Pine Knot Outdoors: Waxworm trip leads to a tall tale

The week started with a real emergency around the Baker household. Phoenix, our resident gecko, was out of food. Normally, we would run to Duluth and pick him up some crickets or tasty mealworms. It was late into the evening before we figured out he needed a fresh supply of protein.

The last light of day had just faded when I jumped into the Suburban. I wasn’t too thrilled with this mission, but somewhere, way down the list of parental and husbandly duties, was making sure the gecko was fed. My solution? A Kwik Trip run. In a pinch, waxworms from the Walt’s Crawlers refrigerator would have to suffice.

I swung into the parking lot, my headlights darting over the gas pumps. In that second, my mind registered the figure of a towering man pumping gas. I parked. I stared intently into my side mirror. My heart raced. I jumped out and took a good look. Sure enough, hard to mistake him, even from a distance. Kevin McHale.

My basketball career peaked in sixth grade. Even using the word “peaked” may be overselling reality. I was a fan of the game. I grew up watching the great battles between the Lakers and the Celtics. Magic Johnson, James Worthy, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar vs. Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Minnesota’s own Kevin McHale.

Now, McHale stood just across the parking lot. I made the decision almost immediately that I wouldn’t pester him. I had already calmed down and realized it was a cool encounter my kids may or may not be excited about. I refocused on the mission at hand and headed for the waxworms.

I grabbed a package of 36 of Walt’s finest waxworms and headed for the checkout. In that time McHale had made his way inside the Kwik Trip and was back in the coffee section. I hadn’t heard or seen anybody approach him or acknowledge his presence.

I slid my waxworms onto the counter. The ladies at the Kwik Trip almost always ask the same question of me. “You going fishing?” Of course, 95 percent of the time, especially in the summer, they are right. I was met with a strange look, especially since all I was buying was bait when I responded: “Not exactly.”

A quick glance over my shoulder and I realized McHale was two back of me in line.

The silence of the moment was broken by the gentlemen behind me: “Boy, you’re really tall,” he blurted out. My first reaction was to chuckle to myself. “How tall are you?” the same man asked. McHale politely let him know he was 6-feet, 10 inches tall.

“You ever played basketball?” was question number two.

I realized in that instant that between the four people in my immediate vicinity, Kevin McHale and I were the only two who knew who Kevin McHale was.

Again, McHale was polite. “I played a little ball,” he answered.

“Were you any good?” was the last question I stuck around for.

I pivoted, waxworms in hand, and half-nodded and pointed towards McHale, “One of the best,” would be the only four words I could muster. The three-time NBA Hall of Famer and three-time NBA champion nodded back at me, accepting my compliment.

Returning home I was excited to tell the story of my encounter. As I expected, it was a mixed reaction. Some thought it was awesome, and others thought that waxworms were too fatty, and we shouldn’t make a habit of feeding them to Phoenix.

To summarize:

1. Geckos like wax worms. At least ones named Phoenix.

2. Geckos cannot live on wax worms alone.

3. Kevin McHale is tall.

Bret Baker is a lifetime resident of Cloquet. He is a proud husband, father, educator and outdoorsman. Bret began guiding fishing trips when he was 16 years old. Today, in his 40s, his passion is to introduce people to the tremendous outdoor adventures available in the region.