Zarvaan Balaporia

11/1/2016
Beattie, Writing
Narrative Essay

The NorWester
You do not learn to appreciate the things you have always had, until they are no
longer there. It all started when I was six. My dad was planning with some of his
business friends about a fun father son weekend. While looking for options for the
perfect weekend they stumbled across a YMCA camp near Lakewood Wisconsin, about
an hour drive north from where we lived. This camp went by the name of Camp U-NahLi-Ya, which we were told meant place of friends. It sure lead up to its name as we went
back every year from then on. This continued until five years ago when I was old
enough to go to the one week summer camp.

At the age of ten, a week away from home was a big deal, so naturally it was
arranged that I go with a couple of friends. I went to camp with two friends and came
back with six. It was truly a place to make friends. I continued to go to the one week
summer camp for four more years, skipping one year in between due to football season.
It was now 2015 and I had to decide what to do next summer, summer of 2016. My
good friend Zach, who I knew through one of my childhood friends, suggested we do a
trip. Along with summer camps, Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya lead organized trips including,
canoeing trips, backpacking trips and custom lead trips. These trips ranged in difficulty
and length. Zach had done the Isle Royale the year before. He said it was a extremely
difficult backpacking trip and that he didnt recommend it. This left us with a canoeing

trip. After going to Camp U-Nah-Li-Ya for what had seemed like every forever, I knew
there was only one canoeing trip we could do. The NorWester.

The NorWester was the most recognized trip at camp. All over the walls of the
larger dining hall where we ate, there were countless NorWester trip trophies. Each of
these trophies were created by the trip from that specific year. It represented their
journey and how it was unique to the people of that year. There were so many trophies,
you almost couldnt tell there was a wall. These trips dated back to as early as the
1950s and Im pretty sure even earlier. Each summer one trip would go out and take on
the journey. To be a NorWester was an honor. You were considered a part of the camp
tradition once you returned from the trip. Upon returning, there was a camp wide
banquet to celebrate your journey. Knowing this was camp tradition, Zach and I knew
this was just the thing we were looking for.

The NorWester was a canoeing trip in the Boundary Waters Canoeing Area
(BWCA) of Minnesota and Canada. The trip was ten days. Two days of driving and eight
days in the BWCA. The route taken through the lakes was up to each group and this
determined the difficulty of the trip. All trips through camp were led by at least two
counselors who were specially trained but hadnt necessarily been to where the trip was
going. The trip began at a put in sight. A put in sight is where we would leave the cars
and put the canoes in the water. Then throughout the course of your trip you canoe and
portage from campsite to campsite eventually end up at the same sight you put in. A
portage is needed when you reach the edge of a lake and need to get to another lake.
Because lakes arent connected by waterways, you are required to lift your seventy five

pound canoe over your shoulders and carry it, along with everything else inside the
canoe, to the next lake. These portages were measured in rods. A rod is the length of a
canoe, roughly seventeen feet. Portages raged in terrain and length. They could have
knee deep mud, razor sharp rocks, be a matrix of ninety degrees up or down hills, or be
a flat straight shot of just gravel. They could also be anywhere from two to 800 rods in
length. Portaging was a very tough task, and the part of your day you did not look
forward to. Most of the time you felt like your back was about to shatter into a thousand
pieces and by the time you were done your shoulders failed to have any feeling at all.
Portaging may have been necessary but anyone would rather canoe mile than have to
portage 100 rods.

Zach and I both, werent entirely aware of these demanding conditions until we
arrived at camp two days prior to our journey. Besides each other, Zach and I didnt
expect to know anyone else on the trip. However we were both wrong. I knew Mason,
one of the other guys going on the trip with us. Mason was one of the six friends I had
made my first year of summer camp. This was a surprise to me and we instantly picked
up where we left off as friends. Zach knew two of the girls, Grace and Molly, from school
and we both knew another girl, Cassi, from other years at camp. Along with the few
people we knew there was, Kyle and Tony, the guy counselors, Elliott, Harley, Sasha
and Warren, the other guys on our trip. There was also two girl groups, each with four
trippers and two counselors. One with the counselors Kendall and Amanda and the
other with Marcia and Ashley. Initially all three groups were alittle separated but by then
end that was not the case.

We spent our first night at camp, after arriving just that afternoon. The next day
all three groups went through trip training. Trip training consisted of learning how to
portage a canoe, packing our backpacks, brushing up on our canoeing skills and
planning our route. Us guys planned our trip to be one of the more difficult NorWesters.
We planned on going forty five miles in the span of six days leaving one day right at the
end for relaxing. This was a challenge all of us decided we were up to undertake. The
next morning we woke up with anxiety and excitement. It was the day our journey
began.

