tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-362471262024-03-13T14:22:19.033-07:00Universal KlisterPhotography, Outdoor Advocacy and Lifestyle Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.comBlogger1058125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-73142320666013409152024-01-04T13:12:00.000-08:002024-01-04T13:12:16.909-08:00The Wildest Ice: A BWCA Ice Skate Tour <p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSzb0wrJoZgdwqEGK8eNbQQ_22ccSa0lpK_tqk8UhRUT9-aU8u4Ok4nyqEqbb-iksRnwFF0jtgnIcMUtYcO1n1H8KN-7FEwTPIxgC5wR9NrjeyoSrJTalLHCMBWHoY0D2CRic1RwSqO-AzzZfkw-pxaptE52n2QYkwJ7lM6qIxcUoAttnhco/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSzb0wrJoZgdwqEGK8eNbQQ_22ccSa0lpK_tqk8UhRUT9-aU8u4Ok4nyqEqbb-iksRnwFF0jtgnIcMUtYcO1n1H8KN-7FEwTPIxgC5wR9NrjeyoSrJTalLHCMBWHoY0D2CRic1RwSqO-AzzZfkw-pxaptE52n2QYkwJ7lM6qIxcUoAttnhco/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5194.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Using skates you can cross big distances fast </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>There is a thing called Ice Thunder. It occurs when a fresh sheet of ice grows in reaction to cold temperatures, or shrinks in reaction to warm ones. Think of the big ice cubes in a glass as you pour three fingers if Havana Club Rum into it and then add a splash of Coke. Those cubes shatter, they break they make noise. Now scale that up to miles and miles of ice expanding all at once.<p></p><p>The sound of Ice Thunder is primal. It strikes you soul deep. That deep rumble just seems to trigger that fight or flight mechanism, that final bit of Neanderthal DNA in our bodies that is screaming for us to spring to safety.</p><p>That sound is most likely what was keeping me from falling asleep. My buddy Dave Stenehjem and I were camped for the night on the edge of a large Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness lake and the Ice Thunder was deafening. </p><p>Earlier that day we had skated on Nordic Blades, pulling sleds across multiple lakes to get to our destination, it was day one of four and the lake that was singing so loud was our next days work, if it was thick enough to safely cross...... The sound of the Thunder was so pervasive that you could hear it start on the far north side of the lake and travel miles to reach us where it would snap and crack with much higher pitches as it hit the southern shore. I was not super nervous about the next days mission, but I will say, due to the noise I was aware of its dangers.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6GJLGPUqfrQTFT8xayz5GhjeJZVfwyRhd2dWyqfTTpciWnMc0hfAnEUiT1LIKoSAeLvjcp-xCc2BsI34eZGfacr9GpqkG4O9Hr3gK_5ADTgcSdc1Qb-eDp5GUO6YhADL-1kigokL1369dSf3hBBURfPrNZFl1NZDY2IlOW5cqJd-jLD1s7Y/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-1091.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6GJLGPUqfrQTFT8xayz5GhjeJZVfwyRhd2dWyqfTTpciWnMc0hfAnEUiT1LIKoSAeLvjcp-xCc2BsI34eZGfacr9GpqkG4O9Hr3gK_5ADTgcSdc1Qb-eDp5GUO6YhADL-1kigokL1369dSf3hBBURfPrNZFl1NZDY2IlOW5cqJd-jLD1s7Y/w640-h480/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-1091.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a way to travel </td></tr></tbody></table><p>The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is 1 Million acres of Wilderness with over a thousand lakes interconnected within it. Generally by January its frozen over and covered in a deep blanket of snow. Every so often however there is tiny window of time where the lakes freeze thick enough to be safe and smooth enough to access for skating before the snow comes. When I say a tiny window, I mean tiny. In years past its been days, sometimes a single day before the next snow system comes and all that shiny black ice is put away for the rest of the winter. </p><p>Locals call these conditions Black Ice, because the ice is literally so clear it presents as black due to the depth of water so you can see through it. Its almost invisible. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3tfLrgAtlFFg6HKgo7JejSPqw8SOfXAmCSZWTkHi6CqJVt9h36meLm-TX2sfweKLwR5GNsIp4GcojnRKqsq8rSEBXl4iLXX6Bc0c79nrrvAX_GVdf9KYOxgQZl44OJY00mPlMEanbovUGygw6FFNlUYQbBcZEw7-1wqDvgmVjWh37KefHgk/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3247.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl3tfLrgAtlFFg6HKgo7JejSPqw8SOfXAmCSZWTkHi6CqJVt9h36meLm-TX2sfweKLwR5GNsIp4GcojnRKqsq8rSEBXl4iLXX6Bc0c79nrrvAX_GVdf9KYOxgQZl44OJY00mPlMEanbovUGygw6FFNlUYQbBcZEw7-1wqDvgmVjWh37KefHgk/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3247.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Ice on Love Lake in Brainerd, MN Christmas morning 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The social media world has labeled it "Wild Ice". The concept being its not what most Minnesotan's consider ice, that being ice in a hockey arena.....its WILD ha! As a kid down in Southeastern Minnesota we would get amazing Black Ice conditions on the Mississippi River. It was consistent enough that our family would plan for it and many late falls and early winters we would skate the sloughs and backwaters. </p><p>We would have picnics on the ice and my whole family would come out to skate, mom and dad, aunts and uncles and all the cousins. We would build a bonfire and skate till we were tired then chill and roast hotdogs and drink hot chocolate. I remember doing a 50KM skate one day with a highschool buddy of mine, it was such a cool experience. </p><p>When I moved up to Duluth and was able to experience some of those fleeting Black Ice moments in the BWCA I was captivated with the idea of being able to do an extended tour deep into the Wilderness. </p><p>However in over 20 years of living close to the BWCA I had not have the chance to actually do it. Certainly there were widows of conditions where it was possible but those conditions also needed to line up with my life schedule as well (which is utter and total chaos).</p><p>This winter so far has been one of unprecedented warmth. While there has been plenty of precipitation, it has come as rain. Duluth, Minnesota, my home has only had three winters in recorded history that did not have snow and ice. This was the third. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR2GVaI60zrzL0LAOzwXWq75wYFdHC1qQhQ7hyphenhyphenCq6gBx-YzCZnID0umZ7-8LG8eNooxCMOgl5qnYscMIaFTe19E2esHGIx0AiQ_J68dDcHP3tlL4tD_y_b9KOC5CKSPlvGrY9ILYxcf9orROE_ODS_gBTlodbXcHzS_PVruuu6IqevanDRMo/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWR2GVaI60zrzL0LAOzwXWq75wYFdHC1qQhQ7hyphenhyphenCq6gBx-YzCZnID0umZ7-8LG8eNooxCMOgl5qnYscMIaFTe19E2esHGIx0AiQ_J68dDcHP3tlL4tD_y_b9KOC5CKSPlvGrY9ILYxcf9orROE_ODS_gBTlodbXcHzS_PVruuu6IqevanDRMo/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5689.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Yet as any die hard ice fisherman will tell you, ice forms even in this bizarre weather. The water temps cool down as the sun looses it power, short days and long nights contribute and even with temps just below freezing the ice starts to form. Of course not all lakes freeze at the same rate. Small shallow lakes freeze first. Bigger lakes are last to freeze and wind and depth are big factors on how fast the ice forms. Not all ice surfaces are uniform as well. Some lakes that do freeze might have a slight coating of slush and thus freeze with a surface that is not good for skating, or they get just enough snow to create a crust layer on top making for some rough skating. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU78JlFwu7VeT3vCbSP9_bob9vOo3v9JnEnT5btX2GplbNfoKmfmIHUT2tqdlbJ_EhZ-DWC3VwYkywL1YftRfO0CdMK_8ZqEOfhHAP3xHeg9TcEKk-9DWryKzwQKHNgZKbNQw9pbtEpSnoBsANWYzzBz44ossKAe2bLR7Gn5uyKe-6WVmWPl0/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU78JlFwu7VeT3vCbSP9_bob9vOo3v9JnEnT5btX2GplbNfoKmfmIHUT2tqdlbJ_EhZ-DWC3VwYkywL1YftRfO0CdMK_8ZqEOfhHAP3xHeg9TcEKk-9DWryKzwQKHNgZKbNQw9pbtEpSnoBsANWYzzBz44ossKAe2bLR7Gn5uyKe-6WVmWPl0/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3751.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ice is constantly changing </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Keeping up with ice conditions and constantly monitoring temps and getting first hand info is key to understanding the safety of ice that you will want to skate on. I started to monitor the ice conditions for a possible BWCA route in late November. I obsessed over the temps and the different weather systems that were coming through. I traveled up to the Gunflint with another friend and my son just after Thanksgiving to get on some early ice and to see first hand what was freezing what was not. </p><p>After establishing that baseline and then regularly reaching out to contacts I started to put a list of possible routes together and then I sat back and bit my fingernails hoping for all things to line up (which they never do). This was not my first rodeo, like I said this has been an obsession for years. </p><p>The Gunflint Trail region has typically been the region I frequent for Lake Trout in the BWCA and was where I wanted to do this route as it also where we traditionally go for the Lake Trout Opener anyway. The Gunflint Trail has its own weather. Its a thing. You can look at every prediction on every weather site and its still not what was forecast. Its far enough north that its generally colder (not always) but usually. That's makes learning about conditions a challenge, especially living three hours south, but with diligence and good intel its possible to understand conditions and make a safe plan.</p><p>Leading up to Christmas there were varied ice reports. There had been just enough snow to screw up the surface on a lot of the lakes. The warm temps were persisting up there as well and many big lakes remained ice free. Honestly I was giving up on the hope for a 2024 skate but not because of snow, but because of thin ice and rough ice on what was frozen. </p><p>Keep in mind I was looking to do an extended four day loop skating into the interior of the wilderness, this means you need to be able to travel a route and with the varied ice conditions at stage of ice conditions would be tough. Day trips are nice but my hope for this experience was to go to spots I had not been before and of course....fish! </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UfDCP8aahn4-GRfsHyKRkxPaQVE_h49pAY9NYLlZPxE5GfR2Eu0YX92x9rFbxU8Pb9YM_RLpw_DPmImYi_rgT7JeDQS7MOFQKrwIJoo66yX8tPEAtfEXD4fQXhyH3MSY1idwJ1m0onEDAfgyzez3ZIoz57XL0QhH33wUDSwUVtxKP3XCLeM/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3UfDCP8aahn4-GRfsHyKRkxPaQVE_h49pAY9NYLlZPxE5GfR2Eu0YX92x9rFbxU8Pb9YM_RLpw_DPmImYi_rgT7JeDQS7MOFQKrwIJoo66yX8tPEAtfEXD4fQXhyH3MSY1idwJ1m0onEDAfgyzez3ZIoz57XL0QhH33wUDSwUVtxKP3XCLeM/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3641.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Day trips are a dream on skates. Dump the gear and fly to whatever extra lake you want to hit!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>Then in mid December we had a small, short cold snap. It was short lived but enough for significant ice to build up on the small to medium sized lakes. </p><p>Its a tradition for us to go into the BWCA over the New Years weekend. Its the season opener for Lake Trout within the BWCA. So there was no question as to if we were going into the BWCA, it was just how. The week of Christmas itself I was resigned to a walk in trip. The ice was safe in some locations but the surface was not smooth enough to skate. </p><p>Of course at that point Mother Nature had other ideas and she decided to warm up the temps to the 50's and rain over 2 inches. We spent the holiday holed up watching the rain cascade down. I did though, even through that mess, check the local ice. On small ponds the ice was still 5 inches thick and somehow the rain was draining off. In fact the ice surface conditions had improved and had become even smoother. The small bit of snow on it had been washed away. Looking north it was similar, only there was a cold snap coming at the tail end of the system. Maybe, just maybe if the snow were to stay away we could pull off a safe, smooth backcountry skate loop......</p><p>So I started packing. One packing strategy for skis or walking and another for skating just in case.</p><p>Doing a backcountry tour on ice skates throws some real complication at you as to how to pack and what to pack. The whole allure of skating as travel is the freedom and the speed it allows. Skating is nearly frictionless and it allows you cross big distances of ice relatively quickly when compared to walking or skiing. To maximize that experience you need to make sure you are traveling as light weight as possible. Which is a fine line to thread when your talking about camping in cold temps. The week leading up to the New Years weekend I was simultaneously watching the weather like a hawk and tossing out all the gear I would normally winter camp with and hoping for the best. </p><p>Dave and I decided we would ditch the <a href="https://www.snowtrekkertents.com">Snowtrekker Hot Tent</a> we usually borrow. The temps at the very least would be above Zero so we could easily cold camp. Instead we tossed in a <a href="https://www.hyperlitemountaingear.com/collections/ultralight-tents">Hyperlite Ulta-mid 4</a>. Tarp only, no insert. The Ultamid 4 is incredibly light and it would keep the wind and possible snow off of us while were stashed in our -20 Sleeping bags. I weened down my clothes and my food and my cook kit as well as my ice fishing gear (which was painful). I feel like going ultra-light is hard because its so soul crushing. I find I have attachments to past gear because of memories or the history of its usage, but after hefting the pack a few times, I would just start tossing more shit out.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3-ZOR079BnXL7AociXA-SWYJjLYUNdY_ePQUFrXDwWHK70ruScFWZA6wW30yyeB7f-ezmjfp4Un9uEohQ-OPhwg2A97bcIaoumpurojZvvAsRs9utEdYxxciVp_17Au6TAf6svulbbRgNVhN80nI-PtOo_SJQqZVjUNU0BrNrm7rUbMkjgQI/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3-ZOR079BnXL7AociXA-SWYJjLYUNdY_ePQUFrXDwWHK70ruScFWZA6wW30yyeB7f-ezmjfp4Un9uEohQ-OPhwg2A97bcIaoumpurojZvvAsRs9utEdYxxciVp_17Au6TAf6svulbbRgNVhN80nI-PtOo_SJQqZVjUNU0BrNrm7rUbMkjgQI/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4080.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40gm4Lj9QVscdXCZEGa6seOdGgTQmt0yJJ2U7ffAQw82q5sAB9gv7AI3_tLOrDAOKy-JKthXfPE8PYXVyR6kFlb90rOHThKsHpro9oMDzxB5BCHMiKCC95zgMkayO34QMlQDxT00YASWObkd1w8Dk_57DKel0VrOtbb7C3c6qUzVjuzbK_Hc/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh40gm4Lj9QVscdXCZEGa6seOdGgTQmt0yJJ2U7ffAQw82q5sAB9gv7AI3_tLOrDAOKy-JKthXfPE8PYXVyR6kFlb90rOHThKsHpro9oMDzxB5BCHMiKCC95zgMkayO34QMlQDxT00YASWObkd1w8Dk_57DKel0VrOtbb7C3c6qUzVjuzbK_Hc/w426-h640/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4086.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Hyperlite Ulta-mid 4 was a nice tent to have</td></tr></tbody></table><p>One further complication of perfect ice conditions is that it means that the portage trails between lakes are dry. Usually we would pull a sled or a Tobaggon allowing you to pack more and drag it. Portages are rocky and in some cases really steep affairs. Many of them follow drainages between lakes and sometimes they are actual stream beds and just full of baby head sized rocks. So a sled would suck on portages, but once we hit ice and were skating a sled would be more freeing and thus effective. Sleds are also really nice to have while ice fishing. Mainly because you hop from hole to hole dragging your kit with you and its way faster to just toss that into a sled versus constantly packing a rucksack. Finally I decided I would pack two backpacks and pull a sled. I packed a Hyperlite Porter that can take a LOT of gear. The second was a small mid sized BD Daypack. If I had one I would have gone for the Hyperlite Unbound as my second bag which would have been the perfect match for this set up. Next time! </p><p>I decided I would pull an old beater sled fully loaded on the ice but then wear the heaviest pack on the portages and pull the nearly un- loaded sled across the portage. This solved two problems. First a light sled would pull easier over the rocks and dirt and secondly I could keep loose items like my ice rods in the sled and not have to figure out how to stash them. Damn the torpedoes, tough sledding or not we were hauling!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LZNmw5OsDgXmsa_PVsZGGfYqHJYaCVNqMPuNEbjCZ14MlhtDFZxkkfOF7qSEfF0JRxS_zPjYGVDxF0hyfvw7WO8fWrr-L1jevfLCMg86e3tCdktDRYLquugsX3etRg45QbxXyDm_f_jKQk-Is9ajrGxifkh1dvJsyVBtixJxl_aAvwuAkbw/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LZNmw5OsDgXmsa_PVsZGGfYqHJYaCVNqMPuNEbjCZ14MlhtDFZxkkfOF7qSEfF0JRxS_zPjYGVDxF0hyfvw7WO8fWrr-L1jevfLCMg86e3tCdktDRYLquugsX3etRg45QbxXyDm_f_jKQk-Is9ajrGxifkh1dvJsyVBtixJxl_aAvwuAkbw/w480-h640/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-1200.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkPV4AgVBsxlIyvpYtTltjTcXCyAGQggPFnC0uHcpvMbOz5Via7xVf9OGiqayCQcwuj8hsbOuPNoV3uygpVTbOy9XWxZe70Z4JxxiUIDmsz9cZG3TYjd_o8VWC6KEvbToEsHNHAcDYtSBBTVbv-x3MiKyiMWYD33nImYoEEnuY34dwHUYUnc/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5546.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTkPV4AgVBsxlIyvpYtTltjTcXCyAGQggPFnC0uHcpvMbOz5Via7xVf9OGiqayCQcwuj8hsbOuPNoV3uygpVTbOy9XWxZe70Z4JxxiUIDmsz9cZG3TYjd_o8VWC6KEvbToEsHNHAcDYtSBBTVbv-x3MiKyiMWYD33nImYoEEnuY34dwHUYUnc/w426-h640/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5546.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagPfiMVt55rKX1wRRYHlobQclkbZNEjGMs14Ngs5UsE5Cv06hslS-LehWgvEKTzhInOhI3OcaQ10GKn1QZuhitQfsxriFBEAZRqjaI4r1mbmdTyFlGRWN_i41jatUj8kQG1MLSKkUEdd4y_uRuPCAD8JXnIZ_FdFRysM2j2SP9RmrETlgCYM/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3468.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjagPfiMVt55rKX1wRRYHlobQclkbZNEjGMs14Ngs5UsE5Cv06hslS-LehWgvEKTzhInOhI3OcaQ10GKn1QZuhitQfsxriFBEAZRqjaI4r1mbmdTyFlGRWN_i41jatUj8kQG1MLSKkUEdd4y_uRuPCAD8JXnIZ_FdFRysM2j2SP9RmrETlgCYM/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3468.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvsU1MFYvzAZt2U9my4WsosuuRM-BZLgZrDxXuPWjyKjl5cBuxFrIUGwRzrs3P3O2exvrEqkSb6mI38SwS-2DsoeB68_HpMd0BCmDQr39H9NvgD4pj01QL1H7Qr_lfJ58qVxyDrlJvA7DJnqL3wjVPC3wp-mC49B3rIWR1XkB2F3jAzU4qjk/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvsU1MFYvzAZt2U9my4WsosuuRM-BZLgZrDxXuPWjyKjl5cBuxFrIUGwRzrs3P3O2exvrEqkSb6mI38SwS-2DsoeB68_HpMd0BCmDQr39H9NvgD4pj01QL1H7Qr_lfJ58qVxyDrlJvA7DJnqL3wjVPC3wp-mC49B3rIWR1XkB2F3jAzU4qjk/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3842.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wonder why Dave had to fix his sled?? Could it be the rocks or the drops?</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Of course the very act skating itself complicates things. Luckily my Scandinavian brethern have come up with some interesting solutions. Instead of having to use something like a hockey skate or a Figure Skate, the Scandinavians created <a href="https://www.lundhags.com/en/skates/">"Nordic Skates"</a> or "Nordic Blades." These are basically speed skate length blades with a mounting platform on top that accept most forms of Nordic Bindings. This solves a lot of issues when you are using them on a backcountry touring adventure. For one you can take them off and walk over the portages with only having to stash a lightweight pair of skates on your pack. Secondly, depending on the binding system you use you could wear one pair of warm, sturdy boots and not have to haul a second pair of boots. Nordic Skates will accept everything from Universal bindings that allow a basic boot to strap on, or three pins, I have even seen skates with <a href="https://thingstolucat.com/nordic-skate-equipment-guide/">Dynafit bindings</a> on them. These have been around for decades.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Mi5u3dMlehk-h0aPVSij-rRfU5jqfqgLuDUN-HQ5kCAiDu5z5uIxZq7juzvxllSeQKEdCCiD8zSxnZQpqH120n6cfWZm7lihRV82lXnWTkX-c-LkUf9dU3HJ5OG-SuPCEtdd_9zOxVJMcKUn2sJ0mxi2mNGQtX1XWTf-F1tnCfemWF5uhG4/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Mi5u3dMlehk-h0aPVSij-rRfU5jqfqgLuDUN-HQ5kCAiDu5z5uIxZq7juzvxllSeQKEdCCiD8zSxnZQpqH120n6cfWZm7lihRV82lXnWTkX-c-LkUf9dU3HJ5OG-SuPCEtdd_9zOxVJMcKUn2sJ0mxi2mNGQtX1XWTf-F1tnCfemWF5uhG4/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3594.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoo0yfnKNhFHAPNTy9pa1a_AoegLaKjwYzfEwsQ83S-lmdfPtwdDzkb0D48KdbxaiNfNvT6fLZ-jZ23XRtDU9gx-DzxBGtTvj2PKGiC7cCsO96oxihSwnB3Ei-sa_JmJilRCS8st3lVoePcbN3YIzpqZ30pAMLPw78lc4ne8Ug0cs_W-9le8/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4776.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZoo0yfnKNhFHAPNTy9pa1a_AoegLaKjwYzfEwsQ83S-lmdfPtwdDzkb0D48KdbxaiNfNvT6fLZ-jZ23XRtDU9gx-DzxBGtTvj2PKGiC7cCsO96oxihSwnB3Ei-sa_JmJilRCS8st3lVoePcbN3YIzpqZ30pAMLPw78lc4ne8Ug0cs_W-9le8/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4776.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitR_lXmY9lkfrGvSGGAzDLnUF1lIWHC-61GqpJHGUW_CqjuQSJVKKkZ9ROgSyg3bz9xs_UyA9HBy3hd-EuOdt-Qm__mmAfHNgwVQelqzggyhU5-V5M19q5EOkMJnjZE0Wao2FrGp9SEMi7FpjAK9tWGRimT5v-_WhbBB4l_Yrz9XGVbANpN4M/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitR_lXmY9lkfrGvSGGAzDLnUF1lIWHC-61GqpJHGUW_CqjuQSJVKKkZ9ROgSyg3bz9xs_UyA9HBy3hd-EuOdt-Qm__mmAfHNgwVQelqzggyhU5-V5M19q5EOkMJnjZE0Wao2FrGp9SEMi7FpjAK9tWGRimT5v-_WhbBB4l_Yrz9XGVbANpN4M/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5449.