As usual, this is from the perspective of our travel companion, Sameer Hinduja.

This is a journal of our ice-fishing trip to Lake of the Woods in Baudette, Minnesota from February 26 - March 1, 2004.

In the Fall of 2003, Justin (Patch) and I decided that we were going to go ice-fishing in the spring, because I had never gone before and had always wanted to ever since I saw *Grumpy Old Men*, which I loved. Justin's dad generally went out in February or March with friends and family, and so we figured that we could go with them and enjoy ourselves one weekend if we had made sufficient progress on our dissertations. Well, the weekend that his dad scheduled with friends conflicted with our criminal justice conference, and so we had to figure out something else. Justin talked to his dad, and he was willing to go out with us a few weeks before if we really wanted to go - which we did. And so we thought some more and decided that if we were going to do this, we should really do it up. So, Patch called Ryan in Minneapolis and asked if he might want to join us, as he had joined us on our fishing trip to Mille Lacs Lake during Memorial Day weekend in 2003. Then we talked about the logistics of having Lee come up from Orlando, as I had been wanting to spend some time with him and invest in him and I knew he loved fishing and outdoor activities. He said it definitely would be possible…and so Lee's family and I prayed a lot and sought God's will as to whether this would be a good thing…and we figured out the possible details and how it all might work in terms of coordinating travel arrangements - and wouldn't you know it, God made it so everything came together. So, the five of us - Justin's dad, Justin, Ryan, Lee, and myself - were going to spend the weekend in an ice-shanty fishing, laughing, and having a good ol' time together on Lake of the Woods in Baudette, Minnesota.

On Wednesday, February 26th, I spent the morning getting ready for our flight to Minneapolis with laundry and packing. Brevin came to pick me up at around noon, and we swung by Patch's place to pick him up, and we were dropped off at the airport by around 12:40pm. Of course, I kept thinking I had forgotten something but wasn't sure what. Oh well. We arrived first in Detroit and then after a short stopover flew to Minneapolis and landed at around 3:45pm, and Lee was supposed to arrive from Orlando at around 3:30pm - and so we met up near baggage claim. Unfortunately, Justin and I couldn't find our luggage anywhere. And so, we were like, ah…hmmm…this is kind of a bummer. I wasn't sweating it (perhaps foolishly) - and thought we would be able to get by, but Patch had the right perspective and was a bit concerned. It would not have been pleasant to be in the same underwear for five straight days. Ryan had come to pick us up, and was ready to take us to his place before we headed up north, but he had a union class to attend at 5:00pm (he is an electrician in the Twin Cities). We decided that it was essential that he got to his class on time, so we told him that it would probably take a while for us to get our bags - and best case scenario, they would arrive on the next flight from Detroit and that might be in a couple of hours. So, we sent Ryan on his way and told him to come and pick us up at 7:30pm. Justin, Lee, and I then went to talk to one NWA person (Northwest Airlines, as opposed to the gangsta rappers from the early '90s), who sent us upstairs to talk to another NWA person, who sent us downstairs to talk to another NWA person - and just as we were waiting in line to talk to that third person, I looked over to my left at another baggage carousel and there were our bags, looking oddly out of place and separated from any other luggage. I was like, sweet. Patch was thrilled too. So, we hurriedly grabbed our bags and then realized that Ryan was gone and did not have a cell phone - so we basically had to hang out for the next few hours until he came by after his meeting to pick us up. The time was spent at a Starbucks in the airport, where we enjoyed some food and drink and learned how to play Hearts - which is apparently a real popular game in the Midwest. It involves strategy and a good deal of thinking and remembering what cards had previously been played, and I enjoyed, but was horrible at it. We also played poker with our spare change - which we termed "units" just in case any uniformed officers came up to us and had a problem with our palpable gambling. "They are just units, officer!" No one came by, and we had fun - I was glad for the opportunity that Lee had to get comfortable around us. The time went by relatively quickly, and Ryan picked us up at around 8pm. We headed to his house in order to latch up a trailer to his truck and then hit the road, but Ryan couldn't find the key anywhere and so we spent a solid hour trying to break through the lock with various heavy-duty cutting tools. Eventually, a power saw did the trick, and we were off to Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota by about 9:15pm. Hoyt Lakes is the town in which Justin grew up, and has a population of about 2,000. It's small, quaint, and quiet - and I had been there only one time before, right before Patch got married. It was nice to see his parents and to be tackled by their beautiful Irish Setter puppy when we arrived at around 12:30am. We crashed immediately because we needed to be up and on our way by 7am the next morning.

