In Chapter 22, Cole notes that the way he envisioned living on an island while he was in Minneapolis was far different than the reality... how was he wrong?

Before actually living on the island, Cole thought that he would have plenty of free time, when in reality he was busier than ever.

Back in Minneapolis, Cole had thought that being alone on an island would give him plenty of time to just sit around. But just the opposite was true. Each day he kept busy cooking, carving, soaking in the pond, fishing, carrying the ancestor rock, washing clothes, doing schoolwork, and cutting firewood.