I wrote an outdoors column once upon a time for a small newspaper in northern WI, the Bottom Line News and Views, and for the March issue I asked my kids to be guest columnists, telling the world just what it is that's so great about up north.
For You, My Child
Summer at the cabin.
For a kid with three months off from school, a whole lot of energy and a hard case of wanderlust, there was no better place to be than the cabin. For an adult (still acting like a kid) with children of his own who inherited said energy and spirit of adventure, the cabin is still our place to be. I am fiercely proud of my northern Wisconsin roots, from which sprouted two members of our family’s fifth generation in the area. Seeing my kids learn and live and laugh as much as I did in the incomparable beauty of this place, and passing on a lifetime of tradition, is a dad’s best kind of peace.
What better way to know the moment than to hear its best parts right from the source? I asked my son and daughter to share a thought or two on what they love about being ‘up north.’ Bottom Line readers, I’d like to introduce this month’s guest columnists:
Jack, age 12
I really like swimming in the summer, and snowshoeing in the winter. We also go skiing, and sledding on the big hill by our cabin. I like summer the best, especially going through the channel on my grandma and grandpa’s pontoon boat, seeing big fish in the weeds, and going to the swimmin’ hole. We all love to snorkel in the lake, too. We see sunfish and minnows and other cool things right by the shore. We also go tubing on the lake sometimes, which is super fun. In any season, I would build huge towers and fortresses out of Lincoln Logs with my sister and cousin. We have a lot of campfires by the lake and roast marshmallows before going to bed. That’s one of my favorite things to do, and I love hearing the loons call. I could listen to that all day. We see lots of bald eagles, too. I also like to build stuff with my grandpa in his shop. That’s really fun and he knows how to build anything. Playing in the woods and fishing is great, too. It’s awesome at the cabin.
Lauren, age 10
I love when we go to the Trading Post for pizza or hamburgers. I also love when the lake is frozen and we can walk on it. But that is in the winter; let’s get on to summer. During summer, sometimes me and my family go to the swimming hole and swim around. One time I found three crayfish and my grandpa saw a big, big, BIG northern hiding in the weeds. We also just go on a little cruise with grandpa and grandma’s boat. It’s fun to fish off the dock, too. Now, let’s get back to winter. I like to sled down the hill by the cabin and go right on to the frozen lake. I remember me and my brother piling on top of my dad on the runner sled and we all went down the hill at once, then we crashed. One time, my dad let me and Jack, my older brother, jump off the roof of grandpa’s garage and land in the big pile of snow below. You may be wondering why I keep saying grandma and grandpa so much. Well, it’s because whenever I go up north I stay at my grandparents’ cabin. And that is the funnest thing of all.