Back to The Wilderness

In Minnesota

We leave the purple state of Nevada for the Marxist state of Minnesota in the summer. I have been coming up to the place my grandparents built in the woods for 53 years now. Over the past ten, I have spent much of the summer here even when I lived in Chicago.

When we rehabbed the two cabins, we put electricity, running water, and internet in. Prior, we used some solar but mostly had no electricity. When cell phones happened, we could get some service. Our water came from a spring on the hill. My grandparents’ first home was a forest service cabin on a lake, so they wanted it that way.

Back when I traded, leaving to come up here was always dicey. I had to check my out trades on the next trading day. Since no one had a phone, I’d have to drive about twenty miles to find a pay phone and call down to the floor.

We got back up today after a two and a half day drive. Stopped at Kendall’s Smokehouse on the way up. If you know, you know. Best smoked fish you will ever have. Do not stop at Lou’s in Two Harbors. We have a place in Grand Marais, which is decent, but Kendall’s is spectacular.

Got to our cabin. We came up in May to open up. Now it’s just about unlocking. Caught the tail end of the pink lady slipper bloom. It’s been here as long as I can remember.

Labor can be hard to find up here. My family likes to garden. My grandfather was a forester, and my grandmother had a beautiful garden. When I was growing up, my mother had an amazing garden. I can remember using a spade to turn over and pulverize dirt in her entire yard. My grandmother and the rest of the family beautified the place up here over the years, and now we continue to take care of it. Sometimes we add. Sometimes we subtract. There are some balsams that will meet my chainsaw this year.

My uncle, my wife, and I found these white pines in the woods and transplanted them. I cannot remember the year, but it was probably around 2014. Everyone in our family has a white pine on the two properties. My wife and I purchased the adjoining lot this year. We don’t know what we will do with it, if anything besides clear it.

The ones in the photo below were about two feet high when we did it. The one in the photo is over 35 feet now. On my mother’s last trip to the cabin three years ago, she made a sign for one of the trees with her name on it. My grandmother’s tree died, so we gave her one of these next to my mom’s. I am sure they are in heaven laughing about it now.

Tonight, I will put a fire in the solo stove and chill on the deck, or possibly the dock.

I think of the people in my family a lot up here. Sometimes they speak to you.