No roads, no shopping malls, and endless wilderness.  One week in the boundary waters will change anybody in many ways it is hard to describe.  I know this from personal experience.  One week in the boundary waters sure changed me and I know it will change you.  Imagine nothing but lakes lined with dense woods and no man made structure in sight.  That is what is truly glorious about the boundary waters.
“Wait!  No phones allowed on the trip?” Emma asked in shock
This is what generation C has turned into.  Addicted to phones and electronics non stop.  It is a known fact that someone chosen at random from generation C will more likely see a commercial on youtube than actually watching tv.
“Phones are not permitted on this trip is correct.” our counselor Megan retorted. “Plus you wont have service.”
“But what about my facebook acount, I need to stay caught up on the newest trends.” Emma asked in dismay
“I am sure you will be fine.” Megan replied
I knew Emma liked her phone, but I didnt know she liked it that much.  As the day went on at camp the hours seemed to get longer and longer.  I was born ready to enter the boundary waters.  Fantasizing as a kid, when and how I would make it here was my focus.  Well now I was here at Camp Vermillion ready for morning to come so we could make the trek to our first portage in the van.  Morning came in seconds after I fell asleep.  The air was brisk, dry, and cold.  It was the end of July, and the air in northern Minnesota felt like fall was approaching with great speed.  Almost like winter was only a few weeks away.
“Man this feels good.” I exclaimed with joy
“Yes it does, it feels as if we are in the mountains.” Replied my best friend Jack Swenson. 
Today was the day I fulfilled my dream of entering the boundary waters.  We drove another 1 hour and a half to get to our portage.  Our first portage was 180 rods long.  One rod is one canoe length making our first portage approximately one half of a mile.
“How much farther until the lake?” I asked in a slightly obnoxious tone.
“I dont know there are no road signs in the boundary waters,” Our adult leader Tyler retorted.
“Ha Ha,” I shot back.
I personally like bad jokes and puns, but sometimes they get old fast.  Tyler’s joke was too cheesy for me to laugh legitimately at.  As we got to the lake, the first day passed quickly, but not so easily.  One of our canoes got swamped, and we had to swim it to shore.  The night was asstounding.  The stars were nothing like I had seen before.  The sky was full of them.  There was almost as many stars as there was empty sky.  The moon was gorgeous too, it shined in the night like the lone wolf watching the world.  The light was incredible.  There was almost too much of it to get to sleep.
“Did anybody else notice the three or so rouge mosquitoes in the tent last night?” Jack questioned with a groggy tone.
“Ya, they kept buzzing in my ear and making hard to go to sleep.” I replied.
“Ja, ich auch.” Replied Tyler
“What?” Jack and I exclaimed in unison.
“My bad, that was ‘me too’ in German.”
The second day came no easier than the first.  We tipped yet another canoe.  Luckily we did not end up losing anything.  We decided to stop as a group when we got to shore and figure out why we kept tipping the canoe.
“Maybe we’re just unbalanced.” Ashley suggested.
“Maybe, but I think its something more.” Replied Emma.
“I think we need to work together as a team, not individuals.” Tyler said sincerely
“I think Tyler is on to something.” Megan said, “I think that we are trying to work together as single units and not as a whole.”
We paddled to our campsite and set up the tents.  We were all thinking about how we could work together as a team and not as single units.  That night we went to bed early because we had to travel 12 miles the next day.  For the first half of the day of the day we worked on being a team.  We succeeded in not tipping a canoe.  After lunch we were asked by Megan if we could try and not talk until it was time for dinner.  I was surprised how well we worked silently.  When we got to our next portage we discovered a couple who was struggling to transport their stuff across the portage.  As we came across them in our silence we were working like a well oiled machine.  The were astounded that a group of middle schoolers could work so efficiently without speaking.  We continued with confidence in ourselves, and proud that we were able to work like a single entity without speaking once.
“I’m hungry.” I stated vehemently
“So am I.” Jack responded. “My stomach has been growling since lunch.”
Dinner that night was wild rice stew.  I had never felt so satisfied with a steaming bowl of moist and brothy bowl of soup.  The night passed with a few hiccups, but nothing major.  The next morning was our last day in the land of infinite possibilities, and when we left we felt closer in a way.  More connected than ever before.  We felt the gift of team deep within us.  That trip will always be a trip to remember, and a lesson on how to work together.