When my sister and I were young, my mom read us books written by Sam Campbell. He wrote stories of friendships with animals and adventures he and his wife, Ginny, had on their little island sanctuary. 
In my little mind, I couldn’t believe how amazing his true stories were. A porcupine crawling on his head? Woodchucks making their home under his steps and coming to dinner every evening? A fawn that loved to be pet? 
Raccoons that came for daily visits? It was all too good to be true. But that’s the world Sam Campbell lived in. And thanks to his wonderful style of telling their tales, and my mom’s fun way of reading, my sister and I got to live in Sam’s world, too, every time we opened the book. 
About a year and a half ago, a church friend, George, gave us a few boxes of old books. In our house, books are treasures, friends, really, and the boys dug in. George has since passed away, so those books are even more precious. Dayne found some Sam Campbell books in the bunch, and he too, now, has experienced what it was like to live in Sam’s world.
Sam is known as “The Philosopher of the Forest”. He loved being in nature and enjoying what God has created. He believed in cherishing the time spent out there. When we began planning the trip, I looked to see if there was anything left of Sam’s legacy up in the north woods.
There is….
This barn isn’t significant to the Cambpells. We drove by it on the way and I thought it was beautiful.
We were looking forward to a special Sabbath, one where church would be a wooded cathedral. There was a light rain in the northern Wisconsin woods as we took to the trail, and it got heavier as we hiked, but with the thick canopy of trees, we didn’t feel much.
Isn’t this a cool, rustic way to do a trail map?!
There were eighteen signs like this along the main trail. They told of things in the forest we were seeing, along with tidbits of Sam’s wisdom.
This just looked so perfect and lovely…
The forest had so many different looks.
This is called paper bark or canoe bark, depending on who’s using it.
There were so many interesting things to see as we walked along.
The white diamond in the picture on the right is the trail marker. The trail is very well-marked and easy to follow.
Vanishing Lake is where a lot of Sam’s stories take place. During the wet season, there’s a pond, but it dries up quite a bit, leaving some marshy areas.
You can just imagine Sam and Ginny exploring out here.
We found some wild raspberry bushes.
Don’t you think Sam and Ginny picked berries here, too? I do…
Then it was back to Wegimind Point. Across the water is where their island sanctuary was.
The anticipation was killing me. Right through those trees was Sam’s island!
It was really hard to believe we were right there. All those times of reading about the Campbells, and the setting for those stories was right there. Oh, for a boat to go across…
That group of trees out in the water is where they had their cabin. Seeing it was such a special, tearful moment.
More treasures on the way back,
including this bark that had been woodpeckered to smithereens,
the remains of an old trapper’s cabin,
and this wooden walkway through a cypress swamp.
And in doing so, we come to know our Creator even more.
A Malo Walkabout 
Read Sam C when I was in 5th grade. Loved the first story. Many years went by and couldn’t remember his name. Spent many years searching. One day at the Milwaukee airport used book store I saw the book from my childhood, and my love for the writings of the northwoods was rekindled. I am looking forward to visiting the area sometime soon.
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Hi Merry, I’m so glad you were able to reconnect with Sam’s writings. His way of describing life up in their sanctuary was so unique. My sister and I LOVED it when our mom read to us as little girls. I hope you get to make it to his trail soon. You will be soooo glad you did.
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Thank you for writing this article! It is wonderful to see old photos of Sam Campbell and recent pictures of your visit to the beloved Sanctuary. The Sam Campbell books were my dad’s favorite as a child. My dad passed away from cancer on March 16 and amid the enormous grief I am feeling, I thought of these books he had talked about and recommended that I read. I started reading “How’s Inky?” to my husband in the evenings and we are incredibly touched by his connection to the adorable animals and the life lessons he has so beautifully passed on to humanity through his writing. Reading the Sam Campbell books makes me feel closer to my sweet papa. I feel like he is laughing and enjoying them along with me.
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Hi Laura,
I’m so glad you’re able to enjoy something so worthwhile that your dad also enjoyed. We’re so sorry to hear of your loss, and pray God can use the precious stories Sam shared to bring smiles to your tears. God be with you and your husband.
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love love love this! I read most of his books as a kid and have recently been rereading them. Do you or does anyone know if he had children? I read in his book Moose Country about his daughter on the trail with him and Giny but there is no reference of her on the internet? Curious if maybe someone knows?
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Wow, I had no idea they had a daughter. I’d never heard that until now.
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