Boundary Waters, Day 4

 We started Wednesday, Aug. 7 with Eggs ‘n’ Stuff (garden fresh tomatoes, onion, green peppers) and bacon. The only bread we had was brat buns, which were excellent fried in butter.

Eggs 'n' Stuff

The main activity for the day was our annual visit to the Chik-Wauk Nature Center. They had a new exhibit this year—a trapping cabin down by the water. The trail was not exactly handicapped accessible. Jane got down okay, but there was a moment when we weren’t sure she would get back up. That first step was a doozy.

Trapper's cabin by the lake

The cabin excited my imagination. It was tiny, but had everything a man would need except social interaction. You’d have to be a loner to begin with to choose such a profession, and the isolation was likely to make you quirkier. I expect many of them were known as “characters.”

Inside of the cabin, spare, but adequate

Various traps hung on one wall along with a long board that might have been some kind of sled.

Traps

The room was heated by a cheaply-constructed, light-weight stove, according to a plaque. The trappers preferred them because (obviously) they were easier to transport to remote parts of the wilderness.

A typical but hazardous trapper's stove

The downside was that the stoves got wicked hot and tended to burn the shack down. There’s always a catch.

The cabin as displayed seemed to have adequate space to move around. I read the information about a trapper’s life and imagined what it would look like with pelts stacked everywhere. Furthermore, what would that smell like? Not good. A trapper could work all winter and have the whole stash go up in smoke from the tin-can stove. Tough life.

Before we left, we admired some tiny ferns at the side of the parking lot. Jane is fond of tiny ferns.

Tiny ferns growing on a hill

I made something new for supper that turned out very well. I sauteed a chicken breast with green beans, garlic, peppers, onion, and cherry tomatoes. Basil would have been a good addition, but it does not travel well. I threw in some cooked penne at the end.

Supper

After supper, we did the next jigsaw, “Colorful Harvest.”

"Colorful Harvest"

For dessert, we had scones with blueberry and peach compote. It was another lovely day.

Scones, blueberries, and peaches
(Don't be shocked by the plastic spoon. We've been using the same ones for years)