What matters is that we took the time to do something we have talked about for years. Every summer when we leave canoe country we talk about how nice it would be to see these land and lakescapes in autumn. We knew the vast outdoors would be ablaze in fall colors, and the air would be crisp and quiet, minus the people of summer. It was so.
We canoed one morning on the glass-like waters of Loon Lake, framed by golden aspen and birch made even brighter by the sun against a clear blue sky. Another cooler, cloudy, windy morning we hiked on the Border Trail to Crab Lake. I was struck by the changing landscape: fires in the area left some spots bleak with charred stumps and yet, a short walk beyond and we were in dense forest with all the colors and sounds of fall.
Driving further north along the Gunflint Trail, we were shocked and saddened by the devastation of the fire of 2007. We haven't been in this area since 1981 and were totally unprepared for what we saw. When these fires happen, they make the news for a few days and then are forgotten by those of us who only visit. Gunflint Lake where we once stayed was then surrounded by hills covered with trees - I remember the green was endless. Now these hills are nearly bare, with only "sticks" of tree trunks standing, looking like bones.
Continuing north along the trail, fire damage is visible as far as the eye can see. It is only when you stop to walk in the woods that you see the new growth and realize that nature survives and we mortals must only appreciate it in every form. It will take generations for all to be restored as it was, but there is still much beauty to savor as we wait.
It matters that we spent quiet time - reading, or just sitting in front of a wood burning stove in our cozy little log cabin, built in the 1920s. We marveled at the irony of wifi and playing scrabble on our cell phones in a log cabin approaching 100 years old. And I will remember (positively, I hope!) that it was on my iPad, in this cabin that we watched the first Presidential debate of the 2012 elections.
Our journey was complete with a stop for a blueberry pie at Betty's Pies on the North Shore, a stop for ice cream at Scoop's in Minong, and a final spectacular drive down rural roads of color in Wisconsin.
Every minute matters.
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