The 215-mile drive from Hoyt Lakes to Baudette, Minnesota - the self-proclaimed "Walleye Capital of the World" - was spent with Mr. Patchin getting to know Lee and catching up with the rest of us. Oh, and Ryan and Justin polished off most of the brownies that Mrs. Patchin had made us, and so we had that to joke about the entire weekend. It was a balmy 36 degrees when we arrived in Baudette, and we stopped at three gas stations - once to pick up munchies for the shanty (Kix!), once to pick up "lucky" baits and fishing licenses so that we were legit, and once to get some submarine sandwiches. It was so funny, Justin left his pass from last year in East Lansing, even though it was good through Sunday, February 29, 2004 - the last day of fishing. Ryan had innacurately told him that it would expire anyway on Saturday, February 28th and that he would need to buy a new license in order to fish at all. So he did, but it stated that it was good starting Monday, March 1st. So, not only did he forget his current license in Michigan, but he bought one that wasn't even good for that weekend and only became valid on Monday, the day we would be traveling back to East Lansing and not fishing at all. Justin gave Ryan grief about that the whole weekend, and we made fun of Justin because he was fishing illegally the entire time (even though he had the valid license back in Michigan, the law requires you carry it with you while fishing). Being criminal justice folk, and because Justin's dad is a lawyer, we had a discussion as to the legitimacy of the legal infraction. Was mens rea present? Did Justin intend to break the law? He had purchased a license (in fact two of them); the only infraction was one of a technical nature. It was illegal only because it was legislated as such, not because there was any inherent immorality in Justin's act of fishing without immediate possession of his license. He decided to risk it, recognizing that if apprehended he may be fined. As it turned out, no law enforcement officers or game wardens were spotted during the trip. Justin is a rebel alright...

At around 10:30am, we arrived at our cabin/trailer - (a small sign deemed it the "Royalton Suites") - at the *Twin River Resort* in Baudette, and unpacked our things and got settled. I was pleasantly surprised at the amenities - it had everything we needed such as heat, hot water, beds, pillows, dishes, a full kitchen, sofas, cable television, carpet, a complete bathroom. It was actually fantastic. There was even a dog welcoming us. Outdoor plumbing was supplemented with traditional facilities in the "Suites". We then got our gear ready for fishing, boarded Ryan's truck, and followed the owner of the resort out onto the lake. It was a wild experience - the lake was absolutely humongous - 90 miles long and 55 miles wide. More fun facts: it is approximately 317,000 acres in size, has 65,000 miles of shoreline, and consists of 14,582 islands. We were surrounded in brilliant white every which way we turned. It was blinding and spellbinding, I didn't even know what to say, I had never seen such an expansive area of white before. The ice was apparently four feet thick, and we drove out around three miles from the shore. Ice shanties of various colors were both near and far, many personalized with painted designs and names on the sides. We saw individuals on snowmobiles driving around, and bombardiers carting fisherpeople back and forth from their resort to their ice shack. Bombardiers are basically multipassenger vans with tank treads, and I had never seen them before in my life. We then arrived at our shack - our little daytime abode for the weekend. It was hooked up to a propane tank which provided heat, and it had windows (and curtains!), hooks to hang up our coats and various implements and utensils, and an assortment of chairs situated in the middle of the place. Along the sides, the wood was cut out to reveal the ice below. In each of these openings, two holes around ten inches in diameter were cut by an auger. We all commandeered two holes, hooked our minnows, sent our lines down, and then got comfortable. It was about 1pm at this point, and we fished until around 6:30pm. Justin landed the first fish - a sauger that was tiny - and we threw it back. He also landed the first keeper and throughout the afternoon most people had a steady amount of success. Lee was landing them consistently, and that made me happy as I wanted him to be encouraged and not frustrated at all. Mr. Patchin also did well, but Ryan and I struggled. Ryan got a few bites, but the fish he reeled in were not keepers because of their size, so he kept throwing them back. I think I got one or two bites, but that was it, and only brought in one fish. I was optimistic though, and figured that I would start hitting them the next day. I reckon we caught about 25 fish that day, and kept around 12. (We only kept the ones that were at least 13 inches long). We had a lot of fun and listened to various CDs, and really enjoyed fellowshipping with one another. Everyone, including myself, was having a great time, and I was really excited to be out there with my friends and away from schoolwork for a few days.

