Blog Post 1

Overlooking the railing of the ferry on Lake Superior, I felt a strong sense of freedom and peacefulness with nature. I felt a strong connection with the vast body of water that lightly rippled as a pleasant breeze blew upon my face. ‘This is what heaven must feel like’, I remembered thinking as we reached the halfway point of the ferry ride. Simon, my brother and I were anxious to get across the lake and enter a world of relaxation and bliss. We couldn’t wait to spend a carefree weekend on the legend known as Madeline Island.

We finally reached the campsite after a slow drive through the small town where various events and stores are held. After a long day of hanging out and checking out the site and its surroundings, all of the children that stayed at the camp gathered around for night games. The next few days were filled with journeys to the small town, skateboarding and soccer, and nights of listening to Simon’s dad’s band play their music. The most fun activity, however, was yet to come.

I sat on the enormous rock and gazed hopelessly into Lake Superior, wishing the orange cast was not trapping my defenseless hand. Watching the other kids take the leap of faith into the icy depths of Lake Superior without doing so myself was like a kid locked out of a candy store. The cast that enclosed my broken, surgically repaired pinky was not water proof and could cause damage or infection to where my finger was cut into if water seeped in. Finally, after days of hiking to the rocks to solely watch others jump into the water, Simon’s mom thought of an idea to save me from hours of boredom. She wrapped my arm in duct tape and plastic bags until we felt my cast was completely sealed from any type of hole or air. We took the long trip through the woods to where the rocks were located, only this time I knew I would have fun with the rest of the kids.

 The excitement that rushed my body and mind when I jumped for the first time into that lake will forever remain in my memories. Just the experience of taking that leap defined what a trip to an island is meant to be; a blood rushing, fun filled escape from reality that adds its own touch of relaxation as well. As I reflect on the trip as a whole, I can’t help but say to myself, “that was some adventure, huh?”