Up North

I had the good luck to be hired on at a Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) camp near Minong, Wisconsin as a counselor. I may not have been the best choice to shepherd impressionable youth, but some of the boys were there to atone for various crimes against humanity. I guess the judge figured the hard work would help reform them. I even had one dad tell me to “make a man out of his son”. Not something you want to hear up in the North woods with nothing but dudes around.

I don’t know if any of the kids came away reformed, but Northern Wisconsin is a great place for personal reflection. The seemingly endless forest, the beautiful lakes, wild life, and general peace and quiet makes the area a must visit kind of place. I loved it. I had fun with the kids, worked with them and a forester on various forestry projects and enjoyed the outdoors.

Being in Forestry, I spent a lot of time in pine plantations. White or Red Pine was the preferred species, but they got a lot of volunteers including Jack Pine and Scrub Oak. It was our job to work our way through the tree farm and cut anything that wasn’t one of the preferred trees. Sometimes we had to thin the rows so the trees wouldn’t become stunted from the competition for space with their fellows. Truth be told I kind of hated cutting any trees out – just didn’t seem right, but these trees were destined to become either lumber, press board, or other tree products. We had poplar plantations as well, though I never worked one of those. The poplar was most likely going to fins its way to a paper mill.

Logging operations were interesting to watch, but they left quite a mess. It wasn’t all bad, deer loved the scarred logging areas – it made it easier to find food. Burned areas were popular too – I was told the deer liked to come in and lick the ash to pick up minerals they needed.

I hope that the next time you consider taking a break from all the hustle and bustle you might consider Northern Wisconsin. The vistas are gorgeous, Lake Superior is impressive, the Chequamegon Forest almost seems primeval, though thanks to the timber barons, very little if nay of the original forest remains. Clear cutting was the order of the day and led to disasters at places like Antigo and Peshtigo. Logging companies to day realize the necessity of replanting as they cut so there is lumber for future generations and perhaps more importantly, woods for the children – there is no better teacher than the forest.

I really need to get back up there and immerse myself in the solitude. I remember walking down a sand road studded with roosting Woodcock, reaching down and plucking blueberries from plants in the pine plantations, and learning about the flora and fauna of a bog. Best of all when I close my eyes I can see the place without having to concentrate much, a very pleasant memory indeed.