Memories of Another Time

The year was 1971. I had just graduated from high school, and didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I thought a summer of adventure might provide some answers. I set off to find the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River...tracing it from St. Louis northward into northern Minnesota. The river starts in Itasca State Park.

It was near there that I discovered lumber jacking. Not the new way, but the old time way. Axes, cross-cut saws, and summers filled with lumber jacking contests. I found out I was just average as a high climber, or as the guys called it...a tree topper.

But, then I found my niche. It was the competition on the logs that were floating on the lakes and the rivers. The spots where co-ordination and balance were the keys. I became a river rat, a river pig, a river hog, a catty-man.

I hit the summer circuit with the other woodsmen. Bemidgi, Little Falls, and Duluth, Minnesota...followed by Red Cliff, Wisconsin. Then, finally the big show...The Lumberjack World Championship in Hayward, Wisconsin.

My brief "career" came to an end when I found out I couldn't grow a beard, and I fell off a log in Hayward. Broke my ankle. It's hard to keep your balance on a log with only one good leg.

You might be asking...who took the picture? Answer: The camera was on a tripod. But, here's the amazing part. Instead of setting the self-timer at 10 seconds...I set it at 2 seconds. The old lumber jack speed and balance was summoned up from the depths.

Believe what you may, but I would like to thank Google Maps, Wiki-pedia, and Photo-shop. Oh, and also my hero...Paul Bunyan.