Many locals in northern Minnesota along the Boundary Waters live their entire lives and never get to see this iconic moment in Nature.

I was lucky enough to witness a loon swimming with a baby on its back from a moving canoe while equipped with a DSLR camera and birding lens in my handy dry box. Oh, and to add some extra drama, I as in the stern of a boat loaded with two other people and gear bags for a week-long trip into the wilderness; One of the passengers was a squirming 8-year-old boy.

And, I nailed a series of sharp images — this is just one. It’s all in how I move and breathe.