On the Mark: Up north swimming vacation hits the spot

Tired of staying home and not hosting friends and family for meals, music evenings and overnights, my husband and I provisioned our small motorhome and set out for a week in the Northwoods. We'd never been to Voyageurs National Park, so we headed directly north, swimming every day a major goal.

We stopped at McCarthy Beach State Park. A bit disappointing. The lake is shallow and was almost uncomfortably warm. It was crowded, and most people seemed content to float on puffed-up plastic and play with children. We swam anyway.

We try to avoid big campgrounds. We were delighted to discover the Minnesota state forest campgrounds. The first night, we landed a lakeside spot at the Thistledew Lake campground in the George Washington State Forest, west of Togo. Early in the morning, before our neighbors launched their fishing boats, we swam far out into the cool dawn. Delicious.

By mid-afternoon, we reached Voyageurs. Like other national parks, it is closed. But on a bay off Lake Kabetogama, we found an even more creatively named state forest campground: Woodenfrog. Walking downhill from our campsite we dove into cool, uncrowded water. I swam three times that day. Rod proposed an evening swim, unconventional, but we loved it.

The next day, we headed for the campgrounds on the northwestern edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. They were closed. A helpful Ely Chamber of Commerce lady told us that we could have the last campsite in Fall Lake campground, on the southeastern edge of the BWCAW. We took it for two nights and stayed a third. It was amazingly quiet for a full house, but the sites are designed to shield you from views of other campsites. Plus, we were just about the closest one could be to the beach, a short downhill walk!

Emerging from our first of many swims, we met a fellow who seemed interested in conversation. From Grand Marais, he's a wanderer, spending much of his summer in a solo, walk-in site at Fall Lake. He offered us use of his canoe. We were delighted. For many, many years, we have been on Boundary Waters canoe trips each summer, with family, friends, and each other. Our recently acquired grandkids are too young for overnight trips, so we're waiting for them to add a year or two. We accepted the offer, and invited David for dinner. And for breakfast and dinner.

We paddled that evening and in the mornings. Fall Lake is an entryway to the eastern BWCAW. We spotted a mother mallard with eight or nine tiny chicks. Aligned in a close-knit file, they wiggled their tushies and kept up with her as they sashayed across the bay. On the second morning, we enjoyed them again. Lovely dragonflies landed on our gunnels. Turtles peered at us with their eyes barely peeking out of the water. Ravens called for each other from one side of the bay to the other. Pileated woodpeckers banged on hardwoods. Loons rested in the warm afternoon. After each outing, we swam.

David turned out to be quite a character. From a big southern Illinois family, he'd gravitated to Grand Marais as an adult and settled there, married, and worked. Now he's a wanderer. But also a fixer, doing odd jobs here and there. He's got a storage shed near Ely where he keeps his boat, kayak, canoe, tools and camping gear. We had a lot of fun, distanced at our picnic table, sharing stories. Lots of laughter.

The last night, we lay awake during a terrific storm, thrilling to listen to, with a frisson of worry. As on other evenings, after a tasty meal, we played cribbage. Rod is a skilled player - being a mathematician helps, plus many years playing with his dad. I managed to win my share of games, especially the first two nights, but got slaughtered the next two. Fun, though.

On our way back, we camped at another state forest campground on the Baptism River, very near Tettegouche State Park. In the morning, we put on our swimsuits and walked from the park's lovely headquarters building to a gorgeous many-meters-long pool created by granite cliffs where the Baptism River runs into Lake Superior. We've swum here many times. The water was surprisingly warm, and we even swam out into the lake where, if we stayed on the surface, it remained warm. It was a thrilling and deeply satisfying end to our week.

Ann Markusen is an economist and professor emerita at University of Minnesota. A Pine Knot board member, she lives in Red Clover Township north of Cromwell with her husband, Rod Walli.