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nordic Blades made this trip possible </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Two days before shove off I was constantly badgering a bunch of contacts up on the Gunflint Trail for information. What was in, what was out, what had people walked on, where were people fishing etc. I pinged Andy and Ada at <a href="https://tuscaroracanoe.com/about-us/">Tuscarora Lodge</a> constantly. They are extremely good at posting information on their Instagram Account. They were very smart with how they gave me information on the ice and possible safety concerns, which I appreciated, Ice safety is tough thing. I would put it on par with Avalanche Safety or Glacier Travel. Thus you don't put info out there lightly as not everybody consumes it the same way and the last thing you want to do is to send somebody who is not aware of the dangers into a bad situation. I thank them for the info, it made the trip for us to be honest. Speaking of safety, we both carried <a href="https://www.scheels.com/p/clam-emergency-throw-rope/71992109558.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAy9msBhD0ARIsANbk0A8DmENcTaBhn9n1ZbJphRvsZ2DZk28l0tkPP8SaHOuG2irx9pHAs1MaAjH1EALw_wcB&src=hardlines">throw ropes</a> and self arrest <a href="https://icefishingworld.com/ice_fishing_equipment/ice-picks/">ice picks</a>. We also hauled along a full <a href="https://www.scheels.com/p/trophy-angler-razr-back-ice-chisel-standard/72388895188.html?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAy9msBhD0ARIsANbk0A-1qeaEoDRyM6CAFf2vBmHmHEpz5UTJtD162Q2hch3s5v22C6eWKGgaAqJfEALw_wcB&src=hardlines">Spud Bar</a> so we could constantly check ice thickness.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjN2NqL3lNzRItfT_bRMLb0zkF8j-zb4a6mrNIGe6g4q2hoFBdRk5hc-hUIMBmZliK4IEC8-D99tbMA8OmMBdY0aK5Jpyp2tgOl72y2_HTdfXPY2guA-95_uyPMlITURRTedUM0ywtRuGgZXlFMdba9SEvz0VNAtmD2P1BnJDNsRcIm0eThE0/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjN2NqL3lNzRItfT_bRMLb0zkF8j-zb4a6mrNIGe6g4q2hoFBdRk5hc-hUIMBmZliK4IEC8-D99tbMA8OmMBdY0aK5Jpyp2tgOl72y2_HTdfXPY2guA-95_uyPMlITURRTedUM0ywtRuGgZXlFMdba9SEvz0VNAtmD2P1BnJDNsRcIm0eThE0/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5111.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The trip basically went off without a hitch. There had been just a skiff of snow that fell the morning we arrived, which killed the aesthetic of the Black Ice and made it patchy with wisps of snow. That impeded our ability to visually check if ice was safe and slowed us a bit as we had to double check ice thickness with the Spud Bar on each new lake. This little bit of snow caused a slight bit of drag on the sleds but not much, in fact it might have kept our sleds tracking a bit. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsw63oIR9I-A9ci-AjkK6_JztUv9pMYqr8C4XPjhlM_fuVXRBnGVypsE9j0QPehuPE8PupHdI50FrKs3ZdkHnBjEGOZ4eGJTMIq3Won_nT7JJmneQuNcuabqdVSkb-qZ79A5i04pO-iywizAla1sgopDkMpru-FsldjAX3f7632dipr2dZYM/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5251.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsw63oIR9I-A9ci-AjkK6_JztUv9pMYqr8C4XPjhlM_fuVXRBnGVypsE9j0QPehuPE8PupHdI50FrKs3ZdkHnBjEGOZ4eGJTMIq3Won_nT7JJmneQuNcuabqdVSkb-qZ79A5i04pO-iywizAla1sgopDkMpru-FsldjAX3f7632dipr2dZYM/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5251.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The portages were much, much harder than anticipated. In fact Dave nearly broke his sled in half on the first portage and that first night he had to do some serious McGyver bullshit to make sure his sled would survive the full loop. The portages were the main time consumer. Some portages would go fairly easy, others were really, really arduous. Sometimes my sled would high point on a rock and roll over. Other times it would just pin itself under a rock and dead stop me. Without a deep snowpack to level out the climbs, it made some of the pitches really steep and hard to both climb and pull your sled straight up the trail over ice flows and frozen seeps. Mainly though we got through the portages. That said, I for sure came unglued on one of the last portages of the trip. It just got tedious.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP6-h11mQU4iUjfFdIRFxZNuF8uIJWehRPRVX3pYBJ2U7NyDMWSmMUFn4cA9dBAlvBsdXBFxyEdQLaHnmdPYC625vuwqi_cZbiL4Kj53OjTrOP_1VxmA7i7FiF5IYOk2QhLXfe9il3JQKTSIDmOhTxQmK_MLxz4A2UWd-HE5-fwKECe28StE/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqP6-h11mQU4iUjfFdIRFxZNuF8uIJWehRPRVX3pYBJ2U7NyDMWSmMUFn4cA9dBAlvBsdXBFxyEdQLaHnmdPYC625vuwqi_cZbiL4Kj53OjTrOP_1VxmA7i7FiF5IYOk2QhLXfe9il3JQKTSIDmOhTxQmK_MLxz4A2UWd-HE5-fwKECe28StE/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3711.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave Route Finding around some flowing water</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Ice conditions were much what we assumed might happen. Smaller lakes were 10 inches plus of perfect ice. Bigger lakes though were much, much less. We crossed over Gillis Lake, the third deepest lake in the BWCA at 180 feet deep. It had about 4-5 inches of clear perfect ice. We fished a drop of over 90 feet next to a sheer wall. The ice and the water were so clear under my feet I almost got sense of Vertigo looking down at my spoon, way way down there.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aHVPObdLnTnopYGVrN9sqiaVhJEPp5gkO_4XyGjW6D8a1i2HvqKGUtSFfD7sRLhjqWiTm9Yz0eaXNri4VW8B93XgD4XE1CjIzNnu0sb-Aqc9IJ4JDO4VuTuetoPkMfyQslkZsuk7A5Y-tU8v3ES4BCwwvzXIg8KgiNBvCYrfYbd8HKS_t2o/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9aHVPObdLnTnopYGVrN9sqiaVhJEPp5gkO_4XyGjW6D8a1i2HvqKGUtSFfD7sRLhjqWiTm9Yz0eaXNri4VW8B93XgD4XE1CjIzNnu0sb-Aqc9IJ4JDO4VuTuetoPkMfyQslkZsuk7A5Y-tU8v3ES4BCwwvzXIg8KgiNBvCYrfYbd8HKS_t2o/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3725.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaHZCHMbEysIh7sqZMnrU1f7broTo-pbwsh3k9AhILtvogudJg1scAIzeNr68VFIBAgHKQs2tgtXDjhtQTqef0EgVijTe-0rlNCozUlLS0ivA3V9BF6KBdFJRnpfZ1f9FDDxl-T-USvAFQ4B3Ie_Fn4wqwvvfJU8NsxhkBtdBeqhlIL7EUIo/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFaHZCHMbEysIh7sqZMnrU1f7broTo-pbwsh3k9AhILtvogudJg1scAIzeNr68VFIBAgHKQs2tgtXDjhtQTqef0EgVijTe-0rlNCozUlLS0ivA3V9BF6KBdFJRnpfZ1f9FDDxl-T-USvAFQ4B3Ie_Fn4wqwvvfJU8NsxhkBtdBeqhlIL7EUIo/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4445.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Crossing Gillis it was obvious that we would not have been able to do so a week previously. The ice was that new. We did get turned away from our original loop. The recent rain had opened up the rivers in between lakes. One to the point where we tried to bushwhack nearly a mile to get to safe ice and eventually just threw in the towel and took a different route. That's route finding 101. If it goes, great, if not recalibrate. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGkd5jUggHgC_6GozkBwSa7LWFHU2sQSvRooP1vl3dDZ9TsHo7onzyT_37m7a8DMeSK0-tDFYu6-3aKxDH1RVmJ5iXEW26-__-9An5XeDJ8JafOvHBnTfgzMmkys2n1PdtC4cNllTvVKU8lplYO4fNVuRdNX0aXME6fvEc5zKiDNev2Kkz_8/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfGkd5jUggHgC_6GozkBwSa7LWFHU2sQSvRooP1vl3dDZ9TsHo7onzyT_37m7a8DMeSK0-tDFYu6-3aKxDH1RVmJ5iXEW26-__-9An5XeDJ8JafOvHBnTfgzMmkys2n1PdtC4cNllTvVKU8lplYO4fNVuRdNX0aXME6fvEc5zKiDNev2Kkz_8/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3733.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave pounded a bunch of Trout right off this rock in 20 feet of water.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzMhl2Vqad47HJ4e4ZwJATVkdaEjOkLkacHwdvCWowvJC0OeO0JWkwkiE3MdqCT7qvIlk6RkzMzI2n8mpPMHgia_dPZnf_D-DKkIFP-hnVYQr4nS1N8VxFYFeodZ0OIzKf2cESdbW5eU0I-KNDojya7Kb9_-6PlIjAdRiPZk8MM4dhL_nbzo/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrzMhl2Vqad47HJ4e4ZwJATVkdaEjOkLkacHwdvCWowvJC0OeO0JWkwkiE3MdqCT7qvIlk6RkzMzI2n8mpPMHgia_dPZnf_D-DKkIFP-hnVYQr4nS1N8VxFYFeodZ0OIzKf2cESdbW5eU0I-KNDojya7Kb9_-6PlIjAdRiPZk8MM4dhL_nbzo/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3847.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8f-lOt5MRlU1Zwu17BCONic6GpvhBv3Dv26TkyTUQUrQlWXDL9ykG9Gfm4WFXaQRuiWeR6KK7lLa00ItVGVOf9mdB5u13jZ10m9eOS5HF2_18-hRVwe0Wn9UrD5aItTrMYeFx9RPmiPjYlPij0yuvSXhXrXgNtIx58h1BhE4hAB5LkxNa-cQ/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8f-lOt5MRlU1Zwu17BCONic6GpvhBv3Dv26TkyTUQUrQlWXDL9ykG9Gfm4WFXaQRuiWeR6KK7lLa00ItVGVOf9mdB5u13jZ10m9eOS5HF2_18-hRVwe0Wn9UrD5aItTrMYeFx9RPmiPjYlPij0yuvSXhXrXgNtIx58h1BhE4hAB5LkxNa-cQ/w426-h640/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4535.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mlJSS-SYXBI0jHh-xYCfczeHftutnCIkRDfGZofVXLsQR8f5oln7KuQW6wABfcyMculoAohAOCIQbQm1QqZvtAfvFtcxhAH5BWEpE8LuuFFNmrYSfhghWzfBHtjmCvJJuFSBQ1gWAVnrZlsbBdSQbHM43mcUjrLGNOa6vNV7Owe-O75YhKE/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8mlJSS-SYXBI0jHh-xYCfczeHftutnCIkRDfGZofVXLsQR8f5oln7KuQW6wABfcyMculoAohAOCIQbQm1QqZvtAfvFtcxhAH5BWEpE8LuuFFNmrYSfhghWzfBHtjmCvJJuFSBQ1gWAVnrZlsbBdSQbHM43mcUjrLGNOa6vNV7Owe-O75YhKE/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4047.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner Fish</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkld19viJBZnI7JHMxdsKOwMr0ij522OilOqMH7gxpVkzUXxCVWBIng8Imckr8gFKUsGdBfmImmNfuDi1GTM8ClVm-SiG_YL4Ato1Ym3MqpJbwMYp2RIiEHQzms209NYv5QkSIUrrHtPQFu6SdTiF7fFI6C8upBUE2Yb8XgNPc6ZL3v7vCMQ/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="683" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLkld19viJBZnI7JHMxdsKOwMr0ij522OilOqMH7gxpVkzUXxCVWBIng8Imckr8gFKUsGdBfmImmNfuDi1GTM8ClVm-SiG_YL4Ato1Ym3MqpJbwMYp2RIiEHQzms209NYv5QkSIUrrHtPQFu6SdTiF7fFI6C8upBUE2Yb8XgNPc6ZL3v7vCMQ/w426-h640/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3893.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You only get one tackle box...whats in it!</td></tr></tbody></table></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF58GVut_CPj_aKGYng6764HDjT5vb7bS737hunN-laZ1XMQvOZ0gIJ1li9HxKEDNPgmR1XoRzfUhyphenhyphen4VOUBJDmLSQlwfw2J0cIkCtfSoRkCNV1zoGqqZdbcTru1H453KPRBTs3smYOCakJdbwSma4MwrHeA8sGC5R5lBTc_nIrvNRyYsTPUS8/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5462.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF58GVut_CPj_aKGYng6764HDjT5vb7bS737hunN-laZ1XMQvOZ0gIJ1li9HxKEDNPgmR1XoRzfUhyphenhyphen4VOUBJDmLSQlwfw2J0cIkCtfSoRkCNV1zoGqqZdbcTru1H453KPRBTs3smYOCakJdbwSma4MwrHeA8sGC5R5lBTc_nIrvNRyYsTPUS8/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5462.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Breakfast Fish </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfGcY2yHHJuo5xSL4PsyHVXQO75qcER2uUdEXNbVOvvvmKpinN5aSDq7XjLJpbqdlY5q4DGxaDNnkFFAYxCqMVwj7G2BRsEWI2IcjS5XJr4TJdy1XZgR2rqTfPY5T0h_ywWxUwahV2QC7LfNE9zorO_gYU3YcEIQpoircBk6VMuwVQTxnqcM/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPfGcY2yHHJuo5xSL4PsyHVXQO75qcER2uUdEXNbVOvvvmKpinN5aSDq7XjLJpbqdlY5q4DGxaDNnkFFAYxCqMVwj7G2BRsEWI2IcjS5XJr4TJdy1XZgR2rqTfPY5T0h_ywWxUwahV2QC7LfNE9zorO_gYU3YcEIQpoircBk6VMuwVQTxnqcM/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4351.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>The fishing was good. However we did not fish as much as we usually do. The skating was just so good, it was hard not to just travel and gawk. Many times we would just dropped the sleds and go for high speed rally with no gear at all. Just full fledged frolic. I loved the sense of speed and freedom you get from a pair of skates, on good ice and in the middle of nowhere. We ate Lake Trout every night. Cooked in tinfoil over the coals of a nice fire. The nights were warm enough where we could literally stoke up a nice fire and just chill by it and cook dinner. So weird for January in Northern Minnesota!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aCItzrqbXkb86DtazbIvsT_B76BBjJ5zpL_nX908hnP1eZt-03iNSvdbgzqz2Fi60WI15GdIo1cQ7J3DR5nsSZf3VQgkli4pUNFcRCtSceZF5lgjA-YtbMrclBGqD2TvVz8NKp30CiOPI41DT8rzTu7zRDJ0LIJEO_RdBYPYkqKFNQTZs48/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3aCItzrqbXkb86DtazbIvsT_B76BBjJ5zpL_nX908hnP1eZt-03iNSvdbgzqz2Fi60WI15GdIo1cQ7J3DR5nsSZf3VQgkli4pUNFcRCtSceZF5lgjA-YtbMrclBGqD2TvVz8NKp30CiOPI41DT8rzTu7zRDJ0LIJEO_RdBYPYkqKFNQTZs48/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3601.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAVosFL8SDNRYbBnlAs39kfom_DLafU2oBUQUTehsM9JKWhmvFd_o6pFU6uud8HCkutQA34cPyve0sAw__mzp5IujkXrCTz32D7NvqMkRaq9MkeTGDvO_vvrjfHGzzOLj2_bWjWyO0nhDJloFYJsmvlkzV7U0yWPsttIZCml8cslgvlgbY2Q/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitAVosFL8SDNRYbBnlAs39kfom_DLafU2oBUQUTehsM9JKWhmvFd_o6pFU6uud8HCkutQA34cPyve0sAw__mzp5IujkXrCTz32D7NvqMkRaq9MkeTGDvO_vvrjfHGzzOLj2_bWjWyO0nhDJloFYJsmvlkzV7U0yWPsttIZCml8cslgvlgbY2Q/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5021.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Both Dave and I also hauled along some good camp meals to augment the Trout. I generally frown on eating out of a bag but I have come to the final reality that if you are going to travel light its necessary evil. I have food a few meals I totally love and I am geared to them now as my go to. I love the <a href="https://goodto-go.com">Good To Go</a> breakfast Granola and had that every morning. I also love their Mushroom Risoto for dinner! I also brought along some food from Trailtopia. I had never tried their food before, but when I saw they had partnered with Bent Paddle I had to try it. I was not bummed. I loved their Bent Paddle Braised Chicken Stew. What I really loved though was their deserts, both the Apple Crisp and Rocky Road Pudding where so good ha!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDOXgG-m1C_bi4mPnU5v1M1W0rv0EQgpAk_wkuDynncoyMPxPiYf4gz36UfEjjyNsut6hroS2uBqpXybUJOgi5d8z5UpoofDKR_p0wvmcS9lba1KAXKwNAch4nfXqLStSGe5jaFAxqtBxIT6eZq9K9Fo5t7JHc__SDGCbQR8WFYz3-fFxToY/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4589.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCDOXgG-m1C_bi4mPnU5v1M1W0rv0EQgpAk_wkuDynncoyMPxPiYf4gz36UfEjjyNsut6hroS2uBqpXybUJOgi5d8z5UpoofDKR_p0wvmcS9lba1KAXKwNAch4nfXqLStSGe5jaFAxqtBxIT6eZq9K9Fo5t7JHc__SDGCbQR8WFYz3-fFxToY/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4589.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdWbpIKVFx8_uSGaP2TCxkivdWK-jKnmwPdRDn2WjCoQUpaKgDTj-3vPXGRZVoVgSlqj8DKEmj2sUkpCKjzoWv-Fgzqgy3D3g3wM0XVF4-T9LJ-RhxDK2k5VPK19KStMxS_Tw4CQCXBgl_NeTRUyRXTTRDH-SFKCKe7x0sMYDNT3mZb0SHqU/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdWbpIKVFx8_uSGaP2TCxkivdWK-jKnmwPdRDn2WjCoQUpaKgDTj-3vPXGRZVoVgSlqj8DKEmj2sUkpCKjzoWv-Fgzqgy3D3g3wM0XVF4-T9LJ-RhxDK2k5VPK19KStMxS_Tw4CQCXBgl_NeTRUyRXTTRDH-SFKCKe7x0sMYDNT3mZb0SHqU/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4003.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BcEUGn-5g8BSx4OfuFulQhszeIjD1AK8IWjrELfVwkAHCXQHisUTZgppcMB2OGJI1VFiFkl8sozcvEdOmmctW8LWHXfzCTbUH9dgw5iHIKhA5nViiPE_RLnDOd0otWeZh8wXBzC9qNt1hFnPtVhVJf5r2MPFvQIZvmaWLYAd9M4elv10YMo/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1BcEUGn-5g8BSx4OfuFulQhszeIjD1AK8IWjrELfVwkAHCXQHisUTZgppcMB2OGJI1VFiFkl8sozcvEdOmmctW8LWHXfzCTbUH9dgw5iHIKhA5nViiPE_RLnDOd0otWeZh8wXBzC9qNt1hFnPtVhVJf5r2MPFvQIZvmaWLYAd9M4elv10YMo/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-4622.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>Our sleep systems were perfect. The ground was not even frozen, so we were able to use stakes to put the tent up even. We had a lot of wind and clouds. The second day out it started to snow fairly hard, totally not in the forecast and we started to fret we might have to walk out, but it finally stopped.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuumGojIs71ZtkYoXPaxlpr5-MD7ayiCWtRrcNcVNtQFrlRyKEJHOKY-nyCPh-V6de2Vh8lK8LP1WmyuEZMLARMlnk5aAo40a0ggfIanBowlDLQ6sDR-2DxOaYSEXU0tuum4rwBn5h-UUCB-9d67BKxWTjyl0sWzIoJmu2YwKDnn2zoqIJlI/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuumGojIs71ZtkYoXPaxlpr5-MD7ayiCWtRrcNcVNtQFrlRyKEJHOKY-nyCPh-V6de2Vh8lK8LP1WmyuEZMLARMlnk5aAo40a0ggfIanBowlDLQ6sDR-2DxOaYSEXU0tuum4rwBn5h-UUCB-9d67BKxWTjyl0sWzIoJmu2YwKDnn2zoqIJlI/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-3966.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNO5dcoCHalsQhjQ136NQnvjiWZ8LtZJqxk2hzagjtdVPGYjLE0ebFkcBg3OSer6qcol32prbwMUhVa2X3zdwBo47NlX7ujqPLCkMa5iKzrKDs7rq_nYuaJvRiZj0CQXQWCEe-X2m3I0JtZtsx6jAMrSjZmyFxrby5fone5P6seqHE8cYcHEk/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5858.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNO5dcoCHalsQhjQ136NQnvjiWZ8LtZJqxk2hzagjtdVPGYjLE0ebFkcBg3OSer6qcol32prbwMUhVa2X3zdwBo47NlX7ujqPLCkMa5iKzrKDs7rq_nYuaJvRiZj0CQXQWCEe-X2m3I0JtZtsx6jAMrSjZmyFxrby5fone5P6seqHE8cYcHEk/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-5858.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYARnjm2EsNUl03V7WHWgUe6AI_T7Dzr0d3f3wsZ2d0tAn8DRp7FJfk1yeMMQudtFNXBefPSCy9gb5POYD6oa5V0d0klZS5hlAcl3EaxlYFm9-gebD80jLJy8wBYG2Mk7FFi09A67zNoeygakFDbcM9xvmTjrCnDJXHudhayXM7cPchRjtXfI/s1024/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-1140.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYARnjm2EsNUl03V7WHWgUe6AI_T7Dzr0d3f3wsZ2d0tAn8DRp7FJfk1yeMMQudtFNXBefPSCy9gb5POYD6oa5V0d0klZS5hlAcl3EaxlYFm9-gebD80jLJy8wBYG2Mk7FFi09A67zNoeygakFDbcM9xvmTjrCnDJXHudhayXM7cPchRjtXfI/w640-h480/Johnson_Hansi_220525_Root_River-1140.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>All in all the trip lived up to all my day dreams about it over the years. We nailed the window too. The next day after we left the BWCA they received several inches of snow, just enough to kill the skating. For once I was in the window and not outside looking in! Thanks a million to Dave Stenehjem for making the trip possible too. Having a good pard who is willing to suffer and deal with the unknowns and to some extent the exposure is so awesome and critical for getting it done safely!</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-15931174418222917202022-10-18T07:03:00.000-07:002022-10-18T07:03:02.822-07:00Moon Walking with Sean G<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-ypeeSddqHH__ICBOb6CEmrvCNXOO3Gol5-KfBm-AcAPT4WTAr-ecb27RM_eLFxlVZHke18JkmD9c_G4pqyno1ty5DUqREq_9buOlsUUi8cH6w9Cs4rsqSRWaRPgsZf_YjuY5sF7CMQrra9r-AfGZytsC8pmznbKLrWpOtq0lc3h0ZpP/s4500/Johnson_Hansi_MTB_220525-1588.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4500" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI-ypeeSddqHH__ICBOb6CEmrvCNXOO3Gol5-KfBm-AcAPT4WTAr-ecb27RM_eLFxlVZHke18JkmD9c_G4pqyno1ty5DUqREq_9buOlsUUi8cH6w9Cs4rsqSRWaRPgsZf_YjuY5sF7CMQrra9r-AfGZytsC8pmznbKLrWpOtq0lc3h0ZpP/w640-h426/Johnson_Hansi_MTB_220525-1588.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>I spent a soggy week and half in Alaska a few years back with a kindred soul. <div><br /></div><div>The circumstances were unique. Two friends of ours were guiding some folks down an Alaskan river and needed some support crew to make it happen. The costs were minimal and offset by our labor so of course we took the job. Sean, myself and Caroline, the partner of one of the guides set off in the support raft to get in ahead of the clients and generally set up camp and cook.</div><div><br /></div><div>The bonus was that once our work was done, we could fish. Fish we did!<div><br /></div><div>I had never met Sean before this trip but quickly realized we were both cut from similar cloth. Both midwesterners, roughly the same age (although with Sean age was a misnomer, he looked like he could be anywhere from 12 to 50 depending on how you caught him.). </div><div><br /></div><div>Sean was also a long term powder bum and through that network we knew some of the same folks. We got along swimmingly. Which was really good because on that raft trip it rained every day and every night. The river responded accordingly and after several days it went from high to extremely high and eventually later in the float to chocolate milk.</div><div><br /></div><div>This was nothing new to Sean, who had lived and guided in AK for a long time and through his experience he helped me dial in my two handed roll cast and got me set up on a solid sink tip and the right streamers. We caught some gorgeous Rainbows and just generally had a blast. Eventually we set up for a couple days in one spot which allowed us to learn the water a bit more.</div><div><br /></div><div>In this particular camping spot there was a small creek that entered the river. It created a slow spot where its mouth opened up to the much bigger river. With such a raging current, this slow spot became a honey hole for us, especially just downstream from it where there was some wood in the water. A natural ambush spot for beefy trout.</div><div><br /></div><div>After fishing this beat on the first day and realizing that it was the most productive water Sean and I started short cutting to it by wading across the mouth of the small stream. Maybe four or five times we blasted that line to get to the good water. Each time it was a little deeper but nothing to really worry about. </div><div><br /></div><div>The end of the second day however was when we went Moon Walking.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had finished up what chores we needed to help out with in the torrential rain. With that done, the best choice at that point was to go fishing, versus hunkering down and listening to the maddening rain. </div><div><br /></div><div>We grabbed our rods and without talking just threw up our hoods and just cranked it down the muddy trail. By now it was old hat. Foot placed here, a foot there, hop the log, duck the branch and boom the river. Sean had a stride that was long and effortless and even with my own long legs I was head down trying to keep up.</div><div><br /></div><div>We hit the water a bit further to the right then we normally would have. I am not sure if Sean just guessed and went for it, or if he was just super tuned to get to fishing. We plunged in confidently after so many passes in this same spot the day before. Wading downstream in the pushy current we were being ushered quickly towards our final destination and thank god because there were some hogs waiting for us!