Reflections from the Wilderness: Why I Head North Every Year

Every summer, without fail, I spend at least a week in the Boundary Waters. My history with the BWCA and Quetico goes back to the early ‘80s, which is when I first fell in love with the silence and the scale of the North Woods. Since then, it has become a true family tradition.

I started bringing my kids up north around 2012. While my daughters still joke that our trips are "survival vacations," my son is a true believer. He still joins me every other year. My connection to this place even extends to our home; two of my horses, Trygg and Brooke, are actually named after the BWCA.

Small Businesses and Big Bonds

One of the things I love most about these trips is the sense of community. For 20 years, I have used the same outfitter. At this point, he isn't just a business owner, he is a friend. There is something special about walking into a shop where they know your group by name and treat you like family the second you walk through the door.

These days, my wife and my best friend are my constant partners on the water. We also make it a point to bring at least one new person along on every trip. There is a unique joy in introducing someone to this place for the first time and watching them realize why we keep coming back.

The Record Catch That Wasn't

If you ask me for my favorite spot, I will tell you it is Iron Lake. It’s the site of some of my biggest catches. It is also where I watched my wife land what likely would have been the state catch-and-release record. I say "likely" because, in all the excitement, I realized I had forgotten both the scale and the tape measure in the truck.

Last year, as we were paddling through Nina Moose, we took a detour to watch a family of Bald Eagles: a mom, dad, and a baby. It was a beautiful sight. My wife wanted to stop and fish right there, but I was focused on our destination and told her we had to keep moving to get to Tiger Bay.

A Hard Lesson in Listening

This is the part of the story that still gets me a "side-eye" at the dinner table.

We spent several days battling a tough bite and mediocre fishing at Tiger Bay. Eventually, my wife and son had to head home early for other commitments. The next morning, the rest of us packed up and began the trek back toward the vehicle. We decided to spend our final night at the very same campsite my wife had wanted to fish on the way in.

Within ten minutes of setting up camp and casting our lines, we started pulling in the biggest crappies I have ever seen. We caught dozens of them, all between 12 and 14 inches. It was a fisherman’s dream, and it happened in the exact spot she had pointed out days earlier. I was in the doghouse the moment I got home and shared the news.

Looking Ahead to the Journey

This June, I am embarking on another journey. We are heading to a little lake called Trygg where the Brook trout live. It is a long trek: 22 miles of paddling and a mile of portaging. It will be about seven and a half hours of travel just to get to our site.

I can’t wait. The hard work of the journey always makes the destination that much sweeter. That is the same energy I want to bring to the Minnesota House. I am ready to put in the miles to preserve the treasures that make our state like nowhere else on Earth.

-Brian Walker