Although I've only been there a few times, Carpenter Lake was an oasis for me growing up. Has there ever been a place where everything just seems to feel right, like nothing can go wrong? That's what Carpenter Lake is to me. It's in the middle of nowhere with nothing but me and family. There is no T.V., no nothing, just me and the wilderness for about 30 miles. The 1st time I went I was with my uncles wifes' family that I had never met before. After the first time it was like I had been related to them my whole life.

Every morning was as if I had woken up in a dream; birds chirping, fish splashing, and people casually getting ready for the day like they had not a care in the world. After I would finally drag myself from bed, I walked directly to Big Sky, where we devour our meals so we could get to our next adventure. Being with people I hadn't seen in a year made it great to catch up. When breakfast was over we would all sit around and decide what was on the agenda for the day.

After the plans were established, it was a race to the top. Everyone scattered like flies to get their day started. Some of us would do nothing but fish and relax on the lake all day. Most of the younger guys would sit around by the beach and play horseshoes, drink beer, listen to music, and just relax every day. But for some of us, exploring our surroundings was a better way to enjoy our time. I could either go out to Gull Island to try to rebuild our uncles past by rebuilding an island they built themselves that had faded away like most of the ancestors before us or we could canoe to a number of waterfalls.

After day hustling from one activity to another, I just wanted to relax at night so that's what I did. The old timers of the family would sit around a poker table smoking their cigars, drinking scotch and describing the stories that they have been telling for the past thirty years. If I didn't sit with those guys at night I would hangout with the younger people by the bon fire and listen to their stories about life back home. The best thing to do at night, which has given me the most memories, has to be the late night fishing with my Uncle Mike. He and I would sit out there for hours just talking about god knows what. I knew that that meant the world to him even though I could never catch a fish. Me and my uncle had always been really close and he was the only one I really knew, so of course me and my uncle did everything together.

Some people wouldn't consider being in a secluded area with family a good time, but some of my dearest memories come from that lake. I will never forget the times shared with my uncle and the rest of a family that took me in as one of their own. Carpenter Lake is now just a memory that will be with me for the rest of my life.

Kenny Wells