</div><div><br /></div><div>About 1/4 of the way into our crossing the water started to rise up my waders. What used to be waist deep was now a couple inches above that. No big deal and with Sean in front of me all seemed well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then, two more steps ahead the bottom literally fell out. My stride left solid footing, but my next step felt nothing but darkness. I started to go over my waders but somehow my toes just barely caught the top of a boulder. At the top of my waders and with the strong current shoving me downstream I kind of floated forward. I had no choice but to keep my momentum and my focus going forward. </div><div><br /></div><div>I could not watch Sean and this point but I was aware that he was straight ahead of me and most likely dealing with the same challenge. Yet we were both so calm and so focused, it was surreal. There was nothing but silence, the only noise that of the river and the deep rumbling of glacial till in the riverbed being rolled by the force of the current.</div><div><br /></div><div>I pushed off and up with my stride and reached my right leg as far forward and felt the same sensation. No bottom, floating and then the slightest pressure as I felt the top of another boulder. </div><div><br /></div><div>This sequence happened maybe four or five more times. I imagined myself on the moon, bouncing from stride to stride like a fucking astronaut. I felt like I was in another place mentally and physically. I was scared shitless, but at the same time focused and confident. Its the mental place I have loved to be in my whole life. The fine line between screaming in terror and laughing hysterically.</div><div><br /></div><div>All of sudden Sean hit the other side of the deep depression and stumbled up onto the underwater scree ridge and into waist, then knee deep water. It went from slow motion to fast forward. I followed a stride behind. We both bee lined it to the safety of shore. </div><div><br /></div><div>Up until now, not a word was spoken. I was shaken but I was not sure if Sean had even had the same experience. As soon as we both leaned up against the bank Sean looked and me and said, "Holy Shit man! Did you just feel that? It was like fucking Moon Walking!" "Holy fuck, how did we make it across that shit?. That was amazing!" We were literally backslapping each other in excitement, the adrenaline rush just coursing through our bodies. We both looked at our wading jackets and realized the water line was literally under our armpits. One stumble, one misstep, a moment of panic and one or both of us would be twisted into the very strainer we hoped to pull fish off of.</div><div><br /></div><div>After about two minutes of rejoicing we started to come down and guiltily I realized I was actually itching to get fishing. Yet I also felt we needed to recognize the moment for what it was, a small miracle. Maybe it was sacrilege to just push past it and get back to the grind. Then Sean smiled and made a fist, "You want to play Paper, Scissors, Rock (a game we had played all week) to see who gets first shot at that tree?" </div><div><br /></div><div>Like I said, sympatico. Fast friends, brothers for life.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am in getting late in my life. If there is one thing I have learned in my life is that many of the material things that people place so much importance on matter very little in the grand scheme of living. To me what really matters are those shared moments we have with people that we value, where you sync with somebody and truly learn who they are and have an experience with them that is truly special. I can count those types of moments in my life on two hands and this was one of them. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was a moment where I was on the same metaphysical wavelength with another person and working in concert towards the same goal. In its own way it was beautiful and while I have forgotten a lot of fun moments from that trip, I have never forgotten this moment with Sean. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was short and it was fleeting but it was intense and it was real. Really what more can I ask for in this existence?</div><div><br /></div><div>Sean took his own life last week. </div><div><br /></div><div>The loss for his family and for his friends is devastating. I can't speculate what happened. This is the third person in my life who has taken his own life. All three were brothers, all three were adventurous, life living, thrill seeking individuals.</div><div><br /></div><div>For many of us being outdoors, being in wilderness, seeking adventure is more than a recreational choice. The world is full of folks who feel outside the norm, outside of the mainstream and being Outdoors is a way to cope with that. Its a place where you can be yourself, where you are not judged by anything other than the gifts you bring to the table to deal with the hardship of being in the backcountry. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am not sure if Sean felt this alienation while dealing with society (I know I do). Regardless of what darkness finally confronted Sean and defeated him, the tragedy of the situation is that most likely Sean felt alone at the end. Yet that was not the case. His family loved him deeply and so did his friends. The world and the fishing community feels his loss. </div><div><br /></div><div>The lesson for me is that I need to reach out to my buddies, check in more than I usually do and sincerely ask how they are doing........</div><div><br /></div><div>God speed Seany. May the river you are on now be the river of your dreams.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://hansijohnson.smugmug.com/Sean-Gutekunst-and-AK-/">You can see a few shots from our experience here.</a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-84453281798800420842022-08-15T10:32:00.001-07:002022-08-15T10:32:34.232-07:00When it Began <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxf6NDKZQGXLihis4StrA2QZSs9vcLwGYxtDpaXe3Z0u8eeX7VjpD1dxeE4Ze70fZecbCzG3Pqnedbi311LWsi0lgGKsHStTHlR-SjL1Jgp2EDaCE7nDt4-ERrTbWPbqjDv_AsLvfzA65PgdUPxY_-x7HQJe_rwpaSQ4Iz6knJFcRRP6IS/s1800/Johnson_Hansi_MTB_220525-1050921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1350" data-original-width="1800" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxf6NDKZQGXLihis4StrA2QZSs9vcLwGYxtDpaXe3Z0u8eeX7VjpD1dxeE4Ze70fZecbCzG3Pqnedbi311LWsi0lgGKsHStTHlR-SjL1Jgp2EDaCE7nDt4-ERrTbWPbqjDv_AsLvfzA65PgdUPxY_-x7HQJe_rwpaSQ4Iz6knJFcRRP6IS/w640-h480/Johnson_Hansi_MTB_220525-1050921.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>New in town? Or maybe not new to town but new to using all the great trails and outdoor recreation amenities that Duluth has to offer?</p><p>Have you ever wondered how those experiences came to be? Here is a short history lesson on one aspect of it and also how you can help support that legacy.</p><p>Our famous outdoor recreation experiences, came to be for several reasons. First because at one point way back in 2011 things lined up politically to allow Duluth to become one of the best Outdoor Recreation Communities on the planet. </p><p>Secondly because of that opportunity, many great folks took a huge amount of time out of their daily lives to lift up their voices to speak for several big initiatives that helped create the path to fund and create these experiences.</p><p>What was that political moment? It was the moment that the<a href="https://duluthmn.gov/parks/parkfund/"> City of Duluth Parks Referendum</a> was put on the ballot. The idea being that a small tax would be allocated to create " The Parks Fund". that would help the City of Duluth support its parks and open spaces. </p><p>Back then there were very few Non Profits that were set up to help steward our Parks. There was also very little formal trail infrastructure (but a lot of informal trails!) and while there was a small voice for outdoor recreation, it was just starting to form.</p><p>In 2008 the City of Duluth was on hard times (as was the rest of the world at that point) it had to make drastic cuts to deal with its finances. Because of that the Parks department was essentially gutted. </p><p>Luckily, due to some strong local voices and a Mayor who chose to listen to them, the initial Parks Referendum was organized and a group of folks were called upon to support it and to reach out to the Community and get out the Vote. </p><p>The Duluth Area Outdoor Alliance had just come together to focus on some other ideas. This was a loose assortment of people, not just organizations (they did not exist yet) that wanted to start to celebrate, protect and promote Duluth's outdoor recreation experiences. </p><p>There was also the Friends of the Parks group that pulled together after the major cuts to the Parks Department occurred. On top of that there was also one formalized Non Profit, COGGS (Cyclists of Gitchee Gummee Shores) that had the organizational capacity to do outreach and educate voters on the opportunity that voting yes on the Parks Referendum would create. All of these folks started to meet to get the Vote out for the Referendum. </p><p>COGGS, in partnership with the two other before mentioned groups put on two events to do just that.</p><p>Of course the Parks Referendum passed in 2012 and the Parks Fund was built around 2.6 Million Dollars. Since 2012, the City of Duluth has built out its dream infrastructure when it comes to Outdoor Recreation. While the Parks Fund certainly did not pay for all of that, it did fund the key moments what led to planning our Outdoor Rec Future and to some extent funding the groups that eventually coalesced around creating it.</p><p>Fast forward to today and you have a solid club backing nearly every type of formalized Outdoor Recreation in the City. A climbing club, a paddling club, a mountain bike club, trail running club, hiking club, a Nordic Ski Club, Horse Club and Snowmobile club. We also have modern, cutting edge, sustainable trail systems that benefit the community. The City itself has seen more and more people coming from across the country to re-locate here to take advantage of our outdoor recreation infrastructure and our climate. Lincoln Park Business district has been booming, largely with an outdoorsy brand image. </p><p>In other words it worked.</p><p>Unfortunately inflation has also been growing it has changed how effective our Parks Fund is, its lost its power and we need to get it back. </p><p>So I am calling on all Outdoor Rec users to get involved to help support increasing the Parks Fund to keep up with Inflation and to keep our cutting edge outdoor experiences sharp. I would really love to see the new folks to town help us support this. We welcome you with open arms and we hope that you will join our fight to keep this place at the quality level it deserves and for many of you the reason you live here now.</p><p>Duluth author and Climbing Advocate Dave Pagel wrote this blurb with more information and its way better than I could ever do..... Please feel free to contact me via this blog or any of my social media of you would like to get involved!</p><div class="page" title="Page 1"><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column"><p><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i><span style="font-family: helvetica;">The Duluth Area Outdoor Alliance (DAOA) is a coalition of stakeholders representing recreational groups, supporting businesses, and land managers, who work to support Duluth’s trail sports community and infrastructure through mutual cooperation and communication. The group dates back over fifteen years and during that time has played a key role in the planning, development, and promotion of trail amenities that have improved the quality of life for Duluthians and placed our city high on the list of travel- worthy destinations. Throughout, a common thread has been a close working relationship between local user groups and Duluth’s Parks & Recreation department. Those of us involved in these outdoor recreation projects have seen first-hand how thinly parks staff are stretched with respect to time and resources. In fact, our many successes have been achieved despite ever dwindling funding due to an annual parks budget capped at 2.6 million dollars with no adjustments for inflation. What has made up the slack has been a lot of dedicated city employees working long hours toward goals they truly believe in. It is clear, however, that we cannot continue to rely on good luck and personal sacrifice to grow and maintain our trail infrastructure—not to mention all the community buildings and facility services, athletic fields, and programming that are part of the parks department annual budget. In this November’s general election the City Council has put forward a referendum, championed by city administration and of vital importance to walkers, hikers, bikers, skiers, climbers, paddlers, and all other trail users, to switch our Parks & Recreation department to a percentage-based budget that will increase in step with the tax base. The hit to taxpayers will be no larger than when the last Parks levy was passed in 2011. The DAOA believes such a correction is long overdue not only because it is sensible, but also because the current system of continually asking our parks department to do more with less, and the subsequent collateral damage in unrealized projects, staff turnover, and deferred maintenance, is unsustainable. Please join in supporting the 2022 Parks and Libraries Referendum, and help get the word out!</span></i></span></p></div></div></div>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-10547431748276707252021-10-18T13:39:00.005-07:002021-10-19T13:44:05.203-07:00"Stoke is Stoke" but it's easier for some of us to get there. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ss7RopsEenQ/YW3Wj02NvVI/AAAAAAAAON0/_kA6Ir5A7jYwI-iSk8xj9ywLFl9ixtVawCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021P1810741.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ss7RopsEenQ/YW3Wj02NvVI/AAAAAAAAON0/_kA6Ir5A7jYwI-iSk8xj9ywLFl9ixtVawCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021P1810741.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tae after rolling his first full Rock Lake Ride</td></tr></tbody></table><p>When you reach middle age and you have been doing something for literally the majority of your life you tend to think about why you have been so captivated by whatever that activity is and why you have dedicated so much of your life time to it.</p><p>For me its always been about being outside and about having adventures. Those adventures could be literally in my backyard or maybe if I am lucky in more far flung places. </p><p>When I dig into what I have enjoyed the most about those adventures, its the people I shared them with. I have been extremely lucky to have had opportunities to be in some pretty special places with a whole host of incredible individuals. </p><p>First, it was my family, my mother and my father and my brother and a lot of my extended family as well. Then it moved onto family friends, then friends at school and lastly it moved onto people who I met who were intensely interested in the same types of adventures I was geeking out over.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fzm0WLafhvU/YW3WsXUWRRI/AAAAAAAAON4/wrjVU5CT7q4ioufNdU1zOp_Dq0g1DT-bwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A4993.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fzm0WLafhvU/YW3WsXUWRRI/AAAAAAAAON4/wrjVU5CT7q4ioufNdU1zOp_Dq0g1DT-bwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A4993.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buddies fishing for the first time together in Old Fort, NC </td></tr></tbody></table><br /> At some point the people I chose to go into the woods with all essentially had several basic requirements. <p></p><p>1.) They had to truly want to get after it (whatever it was), with total single focused commitment. They did not have to be the fastest or strongest or even super talented at whatever adventure it was we were pursuing, they just had to want to get to the best possible results as intentionally as possible. They needed to be passionate in what it is they were doing.</p><p> 2.) They had to truly embrace the "Stoke." The idea that no matter how hard, arduous or uncomfortable the effort was, there would be a time in that adventure where the pay off was a feeling of euphoria that eclipsed all the drama it took to get there. I most likely dont have to explain Stoke to most folks who read this Blog. However I would bet that there are some folks who would not deep think the possibility that Stoke exists in every type of outdoor adventure, from BASE Jumping to walking to foraging. Of course every person is different in what gets them stoked but here are some examples of my own.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zho_hcmqtEw/YW3XCGHuReI/AAAAAAAAOOE/UtEHBYuL2FEO0vC6SNE0pLxWh0VAlbiDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A0925.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Zho_hcmqtEw/YW3XCGHuReI/AAAAAAAAOOE/UtEHBYuL2FEO0vC6SNE0pLxWh0VAlbiDgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A0925.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Olzer embracing a late spring snowstorm in MSP </td></tr></tbody></table><p>In backcountry skiing/snowboarding its a blower powder run. In mountain biking its perfect flow on whatever dirt surface you love to shred (clay, loam etc). In fishing its the hammer strike by a really big fish. Its also walking for hours to see a specific bird or animal and finally glimpsing it. Its paddling deep into the backcountry and taking a well deserved nap on a sunny rock, no people to bother you and the wind whistling through the tops of the trees and no other sounds bugging you except blue jays and nuthatches. Its spinning the perfect gear on your gravel bike and the sense that you could literally go forever.</p><p>When I think back on the times I have enjoyed the most in the outdoors there is always an image of some person, beat down and haggard from busting their asses after working so hard to access something or from doing some activity in less than ideal conditions, who has the biggest shit eating grin on their faces because they are just so energized, so jazzed, so stoked to just have experienced whatever adventure it was we had just done.</p><p>Its that thread of electric energy that runs through everything I do outdoors and every small or big adventure I have had since I was kid. I am just totally and completely drawn to those people who fight so hard for the stoke. Its not in everybody, but you know it when you see it and its those people that have kept me crawling outside for the past 40 plus years.</p><p>Most people who know me know that I have been an advocate for Outdoor Recreation and for trying to get more Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into Outdoor Recreation. This has been both a personal agenda for me but also a professional one and its an agenda that is not by any means new to me and you can look back in this Blog and see that.</p><p>That said, this has been a long and very personal journey and many changes have occurred in how I think about the issues of Race in our natural spaces in this state and in our country. Little by little I learn a lot about others but I have also learned a lot more about myself.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ni6evqFsJLw/YW3XPadgIZI/AAAAAAAAOOI/ZHQ-OGktMDI4ULsR4GUVWCtpGV5kj3vYwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A0405.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ni6evqFsJLw/YW3XPadgIZI/AAAAAAAAOOI/ZHQ-OGktMDI4ULsR4GUVWCtpGV5kj3vYwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A0405.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexandera Houchin loving the fast flow of "Indigenous Land" in Duluth, MN</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In my past I could totally see myself making a romantic statement like "Stoke is Stoke, its universal to all of us, Black, White, Asian, Indigenous, LGBTQ etc. </p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OFWyhU8ZnCo/YW3bQkXwZpI/AAAAAAAAOOo/Gja_7P2q6nUD2DRoZjW5Ozs8Ll340PB5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A4942.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OFWyhU8ZnCo/YW3bQkXwZpI/AAAAAAAAOOo/Gja_7P2q6nUD2DRoZjW5Ozs8Ll340PB5ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A4942.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jamicah Dawes casting for rainbows in Old Fort, NC </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Idealistically I do feel its true (we do all feel it) and I can even say I have experienced all kinds of people in full stoke mode, however I can also say its much easier for me as a White Male to achieve that Stoke.<div><br /></div><div>Here is why. <p>On average as a white male I am more likely to be able to feel safe in the outdoor spaces I am recreating in. I am more likely to have the the resources to both buy the equipment and the transportation it takes to get to these natural spaces. I am more likely to identify with the media and the people portrayed in the narratives of who is going outside. I am also more likely to have had the idea and the skills associated with going outside passed down to me from my parents or grandparents. I am certainly less likely to get hassled on the trail or at the trailhead because of my skin color, or my gender or my pronouns. Of course this is a generalization, there are plenty of BIPOC folks who have had the privilege I have had in getting outdoors, but again in general this is the case.</p><p>As the White father of an Asian child I have (like millions of BIPOC families in our country) had to deal with talking to my son about what it means to live as a person of color in our country. I mean WHY is it so hard to be BIPOC or LGBTQ in our country? Right? </p><p>Those conversations which initially started as me educating him have turned more to me educating myself about what it means to be White in our country and the privilege/status I have without even wanting it as a White Male in America. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RtY1HlSGj-I/YW3XW--uYsI/AAAAAAAAOOQ/5djAWB24qk0UV_UndsA6MeRGP01eMFuaACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A5341.