A Blessing in Disguise: Voyageurs National Park

 

A Blessing in Disguise

Voyageurs National Park 

People really do be sleeping on the Midwest. Well, parts of the Midwest. Maybe I’m just a sucker for a good lake, but Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan do have a lot to offer if you know where to look. Voyageurs National Park, situated right on the border of Minnesota and Canada, was no exception. 

The vessel
My original plan, which in hindsight was never a great idea, was to rent a canoe or kayak for 4 days and traverse Namakan Lake, a remote and vast lake within Voyageurs. Renting the canoe was simple enough, I found a hotel on the Ash River that rented them for $20 per day. But once I got their and set out on my canoe, hoo boy was I in for a rude awakening.

It was a windy day, like really windy. So windy that it caused a forest fire in the nearby Boundary Waters just as I arrive. I arrive at the resort early, with all that I need for 4 days packed away in my backpack. I start out on the water, the wind at my back. I’m thinking, alright, this ain’t too bad. A ways down the river I turn into the bay that I need to cross to enter the lake, and BAM! Right into a wall of wind that seems even stronger on the open water. I struggle to straighten my vessel, suddenly realizing the 80 lbs of gear I brought was not doing me any favors. 

Over the course of the next 25 minutes, I paddle my ass off to gain ground against the gusty conditions, getting turned backwards no less than 3 times in the process. I take a break, already exhausted and feeling a twinge of shoulder pain from a nagging injury. When I look at my position, I find that I’ve made it maybe a quarter of the way through the bay and realize “damn, this ain’t gonna work”.

I’m sort of chuckling to myself at this point. Of course the first major step in my trip slaps me in the face right as I start. 

I decide to turn around and go back to the resort to return the canoe, resolving to try again in 2 days if/when conditions are better. I realize that I’m going to have similar struggles getting back, as the wind that was at my back to begin is now pushing against me. I manage my way back to return the canoe and start to formulate a plan.

Although the majority of the park is made up of water, there is plenty of accessible land to explore as well. I’ll do this for the next couple days, then come back and try again with the canoe, finishing the last 2 campsites I’ve reserved.

Conditions don’t improve, so the second part of my plan doesn’t materialize. But looking back at it, I’m kind of glad it didn’t work out. I’m not exactly built like a paddler, which is something I realize is a prerequisite if you’re going to navigate a canoe and 80 lbs of dead weight by yourself.

Sunsets n brews
The 4 days I spend at Voyageurs end up being extremely chill. I get up when the sun brightens my tent, lazily make coffee and breakfast, and then go out to explore the parts of the park I can for a few hours. I find a great bike trail that I do twice, I see all 3 of the visitor centers the park has, and wander through the surrounding forests. At camp, I read in my hammock, and go down to the beautiful picnic area at my campground for sunset or whenever I have nothing else to do.

Although I had to call an audible last minute, I end up happy with how the trip starts. I feel recharged, and I still got to spend my time in nature, which is good enough. The next couple weeks would prove to provide more than enough activity to satisfy my desires. And hey, this just gives me something to explore if I ever go back, perhaps with a certain friend I had who’s a former Crew member at Georgetown ;)


Wildflowers on the Echo Bay trail
From here, I go off to Minneapolis and stay with my friend Alex, where another problem arises. But the silver lining from that situation is I get to spend more time with Alex and hear about what’s new with his life.

As soon as I get my transportation squared away, it’s off to South Dakota, where the Badlands and Black Hills surprise and delight me. I explore this more in my next post: "South Dakota! Who knew! Certainly not me. (Badlands & Black Hills)"





Overlook on the Echo Bay trail
Rainy Lake Bike Trail




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