Trish Van Pilsum is a hard-driving investigative reporter for KMSP-TV, channel 9, in the Twin Cities. Whether the Emmy-winning reporter is investigating meth labs, access to pornography at public libraries, child abuse, fires or "rape zones," it's fair to say that Van Pilsum has a demanding career full of deadlines and other pressures.

But unwinding after a stressful week on the job isn't a problem. All she has to do is jump in the car and drive to a lake near Nisswa, Minn., where her husband's family has had a cabin for 37 years. A year-round home was built on the property about 14 years ago.

Van Pilsum and her family, as well as others in her husband's family, escape to the lake home as often as possible. "The beautiful thing about my husband's parents is that they want people to be there; they are so generous about it," she said. "I feel so very, very fortunate."

Van Pilsum's husband has been going to the family cabin since he was a young child. In those days, he and his brothers and sisters often spent entire summers at the cabin with their mother, while their father worked. "The cabin has been added onto since then; it's older and more rustic [than the new home], but it's just beautiful," she said, noting its pine walls and overall excellent condition.

With Van Pilsum's move to channel 9 several years ago, she was able to spend precious summers at the cabin herself. One of the lures of moving from WCCO- channel 4 was KMSP's offer of "summers off." But having a 13-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son who are active in sports changed that option. "I would love to spend a summer at the lake," she said, "but just as I was able to do it, my kids became busy with summer sports. It's harder now.

"They love it at the lake," she continued. "The cabin is their most fun place to be on the planet." Van Pilsum said she feels very blessed as an adult to have a lake cabin in the family and finds it an invaluable part of a child's life.

Having a lake retreat is an experience Van Pilsum did not know as a child. She grew up in Minnesota but her father's family lived on a farm in Iowa, so visiting her grandparents meant heading south to a farm.

"Being able to go to a lake home is a very important part of our lives," she said. "It really is a gift."

As she described, "For me, going to the cabin brings a sense of place and context that doesn't exist in any other part of our lives. Our kids feel that strongly, and feel and sense that in me. They see how much more relaxed we are at the lake."

Once she arrives at the cabin, Van Pilsum said she is able to take a deep breath and relax. While her husband finds relaxation in "puttering," Van Pilsum is happy to sit on the dock and read.

"We just love it there," she said. "It's difficult to explain what I feel every time I get out of the car. I can smell the lake and the pine trees. I'm immediately relaxed and happy. I've been going there 15 years and I still feel that every time I go there.

"My work and my schedule are so demanding," she added. "The stories I cover can be very intense." In the past, Van Pilsum brought her cell phone to the lake and made work-related calls from the dock. "I did drop my cell phone in the lake once," she said with a laugh. "But I protect that time much more carefully now; I try not to let work interfere. It's for my kids' sake, too."

TIME IN THE OUTDOORS

Van Pilsum has never been big into camping but she does love the outdoors. "I've always tried to spend as much time outside as possible. I bicycle a lot and go hiking." Biking and hiking are among the family's favorite activities at the cabin. The Paul Bunyan trail is a short drive from their cabin, plus they sometimes just hike on roads around the cabin.

Fishing is an occasional activity. The family hires a fishing guide once a year when "serious fishing" is on the agenda, albeit it's always catch and release. "I really enjoy that," she said. "It's something I didn't do growing up."

The family is grateful that their lake is not a busy one. "There are times I'm on the dock at 1 p.m. on a Saturday and there is one boat on the lake," Van Pilsum said. Being an environmentally protected lake does limit activity.

Van Pilsum and her family often arrive at the cabin late afternoon on a Friday - in time to see the sun set and reflecting off the lake. "You come inside and everything seems to come to life with a warm glow," she said.

The family visits every weekend in the summer if there are no softball or baseball tournaments, spending a couple extra days when possible. They try to fit in a week-long or two-week visit, as well. "We go as often as we are able," she said.

Summer is not the only season the family visits the lake. "I often wonder what time of year is more beautiful there," Van Pilsum said. "The quiet of the cabin in winter is so gorgeous. In winter, when there's a full moon, you go outside at night and see moon shadows on the white snow.

"The cabin has this very special light - both tangible and metaphoric," she said. "In winter, I think of the light from a full moon and the shadows made by the trees. In summer, it's a warmer light. When the sun is setting, it reflects inside the cabin."

Besides the visible light, van Pilsum feels a metaphoric light, too - a feeling of lightness and calm of being in such a beautiful, natural, stress-free location.

By Barb Umberger