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RtY1HlSGj-I/YW3XW--uYsI/AAAAAAAAOOQ/5djAWB24qk0UV_UndsA6MeRGP01eMFuaACLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2021059A5341.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tae touching the sun and freezing his fingers with a Lake Superior Brown Trout </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Does that privilege make me a bad person? No. Not if I own and understand my privilege and take steps to mitigate how I use or dont use that privilege. </p><p>I can use that privilege to work to push back on the systems that marginalize BIPOC and LGBTQ folks (in all parts of society) in getting outdoors. </p><p>I can also intentionally not take up space that other folks might not otherwise be able to utilize. This can be my voice at venues or events where others could speak instead of me, or even in the spaces I am utilizing outdoors, last month I literally gave up a parking spot so a group of Hmong hikers could access a very full trailhead. </p><p>I can also be giving of my time and experiences to folks to who want to learn from me. That last part is nuanced. I did not say push to get more people of color outside or use my privilege to do so, but to make myself available to those people who are interested and who are reaching out to me to do so. Theres a difference. </p><p>I have been very intentional about pushing myself to get out of my own echo chamber of close tight knit relationships. Dont get me wrong I love my friends but I truly feel if I dont take the time to build relationships with people who dont look like, I will never learn about them or myself. I have been successful in this idea but now I am realizing that by building those relationships I also have to step away from my own self serving stoke seeking and allow some of my time for my new friends as well.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yDQudx0_-M4/YW3YQoJLFTI/AAAAAAAAOOc/HpGs78zt_hw6u4diWceGOUY5MfdMCug3wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A4299.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yDQudx0_-M4/YW3YQoJLFTI/AAAAAAAAOOc/HpGs78zt_hw6u4diWceGOUY5MfdMCug3wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A4299.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark Norquist and Ronnell Lynn after a successful day in the woods</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I can and am reaching out to my own networks, to my own community ( which is majority white) and tell my story, to lead by example and to start to admit that there are things that have to change in me and most likely you if you want to truly see our Natural spaces around for our kids and their grandkids etc.....</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ikhFDFCylOQ/YW3bG9VD6XI/AAAAAAAAOOk/yZeJoYrsllgWf8lZfSMJ_EpzJguaA3MzACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A4671.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ikhFDFCylOQ/YW3bG9VD6XI/AAAAAAAAOOk/yZeJoYrsllgWf8lZfSMJ_EpzJguaA3MzACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A4671.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel Olzer after telling her story and telling it well</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p></div>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-56685508649052374402021-08-04T13:39:00.003-07:002021-08-05T15:58:23.192-07:00Hello Mutha, Hello Fatha here I am at......<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ef55AXcGIt8/YQsBeq4dt4I/AAAAAAAAOM4/tAS0oJwCHDMbJBf3WwiNnRWFKZY9HmE1wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021Dawkins_Letter.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="835" data-original-width="1080" height="494" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ef55AXcGIt8/YQsBeq4dt4I/AAAAAAAAOM4/tAS0oJwCHDMbJBf3WwiNnRWFKZY9HmE1wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h494/hansi_2021Dawkins_Letter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: left;">One of my good fishing buddies texted me a copy of this postcard he had send his parents from summer camp 40 plus years ago. </span></div><div><p></p><p>So great! But what is the greatest is that 40 some years later the bastard has not changed one bit in his love to catch bass on a popper ha!</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6VfrlT4kSjA/YQsBp1SJkVI/AAAAAAAAOM8/x90D_9nL-rIGYMU8iJ6S5rAqOWyS4ETNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A7104.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6VfrlT4kSjA/YQsBp1SJkVI/AAAAAAAAOM8/x90D_9nL-rIGYMU8iJ6S5rAqOWyS4ETNwCLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2020059A7104.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p></div><div><br /></div>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-61269639216235735132021-04-26T10:05:00.002-07:002021-04-26T10:05:32.383-07:00I finally found the fish I have been searching for since I was 10 years old. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WkqUU_cIlgY/YIbXsZrk2GI/AAAAAAAAN-8/AcsCSPQNyfsl8mf2RdJK99AFIeDNqY6tQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021IMG_1051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WkqUU_cIlgY/YIbXsZrk2GI/AAAAAAAAN-8/AcsCSPQNyfsl8mf2RdJK99AFIeDNqY6tQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021IMG_1051.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div>The giant fish lumbered out of my hand and back into the current, looking for a place to shake off the last 15 minutes of pitched battle.<div><br /></div><div>I myself laid back on the muddy bank and let out a giant breath of air. I was shaking, both from adrenaline but also from exertion. I looked at my watch. 5pm. Dinner is at 5.30, guess I won't be making that once again....... But then who cares, I had just caught the fish of my life and I needed to process that.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I lay there my brain shuffled through 30 plus years of fishing memories. From cane poles and bobbers and being captivated by sunfish and crappies with my grandfather and uncles. To dead drifting worms with my best friend Danny for trout in Pickwick Creek, to living in Montana and trying to understand just what the fuck a Hopper Dropper was. </div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YbZZFy4GK1I/YIbpFkEtvHI/AAAAAAAAOAI/G6H1vTtRIWgPJnWekGINN4j5xOCXXN8vACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021IMG_0611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YbZZFy4GK1I/YIbpFkEtvHI/AAAAAAAAOAI/G6H1vTtRIWgPJnWekGINN4j5xOCXXN8vACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021IMG_0611.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I thought of the myriad of people I have fished with over the years, some dead, some lost to me by distance, others lost to me by space. I thought of my age and just how long I have been doing this thing called fishing and at what point I would say to myself I have finally accomplished something, a marker a waypoint, an ending.</div><div><br /></div><div>At 13 years old I had seen another angler catch a 20 inch Brown Trout in my local stream. I was stunned, I had not thought a fish that big could live in a stream that small. I learned however that indeed they did and in fact there are even bigger fish lurking in many of these SE MN Driftless streams.... I just needed to get good enough at the trade to catch them. </div><div><br /></div><div>A pursuit was launched, announced to nobody but myself, a task a crusade, a personal quest, a life long pursuit.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7pKYqzpg7yg/YIbYRJcbsJI/AAAAAAAAN_E/ro3XYVJABVA2fAz7dvNSDEmaRJiky50YQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021IMG_0956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7pKYqzpg7yg/YIbYRJcbsJI/AAAAAAAAN_E/ro3XYVJABVA2fAz7dvNSDEmaRJiky50YQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021IMG_0956.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Over the years I have caught some nice big trout, but never the ONE. </div><div><br /></div><div>Never the fish that I thought was the stream Unicorn, the biggest in the brook so to speak and most certainly not one in SE Minnesota. The one I could say capped off this career of bumbling and searching. </div><div><br /></div><div>Until that moment I was laying on the bank shaking and realized I just had.....</div><div><br /></div><div>I would never be so bold or arrogant to say I am excellent angler. While my skills have progressed much further than I had ever thought possible, I am still a total idiot when it comes to fly fishing. Especially for trout. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have found my one real mantra in the sport is that 5X tippet totally sucks. So when it comes to matching the hatch, or dipping nymphs I am all thumbs. Now big streamers, well now we are talking. Streamers are my game and always have been. </div><div><br /></div><div>That said, even I know when its time to pack those meaty flies away and get to drifting.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0q033TOGegQ/YIbYevVcU7I/AAAAAAAAN_I/ulXwIUQxvMIfDUbh-WEz4EY6DbY4Y4BgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021IMG_1150.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0q033TOGegQ/YIbYevVcU7I/AAAAAAAAN_I/ulXwIUQxvMIfDUbh-WEz4EY6DbY4Y4BgwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021IMG_1150.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>In a daze I hop in my truck and bee line it home to my parents for my late dinner. </div><div><br /></div><div>I see the driveway, its a sharp left up a steep bluff. You have to hit it with just the right amount of speed and keep the steering wheel tight to the left, otherwise your liable to slide off the right side of the rise and you don't want to do that! </div><div><br /></div><div>How many times had I done just that and had to walk up the rest of the drive and ask my dad to get the tractor to pull me out? </div><div><br /></div><div>Just as I am about to make the turn I stop, and I realize I am about to drive up to my parents "Old" house. After nearly 40 years they had decided they should move into my Grandmothers house in town. </div><div><br /></div><div>In their 70's now they realized the rural life was getting harder to live well, so they moved to a safer place. </div><div><br /></div><div>This realization only pulls me more into a state of nostalgia and just how long I have been scouring these valleys and creeks and just how finite that pursuit is in the grand scheme of things. Were getting older, times are changing and we are as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Spring in the Driftless is a fickle thing. One day its 65 degrees and the buds are popping, you can almost see the grass growing and the bugs are hatching. </div><div><br /></div><div>Caddis hatches come in blizzards. On those days the fishing is giggling good and 50 plus fish sessions are a reality. Then just like that the weather blows in and its cold as hell, raining and snowing and the hatch is off. In fact fishing in general can be dead. </div><div><br /></div><div>The trout, having gorged themselves on a massive amount of bugs are just chilling until the bugs come again. Thats when you go Turkey hunting. Skip the cold morning after a big hatch, its a waste of time, but gobbling for a Tom, well that can be pretty fruitful. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iAbj2mf2zYM/YIbYrVeueqI/AAAAAAAAN_Q/FViJKXrMf-ktlIEvbb_cN4ruWen_WAt5ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021IMG_0712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iAbj2mf2zYM/YIbYrVeueqI/AAAAAAAAN_Q/FViJKXrMf-ktlIEvbb_cN4ruWen_WAt5ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021IMG_0712.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F0IvOs_hxEI/YIbYw-D444I/AAAAAAAAN_Y/DlZ8ziIBnx4bjmaA2QuXbYgv5xe0M4ZgACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021IMG_0900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F0IvOs_hxEI/YIbYw-D444I/AAAAAAAAN_Y/DlZ8ziIBnx4bjmaA2QuXbYgv5xe0M4ZgACLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2021IMG_0900.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>Two cold days after a major hatch, thats an interesting time. The bigger fish are still hungry and they are looking to pack on the pounds after a long winter of scarcity. They are tend to look for bigger things like bait fish and small trout. Something meaty to hold them over.</div><div><br /></div><div>Its streamer time.</div><div><br /></div><div>Amazingly I started off this fateful big fish day with a 3wt, 12 feet of fine tippet and a Dry fly. All weather signs pointed to another hatch and after witnessing two versions that week already I was ready for some topwater. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, the wind picked up and an overcast sky limped in to lock down the cold for the duration. </div><div><br /></div><div>No sun and no warmth equal no Caddis and the fishing sort of fizzled before it even started. I did not give up, drifting my Dry over likely looking runs and getting some small sips I told myself to stick with it, the sun would come out and the hatch would pop. I kept walking the stream, and I kept looking for good water. I am a fool if anything.</div><div><br /></div><div>After a couple hours I realized I needed to make a change. This was not working, the day was not changing, so I had to and it was time to put on a streamer (god knows I could not take using a nymph). However with a 3wt my choices were limited and I was not going back to the truck for my 5. I landed on a small pink and white Clouser. I found I could send it fairly far, I could roll cast it and it matched the 3wt to make it worth fishing. </div><div><br /></div><div>Still I was not finding a lot of fish. Currently the water in the SE is very low and its also very clear. Lots of hands and knees fishing, or in my case casting from way beyond the bank to make sure your not spotted by the wary trout. I moved a few fish and caught a couple. </div><div><br /></div><div>Enough to not make me head for the truck, but I was thinking about it. It was just a slow day and thats what it was.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L0GPnYU4KN0/YIbamKHFHoI/AAAAAAAAN_k/eLsMc3ryUb4PPt7RbPo8TlJaGhBifilkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021IMG_0670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-L0GPnYU4KN0/YIbamKHFHoI/AAAAAAAAN_k/eLsMc3ryUb4PPt7RbPo8TlJaGhBifilkQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021IMG_0670.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>Just as I was about to turn around I saw a really deep slow hole upstream of me. Frog water. I usually avoid it like Covid. But this spot spoke to me. It was the only deep water up until that point, who knows maybe some bugs are coming off it? maybe the fish are stacked up in it? So I sneak up on it. </div><div><br /></div><div>Its brushy and thick. Roll casts only, so I flip a couple shots in there and am immediately rewarded with a nice 17 inch fish. Just hammered it. Damn that's cool. A really nice sized trout. </div><div><br /></div><div>I work all the way up the hole and catch a bunch of fish, but its near the head of the pool that things get interesting. I cast into the hole and start stripping my fly and see a tiny little Brown come up off the bottom and head for my wee little Clouser. Instinctively I sort of pull the fly out of the way to avoid catching this little fella and when I do the small trout responds by panicking and fleeing, literally jumping out of the water. At first I thought I scared it, but then I realized it was getting chased by something much bigger than itself. I dont actually see the chasing Trout but I sense it. </div><div><br /></div><div>The shadow is enormous, but ethereal, so big I cant truly grasp its size and only know in my brain that its exceptional. I fish beyond the hole and upstream a bit more. Its all shallow water and not very exciting. The whole time I am thinking about that shadow.....</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally I walk back to the scene of the crime and sit on a shattered willow trunk. I sharpen my hook. I re-tie my tippet and check it for nicks and I eat an apple and just watch for a while.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l-XC1aN5TZw/YIbcmfOGKgI/AAAAAAAAN_s/LtAli-6zda4mVMffVZD-Ls-xXT8zlTC-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021IMG_1163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l-XC1aN5TZw/YIbcmfOGKgI/AAAAAAAAN_s/LtAli-6zda4mVMffVZD-Ls-xXT8zlTC-QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021IMG_1163.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div>When I do finally cast I have to gesticulate a roll cast to get it across the hole. It lands with a splash and is none to subtle. It was an ugly assed cast but it made it. I strip the fly slowly and I see a decent size trout do the classic Brown trout side slap move but it does not eat. </div><div><br /></div><div>Patient, I end the retrieve, think about how I can roll cast it better and uncork a beauty. The fly lands nearly on shore, no splash, no snag, just a seamless slide into the water. I strip it fast, then let it hang with a deep mend. The fly drops like a stone into the darkness.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have tried to replay the moment the monster fish ate my fly but its vacant in my mind. I think I felt it on the strip. It was not a huge hit but a gentle tug. I felt it and strip set hard (my bass set, something I have a hard time losing when trout fishing) and I felt the heft of the fish. The leviathan came up out of the murk and I saw what I was truly dealing with.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABfv-u5105U/YIbftrt-yuI/AAAAAAAAN_0/Rtui-YShJJ8arqmxe1B2oFx60T49nAtwwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021IMG_1044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ABfv-u5105U/YIbftrt-yuI/AAAAAAAAN_0/Rtui-YShJJ8arqmxe1B2oFx60T49nAtwwCLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2021IMG_1044.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>This trout was so big it looked completely out of place. It was too big for its environment. It looked like a pro basketball player in a kids museum. At one point I thought it was a decent sized Pike, it took my brain several seconds for me to realize this was clearly the biggest Brown Trout I had ever hooked. </div><div><br /></div><div>Hooked being the operative word, since it was on a 3wt in moving water, full of trees and rocks. I also quickly realized I could not get in the water. The hole was super deep with high eroded clay banks. so beaching this beast was not an option, yet my little trout net was also not going to be able to scoop this thing, it was that big. </div><div><br /></div><div>At first the fish did not really fight, it just sort of hovered there. I thought maybe it was stunned or torpid and maybe I could just quickly man handle it in and get this over with. That idea quickly came to an end when it mades its first of many runs. I had to work hard to steer it away from many obstacles that would easily break my 5X. It rolled and tangle me up and I had to work to get the line straightened. Several times I thought that landing this fish was not possible. I went for the strategy of playing it until it tired enough to let me pick it up, however I was also aware this could kill it. I have to admit I could also hear my friends laughing at me when I told them how big this thing was. Photographic proof was in order, or this never happened.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CUdkj8guov4/YIbgnwcgdlI/AAAAAAAAN_8/P1Vlb9e7RREC6lzffPIpIrNUgGH5eIozwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021IMG_1069.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CUdkj8guov4/YIbgnwcgdlI/AAAAAAAAN_8/P1Vlb9e7RREC6lzffPIpIrNUgGH5eIozwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021IMG_1069.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>I was personally getting pretty tired, but eventually the fish showed some signs of slowing down and I decided to try and scoop and lift it with my net to shore. The first shot failed and it sailed off down the hole but I saw my strategy might work. The next time it slowed I reached over the bank and sort of half kneeled and scooped it onto the grass. </div><div><br /></div><div>My trout net is 26 inches long. The fish was longer than my net. Its hard to take a picture of a fish that big by yourself without hurting it, I tried but I was also conscious of making sure I got that fish back in the water, which of course I did. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was like releasing a career of trout chasing and it was a bit emotional.</div><div><br /></div><div>My photos of this fish do no justice to it, but its size and its magnitude are locked in my heart and my mind, and because of that I could give a shit what other people might think about its size. For me it was the fish I have been dreaming of.</div><div><br /></div><div>I pulled into my parents house and stepped out of the truck. The lights are on and my folks are sitting on the couch. I am not sure what to say when I walk in the door. The fish seems so important but its not important in its stats, it's important in its narrative. How do you relate that to your non fishing folks? </div><div><br /></div><div>I look at my mom and my dad and only thing I can think of saying is that I love them, that I am thankful for the life and the direction the provided for me. </div><div><br /></div><div>I will tell them about the fish later.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cS3sHuY6B8w/YIbo4iiomsI/AAAAAAAAOAE/wzeuljdXlxUI_v-aGQ75wtH7f3-dmXNuACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021IMG_0655.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cS3sHuY6B8w/YIbo4iiomsI/AAAAAAAAOAE/wzeuljdXlxUI_v-aGQ75wtH7f3-dmXNuACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021IMG_0655.