Remembering My Ely Adventure

Daybreak

Two years ago I spent almost three months from March through May staying near Ely, Minnesota. My goal was to photograph the arrival of spring in the north woods.

It was a memorable and challenging adventure.

Ely Adventure Remembered

As I sit in my house near Minneapolis this March I am so glad that this was not the winter of my Ely adventure. And I’m thankful that I took the opportunity to go and stay there when I did. We had a somewhat early spring in 2017 and even in the North Woods, there was less snow and cold than usual. Though I found it to be more than enough snow and cold for me.

It was fun today to go back and look at the photos I made while I was there. I remember being frustrated during March because with the warm day temperatures the snow crust would not hold my weight. Hiking through knee deep snow breaking through the crust with each step taken was not easy or safe and I did not have snowshoes. Later as the snow receded the trails were ice covered for a long time. I used spikes on my boots to make hiking safer. Still I was aware each time I headed out to the woods that I was all alone in areas where cell coverage was spotty. I needed to be careful and cautious while not allowing fear to stop me from my exploration. Hiking alone in the wild is a powerful experience.

“It had nothing to do with gear or footwear or the backpacking fads or philosophies of any particular era or even with getting from point A to point B.

It had to do with how it felt to be in the wild. With what it was like to walk for miles with no reason other than to witness the accumulation of trees and meadows, mountains and deserts, streams and rocks, rivers and grasses, sunrises and sunsets. The experience was powerful and fundamental. It seemed to me that it had always felt like this to be a human in the wild, and as long as the wild existed it would always feel this way.”
― Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Wild Creatures

One of the fondest memories of my time up north were the wild creatures that graced my days there. Trumpeter swans, hooded merganser ducks, and wood ducks swam in the Burntside River that flowed by the cabin where I stayed. The trumpeter swans arrived even before the ice was completely gone from the river and often I would see them flying up river in the morning and back down river in the evening. On lucky days they meandered and swam in the river right outside the cabin.

Cheeky red squirrels chased one another endlessly around the bird feeder and tree where it was located. They brightened my days with their cute antics. One evening I saw a black wolf run through the yard. The next morning bear tracks all around the cabin startled me. I felt awed, a little frightened, and honored to be in the company of such wild beauty.

A pair of eagles hung out in their favorite tree overlooking the river every day. Looking over and seeing them always lifted my spirits. One time when I was out hiking a group of five bald eagles soared and swooped high overhead. I was thrilled by their power and beauty. Ravens and crows often filled the air with their raucous caws. When I first arrived I saw dozens of ravens flying to roost in some trees not too far from the cabin. What a gift! I often saw deer when I was out driving the roads near where I stayed. A red fox visited the ground beneath the bird feeder in the evenings and I got to look out and photograph its beauty. Numerous birds flocked to the feeder until I took it down because the bears had woken up from their long winter’s sleep. One day as I hiked my favorite trail along the river I came upon a pile of moose scat. This was a trail I hiked almost every day. Though I would love to see a moose, I was thankful to not come upon one up close when I was alone on the trail.

Wild Time

The forests and trees of the north woods feed my soul. I love the tall red pines and white pines and the beautiful white birch. Even the scraggly jack pines are beautiful in their own way. Shortly before I came home from Ely I spent a day canoeing in the Boundary Waters with a guide. What a beautiful way to end my wild Ely Adventure.

Wild time is necessary for my soul. What about yours?

May you walk in beauty.