Kristina Schenck's Interactive Media

Over the summer, my morning commute to the office was a quick paddle into the wilderness. Life jackets replaced seatbelts and wind conditions were more of a concern than traffic jams. Parallel parking along the lakeshore was a dream.

Ok, the term office is relative—in this case, the office is a million-plus acres of wilderness, known as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota. There are more than 3,000 lakes in this area, which straddles the U.S.-Canadian border, and it’s just a hop-skip away from Lake Superior, the largest freshwater lake in the world. Needless to say, the landscape is enchantingly beautiful.

Duncan Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, just a few miles from the Canadian border.

Not to mention that it is nearly impossible to travel without a canoe in the Boundary Waters—which is what makes this area so unique. And this summer, I called this place both my office and my home.

As a student worker for the U.S. Forest Service, the government agency that manages the Boundary Waters, I work alongside Wilderness Rangers in the Superior National Forest. You could say I was a Wilderness Ranger-in-training, no big deal.

The Boundary Waters is a protected wilderness area that lies within the forest, and it’s also the most visited wilderness in the country. That means there are over 200,000 visitors each year—most of them come in the summer, and nearly all of them paddle in via canoe to camp, fish and enjoy the mysterious allure of the Boundary Waters.

Here’s a nice feel-good story from the NY Times about a new health kick in Oklahoma City, of all places.

According to the article, city officials are promoting healthy lifestyles and especially healthy eating with funds from the Affordable Care Act. In the story, Michael Bailey, a health official who works from the county, drives around Oklahoma City talking to people and convincing them to stop eating pork rinds and chocolate doughnuts.

NPR recently published a story about organic food, and for the first time in a long time (or perhaps ever) I disagreed with the news organization that I trust above all others. In fact, I’m so utterly upset with their coverage that I might even call this the beginning of a break-up.

Here’s why. The writers talked to experts that claim organic food may not necessarily be healthier for you, and that you may not be getting the best bang for your buck if you’re buying organic veggies simply because you think it’s more nutritious. Ok, they’re probably right about that. But they missed several dozen other benefits that organic produce supports.