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-33096022198602911552021-02-08T10:40:00.003-08:002021-02-08T10:40:54.982-08:00Its so Simple, its Complicated <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kn0vG-7nHfg/YCGAkePNGCI/AAAAAAAAN74/rrJ9HtGfm7w2dBL87C2enZujmjfZd4nlwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/hansi_2021hansi_2021P1800578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Kn0vG-7nHfg/YCGAkePNGCI/AAAAAAAAN74/rrJ9HtGfm7w2dBL87C2enZujmjfZd4nlwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2021hansi_2021P1800578.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I was super lucky to be invited to Will Stegers Climate Generation Institute up in Winton, Minnesota to attend what they call their Ice Ball.</p><p>Essentially its a gathering of old friends, supporters of Will Steger and his effort to build a place where future generations can learn about Climate Change.</p><p>The Ice Ball is a great example of putting into practice, some old ways of utilizing the resources around you to be less consumptive and more understanding of how there are ways we can get away from some of the modern day trappings of energy usage.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SRgnkGkWg94/YCGBgnmjEFI/AAAAAAAAN8A/eXAa2Y0ojlkfoXGiCavN9ULhPnAxS2ANQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/hansi_2021hansi_2021P1800481-Patagonia%2B-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SRgnkGkWg94/YCGBgnmjEFI/AAAAAAAAN8A/eXAa2Y0ojlkfoXGiCavN9ULhPnAxS2ANQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2021hansi_2021P1800481-Patagonia%2B-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I was invited to attend the event by our friend Paul Helstrom. Paul and Buffy have a kid who is roughly the same age as my son. Paul who has attended the Ice Ball before and is in contact with Will Steger thought it would be cool for my kid to experience this, I of course concurred.</p><p>We stayed in one of the guest houses on the property. It was heated only with a wood stove, had no electricity or running water and utilized an outhouse for all your bathroom needs!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e9jblMGb4II/YCGFI6noAdI/AAAAAAAAN8o/LPYUI7Fhqr0NxXlACmEZcWsHKzq56FNbACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021P1800283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-e9jblMGb4II/YCGFI6noAdI/AAAAAAAAN8o/LPYUI7Fhqr0NxXlACmEZcWsHKzq56FNbACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021P1800283.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The weekend was a cold one and I can assure you that the one thing Tae will always remember is a late night dash to the outhouse at -20F to do his business ha! </p><p>The main point of the Ice Ball is to cut ice to put into a Root Cellar/Ice House that Steger has on the property and that becomes the walk in cooler for the folks working at the place in the summer. Packed in ice and sawdust and located deep in a hillside, the room stays a chilly 40 all summer. In fact its so efficient that in December in prep for the next round of ice, folks had to haul out the last of the ice from the season before to make room for the new load!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Q0nXc_gAK0/YCGDFpGBGRI/AAAAAAAAN8M/ZtTacMpcjeYS4aIwe_hsNPu15KoP1JsLACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A7670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Q0nXc_gAK0/YCGDFpGBGRI/AAAAAAAAN8M/ZtTacMpcjeYS4aIwe_hsNPu15KoP1JsLACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A7670.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2_gmyI56zg/YCGDQGgYUdI/AAAAAAAAN8Q/PX0NNt9J5mci08h6KrtQmzXc82uhSgzNwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021P1800743.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B2_gmyI56zg/YCGDQGgYUdI/AAAAAAAAN8Q/PX0NNt9J5mci08h6KrtQmzXc82uhSgzNwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2021P1800743.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VqPkuSegmA8/YCGFZtH1vgI/AAAAAAAAN84/REXPMqhNr1MqQlMQL8J__Sac8yr7h19LQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021P1800312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VqPkuSegmA8/YCGFZtH1vgI/AAAAAAAAN84/REXPMqhNr1MqQlMQL8J__Sac8yr7h19LQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2021P1800312.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sounds simple right? Pack a room full of ice, toss some sawdust on it and your good to go, no fridge needed and no electricity needed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wrong. It's a lot of work to be sure. A lot of work donated, the building of course built, horses used to haul etc. So while its simple, its actually complicated. However that said, a few key things really struck me. First, if you have a community, and one that is happy to lend a hand, you have the ability to do great things. Secondly, if you respect the resources you have around you and think of how they can help you in a sustainable way, and plan for it, you can be less impactful to the world around you. Lastly, to live simply you need a focus and a mentality that takes you away from many of the trappings of the modern world. That in itself is both refreshing and of course daunting. When I look at my own life I feel its somewhat simple, but then I look at a place like Stegers and I realize its not, its actually very complicated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcwVWsPi2V8/YCGE6EVjXNI/AAAAAAAAN8g/L1prS-pq37YrU3sFUzC4gzMyWOEtxIagACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A7761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcwVWsPi2V8/YCGE6EVjXNI/AAAAAAAAN8g/L1prS-pq37YrU3sFUzC4gzMyWOEtxIagACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A7761.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jmm-iq9QviY/YCGE713mbAI/AAAAAAAAN8k/5XEkI48ypDYBrAqvgKKgzXtc6o6-8swpQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A7731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jmm-iq9QviY/YCGE713mbAI/AAAAAAAAN8k/5XEkI48ypDYBrAqvgKKgzXtc6o6-8swpQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A7731.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fqrD0LXhsNM/YCGFkuqzafI/AAAAAAAAN88/mKJx9E8gdUEbA1br68KclDXaRt54exUBwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021P1800295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fqrD0LXhsNM/YCGFkuqzafI/AAAAAAAAN88/mKJx9E8gdUEbA1br68KclDXaRt54exUBwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2021P1800295.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-35706021795924126432021-02-04T11:35:00.002-08:002021-02-04T11:35:23.725-08:0030 second intervals <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_MFvIyxNciE/YBxDZF7gq0I/AAAAAAAAN7o/PCt4_32ZSxkzjOfc_shd77OebLWJOhDkACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A3610.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_MFvIyxNciE/YBxDZF7gq0I/AAAAAAAAN7o/PCt4_32ZSxkzjOfc_shd77OebLWJOhDkACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A3610.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Every second counts <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Anybody who has been a Nordic Ski Racer will understand this riff.<br /></p><p>In Cross Country Ski Racing (and bike race time trials) some events are interval starts. Depending on the race, a person starts every 30 seconds, or possibly a minute apart.</p><p>As a racer it's a really interesting situation. </p><p>If you can catch the person ahead of you, you are beating them by 30 seconds. If the person behind you catches you, you are losing by 30 seconds and so on across the start list. This scenario really creates a crazy dynamic in your head. </p><p>First you need to go like hell in general, any slowing down and there is somebody breathing down your neck, you can sometimes see them on a turn or a straightaway. Secondly, you can also see the person your chasing, a total carrot on a stick. Are you the hunter or the hunted? Whats it going to be?<br /></p><p>Very rarely do you get caught yourself and then re-drop your pursuer but it certainly does happen. This happened to me once in a high school race that actually had some ramifications, my senior year. I needed to place high in the race to qualify for the State Meet. The day was extra cold and it was snowing in gusty waves during the 10KM event. I started out slow and cold, I could not seem to warm my body up and I was really frustrated and because of that rolling out slow.<br /></p><p> On top of that my eye lashes kept freezing, causing my eye lids to freeze shut. So I had zero visibility. Needless to say the guy 30 seconds back caught me early, like 3KM in. I remember being totally defeated, I was barely into the race and yet I was already out of it. </p><p>I distinctly remember coming through a zone where folks were cheering and one of my coaches just drilled me between the eyes to get my shit together, that it was way, way too early to throw in the towel (which it was). </p><p>By then I had started to gather myself, warm up and feel better, so I thought damn, just go for broke, its all over regardless. I dug myself out of that hole and I went on to win the race by 4 or 5 seconds. Something I still think about to this day, a day so very far from that one.</p><p>I have often thought about the value or worth of being a young athlete. Is it good for you, is it bad for you? You could argue it's a distraction from learning some important early life lessons, or that it takes from studying or starting an early career. You of course could also argue it brings you some valuable life lessons. <br /></p><p>I think often about the lessons of the Interval Start. There is always something or somebody coming, so keep the pedal to the metal and there is always somebody ahead of you so pay attention, look ahead and throw down your best work to achieve the best results. Yet if things go sideways, dont panic, stay calm, try and pull it together and crush that last half of the course.<br /></p>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-17782713914920343682021-01-08T11:42:00.006-08:002021-01-11T07:19:58.631-08:00My Life as a Backcountry Glutton <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nNE9cX9kCNI/X_iyptM_ytI/AAAAAAAAN5A/h8s2Nl7_kYERFkAj2Zwa7OK4yUpMGntfwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A1519.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nNE9cX9kCNI/X_iyptM_ytI/AAAAAAAAN5A/h8s2Nl7_kYERFkAj2Zwa7OK4yUpMGntfwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A1519.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Slow nights and firelights</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><br /></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XrP4-HD4tL4/X_i0MjwleFI/AAAAAAAAN54/_ny-55KJt0YFzTOuK7FXhA1VEiY93IlKACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A2231.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XrP4-HD4tL4/X_i0MjwleFI/AAAAAAAAN54/_ny-55KJt0YFzTOuK7FXhA1VEiY93IlKACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A2231.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Happy times </span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwgfGjF_3Zs/X_i0adUAX6I/AAAAAAAAN6A/GbbprHnK6J8YPgQ8idFa5Z1SeBSPErkRwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A2487.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dwgfGjF_3Zs/X_i0adUAX6I/AAAAAAAAN6A/GbbprHnK6J8YPgQ8idFa5Z1SeBSPErkRwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A2487.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Get some </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">There are all kinds of styles used to access the BWCA.</span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p><span>You have your traditionalists who slowly and gracefully glide across the lakes in wooden canoes and wool toques. Or your ultra-light weight weenies riding slender Kevlar rockets wearing only waist packs and armed with the heart rates of hummingbirds. You also have your Noobs slaving and sweating under massive packs of gear, carrying way too much as they are just learning the ropes….. and then you have the Backcountry gluttons. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k0wGj28k3To/X_iy3yulcrI/AAAAAAAAN5E/d-f215GE_8UTcDHPgcgHWS5GBqdSHeFhACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A2107.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k0wGj28k3To/X_iy3yulcrI/AAAAAAAAN5E/d-f215GE_8UTcDHPgcgHWS5GBqdSHeFhACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A2107.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Ykers Porketta</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TcP-Tb508W4/X_i0nd6hoSI/AAAAAAAAN6I/AAzkvLPA1ZYa6SGKUS8Pf5dar93RwClOACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A2113.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TcP-Tb508W4/X_i0nd6hoSI/AAAAAAAAN6I/AAzkvLPA1ZYa6SGKUS8Pf5dar93RwClOACLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2021059A2113.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cooking in the "open range"</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">These are the folks that traipse into the backcountry for one reason only, to eat and to eat like Medieval Royalty. These people might carry camp stoves, but they also carry cast iron skillets. They might be touring a wee bit, but generally they basecamp in the best spot possible for finding their fare and then they settle in….way, way in.</span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8tfrfOIMvI/X_izcqg81XI/AAAAAAAAN5c/NNrsENd60589uzftbdQjImyhO25XZE0iACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A1139.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z8tfrfOIMvI/X_izcqg81XI/AAAAAAAAN5c/NNrsENd60589uzftbdQjImyhO25XZE0iACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A1139.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hmmm...whats next </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></div><span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="font-family: helvetica; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MJrvCbbZRDI/X_i03oKp0eI/AAAAAAAAN6U/oDN33rItHyoIUFCPmyF8uYRdFlGjpzsegCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A2353.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MJrvCbbZRDI/X_i03oKp0eI/AAAAAAAAN6U/oDN33rItHyoIUFCPmyF8uYRdFlGjpzsegCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A2353.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Looking for lunch </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I would say that in general most backcountry adventures tally a caloric deficit at the end. Meaning you burn more calories than you consume, mainly because you are working so hard to stay alive. It's a pretty simple formula that every wild being has to consider for survival in the wilderness. How much energy output can you warrant based on your energy input?</span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(51, 51, 51); color: #333333; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This formula is irrelevant to the Backcountry glutton. No, this is about eating way, way more calories than you could ever burn. Being a Backcountry glutton is NOT about instant meals or freeze dried prepackaged dinners, this is about bacon grease and finger licking.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Being a “BG” is about reaching out and plucking the fruits of the land and just Noshing the heck out of them. This is about truly being the Apex predator……and a lot of burping.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Being a Backcountry glutton can occur in practically any season you can make it into the BWCA. Fall of course is the best, due to the availability of the all the food groups. Those being things that swim and things that fly and things that run.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">However, spring and winter have their own allure and for me and my buddies that allure is Lake Trout. There is just something about a nice fat, fresh wild Lake Trout pulled from icy water and cooked in, or on, a fire that just blows my mind.</span></p></div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o459UjKtnF0/X_izAQyFAOI/AAAAAAAAN5M/71r_6hrE0Kc38PIYsgHKh8qaF6Z9KpW5QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A1825.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-o459UjKtnF0/X_izAQyFAOI/AAAAAAAAN5M/71r_6hrE0Kc38PIYsgHKh8qaF6Z9KpW5QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A1825.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Caught and released in bacon grease </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CFZysdNbdlM/X_i1BivHkqI/AAAAAAAAN6Y/5ewuoXl_k94tVtLFmQTeTyHU8kW0hfDtgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A2156.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CFZysdNbdlM/X_i1BivHkqI/AAAAAAAAN6Y/5ewuoXl_k94tVtLFmQTeTyHU8kW0hfDtgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A2156.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Oh yeah</span> </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: arial;">While I am no culinary expert, you just don't seem to need to be. Just filet those bad boys toss em in a pan with some butter add a little salt and damn………. <o:p></o:p></span><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p><span> </span></o:p><span>However, varying them from breakfast to lunch can require a tiny bit of creativity. At lunch we slap some Yker Acres Porketta or thick cut bacon on top of those slabs. For dinner, it’s my buddy Eric’s Lake Trout Pasta with Lemon Zest and Capers. Or its just back to slapping them in foil, adding onions, peppers, butter (of course) and seasoning. This year my go to was to add Wasabi Salt and hand roasted Wasabi Sesame seeds I bought last winter in a street market in Tokyo. It’s funny but my food pack has shrunk every time I go into the BWCA now. It’s pretty much staples. Some vegetables, some butter, a few energy bars, chocolate and coffee. I just add critters once I catch them. So far I have to have a visit to the wilderness where I have not come up with something to toss in the pot.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfwP5IsUw4E/X_iz0X_rQOI/AAAAAAAAN5s/SPCNvZRtsGUStbCP1Ra6rceUH-60CpK4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A1098.jpg" style="font-family: helvetica; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VfwP5IsUw4E/X_iz0X_rQOI/AAAAAAAAN5s/SPCNvZRtsGUStbCP1Ra6rceUH-60CpK4QCLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2021059A1098.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Round 17 </span><br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeoVJtdiEfY/X_izou_wxCI/AAAAAAAAN5k/8Gk7wzrSmuwC6R6LV0EUY3o9CenaNLLuwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A1097.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zeoVJtdiEfY/X_izou_wxCI/AAAAAAAAN5k/8Gk7wzrSmuwC6R6LV0EUY3o9CenaNLLuwCLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2021059A1097.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">A bit of meat to start with <br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The 2021 Winter Lake Trout opener found us in peak Backcountry glutton form. Matt Weik of Yker Acres, my buddy Dave Stenehjem and I base camped our Snowtrekker hot tents just off some prime BWCA Lake Trout structure. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Basically, we looked for an underwater wall with some flats on either side of it. In the shallows I cut a wide window of ice out and placed a pop up shack over it and sight fished for Lakers in the crystal clear water. Literally watching the tasty critters come sailing in to ravage my copper spoon. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ejQJMBcKx_4/X_izQDjsJuI/AAAAAAAAN5Y/QyV_H_dhRUAXYGvEwmfqIrLur6y3JyHNQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A0923.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ejQJMBcKx_4/X_izQDjsJuI/AAAAAAAAN5Y/QyV_H_dhRUAXYGvEwmfqIrLur6y3JyHNQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A0923.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Whats in the hole?!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></o:p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uTNLem1C75g/X_i0C0TMXpI/AAAAAAAAN50/gmw2bdxXSBgQ4-tIeyVMtxmhWGdFYk3UQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A0991.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uTNLem1C75g/X_i0C0TMXpI/AAAAAAAAN50/gmw2bdxXSBgQ4-tIeyVMtxmhWGdFYk3UQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A0991.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Treasure. Eat the small ones, let the big ones go</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Once a fish was caught it was straight from the ice shack to the preheated cast iron skillet that had been sitting on the small wood stove of our tents, then the fish was cooked and consumed. This whole cycle of life was repeated for three days in a zone that was never more than 50 feet from ice hole to hot stove, to bed. </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Catch, cook, eat, sit in folding chair and bask in sun, repeat….burp! Those individuals who were out there for the BWCA opener (and there were many) will most likely never forget the perfect weather, the lack of wind, the insanely bright moon and of course the lip smacking taste of lake trout! Each night I retired to the warm, cozy hot tent for a nightcap. Somebody told me once that you don't need a hot tent for winter camping, and they are correct. However, I also don't need to sit with my feet up by the nice hot wood stove, sipping a nice Scotch and reading The Drake Magazine until Midnight either…but it was sure nice too and it's the only way a true Backcountry glutton rolls.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xqtd8GHZ6lc/X_i1eXm8BKI/AAAAAAAAN6k/bsSnHr9M2swkaMlPXi4H3lbciVNPu2cnwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A2060.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xqtd8GHZ6lc/X_i1eXm8BKI/AAAAAAAAN6k/bsSnHr9M2swkaMlPXi4H3lbciVNPu2cnwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A2060.