We got back to our cabin at around 7pm, and Justin and I worked to fillet the fish while Mr. Patchin fried them up and prepared a salad for us. We were ravenously hungry, devoured the meal, and were all asleep by around 9:30pm - absolutely spent from the last twenty-four hours.

Saturday morning arrived way too quickly, and we were up at 6am in order to head out to our shanty by 7. Ryan, though, took an incredibly long shower and so we didn't get out there until 7:30am - and when we dropped our lines, practically everyone got bites. We called it the "morning rush", and gave Ryan grief for taking so long in the shower which prevented us from getting out on the lake sooner to capitalize on the rush. His shower only took around 25 minutes, but by the end of the weekend, the story was that it took 3 hours. He was a good sport about it. I should note here that we also made fun of Ryan when anyone caught small fish that weren't keepers. We called them "Olson fish", because that was all Ryan seemed to be catching. Every time that term was mentioned while a fish was caught, there was disappointment in the air because we would have to throw it back. It was all in fun, and we appreciated his tolerance of our teasing.

The day was primarily spent fishing, listening to music (and singing along), playing various card games, reading magazines and newspapers, eating pretzel sticks, Kix, Cheese Nips, and ham, eggs, and toast that Mr. Patchin cooked on his propane grill right inside the shack. We caught walleye, sauger, whitefish, perch, and an eel pout - the most disgusting-looking fish I had ever seen. Justin landed it, and it was a solid five pounds. Apparently, it has a reputation of being the "poor man's lobster" - but we just left it on the ice rather than take it back to the cabin to cook it. We would have thrown it back, but it apparently eats walleye eggs and so we needed to do our part to preserve the walleye population of the lake. We also had snowball fights - Lee, we discovered, has exceptional aim. I, on the other hand, couldn't hit the broad side of a barn. Justin, Ryan, and I really needed to gang up on Lee, but never successfully coordinated efforts. Next time. The weather was extremely pleasant - it probably got up to 40 degrees during the day, and the ice right outside the front of our shack had turned into a huge puddle at least eight inches deep. So Lee was thankful he brought boots, and I was thankful I didn't get frostbite as my sneakers got soaked through and through. Ah, well. I also realized on Saturday that the thing I had forgotten was my razor, and so I was going to be very shaggy by the end of the weekend. It was different, and I liked it. It seemed to suit me while playing the role of a fisherman. By early afternoon, everyone was getting tired from a long day. The evening on the lake was peaceful. We continued to regularly catch fish, and take time to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature. Fishing was steady: Lee and Justin continued to pull 'em up, Mr. Patchin and I were trying to keep up, and even Ryan caught a couple. It was great.

