strenuous and definitely physical that he has never done before? Why would he bother to take 5 high school sophomores and juniors along with him? Why would he sleep in a tent with a slim layer of air in his Therma-rest pad between him and the hard ground? Why, why, WHY?

Well, among other reasons- because it's there.


It was a magnificent weekend in the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in far northern Wisconsin. I have never kayaked in my life. I am not what one would call a "physically active" person. Exercise is a four-letter word in my life. Yet every now and then I do these crazy things.

My first visit to the real wilderness of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota was when I was 45 (and just as out of shape as I am today.) It was a life-changing experience. I have since made a number of trips there. The opportunity came along this year to develop a leadership development, wilderness experience-type trip for some high school students. I contacted the great people at Wilderness Inquiry in Minneapolis for outfitting and trip logistics so I could focus on the programming. They suggested that for just a 3-day trip, the Apostle Islands would be perfect. They were right.


We had perfect weather, other than the wind and waves which kept us from seeing the famous sea caves from the water. We had to settle for a hike to see them from above as shown in this picture. We saw more stars than any of us had seen in a VERY long time. We had a minor show of the Northern Lights on evening after some remarkable sunsets.

But that doesn't answer why?

I will be writing more about this in the next few days but the bottom line is always, for me, found in that overly quoted, but still overly true statement from Thoreau:

In wildness is the preservation of the world.

When I come into the presence of "wildness" or wilderness or the power of nature, I am taken to a new place in my own life and soul. I come face to face with the Creator in a way that I cannot escape the power, the hope, the fear, and the life that has brought countless generations to their knees in humility and worship. The sense of beauty, awe, holiness, and transcendence found in nature is what many, many people are looking for in drugs, alcohol, relationships and the life. Here it is for a little bit of work and effort. Here it is in all its fullness.

• If I can discover a little bit more of it
• If I can be reminded by it of my Creator and Redeemer
• If I can share, for only a moment, the possibilities of awe
• If I can open up new possibilities for some teenagers in their own journeys

Well, I guess that's why.