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Hooked up and hoping </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"></span></div><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9q_N8nUiFd8/X_i1g40DABI/AAAAAAAAN6o/FuiqcZ9CUtYblr39FnYblO_mpRRt_KV_gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A1785.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9q_N8nUiFd8/X_i1g40DABI/AAAAAAAAN6o/FuiqcZ9CUtYblr39FnYblO_mpRRt_KV_gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A1785.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Smoke Belcher </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ovDPJlxxm8I/X_i1ihzWAeI/AAAAAAAAN6s/AjNf9cPqIRc8V-SrbLtszRB-F7xs9GcvACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2021059A1689.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ovDPJlxxm8I/X_i1ihzWAeI/AAAAAAAAN6s/AjNf9cPqIRc8V-SrbLtszRB-F7xs9GcvACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2021059A1689.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Lots of people in the woods these days </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span><p></p></div>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-22780394665838714422020-12-07T06:29:00.014-08:002020-12-08T08:40:08.458-08:00Into the Dad Zone- An epic Skate in the BWCA <p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JE_qf-W0hwI/X843kmwCa_I/AAAAAAAAN18/bFOnXqes1mUkViQtftPsxOjII6o4eB4vQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9585.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JE_qf-W0hwI/X843kmwCa_I/AAAAAAAAN18/bFOnXqes1mUkViQtftPsxOjII6o4eB4vQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A9585.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The BWCA in full glass </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Like a lot of folks who love the outdoors I try as hard as possible to get my kid to love being outside as well. To create that connection is like walking the razors edge. You push too much and they hate it. You push too little and they get consumed by electronics, friends and all the other noise going on in their young lives.</p><p>I would say my actions fall on pushing the outdoors too much. I personally have come to the conclusion that I myself only have one life to live and I am sure as hell going to live it as much as I can. </p><p>There is no question, I am happiest outside having an adventure. That has been one consistent theme in my life since I was a kid. That theme is a core part of my being and one aspect of my life I want to give to my child, its my legacy.... and well, its all the legacy I have to give! </p><p>So when free time presents itself outside is where I will be and if I have the kid for that time period (as in my wife is working) then we are going outside. Its just a matter of how and where. Usually those two answers are dictated by weather, season and what the conditions will allow us to do. There is always the something that is special to that time and season, its just being aware enough to know what that might be.<br /></p><p>Tae is 12 now, shocking, especially to those of you who have known him since his adoption at 9 months old. Up until this year when Tae and I are together I have been the unofficial director of fun. </p><p>However, in the past two months there have been several instances of Tae asking to do some adventure outside that we have either done before and he enjoyed or that he has heard about and has a curiosity about. One of the first such instances was going Duck Hunting. Which was weird because the kid has shown almost no interest in hunting at all. But he requested giving it a try. I will NEVER say no to a request to go outside so we went hunting. Never saw a duck but he loved it.<br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U2433Nv6lFE/X848MSQ3WAI/AAAAAAAAN2g/0DA3brXTOvsSqZVCxP8yrfsZJXOa44_LgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A8758.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U2433Nv6lFE/X848MSQ3WAI/AAAAAAAAN2g/0DA3brXTOvsSqZVCxP8yrfsZJXOa44_LgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A8758.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best defenders are made of stone </td></tr></tbody></table><br />Ice skating on perfect, wild ice was another thing he is super curious about. I had seen on Thursday of last week that the ice was shaping up nicely for some BWCA epicness. I had regaled Tae with stories of decades past of touring the BWCA on ice skates and we talked about it a lot this past summer when were fly fishing in the BWCA. Tae just could not wrap his head around the fact that he could skate anywhere.....Anywhere????<div><br /></div><div>I had been paying attention to the lack of snow and the ice reports. It was obvious conditions were shaping up for this phenomenon this winter, it was just a matter of where. </div><div> </div><div>Folks were already skating, but it still sounded a bit sketchy to me. I am a sucker for ice skating, especially in a pristine place like the BWCA but when it comes to ice I am a wary soul.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I have to admit, I have two party fouls in my skating past. </div><div><br /></div><div>Both involved full submersion. Both were very real and scary, extremely cold and basically just sucked a LOT! I falling through the ice folks think a lot about getting out of the water, but the real bummer is being wet, in cold winter conditions, its that part that is the most brutal. Getting out of wet clothes, getting your core warm again. So its not just hauling Ice picks and ropes, it also hauling a dry bag and a dry shirt or two. <br /></div><div> </div><div>You can imagine my reluctance to drag a 12 year old into that possible outcome. That said, I also know <a href="https://universalklister.blogspot.com/2014/01/happy-new-year-fat-bike-article-in-feb.html?view=flipcard">a bit about ice travel </a>and the tools you should have to put the odds in your favor. Done right and in the right conditions, I felt I could be a good parent.<p>On Friday morning though a few more social media posts went up with ice thickness reports and I realized it was safer than I first thought. It might be worth the effort I thought, worth mentioning to the kid.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-60fb094ubr8/X8-anaieW1I/AAAAAAAAN2s/tWkI7wlba34p1NNtr_W3bvYFfJu2OFtIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-60fb094ubr8/X8-anaieW1I/AAAAAAAAN2s/tWkI7wlba34p1NNtr_W3bvYFfJu2OFtIQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A9059.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He shoots he scores<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </p><p>When I did mention the ice conditions to Tae I figured he would care less. Spirit Mountain was open and the kid is a terrain park rat, he could sit on that high speed tow rope and ski all day everyday. I timed my ask. I had caught a flush of Crappie ice fishing earlier in the week. Pan fried in butter with just a wee bit of salt, I waited until he was two bites in to show him the ice reports. </p><p>Honestly it would have been alright had he not taken an interest in skating the BWCA. I was not fully sure of the safety conditions and secondly, where the skating was good was not real close to our home. </p><p>In fact it was three and a half hours away up the North Shore on a good day of driving. It was at the end of the road, literally. You could drive no further north in that part of the state. </p><p>To my total surprise Tae was totally in. </p><p>In fact he became fixated on it and was just chatty about the whole deal. I explained to him we would have to get up really early, drive a lot, stay out all day and drive home and get home late. Due to Covid there would be no staying overnight. This was an all in, grudge match if we wanted to do it. </p><p>No problem Dada, I got this was the reply.</p><p>Really? Hmmm</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rg5m4Ow9itM/X8467NPdKUI/AAAAAAAAN2I/X8-W8TY8hYU76_6WIRkdRIoD3h3yDxe4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A0276.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rg5m4Ow9itM/X8467NPdKUI/AAAAAAAAN2I/X8-W8TY8hYU76_6WIRkdRIoD3h3yDxe4gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A0276.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There were nearly 50 cars in the parking lot, but nobody to be seen </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnwF4L6lvXc/X847NWnfRtI/AAAAAAAAN2Q/U4Qz3sPqqzgW3vtcvDIy6DIWynwIrsc7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9485.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gnwF4L6lvXc/X847NWnfRtI/AAAAAAAAN2Q/U4Qz3sPqqzgW3vtcvDIy6DIWynwIrsc7gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A9485.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just tooling on </td></tr></tbody></table><p>The whole day went off without a hitch. Getting Tae up at 4am was not a huge problem. I turned off all the clocks so he had no idea when he had actually gotten up and just popped him in the car and told him to go to sleep. Which he did for an hour or so, he woke up just in time to see the sun come up over Lake Superior, a treat in itself. Sucking on a hot chocolate I had made for him, he admitted he had been so excited he had not slept much at all that night.</p><p>We pounded it up the shore to Grand Marais, then continued another hour up the Gunflint Trail. </p><p>Then we were on the ice all day, skating and ice fishing. I put the pop up on the ice with a heater and we used it as both as fishing spot but also as a warming shack. The heater keeping it a comfy 60 degrees. At lunch we used the Jet Boil and made Ramen, a nice hot meal for shredding all day.<br /></p><p>While all this was going on, I once again had the parental realization that this stuff is no longer about me anymore. I mean, yeah I love it and it will always drive me, but the fact that Tae got to experience that feeling of total freedom was what was important here. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A9l-1PG1uM4/X8-cRE6OnRI/AAAAAAAAN24/0XzbzP5LLlw_6q0aSYQuxyFJGQ32-sImwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A9l-1PG1uM4/X8-cRE6OnRI/AAAAAAAAN24/0XzbzP5LLlw_6q0aSYQuxyFJGQ32-sImwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A9237.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This bug is swimming on the underside of the ice<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </p><p>Skating on pure wild perfect black ice is one of the closest things to flying you can do with two feet on the planet. Its Effortless glide on perfect etchable glass. </p><p>Not only was the ice itself of a consistency that was incredibly smooth and clear, the lake we were on is a pristine clear water lake in general. Going over rocks you could see 15 feet straight down, your stomach literally dropping out as you coasted over reefs and drops to the pure black abyss.<br /></p><p>I have to say, I was proud of Tae in making the choice to take on this adventure. </p><p>It was not an easy one. I knew it was a hard push and that is from a person who has no issue taking on hard pushes. It was going to be a taxing adventure. Not the skating itself but the travel to get to it and back. </p><p>Tae though made it happen. A perfect road trip buddy. He also reveled in the spectacle. Tae appreciated the that special conditions he was able to experience.<br /></p><p> He also had No complaints about a 4am start. No complaints being on the ice literally all day, dawn to dusk and no complaints about a non stop drive home. </p><p>Honestly he did better than some of my buddies who would of at the very least asked to take a bathroom break every hour, or gripe about the radio or talk politics! </p><p>If the kid keeps this up, he is going to make "Bro Brah" status by 13.........</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hzCzM3IwU0Y/X847y3k-ZfI/AAAAAAAAN2Y/W7OwhwXqeWEQmA-vIgtR4SZCYX-ZWd4WACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9574.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hzCzM3IwU0Y/X847y3k-ZfI/AAAAAAAAN2Y/W7OwhwXqeWEQmA-vIgtR4SZCYX-ZWd4WACLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2020059A9574.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Total Freedom </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p></div>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-73026916882018373302020-12-01T14:27:00.007-08:002020-12-01T14:47:07.152-08:00Communal Concentration <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3mHzw4EmDhM/X8bBqHLIhFI/AAAAAAAAN1g/jyUiWCVEmIQg_UMO66IEy3wpcieVjtoHwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/P1410996.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3mHzw4EmDhM/X8bBqHLIhFI/AAAAAAAAN1g/jyUiWCVEmIQg_UMO66IEy3wpcieVjtoHwCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/P1410996.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />This is the best time of the year for Fat Bike riding in my humble opinion. <div><br /></div><div>The snow is deep enough that you might actually need a wider tire, but not deep enough to truly suck up the energy to keep up some good glide and fast end speed.<p></p><p>Its funny though. The other day I noticed how far some folks were weaving in and out of the packed tread that previous riders had left in the soft snow. </p><p>It was not that the tread was extremely narrow, or that it lead to challenging obstacles (or off the trail ha!). </p><p>It was that folks were just all over the place on holding their lines. Lazy!</p><p>It was nothing I thought too much about, but I noticed it. </p><p>Later in the ride I started to cross a lot of snow covered bridges. </p><p>It was on one of these bridges that the epiphany happened. NOBODY was riding outside the tread lines on the bridge! </p><p>Like nobody, the packed line was literally perfect. Right? It needs to be or your off the bridge.</p><p>I stopped and looked at the next bridge and I was struck by the fact that on these bridges, every person who rides across it, is so intensely concentrating on not falling off that they all, every one of them hold a perfect line. </p><p>Think of it. Thousands of riders, all thinking the same thing, nailing the same line, completing the same task. Perfection.</p><p>The Communal Concentration in each of those spots is so powerful! </p><p>Imagine if we could concentrate like this as a country around our major issues, imagine the change we could create in the lives of our communities then.......................Just imagine.<br /></p></div>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-58982282163063869362020-11-25T13:16:00.051-08:002020-12-01T12:58:16.633-08:00Execution <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dws0XAK74O0/X76rLLiC1PI/AAAAAAAANwY/2Ap0GfB8HkQGDM3TSJ0jbYpubYopjkeqACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A7194.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dws0XAK74O0/X76rLLiC1PI/AAAAAAAANwY/2Ap0GfB8HkQGDM3TSJ0jbYpubYopjkeqACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A7194.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bass, Bluffs and Brews <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /> There are dreamers and there are schemers and then there are dreamers that deliver.<p></p><p>I have always attempted to be the latter. In my life I have had no shortage of original ideas or thoughts. </p><p>The percentage though that actually happen? 1% maybe. The key I have found is to truly find those ideas that stick and then plant your flag in the sand and make them happen.</p><p>The story I am about to relate is one such idea that rattled around in my head for years before I could execute it. </p><p>That idea being basecampjng on a Houseboat and fishing on small skiffs for Bass and Pike on the Mississippi River. </p><p>This story was featured in the <a href="https://drakemag.com/mississippi-learnin-smallies-and-pike-on-the-mighty-mississippi/">most recent The Drake Magazine</a> but I wanted to put a few more images up for folks to further illustrate the experience through the images I collected.<br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rK-6EWVdFT4/X76sIkjvB8I/AAAAAAAANwg/tUw-o-XmM_cdug2aO7P2ASeDaRWlSPqkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2016G0111183.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rK-6EWVdFT4/X76sIkjvB8I/AAAAAAAANwg/tUw-o-XmM_cdug2aO7P2ASeDaRWlSPqkwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2016G0111183.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah such lovely Minnesota weather <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I grew up on the Mississippi River. If you are familiar with the Miss you know this could vary in what living on the River means. Because the Mississippi River is actually like 100 plus rivers all rolled into one. No maybe 1,000. </p><p>Its that long and its that diverse in its personality, the bi-polar rock star of all rivers.....</p><p>In Minnesota alone just saying you grew up on the Miss could mean a total different and unique experience depending on what part of the state you live in. </p><p>All of those sections world class in the eyes of angling by the way. My personal experience was down in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driftless_Area">Driftless region</a> of SE Minnesota. There the river starts to be much bigger and wider than its northern personality. The Miss starts to create extensive bottomlands. Braided, knotted, twisted, gnarly backwaters, teeming with adventure. </p><p>They are also teeming with bass, pike and a ton of other fish as well.<br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dsTTxQ8gUnQ/X76tAB6sEcI/AAAAAAAANwo/gOeWSMShaeYd5UcXTGoOFbzi39_ukgU6wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020Scan%2B6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1080" height="498" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dsTTxQ8gUnQ/X76tAB6sEcI/AAAAAAAANwo/gOeWSMShaeYd5UcXTGoOFbzi39_ukgU6wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h498/hansi_2020Scan%2B6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>As a kid my grandfather's cronies and my uncle, Old River Rats every one of them, used to relate to me incredible stories of sporting adventures in the sloughs and backwaters of the Big Muddy. </p><p>In the days before GPS and Google Earth, it was a paradoxical maze of a place to navigate. Depending on the water levels there may be hundreds of ways to travel these watery trails. </p><p>The stories of the Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940 illustrate the Rivers tenacity perfectly. 49 people died in the storm, half of them duck hunters in the sloughs. They were lured in by what people say were the most ducks they have ever seen dropping into their decoys. Then in a matter of hours the temps dropped 50 degrees and the winds reached 50-80mph and dropped 27 inches of snowfall in 24 hours. </p><p>Even with modern navigational tools, it can be arduous to navigate the sloughs efficiently, let alone in a raging blizzard and I am sure many died not knowing exactly where they were.<br /></p><p>In growing up in Winona, Minnesota I knew a lot of people that loved the river but just as many that truly feared it and rightfully so. </p><p>The Upper Miss is extremely varied in the types of waters and hazards that you can experience there. Huge current in the main channel, wing dams, locks and dams, tentacles of backwaters, barges on and on and on. </p><p>Luckily for me I grew up with parents, and family friends that loved the river. Mike Cichanowski and his family who started <a href="https://wenonah.com/">Wenonah Canoe</a> were some of those folks. We would train for canoe races by paddling sometimes twice a day in the bottom lands and the sloughs. The perfect canoe racing training grounds. By the time I was 14 I was at ease in the spaces and truly that opened up a whole new world to me as a kid. I would hunt fish and paddle in the Mississippi River extensively for the rest of my time in Winona and go back anytime I possibly can.</p><p>To me its like home.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EH3vjkOwBAY/X76w9ITnyTI/AAAAAAAANw0/5mheGPVJzw0I1fIRJw-D6VoGU1RMN3nkQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A4342.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EH3vjkOwBAY/X76w9ITnyTI/AAAAAAAANw0/5mheGPVJzw0I1fIRJw-D6VoGU1RMN3nkQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A4342.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bluffs and Pelicans </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ayGPHhcX-TU/X76xTcB-P7I/AAAAAAAANxA/TmW1zOIQRssKgdmvUuSVte-m7X8X70PCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A4387.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ayGPHhcX-TU/X76xTcB-P7I/AAAAAAAANxA/TmW1zOIQRssKgdmvUuSVte-m7X8X70PCwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A4387.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ever present Swallow</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I am extremely lucky to work for the <a href="https://mnland.org/">Minnesota Land Trust</a>. </p><p>MLT has been doing some unbelievable work in protecting the Driftless Region of Minnesota. The Driftless is a truly unique place and ecosystem, not only in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, where it exists, but in the world itself. Its a place of bluffs, deep cut valleys and small cold water streams that flow down into the Mississippi River. </p><p>Along with those small streams, you will also find good sized rivers like the Zumbro, the <a href="https://www.trempealeauwi.com/">Trempealeau,</a> the Root and the Rush and dont forget the Chippewa as well. </p><p>Yet these are not mountains and indeed the ridge line or the plateau that tops off these amazing valleys are perfect for farming. Not just any farms, but large scale farms, whose water and chemicals and fertilizers all drain into these small streams, which of course threatens the fish and the critters that live in them and on to the Mississippi River as well. </p><p>MLT works to protect these wooded buffer zones that exist between agriculture, the trout streams and valleys that of course then helps create a much healthier ecosystem all the way down the watershed.