Pilgrimage: an essay from local author John Bragstad
Oct 17, 2023 08:58AM ● By Content Editor
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By local author and writer John Bragstad for Boreal Community Media - October 17, 2023
“But the seas of the world are salty; this lake is like a
colossal diamond, clear, pure, sparkling, lying like a
heaven-lighted gem in a bowl of rich greenery
fringed with a lace-work of chromatic rocks that take
on the most weird and enchanting shapes.”
“Along the Bowstring of Lake Superior”
People come here, I believe, almost as a pilgrimage. It’s not quite a
“trip to a holy place” (Cambridge), but almost. For some, it is
spiritual. For others, it is a coming home and a return to places they
knew when they were young.
Still, for others, it is what Sigurd Olson described as a “jumping off
place,” not only to the canoe routes but of soul and spirit. We come
here to regather, to refresh ourselves, to touch back to the old
values, to be lifted.
We take these pilgrimages not because we have to. The place
doesn’t need us. But we come because we want to remember.
We want to be reminded.
Just this past week, my wife and I went up the Gunflint Trail to a camp
where we met. Why? Why did we go? We met here, and, it just so
happens, it was our anniversary. There are secret memories at
Seagull Lake only known to us.
Pilgrimages are places we go to “show our respect.” (Cambridge
Dictionary) It acknowledges something important happened at this
place. There is a person, family or friend we wish to honor.
Sometimes, we also go seeking.
By local author and writer John Bragstad for Boreal Community Media - October 17, 2023
“But the seas of the world are salty; this lake is like a
colossal diamond, clear, pure, sparkling, lying like a
heaven-lighted gem in a bowl of rich greenery
fringed with a lace-work of chromatic rocks that take
on the most weird and enchanting shapes.”
“Along the Bowstring of Lake Superior”
by Julian Ralph
We live in a singular place. No doubt, many others feel the same
way about where they live. But mention to anyone in the state where
you are from, and there is either a nod to the cold or a light in the
eye.
We still represent wilderness, natural beauty, remoteness, the old
way, and our centerpiece is Lake Superior.
We live in a singular place. No doubt, many others feel the same
way about where they live. But mention to anyone in the state where
you are from, and there is either a nod to the cold or a light in the
eye.
We still represent wilderness, natural beauty, remoteness, the old
way, and our centerpiece is Lake Superior.
People come here, I believe, almost as a pilgrimage. It’s not quite a
“trip to a holy place” (Cambridge), but almost. For some, it is
spiritual. For others, it is a coming home and a return to places they
knew when they were young.
Still, for others, it is what Sigurd Olson described as a “jumping off
place,” not only to the canoe routes but of soul and spirit. We come
here to regather, to refresh ourselves, to touch back to the old
values, to be lifted.
We take these pilgrimages not because we have to. The place
doesn’t need us. But we come because we want to remember.
We want to be reminded.
Just this past week, my wife and I went up the Gunflint Trail to a camp
where we met. Why? Why did we go? We met here, and, it just so
happens, it was our anniversary. There are secret memories at
Seagull Lake only known to us.
Pilgrimages are places we go to “show our respect.” (Cambridge
Dictionary) It acknowledges something important happened at this
place. There is a person, family or friend we wish to honor.
Sometimes, we also go seeking.
We are fortunate in the Arrowhead that many come to pay tribute to
some past part of their lives. Our town is a place of pilgrimage for
many.
Perhaps it is the long drive up from Duluth where we finally arrive
and catch that first glimpse of expansive blue water.
But, more than this, it is a return to the lake, for some mystical in its
power and majesty. For others, the latticework of lakes, a return to a
part of the past that is so outrun now. For still others, it is a time of
memory. And for others yet, a time of discovery.
All this, from our little town.
some past part of their lives. Our town is a place of pilgrimage for
many.
Perhaps it is the long drive up from Duluth where we finally arrive
and catch that first glimpse of expansive blue water.
But, more than this, it is a return to the lake, for some mystical in its
power and majesty. For others, the latticework of lakes, a return to a
part of the past that is so outrun now. For still others, it is a time of
memory. And for others yet, a time of discovery.
All this, from our little town.
About the author
John A. Bragstad has been a therapist, working with couples and individuals, for 25 years. He is self-published and is enjoying retirement. Lake Superior is just off his front porch.
He has written three books: Compass Season, Loon Laughter at Midnight, and Who's Watching Whoo? They are available in Grand Marais at Drury Lane and Lake Superior Trading Post, or at Amazon.com.
Related: Meet your Boreal Community Media Freelance Journalist: John Bragstad