Saturday evening was a blast. We headed back to our cabin at around 7pm, and Mr. Patchin first broiled and then fried (since the broiling didn't work) some venison steaks, and it was great to tear into some real lean meat. After the delicious dinner, we played poker and then I challenged Justin to some Taboo - which is probably my favorite game. I would partner with Lee, and he would partner with Ryan, and we would go at it. Justin and I are great together and so we needed to mix it up, and plus I just knew that Lee and I could take them. It was so much fun…we played two games…and though Justin says differently, we totally won both. The second one, we won outright. The first one, blast, Lee and I got up to thirty, but because I wanted to see how many we could get before the time was up, I kept going with the clues, and then messed up, which made us lose a point and put us at 29…and then Justin and Ryan caught up to us and passed us to 30 during the next turn, and they won. So, yeah, I totally should have stopped with the clues when we hit thirty. But as far as I am concerned, we won but got a little prideful. Also, I actually got eight cards in one session with Lee (and the help of Justin's dad), and my previous record had been seven (with Justin, incidentally) - and so I thought that was amazing.

Sunday morning, we were out on the (frozen) water quite early - around 7am because Ryan made it a point to take a super quick shower so we wouldn't rag on him the entire day (which we did anyway because of the small-sized fish he kept catching). It was interesting - we kept trying to tune in a radio station because the batteries in the radio station were too weak to play CDs anymore - and the only one we found was one broadcasting various ministries in the area. So, we ended up listening to sermons for like four hours, and talking about various spiritual things. I thought to myself, how cool, it's Sunday, and we're kind of having a church service! Mr. Patchin made some eggs and toast and ham again for us on the propane grill, and I personally had my best day in that I caught a handful of keepers.

By around 11:30am, we decided to call it quits because we needed to hit the road…and so we went back to the cabin, packed up our things, and were out and on our way (after stopping by and grabbing lunch at the same gas station that sold sub sandwiches as before). By this point in our vacation, Justin had everyone saying "Yo", and I had everyone saying "Blast!". It was hilarious since great pains were taken to work it into almost every other sentence on the drive back. I personally think they are great words which serve a functional purpose, and are quite suitable in many everyday occasions. We arrived in Hoyt Lakes after around four hours and 190 miles, watched a photo DVD that Mrs. Patchin had made for the fishing trip I went on last May, took a few group pictures, and then said our farewells and headed to Minneapolis and Ryan's house.

The drive to the Twin Cities was excellent. First of all, we had more brownies, compliments of Mrs. Patchin. Man, they were out of this world. Second, Ryan and Justin had some candid conversations about salvation and baptism and the doctrine of eternal security (once saved, always saved) and how that could affect the life choices an individual might make. I contributed my thoughts whenever it was helpful, and it was just a really interesting discussion. We then got into talking about girls and God, and even Lee joined in our conversation. I was just very pleased about how it all went, and I felt that the Lord was in it.

We arrived at Ryan's home around 8pm, got settled, and ordered some pizza before we played foosball in his basement. We played a total of 23 games (you had to reach five points/goals to win each game) - and it was seriously the most fun I have had in weeks. We decided that the first team to win 12 games would be the champions. It was 11 games to 11 games, and a 4-4 tie…and gosh, I didn't want to lose…but I knew that someone had to…and Ryan's man had the ball right near my goal, and I sensed disaster…but prepared myself to block his shot…but he ripped it and it zoomed by me, into the goal. Gosh, I was crushed - for about 10 seconds…and then we congratulated each other on what turned out to be a fiercely competitive match. Most of the time, we were laughing so hard…and it was fraught with tension and excitement and suspense and testosterone. It was a wonderful and memorable time.

Well, after that was over, it was around 11pm and we were exhausted. We decided to call it a night, as we needed to be up early and on our way to the airport by 6:15am. Ryan dropped us off, and then Justin and I said farewell to Lee after checking our bags and going through security. Then we flew home. It had been a success. Justin and I have been reminiscing a lot about the trip, just as to how everything went really smoothly and totally worked out. I am convinced that when God is in something, He takes care of every single detail. I love that, that's totally how it should be. I think we all had a blast, and I am so thankful for the experience and the time I was able to share with my friends. These are the sort of things I want to do so much more now that I am finishing up with school. These are the sort of things that I will always remember.