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XTfhUqsLv5Y/X77EyfmAlNI/AAAAAAAAN1Q/IcxjIADDSLM7iW9giunABsIL3PPXvRwewCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A1922.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-XTfhUqsLv5Y/X77EyfmAlNI/AAAAAAAAN1Q/IcxjIADDSLM7iW9giunABsIL3PPXvRwewCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A1922.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corn is King </td></tr></tbody></table> <div>Ecologically that is perhaps the most important impact MLT's work has, however personally I can speak to another thing MLT is doing as well. </div><div><br /></div><div>As a kid growing up in Pickwick, Minnesota the valley and the valleys adjacent to it, had changed little since the Civil War. There was very little development, the old Mill that had ground flour for the Union Troops still stands on the original Mill Pond. </div><div><br /></div><div>However with the growth of the Mayo Clinic and the explosion of the health care economy in Rochester, MN people are gobbling up land in these valleys as quickly as they can and folks who are used to higher prices, land is going at bargain rates. </div><div><br /></div><div>The sense of place in the Driftless is changing rapidly and in my opinion not in a win win situation for locals, or for the ecosystem. </div><div><br /></div><div>The work MLT is doing is slowing that change down and helping to preserve that very special sense of place.</div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mCe-uPDp2Qc/X760fXbiwjI/AAAAAAAANxM/6BdNQBuZbJ4rKs2VgAnwuWEYfooIfoGFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A0126.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mCe-uPDp2Qc/X760fXbiwjI/AAAAAAAANxM/6BdNQBuZbJ4rKs2VgAnwuWEYfooIfoGFQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A0126.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Driftless Bliss </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4LxnxBYxjJc/X7602BcTUqI/AAAAAAAANxU/rWSqob7mWL8gQP5OAQis6OOhQNvE7H8vgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1780887.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4LxnxBYxjJc/X7602BcTUqI/AAAAAAAANxU/rWSqob7mWL8gQP5OAQis6OOhQNvE7H8vgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020P1780887.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MN Driftless </td></tr></tbody></table><p>My Job at MLT is to help tell these stories of our work and why we work where we do in an Engaging way. </p><p>Thus the Houseboat idea. </p><p>We could live aboard a floating RV, pull some small skiffs behind it and thus access both the mythical sloughs and bottomlands as well as the larger tributaries in the region.</p><p>Fly fishing would be the perfect activity to pull together the narrative of the work MLT is doing in the bluffs at the head of the valleys and how it impacts the full watershed all the way back to the Miss where we would be fishing.</p><p>This would be an invite only trip to both celebrate the people who support MLT, but to also to tell them a more engaging story of the impacts of our work. </p><p>We would target Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass as well as Pike and even Carp and Gar if we ran into them.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGZpgrKNuVE/X7636RAufvI/AAAAAAAANxg/Tvj90XXebYUvR0Aa_T6-C_Z_rW6MmeQQACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1780428.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGZpgrKNuVE/X7636RAufvI/AAAAAAAANxg/Tvj90XXebYUvR0Aa_T6-C_Z_rW6MmeQQACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2020P1780428.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boys on the boat </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LB-42or2U6M/X764AUxYfDI/AAAAAAAANxk/XeanNCLJPu0XbSTm1efPJSMqiFny-wJggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A4985.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LB-42or2U6M/X764AUxYfDI/AAAAAAAANxk/XeanNCLJPu0XbSTm1efPJSMqiFny-wJggCLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2020059A4985.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hazelton descending the staircase of doom </td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9aPCUsZsPD4/X764xy6sEQI/AAAAAAAANx0/tasp4f--XY4U5FDbkwDMj9fis4vHSnFdgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A6813.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9aPCUsZsPD4/X764xy6sEQI/AAAAAAAANx0/tasp4f--XY4U5FDbkwDMj9fis4vHSnFdgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A6813.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willie looking for the after dinner Bass </td></tr></tbody></table> </div><div>I started to execute on this idea in 2019. I pulled together some support from some extremely fishy (as in they love to fish) MLT Major Donors who were excited by the prospect of the trip. To them it not only would help tell the story of the work MLT was doing, it would also open a chance to connect to new MLT donors. Then I went to a number of industry supporters to ask for help. Most refused but several got on board (literally). The Drake Magazine was my first real partner. Thanks to Tom Bie for getting behind this. Not only did he commit to a story, he also committed to attending. <a href="https://www.patagonia.com/fly-fishing/">Patagonia Flyfishing</a> was another big help and I will be eternally grateful for their support and their interest. Patagonia awarded MLT one of its Enviro grants a few years back and this was a natural extension of that relationship.<p><a href="http://esquif.com/en/">Esquif Canoe</a> was also stoked to be a part of this so thanks to David Hadden. Esquif is selling a very unique row, motor or stand up paddle water craft called the Rangeley and it was perfect for this trip. I also started driving south to motor and paddle back into my old haunts and reconnect with my old friend the Mississippi River.</p><p>Unfortunately the original Houseboat plan was not to be. </p><p>Covid 19 made sure of that. </p><p>March 2020 was such a bummer for everybody this year, but it was especially a bummer for me. I had so many irons in the fire and they were aligned for some great outcomes. This trip being just one of them. By the end of March it was obvious that not only was the trip going to be greatly changed, it might not happen at all.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6RMlD4SNc5g/X766bUIyVfI/AAAAAAAANyA/6Dc4RTA7Gnc1GI9bIluuSbBb33i_86e2wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A7412.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6RMlD4SNc5g/X766bUIyVfI/AAAAAAAANyA/6Dc4RTA7Gnc1GI9bIluuSbBb33i_86e2wCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A7412.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Esquif Rangeley the perfect slough slayer <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJl0K4p62M8/X766d4YQ0uI/AAAAAAAANyE/sD6vGE3xSAcU4kpjrEV1adPHVwWzqUotwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A5859.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KJl0K4p62M8/X766d4YQ0uI/AAAAAAAANyE/sD6vGE3xSAcU4kpjrEV1adPHVwWzqUotwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A5859.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dawkins. Always laser focused on the next cast <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pb5RKtbDVaQ/X766jdgUVQI/AAAAAAAANyI/z-sI-PzrOmQC3RYHpynx7arfzeXlsidbgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A8597.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pb5RKtbDVaQ/X766jdgUVQI/AAAAAAAANyI/z-sI-PzrOmQC3RYHpynx7arfzeXlsidbgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A8597.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sandy dumps, lilly pads, wood in the water.. you name it<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>While I could have just shelved the whole mission I also realized I needed to figure out how to prevail. I communicated with the core crew I wanted on board. We made a plan to create our own social bubble to be Covid safe. I called to book the Houseboat and found an available weekend last minute and we decided to pull the trigger and execute on this idea.<p></p><p>Tom Bie was hesitant due to Covid but decided to come. Unfortunately minutes after landing in Minnesota he found out his house in Oregon was in the danger zone of one of the many Western Wildfires and had to turn around. </p><p>Thanks again 2020! </p><p>Tom Hazleton, an awesome journalist for The Drake, who is also a local had been invited and now the writing of the story would land on his shoulders, with me filling both the organizer and photographer rolls. </p><p>Something that was much harder to do than I originally thought, but hey sleeping is for suckers! </p><p>Dave Dawkins and Willie Rahr both associated with MLT were on board and were committed to making it happen. </p><p>So was Brian Porter, or Lucky as we call him. I am so stoked Lucky made it. He is not only good with boats in general, he is also what I call a true fisherman. It does not matter where or what your looking to catch, Lucky will figure it out and enjoy doing so. </p><p>You want a good guide. You can find Lucky at <a href="https://faroutflyfishing.com/#:~:text=%20Are%20you%20ready%20for%20a%20Far%20Out,Summertime%20finds%20our%20world-class%20smallmouth%20bass...%20More%20">Far Out Fly Fishing. </a><br /></p><p>Lucky hauled along his <a href="https://www.toweemarine.com/skiffs">Towee Skiff</a> which turned out to be the magic fishing weapon in the sloughs. <br /></p><p>Of course the people we invited to attend from Patagonia Fly Fishing were unable to attend due to the pandemic. </p><p>Thus was formed the test case for the first Minnesota Land Trust Major Donor Houseboat trip.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ah6UZMcuok/X768JCk0W_I/AAAAAAAANyY/0VsCLNxPmAAEpllcHSQf8EUOCYDI0p6rgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A4557.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8ah6UZMcuok/X768JCk0W_I/AAAAAAAANyY/0VsCLNxPmAAEpllcHSQf8EUOCYDI0p6rgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A4557.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crusty old River towns <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j2qnm67X8m4/X7680eDrwQI/AAAAAAAANyg/_yDegONfH6IOksGt_n4lgOze1udjRgzngCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1770775.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j2qnm67X8m4/X7680eDrwQI/AAAAAAAANyg/_yDegONfH6IOksGt_n4lgOze1udjRgzngCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2020P1770775.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah...just a barge <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cJTdPXxDBmc/X7681srXTsI/AAAAAAAANyk/cxS5g_yGEJUTd3x-FZwL6Fl3Et_IAyINQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1770393.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cJTdPXxDBmc/X7681srXTsI/AAAAAAAANyk/cxS5g_yGEJUTd3x-FZwL6Fl3Et_IAyINQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020P1770393.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We based camped in a buddies Boat House (not houseboat) while scouting<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OL9IELb2ZUI/X769KVwWtDI/AAAAAAAANys/SlyRLbDBTtYw1TEWMsjXNbaK4hdoR3OAACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1780325.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OL9IELb2ZUI/X769KVwWtDI/AAAAAAAANys/SlyRLbDBTtYw1TEWMsjXNbaK4hdoR3OAACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2020P1780325.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoke em if you got em<br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <p></p><p>Lucky and I went down three days early to scout the river for a second time. I had already been down earlier in the summer to narrow down the insane amount of fishing options. They are truly infinite. </p><p>Unfortunately the week of our trip the weather took a bizarre turn. </p><p>It's 2020 after all, why not make things suck a bit more right? </p><p>The air temps went from the high 80's to the low 40's in a matter of a day. The fishing seemed to stay decent, but it was way slower versus a month earlier. We had to work to find where the were fish hanging and the weather conditions were pretty brutal to fish in. </p><p>Hazelton joined us for a day and it was super cool to just be a trio, out scouting for unicorns and unencumbered. We lived in a buddies boathouse (not yet the Houseboat) and that was awesome. We could fish right out the front door and filled a bucket full of Crappies to pay off the rent while we drank beer and watched the rain sheeting down. Gar kept surfacing all around the marina, but none of them wanted my fly.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ju5h-O_0lg/X76-GJ09vZI/AAAAAAAANy0/h_5LFFazfIcTQdNNQQfmJYquJciFvtQkACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1780370.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ju5h-O_0lg/X76-GJ09vZI/AAAAAAAANy0/h_5LFFazfIcTQdNNQQfmJYquJciFvtQkACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2020P1780370.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smallmouth Bass come in big sizes on the Miss <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Picking up the houseboat and learning to drive it could fill a whole blog post on its own. <a href="https://funsun.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiA8Jf-BRB-EiwAWDtEGnmBRR5B3iL9HKS_PGqWHazBz7gzxAQ4YLB4EbRuHN70-lxl0E8KXxoCfMkQAvD_BwE">Luckily the Fun in the Sun Houseboat rental folks are awesome and they made it easy!</a></p><p>We did great though and it was cool to see everybody chime in to help. The food and the cooking on board were great and the fact that we could literally fish from home and jump in a sweet skiff at sunrise and hit deep into the slough was even cooler. </p><p>In other words the idea lived up to expectations. Good people, good fishing and a world class setting.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKf9Anr9SZM/X76-nzwliOI/AAAAAAAANy8/z7IJ6e9zWHIiRpWh-0KfI1d77rzWw9CcQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1780481.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MKf9Anr9SZM/X76-nzwliOI/AAAAAAAANy8/z7IJ6e9zWHIiRpWh-0KfI1d77rzWw9CcQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2020P1780481.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Such a great crew <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_AGYM4poIeQ/X76-quImDAI/AAAAAAAANzA/QImHcYy6jtow_GC2iIQ9LAWAloGu10lrgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A5076-4.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_AGYM4poIeQ/X76-quImDAI/AAAAAAAANzA/QImHcYy6jtow_GC2iIQ9LAWAloGu10lrgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A5076-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Locking Through <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6kCz1hCl-1U/X76-r4LYj2I/AAAAAAAANzE/Js49eQzP58QjW0I9hpJiCEhpX1g0EzpCwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A5585-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6kCz1hCl-1U/X76-r4LYj2I/AAAAAAAANzE/Js49eQzP58QjW0I9hpJiCEhpX1g0EzpCwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A5585-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaws of death </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FcL0_n4GHzM/X76-xkvzi1I/AAAAAAAANzI/DozaZDZyoz4A3hIyyxT9EJoeJf3tF0oegCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A5586.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FcL0_n4GHzM/X76-xkvzi1I/AAAAAAAANzI/DozaZDZyoz4A3hIyyxT9EJoeJf3tF0oegCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A5586.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pike are numerous and can be good sized as well<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>Everynight folks would hang out, have a drink or two and tell stories. Some were total baloney but overall the stories were pretty awesome, some might have even been true. I loved to see a group of folks who had little connection come together around an idea that not only had I created but through brute force had actually executed in the age of Covid. </p><p>Take that 2020.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JH-Bju0skJQ/X76_T4_W5YI/AAAAAAAANzg/JR5C58AQ200gV4LC-95iCBpVEX3vJwnhwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A8963.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JH-Bju0skJQ/X76_T4_W5YI/AAAAAAAANzg/JR5C58AQ200gV4LC-95iCBpVEX3vJwnhwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A8963.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This one goes to 11<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rup_7G8F4oM/X77AAqxmTOI/AAAAAAAAN0I/IBh-Pn7wGSUBc2dyvuFNKXed2qbCZKpXACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1780546.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rup_7G8F4oM/X77AAqxmTOI/AAAAAAAAN0I/IBh-Pn7wGSUBc2dyvuFNKXed2qbCZKpXACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2020P1780546.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cooking and Driving <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>To me though it was most rewarding to realize that I was living my dream job and in the place that makes me so inspired and so happy, the Driftless. The place where I am from. The Bluffs, the river bottoms and the good old Miss.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vFZVsfrTg2c/X76_q9lk4dI/AAAAAAAANzo/qpbXc0RR72w24d5CFv_nAl9m8wbzIwSrQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A5798.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vFZVsfrTg2c/X76_q9lk4dI/AAAAAAAANzo/qpbXc0RR72w24d5CFv_nAl9m8wbzIwSrQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A5798.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Towee Skiff was an awesome tool for spotting bass <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HlXNr2xYWw0/X76_s2gXjkI/AAAAAAAANzs/bAydw5PTIGITbYxR98ol4LJmHLDWJherQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A8067.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HlXNr2xYWw0/X76_s2gXjkI/AAAAAAAANzs/bAydw5PTIGITbYxR98ol4LJmHLDWJherQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A8067.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willie smacking duck weed for Largemouth <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uAo_-fTD398/X76_w8V1yAI/AAAAAAAANzw/_P51aCuptv4G_5i0in-XnAylU0pwiDIugCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A8892.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uAo_-fTD398/X76_w8V1yAI/AAAAAAAANzw/_P51aCuptv4G_5i0in-XnAylU0pwiDIugCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A8892.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing Barge <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cmMZNXhz-LQ/X76_zXy3IFI/AAAAAAAANz0/OR7jk9NgnLMQ6xwsjec5PDdD2l_Oj0sVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9733.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cmMZNXhz-LQ/X76_zXy3IFI/AAAAAAAANz0/OR7jk9NgnLMQ6xwsjec5PDdD2l_Oj0sVgCLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2020059A9733.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Willie making BIG plans <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f8mSR5JAwDU/X76_1l-qzAI/AAAAAAAANz4/AO8vF4QbvjU5dDZ-KywJrEuRAjiDijP_ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9516-2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f8mSR5JAwDU/X76_1l-qzAI/AAAAAAAANz4/AO8vF4QbvjU5dDZ-KywJrEuRAjiDijP_ACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A9516-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Always watch out for barges! <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>I was sad to see the trip end. However for me it was not quite over. </p><p>I was blessed to have three more days up on the Driftless Trout Streams themselves with three other MLT supporters. </p><p>I was joined by Alex Ubbelohde a good friend and fishing buddy who also happens to be the manager of the Patagonia St. Paul Store. </p><p>Fishing the Driftless itself was originally part of the Houseboat plan before Covid killed it. We were able to pull together a wee version of it by basically holding two parts of the trip exclusive of each other.</p><p>For me, to head out on the Trout Streams truly brought the project full circle. It was great to hang with three other great folks and anglers and to explore the Trout side of the equation. </p><p>This part of the trip could not have happened had Alex not taken the time to scout the small water conditions, so thanks to him and to Patagonia St. Paul for supporting this effort. He headed out multiple times over the summer to find some nice little niches we could explore.<br /></p><p>The fishing was not super great due to the weather but who could complain. It was hopper-dropper season with a few streamer eats tossed in for good measure. Again, all in all a world class experience.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-px-KYXF6UrM/X77BtSPtKiI/AAAAAAAAN0Y/WmoqEkWJHWQV2-HJ3S0_XjLKJwPwUUkggCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1780737.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-px-KYXF6UrM/X77BtSPtKiI/AAAAAAAAN0Y/WmoqEkWJHWQV2-HJ3S0_XjLKJwPwUUkggCLcBGAsYHQ/w480-h640/hansi_2020P1780737.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We are all in this together<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lquiXjIb24U/X77BuujEcGI/AAAAAAAAN0c/1HcPuze8aA8-V1Dy4XiThwWaNoZ02rm6QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A2179.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lquiXjIb24U/X77BuujEcGI/AAAAAAAAN0c/1HcPuze8aA8-V1Dy4XiThwWaNoZ02rm6QCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A2179.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Farm art <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2uc8f0o4KLY/X77BwnENVkI/AAAAAAAAN0g/0mhGXXNEHcMc6SggmoGb9t-HK81jfCmewCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A1761.