The Apostle islands
Madeline Island
I grew up on Madeline Island, where the lake was both playground and teacher. The rhythm of the waves shaped my sense of time, and the wind taught me patience. As a boat captain, I’ve spent my life guiding others across these waters — charters, storms, and sunsets alike. Out there, you see how small we are and how connected everything is. The Family I was born from that same reflection — a captain’s faith that every soul, like every wave, returns to the same shore.
Apostle Island
As a charter captain, it has been my privilege to guide people into the sea caves of the Apostle Islands — to steer a motorboat straight into the breathing heart of stone and echo. Each cave humbles you; each island reveals how vast creation truly is. In those moments, I began to understand that guiding was more than a trade — it was a calling. And someday, a young Ojibwe boy will find the Birch Bark Scrolls again and remind us of the prophecy of the 8th Fire — that we must choose between destruction and balance. When that day comes, may we remember who we are, and find each other once more upon the water.
Devils Island
Devils Island stands at the northern edge of the Apostle Islands — a single slab of stone cast into the heart of Lake Superior. If giants walked the earth, they could lift it and hurl it across the horizon. There are no soft beaches here, only cliffs and caves that breathe with the voice of the lake. To circle this island is to feel the twist of awe and unease deep in your gut. The rock is hollow, the air alive with echoes — whispers of the souls who have passed before. When you leave and the engine quiets, the sound of those living caves will still follow you, long after you’ve returned to shore.