Inside My Outdoors in Canada

 

fishingEach time I went on a plane, no matter how many times I already mastered my nervousness, I still had fear of airplanes, yet when I somehow found the courage to fly, I ended up loving the plane because I knew that the plane would lead me to Disney World. But, as exciting, yet nerve-racking as the plane was, it did not compare to my favorite trip, Canada.
I have flown in my head to faraway fantasy places, yet my dream vacation was not a vacation that many girls would say is their favorite, and quite honestly, I did not know why it was my favorite either at first. It surprised me when I discovered that the place I have no regrets of spending my time in, was in Canada. There were no luxurious hotels like in San Francisco, no screaming children on roller coasters, no massive cruise ships, no pools, but that is exactly why I love it.
I remember the city, Thunder Bay, Toronto, was the last place where I saw a store with real people. It was another 2 hours more to reach our campsite on Lac de Mil Lacs (Lake of a million lakes). Immediately as we got to the little “resort”, I discovered that I was no longer in “Kansas” anymore. But strangely, I was excited, not scared. With no food (except breading for fish, watermelon, and utensils), little money, and only our camping equipment, we went off into the Great Outdoors of Canada.

I would not say I am a city girl, but I do not think I should go as far as to say that I was exactly ready for Canada either. I do love fishing, but to fish till the sun sets every day, eating nothing but fish, cannot even compare to any other camping trip I have ever done. The first day we set up our tent, and in the morning, we were off fishing, scrounging for the “hot spots” where all the northerns and walleyes were waiting. It may not seem relaxing to many people, including myself at first. A fishing trip is a lot of work actually, but there is a wonderful feeling in knowing that you do not have to worry about where you are going to eat, or what you are going to do; you simply wake up and fish.

My favorite day of the trip was when we parked our boats up to an island, maybe 40 miles from where the resort was. We filleted a huge catch of walleye, large mouth bass, and northerns right on this dinky island, where no more than 10 people had been in the last few years. Fishing was nothing new to me; I was practically born holding a fishing rod, yet what was missing was my true love of fishing, and this little island brought that into my heart, and for some reason, this island opened my eyes to seeing that what I needed was a real love of fishing.

Everywhere I go, no matter if it is at the mall or at Starbucks, people seem to be glued to their cell phones and social networking sites. It was such a refreshing vacation to be where there was no possible way to waste your time on texting or Instagram/FACEBOOK. I think that if you spend much of your time on social networking sites, you start to live your life through your friends. And, that is not the way we were meant to live! So, when I was in Canada, it really was a blessing I was given; it was not a blessing I thought I wanted, but rather, what I needed. Canada calmed me down and had this air about her that made me feel alive again. When people think of camping, many think of it as just another word, but when I think of camping, I think of my favorite spot on Earth, Lac de Mil Lacs. If I ever go missing and disappear, this is where I will be; this is where part of my life was left behind, and where it is waiting for me to return. I will go back one day. I used to have fear of planes because I was scared of the plane falling, but now, I am still scared of planes, yet this time I am afraid for a different reason; I am scared because if I am on a plane, that means that I am not going to Canada. Being away from Canada is like being far away from your real friend. It is hard, but as long as Canada is waiting for me to return, I will not disappoint my new friend. I will return one day. Until then, I await our reunion.

About the Author:  Natalie Zink lives in an ordinary suburb. But where my real life is, is in Canada. I love to go fishing, play basketball, roller blade, and ski. I basically love anything outside. If I could be doing anything, I would be fishing. I also do love to write. It started out as just an English assignment, but I discovered that writing could be more than just “homework”, and for it to reach it’s potential was for me to pick up a pencil and write:)

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