North Woods River Runner: The Labyrinth: Or There And Back Again

Hiking Into The Labyrinth With My New Backpack

It was a network of double-backs and switch-backs getting in here today. Either way I had to back up several times and find a new route. A few times it was due to private property. More often than not it was because of swampy backwater areas. The ground was soft and muddy, and the precipitation for the day was snow. With the ground thawed now, the snow has had a hard time sticking; although just a few miles east of here, people are sledding and building snowmen.

The Backwoods Swept "Clean" From The Recent Snow-Melt

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My hope is that after breaking down my day camp and putting out my fire, that I can find my way out. I built the fire for both comfort and to heat water for hot chocolate; not to mention the challenge of whether I could get it going under such wet conditions. I’m going to have to back-track through the maze etched in my mind. I hugged channels and oxbows as I hiked along in my calf-high boots. I also shimmied across fallen trees to cross deep water; twice if I remember correctly. I’m not lost, as I know the exact area that I’m in. It’s just that I came in from another area to get back in here, and I still have to find my way back out. In Greek mythology, labyrinths held Minotaur monsters. The monsters that I’ll have to deal with today are the scraggly shoots of poison ivy, and any notions of crazy woodsmen I might allow my mind to wonder about. Probably like Grover, in Sesame Street’s book entitled, The Monster at the End of This Book; it’s just me that I would have to fear out here.

Reflections On A Back-water Channel

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Mallards call on the flight, as do the wood ducks. Geese are out on the main river, an eagle cruises above it, and the wind sways the trees that the woodpeckers hunt in. Tracks belie the hidden herd of deer that my dog Kora and I pushed in ahead of us. After a week where I hung on the precipice of getting a cold, following the preparation and late nights of 5^th grade camp last week, I think I’m now on the mend. I took the week off from running to throw it off, but I simply couldn’t help myself this afternoon; I needed to get out in nature with this weather.

The "Orangutan" Face Burr Oak Tree

Today I used A Walking Stick My Dad Carved For Me

Day Camp At The Base Of The Burr Oak

My fire is burning low, the air is getting colder, and my dog Kora is pressing so hard against my right shoulder that it’s hard to write in my journal. She didn’t make it across some of the natural bridges that I found, and had to swim a few times; albeit once inadvertently. I have her tucked, and hunkered down in my flannel lined ground cloth, but she’s still shivering a bit. Once we start hiking out, she’ll warm up quickly with her curious activity; and I plan on giving her a bath when I get home. It’s the least I can do for her.

Journaling While My Water Heats Up For Cocoa

Staying Dry Under My Tarp

So it’s time to fight back against the unknowns, and make my way out through the maze and labyrinth I took to get into this section of the backwater woods. It will be a great adventure and story to explain how I got in here and back again.

See you along The Way