During a canoe trip in the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota two years ago, Elin and her family paddled into Canadian waters to spread her grandpa’s ashes. She recalls the scenery was beautiful, and the water was clear as crystal. And to make the event especially memorable, it was the first and only time Elin had been outside the United States – so far.
Elin often goes canoeing, hiking, and camping with her mama Kirsten and her “Baba” Karen. Some of the places they visit are a long car trip from their home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. But for Elin, the car ride is always worth it. She loves exploring the outdoors and sleeping in a tent at night.
A drawing of Elin (center) with Mama Kirsten (left) and Baba Karen (right). Drawing courtesy Tom Roark.
Elin loves seeing new places, but she also wants to help people like her grandpa did before he passed away. Over the course of eight years, Elin’s grandpa travelled back and forth between the U.S. and Tanzania to drill wells. These wells now bring clean water to poor villages where safe drinking water was once hard to find.
Not only does Elin want to travel the world to help countries improve their living conditions like her grandpa did, but she would also like to be a photographer on the side. She says with a laugh, “I don’t know what you would call what I want to be.”
Kirsten isn’t surprised that Elin wants to follow in her grandpa’s footsteps. Elin grew up hearing about how people had to walk for hours to get water for their families, and how many people couldn’t go to school or read for fun. Reading is one of Elin’s favorite activities (a recent school test revealed this twelve-year-old reads at the same level as a college freshman). Kirsten says, “I guess that made her think about what her life would be like if she didn’t have time to learn and read.”
This spring, Elin will travel to Costa Rica with her seventh grade class. They will stay at the Trimbina Nature Preserve, where they will take day hikes, go to a local school, and get to know the kids who live there. This trip will mark Elin’s second venture beyond U.S. borders. She is poised to explore the world.