The document describes the author's lake house located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is secluded and surrounded by nature, providing the author a sense of serenity and escape from everyday life. Every summer, the author enjoys outdoor activities like fishing with family. Through experiences like learning to clean fish, the author has gained an appreciation for nature and life lessons about respecting the environment and living creatures. Returning to the lake house reminds the author of childhood and has shaped who they are through the serenity found in nature.

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Nic Carter
Dr. DiSarro
ENG 101-OL04
13 August 2014
The Cabin in the Woods
At my lake house in Michigan, there is an abundance of nature and barely any
people. It is full of majestic wonders and life lessons every time I go, which has shaped me
into the person I am today. Imagine a quiet Loon-filled lake, which reflects like a mirror;
quiet enough to hear a stick break in the distance. This describes my lake house in the deep
forests of Michigan. Due to the low population, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, there is
an abundance of forests and animals. The animals that roam the forests near my lake house
consist of several populations of certain animals. Such animals that live here are deer, black
bears, and also mountain lions. While I have never seen a mountain lion there I can hear
them in the woods at night. When I was in Michigan last summer, I spent hours on the lake
fishing. Throughout this tranquility, my thoughts wandered in my head about animals and
the simplicity of life. The air around the lake is very dense in the morning and towards the
afternoon when the earth warms up it becomes a very lite fluffy clean smelling air the
smells consist of trees and soggy swamp odor.
Every summer I go to my lake house in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Our lake
house is secluded and located near many private lakes, far from the populous. It is
important to me because it is where I go to escape the stream of everyday life; although I
am, submerged in the stream of peaceful nature. During each visit, we have an annual fish
fry with the fish we catch out of the lake. The different types of fish we catch are bass,

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sunfish, perch and bluegill. Although they are common lake fish, they do not taste the same
to me unless they are from the lake in Michigan. Fish can taste different based on how you
cook them and their diet when they are living in the lake. Their diet in Michigan is clean
because it’s a land-trapped lake and that means its spring fed so everything that is there
has been there for a very long time. Since, the lake is conjoined with the other lakes that
flow down stream the fish have lots of room to feed off many different species that live in
the lakes. The people who feast at the fish fry consist of my grandmother, grandfather, my
sister, my mom, and I. After we catch the fish, we have to clean them. My grandfather is
usually the one to clean the fish, since I do not have that much experience and he is able to
get the most meat out of anyone who cleans the fish. I have been fishing since I was very
young; however, when I was around ten years old, my grandfather decided to teach me
how to clean the fish. When I first learned how to clean a fish I was disgusted. The most
disgusting part about cleaning the fish is knowing that they are still alive even though you
are dragging a knife through their body and watching their guts go into a plastic bucket.
After cleaning the fish I am tasked with dumping the bucket of guts in the forest and it’s not
a pleasant site. However, I have learned that eating off the land is a way of life and
sacrificing one soul to nourish another is the circle of life. Not only does Michigan give me
serenity in my life, it has also taught me life lessons.
At times I find myself learning life lessons at my lake house. Having access to this
place gives me different prospective on nature. Since I grew up in the city for half of my life,
the atmosphere of the lake house gives me more appreciation for nature. Being so far out in
the woods gives me a great since of serenity, which makes me grateful for such clean air.
This has allowed me to understand better how humans impact the environment. The land

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where my lake house is preserved in its most natural state and it causes me to feel like a
pilgrim or first settlers. One time during the summer, I decided to tame a chipmunk, which
led to me to be able to eventually get close to it. Through this I have gained new insight into
the positive and negative human interactions with animals can cause an unbalanced nature.
Thinking back to my times there I have realized that they have shaped me into the person I
am today.
Being so far in the wilderness I have the stress-free feeling of being surrounded by
the sounds of nature. Moreover, I have little disturbance when I am in a stressful situation
in my everyday life. Since spending time I have a great respect for living creatures. For
instance, when a fish hook rips out the innards by accident, making it inedible for humans,
we put the fish in the bushes for other animals to consume rather than throwing the fish
back to float in the water. Another example of respect I have gained for living creatures, is
when we put a salt block on a stump for deer and animals to enjoy, since they do not get
much salt in their diet. The experiences at the lake house have helped me to get a job
working with nature, which is landscaping. When I work with nature I am reminded of
times, of me at my lake house when I was little and had complete sanctuary. These are
prime examples of how my lake house has shaped me into the person I am today.
At my lake house in Michigan there is an abundance of nature and barely any
people. It is full of majestic wonders and life lessons every time I go, which has allowed me
to realize and respect the animals on the earth and furthermore respect the circle of life
and be one with nature. At my lake house I do many outdoor activities, such as fishing and
taming animals. The serenity of the lake house has allowed me to understand the impact of

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humans and nature. The life lessons I have learned that shaped me into the person I am
today. My lake house has allowed me to enjoy the serenity of nature.