Growl

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  Growl


Traveling solo in the Boundary Waters wilderness...

A rugged and memorable route: first Hegman Lake and its 400 year-old pictographs, a mile-and-a-half portage to Angleworm Lake, then Home, Gull, Gun, Fairy, Boot, and Fourtown Lakes with short portages between, each with its own story to tell.  Here’s Fourtown’s...


The rhythmic pull of the paddle, 

Miles of lake and portage behind me.

The setting sun’s reflected rays say

It’s time to find the next campsite.


Rounding a point just off-shore,

Startled by a beaver crossing close by my bow.

The smack of his tail sounded the alarm.

Then a growl onshore, a few, pawed leg-lengths away,

A throaty growl and a thrashing in the brush,

A prowling growler who tried to catch the beaver.


Power paddled to the far end of the lake.

Set up my tent, made supper, and mused:

Did I distract the growler so that he couldn’t catch the beaver?

Or did the beaver distract the growler so that he didn’t go after me?

Always liked the beaver before this, even more now.

Slept, as best one can, with one eye open.

 

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