Algonquin, a beautiful provincial park located in Canada, is more than just a place on a map to me. Algonquin is not a word, it is a collection of wondrous images, living emotions and heartfelt memories. Perhaps it is because I had never really been in the wilderness before, or never really experienced the out-of-doors, that Algonquin had such a tremendous impact on me. But during those seven days in the depths of the park, I learned some very valuable lessons about myself, lessons that I hope to use throughout the rest of my life.

At the first mention of the word "Algonquin," its extraordinary scenery and images are brought to mind. I had never seen anything so beautiful in all of my life! The calm, deep blue lakes, sometimes stretching as far as the eyes could see, were surrounded by the coal gray rocks, the sandy beaches and the emerald green pines. Then there were the marshes, crowded with lily pads and coarse grasses, simply teeming with insect life and beavers. The bright, warm days and the cool, starry nights added to the spectacular wonder of this land. It was a world very different from the one we live in everyday. It was a world far more beautiful, serene and peaceful. There were no noisy cars, distracting telephones, police sirens and rushing passersby. All of the confusion and mumble-jumble racing of our daily lives was replaced by the peaceful and enchanting call of the loons, the chattering of tiny chipmunks and the rustling of the wind in the trees at night.

Along with the beauty are all of the living memories, each and every one of the friends that I made on the trip. It is amazing how close you can get to someone while camping with him or her for seven days in the complete and total wilderness. Everyone was being his or her true self--dirty clothes, wet and soggy sneakers, and all. I remember huddling around a campfire at night, drinking cocoa (complete with "floaties") and talking about college life. I remember sleeping outside under the stars for the very first time. I remember the incredible sense of peacefulness, tranquility and solitude. It is a land like Algonquin that prompts a person to wonder at the greatness of life, and perhaps realize that he has been missing out on so much of its true and simple meaning.

Algonquin taught me so very much about myself, things that I may have never realized if I hadn't gone on the trip. I gained a tremendous sense of self-worth and pride, because I accomplished things that I never thought I could. To me, each day was a new experience and an exciting challenge. If someone had told me a year ago that I would have carried a canoe over a 2,170 meter portage or pulled a canoe through knee-deep mud, I probably would have laughed. But I did all of these things, and from them I have learned to never say, "I can't." Now I know that with determination and patience, I can do anything that I set out to do.

Algonquin means so very much to me that it is hard to express my feelings on paper. To truly understand what I felt and experienced on my trip, you would have to go there and see the beauty or feel the tranquility yourself. Words cannot do justice to what you will feel inside, to what you will gain from your days in the wilderness. Algonquin is a land of magic and wonder, a dream come true.

... journal entry by Melinda Mantello (Algonquin, 1989)