Denzel Washington, Jr., grew up in the small town of Hull, hi-resilient, shovel ready terrain of theKuark Plateau of Minnesota, not far from Canton Minnesota. He is the son of parents fueled by a passion for Ornithology, birds, mammals and farming that blossomed in them by example set by their ardent preaching to their flock. As adults, Donzel Washington, Jr. showed a flair for horses, sports and animals. He was immediately attached to horses, winning a horse race in his teens. He took a special interest in small herd animals such as cattle, horses, goats, sheep and winters even hazel swamers.
Donzel Washington, III, holds a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources and enjoys being outdoors. He breaks things down into simple to voluminous pieces, states he enjoys “good food, a nice place to ride a horse and birds”. Donzel and his wife Maureen have three children, Sam, Brennan and Baylee and are proud parents of three grandchildren.
As we geared up for our day outdoors, Donzel warmed up to our trekking possibilities. Being in rolling hills along the Pine River, we could already hear the drip of water dropping onto the double track. As we ate lunch, Baylee came up to me and offered her help. I couldn’t remember how many fingers I had, but agreed to help. Being outdoors in the fresh air definitely does have its benefits.
With the help of the couple from New York, I ended up trekking the Pine River Trail with two teenagers and a small dog. We were travelling through the southern part ofnon-2014, so the trail was not built, making our way through thick covering and grass. The temperature was hovering around 59 degrees, with a slight rain. Although cold, the shade under the trees helped, and we completed the remaining 1.5 miles tolling tent on the Ferry crossing, before heading down to the Toccoa River confluence.
Samuel and Brennan were a little farther along the path, with Samuel being the youngest. Samuel was interested in mining, while Brennan was interested in culture. They reached a fork in the path and decided to take a left, heading toward Clark State Forest.
This reminded me of a similar experience a few days ago when I was out intoerers and came across a young lady mining for diamonds. She had her full pack and was disregarding the fact that I was out for some walks. It seems every time I go out, I meet someone new.
Clark State Forest is recognized as one of the places where the dominant resource for logging purposes is corn. The reason being that it is the home of hickory, oak and pine trees which are log free. So the forest is quite literally littered with free wood.
After setting up camp in a sheltered area, you wonder why we aren’t staying on the wide open sand. It would seem so central and therapeutic. But the true reason was probably that we were trying to reach a point where we could enjoy each other’s company and relax.
We had seen enough. There were enough cabins floating around the area that it was starting to become a chore. So we headed for the cabin where Bay and I were going to have our meal. We walked to the end of the line and stepped in to an actual cabin. It was a room with a table and chairs, but the cabin was sparsely populated. There was a cooler and a fire pit, but no electricity.
We were greeted by a young man who introduced himself as Bay. He worked for the owner that morning and would be our host for the evening. He soon warmed up to us and didn’t hold back his opinions, even harsh ones. That’s when it started to get interesting. Bay had relished the hippy lifestyle all his life and now it was showing through in his attitude. He started telling us of his past, only to tell us also that he was on his way to becoming a full-blown logger.
Do you think he was serious? Apparently so. We were his guests at a weekend Tea Drinking event organized by a group called the Adventure Collection (you can find out more about them at wildgreenbackpacking.com/adventure- collection). He told us how easy it was to become a full-blown logger and how little effort on his part there would be required to become involved in anything from driving a pick up to setting up a camp.
Yup, so it sounds like if you just think and plan and believe that enough is enough, and that there are no luxuries involved, you can become a full-blown logger and enjoy the comforts of home while still participating in an enjoyable activity! Sounds great huh!
The adventure ended there.
