Out On The Frozen Adventure

On that day I realized that an adventure isn’t just for those who take it.
Adventure fuels imagination, and visa-versa - if one withers,
so does the other.

This Water Goes North

Dennis Weidemann

Manitenahk Books - 2008

Click Below For A Video Of The Necessary Gear:

It had been a spell since the Gulo Adventure Clan had come together; since July in fact.  Although overdue, they say that you can’t rush goodness, which is probably true, and as good a reason as anything else I can think of for why it’s taken this long to put an outing together.  Of course busy schedules, high water in the rivers, a wedding, and sport seasons held any thought of an adventure at bay. And although they also say that life itself is an adventure, there’s really only so much time that a treed critter will stay in the lofty branches of that tree before it jumps headlong into the pack of hounds who are indeed baying to the hot, fresh scent of their quarry.  It was with those dogs nipping at our heels that ten men, tied in some way, shape, or form to the Prairie Hill School District headed North into Wisconsin to seek adventure.

The destination for our adventure across the Stateline really was insignificant.  By insignificant, I don’t mean that the location didn’t matter, or that that it wasn’t important, it’s just that it really didn’t matter where we were escaping to, as long as it was outside, we could build a fire, and where we could all be together.  Besides, the destination we did go to truly is significant, as a priceless little lake well worth a visit. But we won’t tell you where it is. We’d have to kill you if we told you, to keep the secrets of our various outings sacred; some of which have become traditional, hallowed locations.

It was with these things in mind that the ten of us loaded into three vehicles and shoved off into the currents of dreams, fresh air, and the unknown.  As we drove and rode, we dined on Mandarin oranges and granola bars. Once we arrived and had divvied up our gear, trekking across the lake was only a bit dicey.  The ice was plenty thick, but in select sections, a pseudo cover existed that often gave way to several inches of freezing cold water that hovered on top of the original layer of ice.  For those with boots it was not a big deal. For those with warm season hiking or trail shoes it was.

Click Below For A Video Of Us Lake Trekking:

Along the way, and while crossing the ice, we stopped and talked to two brothers named Randy and Craig who happened to be out ice fishing.  We waited patiently while they took a picture of Randy’s son Ryan who had just caught a nice pike on a tip-up. They released it, reset the line with a minnow, and then came over to talk to us, and allow me to introduce them to my fellow Gulo members.  You might think that such a visit wouldn’t be important to the story I’m trying to tell, but on the contrary, it was at its heart. Randy and Craig’s Dad had been a foundational member of the Prairie Hill School District for many years, and had retired just before I had started teaching.  I know the importance of sweat equity for those who came before us at our school. I wasn’t going to miss out on the teachable moment, to have those linked to the past meet those teaching in the future. It is this very thing that promotes understanding, supports a legacy that already existed, and establishes the knowledge and roots of history necessary to uphold the trunk and branches of what is often called progress.

Once we left the ice and plunged into the brush, the real work began.  It was tough going! The snow was surprisingly almost up to our knees. The traipsing was made even more difficult with the tangled grasses, spring water bubbling up through soft ground, and the tight woven branches of the red osier dogwood slapping against us.  After a bit we dumped our gear at a base-camp beyond some young poplar trees, and continued hiking on into another lake. We rested at our destination, caught our breath, and took a quick group picture. Just as we stepped back up onto the bank, one of our members sank down into soft mud below the deep snow.  He was stuck and held fast. While we held him up by his arms, another member began scraping away the snow from around his leg. Finally, it loosened its grip, but not until icy water had filled his boot. This was the second or third guy who now had wet feet. I was beginning to worry that this adventure was pushing the limits of our gear and abilities.  As we turned around and headed back to our supplies and the promise of a warm fire, the looming picture of a home cooked meal encouraged us on and the group forward.

Click Below For A Video Of Us Traipsing Brush:

           Once congregated, I had the fire going in two hits of my flint and steel.  We quickly went to work while the others drank orange juice as they sat, talked, or caught their breath.  Within a short amount of time we cooked the meal in our two iron skillets. To a man we devoured the food.  All of it. Which was as much of a feat as the adventure itself. Even my dog Kora was able to enjoy a healthy scoop; a reward for the hard work she had endured of leaping and bounding with each step through the snow; in and around our legs.  Afterwards we stood around the fire and topped off our outing with a cup of hot cocoa in our monogrammed tin cups. With a word of thanks, and a request for courage and strength to do what each of us does at work, and in the realm of education, we then repacked the gear and headed out.

Click Below For A Video Of Making A Fire:

The going was easier on the packed trail as we returned.  Our spirits were also much lighter with food in our bellies and the destination of the parking lot within our sites.  We crossed the frozen lake again as the temperatures began to peak for the day, but not before another member plunged his foot through the top sheet of thin snow and ice and into the middle layer of ice water.  He was young though, and tough, so onward he walked. With warmer temperatures in the near future, it may have been one of the last days to be out on the lake. Today, however, the lake had provided us with a means to the end; it had provided us with a way to walk into a frozen adventure.

See you along The Way…

Pictured From Left To Right Are:
Myself, Andy, Scott, Joe, Chuck, Zach, Andrew, Justin K., Justin B.
And Kora With Tyler.
Andy, Chuck , And Justin K. are new "Card Carrying Members!"

In [the] modest life lies the beauty of adventure - you don’t have to

discover new territory or be famous to find it.  It is the last

pure democracy, and that is its allure.

This Water Goes North

Dennis Weidemann
Manitenahk Books - 2008