
In the afternoon we carefully scooped handfuls of rice into one of our @granitegear packs for the trip back to our campsite. Then we spread the rice out on tarps to dry in the sun and sifted through the kernels, hunting for small, white, rice-eating grubs. Soon small fish were splashing in the shallows as they gobbled up the grubs that we pitched into the water.
We have picked our fair share of berries and fried up plenty of fish, but we have never gathered food in such a deliberate and steady manner. What a wonderful gift these clean lakes and streams provide us. I hope we can return each year to the Wilderness as summer transitions into fall for the annual harvest. Gathering wild rice connects us to the land. We haven’t tasted a single grain of this rice yet, but I feel nourished in ways that a trip to the grocery store can’t provide.
If we protect this watery Wilderness it will continue to nourish us– mind, body and soul for generations to come. This place is too precious to risk, visit http://ift.tt/1x2erSX and take action today.
#wilderness #wildernessyear #savetheBWCA #BoundaryWaters #BWCA #wildrice #onlyinMN #CaptureMN #getoutstayout #wildharvest #harvest