Our Boundary Waters Crew!
We had an INCREDIBLE trip to the Boundary Waters last weekend. We arrived at Round Lake (about 3 hours North of Duluth) Friday around noon...12 miles of portages (8 miles with our packs and canoes!) and 4 miles of paddling later, we pulled out of Round Lake Monday evening. Isaiah was quite the trooper and did REALLY well.
Friday evening I was quite worried by the time we reached our campsite. I wasn't sure how we were going to get through the rest of the weekend with an infant. On our 3rd portage (we had 7 that day!) I sprained my ankle, which made the last 4 portages a little tricky with a baby on my front and a pack or two on my back! I began second guessing this idea of bringing a 5 month old to the Boundary Waters. We set our tents up in the dark with a crying baby. Isaiah was ready for bed, but we had to get our tents up! Once they were up, we got Isaiah down and I could breathe again! A beautiful sunset:
Fortunately, Isaiah was a much better camper the rest of the weekend. Less portages the next few days and less time in the canoe made for a MUCH happier baby. He loved hanging out on his blanket with an umbrella over him to shade the sun. He enjoyed feeling and pulling at the grass and plants around him and looking at the leaves on the trees above him. He was quite content and our companions were often surprised at just how well he was doing. Luckily no bears this year at our campsite...thank goodness! We had some beautiful campsites, including a site on an island, which allowed us beautiful views of both the sunrise and sunset! We had BEAUTIFUL weather (no long johns needed!)...perfect for swimming, and Isaiah even thought that himself! He went skinny dipping our last day; although he didn't do a full immersion (a little too cold for that). :) Check out this amazingly beautiful pink, FULL moon rise over the lake. It was gorgeous (it's kind of a dark picture...I hope you can see it)!
Our travelling companions were awesome and super laid back. So helpful with helping me with Isaiah. No one seemed to mind that he whimpered in the middle of the night or cried because he didn't like his life jacket. It was awesome to go with such wonderful supporters. And, it felt great knowing that if anything happened, there were 2 doctors, a nurse and a physical therapist along to help out. Plus, the two teenagers were a great help playing with Isaiah. We will be back! Although, maybe we'll wait until next summer. Nate is already looking forward to being a part of that trip!
