All That Noise

     When people head out into the wilderness you never know how they are going to do.  Some people love it no matter what the weather brings or how the fishing is.  There are other people who will paddle in early for whatever reason; too much rain, too much sun, too hot, too cold, you get the point.  Only one time have we ever had a group come in early because of too much noise.  

   When these campers came into the office after their first night on the water I became alarmed wondering what had happened.  I immediately thought the worst; did we forget to pack all of their food? Is someone sick?  When we asked what was wrong they told us they had to come in early because of all that noise out there.

     I was upset thinking these people from Chicago came to get away from the noises of the city only to be discouraged with loud campers in the Boundary Waters.  After further inquiry I found out it wasn’t rude canoe campers but the noise of a single frog that had pushed these grown men over the edge.    

   Yes, a lone frog on the shore of a wilderness lake led these men to commit murder in the wilderness.  I am not kidding.  The sounds of the wilderness were too much for them to handle and after the frog croaked all night long and into the wee hours of the morning the frog met an untimely death.  Crushed by a rock in the hands of a City Slicker the frog finally croaked for good.  

     True story.  I can’t remember the names of these men because it’s been a number of years since their visit and they haven’t returned.  I do agree the wilderness can be a noisy place but it is a noise I have grown to love.  The birds singing in the trees, the grouse drumming in the woods, the pileated woodpecker drilling a tree, the call of the loon and yes, the croak of a frog are all sounds I appreciate.  Thankfully I am able to handle all that noise the wilderness woods create.