Day 2,827 (written on Saturday, June 24)

Growth:

The anticipation of adventure is truly invigorating.  As I prepare to knock out a dream I’ve had for years I’m filled with equal sensations of joy and nervousness.  I’ve never done this before.  I’ve done similar, but this is to be my first solo backpacking trip.  

After my relatively recent hermitage experience I’m delighted for time alone in thought while also nervous about how the first day or two of being truly alone will go.  

I’m going outside of my comfort zone and it is exciting and a bit nerve wracking at the same time.  I feel so alive!

Appreciation:

Something about the drive across Wisconsin and into the Upper Peninsula of Michigan feels so right for so many reasons.  There’s an oddly soothing sense of home that continues through the Driftless, across the cranberry bogs, into the red clay and pines, and finally leading into the miniature mountains and the vast expanse of Lake Superior.  Each twist and turn through the forests and along the swamps brings new surprises and new views.  So much green in so many different  hues, a gourmet feast for the eyes!

Throughout my adult(ish) life there’s been a gravitational pull towards what I initially felt was the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  As I think more deeply on this I’ve realized it is actually more of a pull to Lake Superior and its borderlands.  The lake is so serene and beautiful while being so rough and cruel at the same time.  It is awesome and beautiful in its rawness.  While humans have begun and advanced the Lake has remained, before, during, and after we are gone.  Wreathed in majestic hills, rock, beaches, and forests it is proof that there is something bigger than us.  Humbling, centering, and stirring – when it is within sight one almost can’t help but look away.  Ahh… one of my most joy filled places.

Presence:

There were so many minutes of my drive in which I was completely focused on the views outside my car windows.  I saw more Sandhill Cranes than I can accurately count and even a baby crane!  There were turkeys, turkeys, and more turkeys.  

The three moments that really stick out all involve deer.  On three separate occasions I paused and realized I should be watching for them in the woods beyond the ditch.  In each of those times I was rewarded with a flash of tan as I caught a deer standing deep in the wood or running with a fawn.  It was awesome! 

Thanks!!!