Straight after breakfast we went to the parking lot, loaded the canoes, loaded our
backpacks, said our farewells and left for Minnesota. It was an eight hour drive to our
first camp site, which was still two hours from the BWCA. The cars were uncomfortable
but we listened to good music at extreme volumes to get us through it. When we arrived
at our campsite we setup our tents, ate, and went to bed because the next day we were
traveling into the BWCA. We woke up to the bright sun shining through our tents and
the sound of birds. The dew was still on the tips of the grass and you could smell the
scent of the campfire from the night before. It was the day we broke of into our separate
groups and journeyed into the unknown waters of Minnesota and Canada. We packed
up our tents, loaded the cars and drove off to our put in site. Once we reached the site
we said our goodbyes to our new friends and to everything from good food to a decent
shower. Then without a second thought, we were off.

We had four canoes, which with having nine people. meant one person had to sit
in the middle and pretty much do nothing. They were called the duff. The first day Sasha

duffed and he seemed to enjoy it. Our first day we canoed seven miles to an island in
the middle of Saganaga Lake, one of the bigger lakes we would canoe through. THe
canoeing was rough. It was very windy and being the first day it was pretty challenging.
Once we got to the campsite we pitched our tents and sat down for dinner. Food and
water were scarce which was hard on us growing boys but it just helped us appreciate
what we had back home. After dinner we settled down just as the sun was setting. I
asked Zach and Kyle if they wanted to take a canoe out for a little sunset canoeing and
they both agreed it was a good idea. The water was a sheet of thin glass, only to be cut
by the front of our canoe. The colors were breathtaking. To one side there was a red to
yellow color palette and to the other a purple to blue. But right in the middle of the two
extremes was us and we couldnt do anything but take in the view. This was something
you couldn't experience anywhere else. This made the work worth it. We drifted out in
the water for forty five minutes before the sun fully set and we finally decided to canoe
back to the site and get some rest.

The second day we canoed eight miles to Ester Lake. It was my duff day and to
be entirely honest I didnt enjoy it. I found it so boring that I rather make my arms feel
like jello from canoeing, than be that bored. We had two portages that day and they
were hell. The canoes are heavy on their own, but they feel like anvils when your body
is running on barely any food and water. However when we finally reached Ester Lake,
none of that mattered. The water was so clear you could see eight feet down. With a
naked eye, you could see fish the size of your arm swim up next to your canoe. Almost
seemed like you could scoop them up with your hands. We went to an island in the

middle of the lake where we set up camp. The site was huge and it had a full 180
degree view of one side of the clear lake.

We all decided to relax, but were startled when Kendall and Amanda's group
canoed up to us. They were decided to stay in the same lake and stumbled upon us.
They ended up taking a campsite on the other side of the lake but within shouting
distance so we could communicate. After another small dinner, the girls came over to
our campsite and we hung around a campfire sharing our adventures from our first day.
Kyle, Zach and I went sunset canoeing again and when we returned we found that it
was decided both groups would meet in the morning to go cliff jumping. So that's what
we did, on the morning of the third day we meet up with the girls and set off to find a cliff
worthy of jumping off of. What we found was definitely worthy because what we found
was a forty five foot cliff. After one of the counselors found a path to the top it was all fun
from there. I along with everyone else, jumped off that cliff into the crystal clear water
and the adrenaline rush was unbelievable. From that high up you could see for miles. It
seemed as if you were on top of the world and there was nothing but mother nature
around you. After we were done risking our lives we parted ways and set off for our next
campsites.

Over the next three days the journey continued. We canoed, we portaged, we
slept. We canoed, we portaged, we slept. We canoed, we portaged, we slept. It finally
came to the sixth day, our duff day. We woke up extra early to ensure we got to the
campsite we wanted and then relaxed all day. We hammocked, slept, tanned, swam

and anything else that came to mind. It was the perfect day and we just enjoyed it to the
fullest.

The following day was our last full day and we decided to stay at that same
campsite which was on a island. We had planned for all three groups to meet on this
island so we could spend our last night together. Once the girls arrived it was a blast. All
of us enjoyed the sun and swam to our hearts desire. We all combined our remaining
food and had the only decent meal of the entire trip. Once Kyle Zach and I finished our
last sunset canoeing session we all went to sleep knowing our journey sadly was
coming to an end. I woke up around midnight and wondered if I could see a few of the
stars. I didnt just see a few stars, I saw millions of stars. I layed on a rock and stared in
the the countless tiny dots that tried to engulf me. To my left was a painting of many
shining stars. Right above me was the picture perfect milky way that seemed out of a
movie. But to my right, was the Northern Lights, more beautiful than I could have ever
imagined them. They shined their beautiful greens waves and it seemed to last forever.
That night is forever engraved in my mind as the most beautiful night of my life.

That following morning we all woke up and packed our things for the last time.
We entered our canoes and paddled to our exit sight. As we canoed there I reflected on
how this journey had changed me. I had come to appreciate water and food for what
they really are, a privilege. From that moment on I told myself I would not waste an
ounce of food or water because I knew how valuable it was. I learned to cherish every
breath of fresh air I took because the air was turley air up there and it has that feeling
that puts a smile on your face. Most importantly, I truly learned to appreciate nature and

all the wonders it beholds out where society hasnt destroyed it. I was a NorWester, I
had experienced the pain, the struggle, the beauty and the joy of my journey. I truly
understood why becoming a NorWester, was one of the best decisions of my life.