Once More to Devil's Lake

7/23/2019 Once More to Devil's Lake

1/5

Once More to Devils Lake

David Liang

We each have our own special place of refuge. It is the place that we

retreat to when we need room for our thoughts to ow, the place that

provides refuge from the nuances of societ, and the place where our

passions in life can thrive. !or some, it is in the cockpit of a "ghter #et, ing

at Mach $. %erhaps for others, it is on the &ig stage, acting in front of

&reathless, awestruck audiences. 'nd for others et, it is &attling &eneath

the !rida night lights of a foot&all "eld. (ut m sacred sanctuar is not like

an of these. It is not an environment where actions are restricted &

regulations, e)pectations, or societal norms. Instead, it is an awe*inspiring

haven where I am free to en#o the &reathtaking &eaut of Mother +ature

and all of her e)uisite outdoor opportunities * m perfect paradise is

&eneath the sparkling -un of the heavenl Wisconsin state park Devils

Lake.

's I peruse through m famils Devils Lake photo al&um, I am

ama/ed. It astounds me that the thoughts and sensations and adventures of

a weekend can &e captured in the click*ash*snap of a camera. 0heres a

picture in the al&um of a livel four ear old version of me, #oousl smiling

while smothered &eneath the warm, grain sand. 0rees pour into the

&ackground, forming a seemingl in"nite wall of greener, and the &eautiful

Lake gleams with pure &rilliance as it reects the cloudless skies a&ove. 'nd

m miniature sand castle, complete with a stick ag atop its central steeple,

7/23/2019 Once More to Devil's Lake

2/5

sits on the &each, allowing the "er ras of the -un to harden its sand

defenses.

0he vision of the castle washes from m mind as m ees catch the

ne)t photograph. ' crappie dangles from m hook, and I remem&er the

accomplishment that I claimed that da when I captured m ver "rst sea

monster. 0he di1culties I faced attaching a &lood sucking leech to m hook,

untangling m line from the foliage a&ove, and discerning the dragging of m

&ait across the lake&ed from the &ite of an unknowing "sh instantl

dispersed as I spied the "sh skipping across the surface of the Lake as I

furiousl reeled in the line. Little did I know that I would allow the slim "sh

to escape as it suirmed and opped, awa from m open hands. 2et the

sparkling -un of Devils Lake shines incessantl from within the &ackground,

warming m depression then and m nostalgic heart now.

I continue to reminisce upon m earl childhood e)periences, ipping

to the snapshot of m "rst canoeing trip. I instantl repla in m mind the

scene where m &rother and I horsed around on the canoe, pushing and

shoving and plafull whacking each other with paddles. (ut with one too

forceful of a step, the &oat tipped, and our sandals were dumped into the

Lake as the -un dumps all of its wonderful ultraviolet ras into the state

park. 0he lack of footwear made the rest of the trip much more interesting as

I was forced to hop across the rock, root*ridden ground and failed to

appreciate the tranuilit of the Lake due to the folds of m drenched

garments loudl slapping m skin. 2es, I am ama/ed & the power of a

7/23/2019 Once More to Devil's Lake

3/5

camera that allows for time to &e fro/en and then framed, &ut I am even

more ama/ed & the &eaut of Devils Lake and the glow that the -un

induces upon ever item, living and nonliving, within each and ever

photograph.

+ot onl does Devils Lake &ring me priceless famil &onding, &ut it is

also the place that I travel to for a variet of outdoor sports, m favorite of

which is rock clim&ing. I ip forward si) ears in the photo al&um to m "rst

clim&ing trip with the high school team at. I spot "rst 30he 4himne5, a slot

in a cli6 face that housed a variet of clim&ing routes. I recall the setting of

the anchors a&ove and learning the intricate process of securing the top

rope, and calling 37O%895 as I tossed the ends of the rope over the &lu6.

0here is another picture of me as I clim& the 3Watermarks5, a route distinctl

distinguished & the trail of an old waterfall that once streaked down the

rocks, another photograph of me &elaing m friend as he clim&ed the

3Watermarks5 route, and et another shot of me ailing m arms as I fall

through the air clim&ing a route that I mself pioneered 3-unn -kies and

Devilish 7ocks.5

0he ne)t picture teleports me to Devils Lakes West (lu6 where I once

clim&ed in a giant "eld of rocks. 0he talus, as it was called, made for

e)ceptionall dangerous landings &eneath the clim&s, with sharp rocks

forming the surface &elow. Despite the potent danger that engulfed that

area, we found the timeless classics and resolved to tr them, regardless of

the di1cult. I regret that decision as the ne)t photo of m tattered "nger

7/23/2019 Once More to Devil's Lake

4/5

pads and calluses releases the memories of that da as that &oulder

unleashed the :raken upon m "ngers. (ut the &la/ing -un, hidden &ehind

the clouds, shines through and relieves me of those in#uries from that da

and the remem&rance of the pain that is &eginning to return.

's I drift through the rest of m outdoor clim&ing pictures, ipping from

one #ourne to another, a particular photograph captures m attention. Its a

picture of me grinning &rightl ne)t to the local clim&ing legend, m ecstatic

face screaming that I had gotten the opportunit to meet him. I encountered

the man as he guided a couple to safe rock clim&s and &efriended his tour

group as we en#oed the lavishing landscape together. I got the opportunit

to clim& with him after he "nished his guiding session with the tourists, and

he showed me the most popular clim&s in the area in addition to some of his

own &rilliant creations. 0he smile that I wear in the picture instantl &rings

&ack the memories of all the delightful fun that I en#oed that da &eneath

the &right, friendl -un that had plaed peek*a*&oo &ehind the clouds.

+ot onl is Devils Lake ama/ing &ecause of its scener, &ut also

&ecause of its e)traordinar a&ilit to teach despite its inanimate nature.

0hrough a lifetime of travels to Devils Lake, Ive developed an awesome

degree of love for the scener as well as a variet of skills. Ive &een e)posed

to the areas around the Lake like the talus "elds, &lu6s, and shores, and Ive

even learned to create routes for mself and others. Ive learned how to

invert a canoe, safel anchor top ropes, and Ive learned how to set up crash

landings for &oulder pro&lems, and have "sh stolen from m hands & the

7/23/2019 Once More to Devil's Lake

5/5

Lake. (ut in addition to these new lifelong ho&&ies, Ive &een taught much

much more Ive &een taught how to live life to the fullest. Ive e)perienced

the wonderfulness of canoeing in a &eautiful, glistening Lake on a glittering,

sunn da. Ive hiked up and down and through the hills and o&served the

intricate and in"nite landscape. Ive camped and survived in nearl free/ing

weather. 'nd Ive clim&ed on that famous, purple, uart/ite rock. (ut most

importantl, Devils Lake has taught me that theres onl one wa to live

outdoors freel, creativel and with the compan of the sparkling, smiling

-un.