Moments - Vilas County, Wisconsin

The Great Canoe Fiasco

Maggie E.

About 7 years ago, my dad, sister and I noticed on the maps on the table at Headwaters in Boulder Junction that it would be relatively easy to canoe from Boulder Lake to White Sand Lake. We made plans to go in the morning, and figured we would be at our destination in 3 hours, tops. We packed some light snacks and made our way out, using a flimsy paper map as a guide. We started out on the Manitowish River, and it wasn’t long until we made our first mistake and canoed into and all the way across Little Rice Lake. After searching the entire perimeter of the lake, we discovered that the only way out was the way we came in. We went back out onto the Manitowish River, and continued canoeing all the way to the dam, when we realized we had reached a dead end. Still determined to make this trip work, we turned around, and found a creek which we figured must lead to our destination. We later discovered that this creek was in fact called White Sand Creek, but at the time we could not have been the wiser. Hours later, two hungry and tired little girls had given up on helping their dad paddle through what was basically mud (the creek was dried up in some places due to a very hot summer). We were all ready to give up. My dad pulled out his phone, hoping to get some service and reach our friends and family back at the lake. Unfortunately, the phone slipped right through his fingers and into the water, and any hope that we had of contacting our loved ones was lost. We just had to keep moving forward and hope for the best. About an hour or two later, we came to a road. The only hope that we had of returning to civilization was pulling out canoe out of the creek, standing on the road, and flagging down the next car that came through. It took about 20 minutes, but FINALLY a car came through. They stopped for us, asked us if we needed help (to which we, of course, said yes) and took us back to their home. After some talking, we discovered that their daughter knew our Aunt who lives in Alaska, and they knew each other from a similar encounter that we were experiencing in the moment (small crazy world, huh?) We discovered that we nearly made it to White Sand Lake, popped the canoe back in the water, and finished our journey (that took about 6 hours longer than we had planned.) Now, every summer, my father, sister, and I do the canoe trip the right way, in an appropriate amount of time. Even though 7 years ago I thought I was going to get eaten alive by a bear swimming along the creek, looking back, that is one of my favorite memories in Boulder Junction. The photo attached is of our most recent outing on the creek, but this time in a kayak.

#summersunset

Jason D.

Flying high

Diane B.

Swimming and lake fun

Kristine K.

Serene fall day on the water

Dianna Krohn

Morning fishing on Little Arbor Vitae

Denzel S.

Picture Perfect

Night fishing in Vilas County!

Annie Y.

On the Manitowish Chain

Andrew

Reflections of fall

OJ J.

Ready to launch

Pam B.

Beautiful Day on Sunset Lake

Melissa L.

Watching the sunset

Laurie

Peaceful Paradise in Vilas County

Olivia R.

Another Day in Paradise

Nick

Jumping for joy

Diane B.

Cabin at Sunrise Resort

Mischa C.

Panoramic view of Little St. Germain

Mark M.

Fishing in Vilas County

Kristin W.

Vacation in Vilas County

Sara M.

Riding the Manitowish Waters Bike Trail

J. Vanderspool

Enjoying the great outdoors

Amy T.

Muskie on last day of vacation!

Dawn C.

A Warm Cabin’s Glow

Annette C.

Morning on the lake

Mary F.

Sunset on Crystal lake

Lise S.

A Northwoods Sunset

Wayne

Opening Weekend

Timothy J.

Walking in a winter wonderland

Jessica G.

Fall sunset at Oxbow Lake

Sean L.

Big Fish!

Sondi

Sunrise on Sugar Maple Lake

Jessica D.

Peek-a-boo

Julie B.

Just one more cast before the storm

Sue S.

Foggy morning at the cabin

Camilo P.

From big boats to little ones

Renee P.

Pond Hockey

Stacy R.

Pond Hockey on Island Lake

Stacy R.

Sunset

Kristen M.

Morning ice on the lake

Jeri S.

Fall reflections

OJ J.

Kayaking on Rest Lake