Reviewer: Sharon Brunner
John Highlen’s Seeking Serenity offers an interesting view of the many natural wonders found in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (U.P.) and Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We often face the complications and hustle and bustle of everyday life, and we do not take the time to slow down and explore the natural world — often ignoring our need for serenity. Serenity is the state of feeling calm, peaceful, and unworried. It also represents a sense of mental and emotional tranquility. Highlen lives in Deerton, Michigan, which is a small, heavily wooded community located 20 miles east of Marquette (a town in the U.P.) and ten minutes from Lake Superior. He and his wife Julie (an artist who illustrates his books) live in an off-grid-style home surrounded by nature. An off-grid-style home runs independently from municipal utility grids. These homes rely on self-sustaining systems to generate their own power, source and filter water, and manage wastewater safely. This approach permits the owners to have total autonomy while maintaining modern comforts in minimalist contemporary cabins and tiny homes. His living situation has provided him with his inspiration for wilderness writing. Highlen shared his multiple experiences involving nature while he sought a feeling of peace and tranquility.
As previously stated, two of the themes presented in the book were wilderness exploration and escape from a hectic lifestyle. Highlen went into interesting detail about the many things he saw while exploring the wilderness of the scenic U.P. and Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes. He saw loons, lots of moose while on Isle Royale, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls, deer, various trees, especially one of his favorites, Hemlock, and many other natural wonders. “At the far end of White Deer, we entered an enchanting winding creek connecting to Bulldog Lake. Small white cedars, sparse brush, and tanned grasses line the waterway…” “Later, I sat by our campfire looking straight up at the Big Dipper for the second night in a row. Biting bugs died down at dark, allowing us to fully relax, sitting near the dancing flames while we listened to the music of the river. Cares and concerns from the outside world felt distant.” When I walk on trails in wooded areas, I often participate in a walking meditation. I listen to the sounds of birds and the wind and let nature talk to me.
I am an avid hiker and spend a lot of time in the woods. Highlen spends a lot more time in the woods than I do. I am a little envious. I have explored the Porcupine Mountains and hiked on the trails. Did not want to run into bears, so to my husband’s chagrin, I talked and sang while on the trails. I’ve always wanted to go to Isle Royale. Highlen made it sound enchanting. I have lived in the U.P. all my life and have also explored the Keweenaw Peninsula and around the Marquette area. My husband and I have also been on many trails using snowmobiles and four-wheelers around the area surrounding the Sault. The trail to and from Tahquamenon Falls from the Sault has provided gorgeous scenery. Tahquamenon Falls is a popular attraction that is visited every year by a multitude of tourists and U.P. residents. I have traveled around Minnesota by car, but have not explored nature trails. I have to say the U.P. is filled with wonderful wooded wilderness areas that can provide a peaceful state of mind while traveling through them.
When reading this book, I thought of Robert Traver’s book, Laughing Whitefish, also set in the U.P. A Chippewa maiden asked a lawyer to represent her. She wanted to collect a debt owed to her father, the late Marji Kawbawagam. Marji was owed a share of the Jackson iron ore mine. Iron Ore and Copper mines peppered the western portion of the U.P. The Chippewa people lived in the U.P. and as far west as Minnesota. They have been exploring the U.P. and Minnesota long before the Europeans and Americans. The U.P. had ample wild game and fish for the Chippewa people. Highlen mentioned Laughing Whitefish Lake, which is located 20 miles south of Deerton, where Highlen lives. Robert Traver also wrote “Anatomy of a Murder” which took place in Marquette, which ended up being an award-winning movie, also.
Seeking Serenity collects the author’s wilderness stories from around the U.P., Isle Royale National Park, and Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, with the seeking of serenity as Highlen’s main purpose. Highlen grew up in Michigan and became an outdoor and north woods enthusiast for most of his life. I was drawn to Highlen’s descriptive narrative about his explorations. However, it would have been helpful to hear the names of the nearby towns and cities of his wilderness discoveries to help the reader gain context for the locations of his places of interest. Highlen allowed us to find what is missing in our lives that is readily available within the forests, fields, rivers, and lakes.
Title: Seeking Serenity
Author: John Highlen
