Musings from the North: Part 1

Due the demand of detail that usually comes when something significant happens in my life, I will write an account of my recent adventures in the north and the many musings that came with it.

Day 1: It started off as all trips do. Trees flew past me as I watched each minute tick by on the car's clock. I am use to long and boring hours in the car, but somehow the minutes seemed to drag. The sleep that I usually employ to pass the time was rather like a fevered slumber. When we had crossed over the world's third longest suspension bridge, we took a break and ate lunch. My three brothers (yup, Nat counts) played on the merry-go-round. It struck me with how much older we all were and how young we were at the same time. Life is such a paradox. We made it to the campsite and set up tents. Elle and I took Zip to the shores of Lake Superior. There are very few sand beaches on the great Gitche Gumme; stones cover the shore lines. Zip loved the stones. After supper, the unmarried ones went real rock climbing as the sun set over the lake. Every year I forget the wonders of Gitche Gumme, and every time I go back, I fall in love with it all over again. It is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. People talk about Florida and Hawaii. Forget them. Superior is called "superior" for a reason. Anyhow, after taking advantage of the showers, Matt and I had a long evening discussion about our futures. Good stuff. I didnt have much time to talk with Matt this past year and this summer. It was great to catch up and listen to his life and give advice and struggle through thoughts with him. The night ended with freezing to death in a sleep bag. Did I fail to mention that it was much colder than any of us had expected?

Day Two: After a brief breakfast, pack up, and drive, we reached the trail head of our backpacking expedition. My pack was about 40lbs, but off I went. The trail wasn't half as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was usually in the front of the train with either Matt or Luke. Wild blueberries lined the trail; they were quite tasty. By lunchtime, we had made it to our first campsite. The afternoon was filled with exploring and swimming in a stream with waterfalls. The water of Superior and the streams that run into it are freezing. Within five minutes, ones body starts going numb. For such a cold blooded creature as I am, it was hard to myself in the water. Once in, however, it was too fun to get back in and one was already freezing anyway. After supper and an evening hike with Zip, Elle, and Snat, I spent time sitting on a rock with my brudda and watching the sun set while the waves crashed below us. I'll never forget that evening with Matt. I can't explain all that went on in our conversation or in my mind that night, but there was one thing (of many things) that struck me and has stuck with me. When I was expressing my difficulty with accepting others' love of me and my inability to understand why guys could even like me, Matt said "Anna, you're cute." I protested, and Matt just said "Fine, not cute. Beautiful". More protesting. Matt: "I've seen a lot uglier girls." It's weird because 'cute' is the most common word boys use to compliment me. 'Cute' is the last word I think of. *shrugs* Sometimes I find males brains hard to understand. Another reason it struck me was it marked the first time any male member of my family has ever said something like that. It solidified something that I had been thinking about for quite some time: the need for males to openly show affection toward their sisters and mothers. Don't ask me why this particular thing made that particular thought concrete in my head, but it did. Fathers and brothers play very important roles in shaping how girls will grow up and think of men and think of how to gain a man's affection. But not only do they help form a girl's mindset toward men, they also have a major impact on how a woman views her own body. Gentleman are a rarity nowadays, and even rarer is a gentleman who remembers that his sisters and his mother need him as much as the girls around him, if not more so. As the last sliver of the sun disappear behind the horizon, I walked side by side my bro down the stony beach. The evening closed with a mix-up of Evening Prayer, Vespers, and Compline. Pretty awesome night.

To Be Continued....