Over this past weekend I was lucky enough to spend the fishing season opener with a few friends on a trip in the Boundary Waters.
We put in off the Gunflint Trail in the pouring rain, and after 4 hours of paddling and portaging we arrived at camp soaked and hungry. Oh well, we survived. Another day of wet and very cold weather followed, but thankfully the sun did eventually reappear.
On Saturday evening we took a break from fishing to spend some time hiking just south of Winchell Lake. This area was burnt in 2006 by the Redeye Lake fire. The terrain is terribly charred, and aside from my curiosity about how forests regenerate, I was not feeling a real connection to the place.
Then as we turned back toward the canoes, the light caught hold of the new-grown shrubs and the entire hillside came alive. I stopped to take it in, then captured this moment as I followed my friend Jim down the slope.