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2uc8f0o4KLY/X77BwnENVkI/AAAAAAAAN0g/0mhGXXNEHcMc6SggmoGb9t-HK81jfCmewCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A1761.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alex U. dodging cows and ripping lips <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kniR8QX_gCM/X77ByaYVtCI/AAAAAAAAN0k/eBMwp_zZvVgGHLMARqZ6Zw8U2nsW84yMgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A0146.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kniR8QX_gCM/X77ByaYVtCI/AAAAAAAAN0k/eBMwp_zZvVgGHLMARqZ6Zw8U2nsW84yMgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A0146.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is certain height you need to hit as a man jumping over an electric fence<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sEcL28zzh2g/X77B0nVhxhI/AAAAAAAAN0o/5NUbc00vZcsttYkmFPoGr3FBXV7kmSVlQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A0748.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sEcL28zzh2g/X77B0nVhxhI/AAAAAAAAN0o/5NUbc00vZcsttYkmFPoGr3FBXV7kmSVlQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A0748.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A wee one, but a fun one <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h--ny708cVE/X77B2XcE9EI/AAAAAAAAN0s/pyLB20ORaOUzUqo-9xAo0qu1br3v7lO7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A0823.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h--ny708cVE/X77B2XcE9EI/AAAAAAAAN0s/pyLB20ORaOUzUqo-9xAo0qu1br3v7lO7gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A0823.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The world is your oyster <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5dhukjR8qjE/X77B4AmF2gI/AAAAAAAAN0w/D9PoeUqQfCsbwqnt_za5KCN4ZaK1GWmDQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A1880.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5dhukjR8qjE/X77B4AmF2gI/AAAAAAAAN0w/D9PoeUqQfCsbwqnt_za5KCN4ZaK1GWmDQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A1880.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Driftless is a place of history and heritage <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CxSVbNrvXzQ/X77B6k0nXqI/AAAAAAAAN00/u8AaXL-zRWcYJutaAA-gaxIvgvtVgU61QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A1406.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CxSVbNrvXzQ/X77B6k0nXqI/AAAAAAAAN00/u8AaXL-zRWcYJutaAA-gaxIvgvtVgU61QCLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2020059A1406.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Free Apples <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>We just started planning for the 2021 version of this trip. MLT supporters and donors are invited to reach out as we will be putting together a hand picked crew of crazies over the winter!<br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div></div>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-45060078844349363632020-11-09T08:37:00.002-08:002020-11-09T08:54:12.041-08:00The Streak <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uzdtf5VUuI8/X6lsW0Via9I/AAAAAAAANvw/v2LfiI1yyOQMgopgT1sykNA5K28R2vPsgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/hansi_2016hansi_2016GOPR3809.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Uzdtf5VUuI8/X6lsW0Via9I/AAAAAAAANvw/v2LfiI1yyOQMgopgT1sykNA5K28R2vPsgCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h480/hansi_2016hansi_2016GOPR3809.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>At 6.32 am on Opening morning I was able take my 6th consecutive Buck, from the same stand, on the same morning. </p><p>Meaning I have shown up on opening day and I have sat in the same spot and have taken a beautiful Buck, almost within the hour for 6 years straight. If your a hunter you realize how bizarre that is. I am sure folks will now say I am putting a curse going for 7 but honestly I dont care. I have never thought of it a streak until this season, but it is unique enough to relate. I mean just the fact I was actually able to be in one place six years in a row is amazing ha!</p><p>The act of hunting comes to me in a hard way. I don't do it for the hunt, I dont do it for the act of killing an animal, or for trophy horns, I do for the food that comes after all that hard work is done.</p><p>That is especially pertinent as this season the act of killing was especially challenging. I will spare the details. Suffice to say however that for these six deer over six years I have only used 8 shells total. Meaning mostly I have been able to be in the one shot one kill position. This season it took two and it felt like I was in a gory Quentin Tarantino flick.</p><p>I am fairly good at hunting, perhaps above average even.</p><p>There are times when I am sitting in my tree stand and I realize that I am not much different than an owl or a hawk. A predator riding out a killing wind, above it all. I am sitting there, high up observing everything that is happening below me. I watch the wind direction, I watch the way the brush sways, the branches bob and the squirrels rush about. Its all calculated. I can see every angle, every possible approach and build actions and scenarios around the potential shot situations and then when needed act upon them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pSJ-oI5EOfI/X6ls6VyDiaI/AAAAAAAANv4/vHqqpGcGacUsde53qYDvgkF4ReU-Nek3gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/hansi_2019hansi_2019P1720147.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pSJ-oI5EOfI/X6ls6VyDiaI/AAAAAAAANv4/vHqqpGcGacUsde53qYDvgkF4ReU-Nek3gCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2019hansi_2019P1720147.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I dont say this to brag or to glorify the act of hunting. Far from it. </p><p>I say it because to me in hunting there no getting away from the violence that must occur with it. You can't deny that. Its not like fly fishing where, yes there is small amount of violence but generally after the fight is done, the fish can swim away (generally). </p><p>In hunting there of course is no catch and release. </p><p>So the calculations are actually about trying to be as humane as is possible. How can I make this shot to be as quick in its conclusion for the animal in question, and for me. It's cold, intentional calculation.</p><p>I have been hunting since I was 14. I lost count of the number of deer I have harvested a long time ago. That number is unimportant. Yet, there is not a deer that I have shot that I have not mourned. </p><p>Because of that I try to bring a respect and a gratitude to every meal that deer provides my family. Generally a Whitetail provides a full years worth of sustenance. We very rarely buy meat at the store anymore and we were deeply thankful for the Venison we ate during the Covid shut down.</p><p>I admit I do struggle with hunting. Which I think is important. I dwell on the process of hunting a lot. To actually harvest an animal, to take it on that continuum from walking around living its life, to your freezer, you have to learn to go emotionally to a cold, dark, desensitized place. To turn off a lot of emotions, like a switch. </p><p>This ability to do this occupies my thoughts every season. How did I learn to do that? What does it mean to be a person who can so easily do that? Is this something I want to pass on my child? </p><p>At this stage of the hunt its all retrospective. Now the thoughts are more of celebration and jubilation and thankfulness at knowing we are again set for nice long winter of Venison to eat. Yet for me, I will also remember the hunt itself and I will celebrate the animal that had to give us this bounty. I will be honest, I won't think about The Streak at all, but maybe, just maybe next October I will start to contemplate it again.</p>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-27641388743120705372020-09-01T13:30:00.005-07:002020-09-01T15:54:04.857-07:00On surviving 50 Summers<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GhI7xbT2LLI/X06dWf-cUNI/AAAAAAAANr4/Bm3s1hlh0nQTQ7se2zPKNYB9EkJ4aBHwACLcBGAsYHQ/s1623/IMG_8833.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="952" data-original-width="1623" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GhI7xbT2LLI/X06dWf-cUNI/AAAAAAAANr4/Bm3s1hlh0nQTQ7se2zPKNYB9EkJ4aBHwACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_8833.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>It's true.</p><p>I have tread upon this rock for half a century.</p><p>There have been a lot of birthday wishes today and often they start with "how does it feel to be 50." </p><p>It is strange to hit this marker. First because I sincerely am impressed that I have. It has not always been certain. So there is the feeling of amazement and gratitude that I have actually lived such an amazing and fun filled life. It's not a question anymore on if my life will have been full of adventure, because it has.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ERIw1DuWYgI/X06mk2DqrsI/AAAAAAAANuE/VoxHQl2XsnYZferygQ9tzGu-BVoJvBOEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9796.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ERIw1DuWYgI/X06mk2DqrsI/AAAAAAAANuE/VoxHQl2XsnYZferygQ9tzGu-BVoJvBOEgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020059A9796.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>If an analogy of life is climbing a mountain, then at 50 you are just clearing the crest of the final climb. The peak is a few steps away before the descent to the valley on the other side. So there is elation at having accepted the challenge and in making the journey. </p><p>Yet there is no doubt there is a sadness at having it behind you and some dread at having to come on down off the top. I wonder if I have kept the strength to finish it.</p><p>For a long time I worried about how I would make a life around being outside all the time. It has not been easy, especially as a Minnesotan, it has not been guaranteed and it has not been scripted or planned. Mainly because it could not be. This life fits in no box and fits no model.</p><p> However at 50 you realize that it has happened. </p><p>I am defined by what I have done and its been what I have wanted to do. I am, who I wanted to be, it's crazy to finally accept that as reality. I also accept that I have been blessed and to some extent privileged to have been able to lead this life. I do not come from wealth, but I have been able to somehow craft an outdoor lifestyle despite that. However I realize a lot of people are hurting badly right now, and certainly my family struggles and will continue as the economy changes. Yet we have been blessed as well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rucezqCNjpA/X06g76X1pZI/AAAAAAAANsY/VqSYu59U5TAUw-ePX7AM4t9C0wsRc2cFACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2016G0170803.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rucezqCNjpA/X06g76X1pZI/AAAAAAAANsY/VqSYu59U5TAUw-ePX7AM4t9C0wsRc2cFACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2016G0170803.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>In a life of being outdoors my body has been my main mechanism of access. It has carried me through all types of landscapes in all types of places and in all sorts of activities. I have to say that it has been pretty good to me. I have my injuries, I have my aches and I have my pains. But I do feel this body has carried me well and that it has the ability to carry me further (if I take care of it). Thats good, and what's better is that, while I am not the most fit of my friends of my age, I am not the least fit either. I still have the ability to push hard on the things I want to and I hope to continue to do that. Thanks to Jason Kask for keeping me honest there. Yet I aim to make sure when I am done it with it that it will be time to throw it aside.</p><p>Case in point my 49th year was amazing. It was amazing family wise. I had some great adventures with Margaret and Tae. I have watched my wife prosper in her work (only to be cut down by Covid) and I have watched my son bloom from a baby to an adolescent. I have also been able to spend some quality time with my mom and dad and my mother in law as well. I am happy that they support me in this odd career I have, its quirky but they get it now.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2t0dIzVXra8/X06hJ60vA8I/AAAAAAAANsg/6fMcYISPhwIZP872HZj18bwLQgZBdwJyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/IMG_7778.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2t0dIzVXra8/X06hJ60vA8I/AAAAAAAANsg/6fMcYISPhwIZP872HZj18bwLQgZBdwJyQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/IMG_7778.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I also had some great adventures shooting photo's of cool people and seeing new places.</p><p>I met some interesting new people like the All Mountain Brothers Crew. Or the fellas I was so lucky to go to Japan and ski with. </p><p>I was also supported by some amazing companies and organizations. </p><p>The Minnesota Land Trust has been a dream job that I would not have ever considered but thanks to Kris Larson and Daryl Peterson who convinced me to get involved. Also thanks to MLT supporters like Willie Rahr and Dave Dawkins who have made it possible for me to pursue some interesting work that involves fishing and fund raising. Especially thanks to Willie who the past two seasons had me with him at The High Lonesome Ranch on the Smith River in Montana. It was hard work but it was so worth it!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xCSDq8s4avA/X06nkWpUHPI/AAAAAAAANuM/hkK8CyXqRrYL4OELWj6ZYs32E3roUiELgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2019059A2363.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xCSDq8s4avA/X06nkWpUHPI/AAAAAAAANuM/hkK8CyXqRrYL4OELWj6ZYs32E3roUiELgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2019059A2363.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-01jITl9A8Kk/X06n5fYlNjI/AAAAAAAANuU/IJYKHz9FGpM-XIFNwW3czJqsASqbnTfgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2019059A1814.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-01jITl9A8Kk/X06n5fYlNjI/AAAAAAAANuU/IJYKHz9FGpM-XIFNwW3czJqsASqbnTfgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2019059A1814.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Also thanks to all the brands that have supported me, some for most of my life and some for nearly half of it now and some just this season. Wenonah Canoe. Stio, Salsa Bikes, 45NRTh, Redington Rods, Terrene, Smith Optics, Esquif, Simms Waders, Duluth Coffee Company, FrostRiver, Hyperlight Tents and The Patagonia Clothing Company.</p><p>I caught more fish than I have in any season before and much, much bigger versions of them. For that I thank Brian Porter and Kelly Mcknight without whom I would have not had the chance to get on those fish. </p><p>I was also super stoked to get published in bunch of mags in my 49th year. Those thanks go to Tom Bie of The Drake or Copi Vojta of The Fly Fish Journal.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l10WHJ-gMDU/X06h6Qr7AYI/AAAAAAAANtM/HRDwAp4f4AkIz53m8j7pFYmJMDNOp8YOACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2019059A5058.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l10WHJ-gMDU/X06h6Qr7AYI/AAAAAAAANtM/HRDwAp4f4AkIz53m8j7pFYmJMDNOp8YOACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2019059A5058.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Also thanks to Sakeus Bankson, Elliot Milner and Kyle Sparks for pulling me into shooting Eric Arce, Rachel Olzer and Tracy Brown and Raequan Wilson for the Patagonia Representation Matters story. Of course thanks to Eric, Rachel and Tracy and Raequan for allowing me to be a part of it. I got on my bike a lot last year and mostly it was to shoot these folks. I was not the fastest but I hung on despite my camera bag.... This story ran literally the week that the National Quarantine happened, so its going to forever be lodged in my mind. My first images published with Patagonia and a great milestone for sure.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rVgMwX0CVFk/X06hZXy7vTI/AAAAAAAANso/_lDGGcdMGb4Mruz_7UXCOf4VnNzYWp9lgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2019059A4592.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rVgMwX0CVFk/X06hZXy7vTI/AAAAAAAANso/_lDGGcdMGb4Mruz_7UXCOf4VnNzYWp9lgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2019059A4592.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Qtu5fby2dE/X06hdCMsuZI/AAAAAAAANsw/zfUbV14rgkQ9EDgZDnd8Ij2u-J7-3jqOACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2019059A4820-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--Qtu5fby2dE/X06hdCMsuZI/AAAAAAAANsw/zfUbV14rgkQ9EDgZDnd8Ij2u-J7-3jqOACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2019059A4820-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>There is no doubt the second half of my 49th year was overshadowed by world wide drama. </p><p>Yet somehow my dream trip to ski Japan went off perfectly. The snow turned around to give us some awesome skiing and I feel like I skied hard enough to represent myself well. It was awesome to get back with some buddies who I love so much like John and Paul Zeigle, but also to meet some new birds of a feather like Matt Ramsay and Mark Macdonald.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6504pMjq6W8/X06ku02bj9I/AAAAAAAANtY/Xpk1ZhHgiJAuWumGjAi6xg7a0P9BO60dgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1730696.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6504pMjq6W8/X06ku02bj9I/AAAAAAAANtY/Xpk1ZhHgiJAuWumGjAi6xg7a0P9BO60dgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020P1730696.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5weDZ-gJVDY/X06ky4pz9QI/AAAAAAAANtc/jwsS4NX5CFgI1qdyP3qI_x5IYbJvm60mgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9277.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5weDZ-gJVDY/X06ky4pz9QI/AAAAAAAANtc/jwsS4NX5CFgI1qdyP3qI_x5IYbJvm60mgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020059A9277.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WuaeZY-Z5M8/X06k2_B94HI/AAAAAAAANtg/ysArWKrIGKEbx4RysxC1bdh2RmbyzTG_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1740682.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WuaeZY-Z5M8/X06k2_B94HI/AAAAAAAANtg/ysArWKrIGKEbx4RysxC1bdh2RmbyzTG_wCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020P1740682.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>Covid kept me home more but it also allowed me to get closer to the place I love. I live here for a reason and I had forgotten a bit of that in a life lived at full speed. I was able to introduce my son and my friends to some secret spots around here. As well as hook with my buddies Eric Gert and Dave Stenehjem to hit the BWCA hard for Lake Trout and Bass.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYs5FEwjLcI/X06hmQeP3HI/AAAAAAAANs0/iQ6_YM1RW7Easut6ik1mdkdU9ZvSCNpYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2019059A0237.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PYs5FEwjLcI/X06hmQeP3HI/AAAAAAAANs0/iQ6_YM1RW7Easut6ik1mdkdU9ZvSCNpYgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2019059A0237.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1hE_FwNSc3M/X06hqX6wGLI/AAAAAAAANs8/RemJ7x_LyhcQL1im_QsX65KmHePvZtglQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/hansi_2020hansi_2020059A0257.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1hE_FwNSc3M/X06hqX6wGLI/AAAAAAAANs8/RemJ7x_LyhcQL1im_QsX65KmHePvZtglQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020hansi_2020059A0257.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>The protests and the racial injustice that spurs it and that continues to exist and spread in our country was of course another major challenge. Yet I was lucky enough to be able to reach out to my friends like Dudley Edmondson and Tom Howes to learn more what it means to be a person of color in this white dominated world, to learn more about my son and more about myself. Plus we just plain had a lot of fun fishing because they are awesome guys! I was also lucky enough to get to shoot with Rachel Olzer again for Backcountry.com and again I learned to listen to her and to learn from her on top of getting to ride with her and Henry.</p><p>So while life has been challenging it has also been rewarding.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xGzNuFSPKdk/X06lDa6wGGI/AAAAAAAANts/Dk6hAf2fn6YvifoLzWBpqQ5H-akKf8CnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A1020.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xGzNuFSPKdk/X06lDa6wGGI/AAAAAAAANts/Dk6hAf2fn6YvifoLzWBpqQ5H-akKf8CnQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020059A1020.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-28dGhv3JMe8/X06lI6jLF2I/AAAAAAAANt0/r32gFJLUL9MMcZYKoCy5LFZPGp_O4RJgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020P1760175.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-28dGhv3JMe8/X06lI6jLF2I/AAAAAAAANt0/r32gFJLUL9MMcZYKoCy5LFZPGp_O4RJgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020P1760175.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>I dont have any illusions about how long I may or may not live. I will live until I cant anymore. I will continue to do what I do as passionately and as aggressively and as energetically as I can. If that is 50 years great, if its one more year, great. Like they say. Cant stop. Wont Stop.</p>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-15108088268697188322020-08-18T08:24:00.002-07:002020-08-18T08:24:20.269-07:00Yeah that's Winter Coming....get your butt ready for it<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HBEh8yFvEQI/XzvyhQrx5cI/AAAAAAAANq0/gw1jMl2MIng-SQw885qIbDpG-GczeR3nQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/Hansi_Photo_121124__MG_1827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="427" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HBEh8yFvEQI/XzvyhQrx5cI/AAAAAAAANq0/gw1jMl2MIng-SQw885qIbDpG-GczeR3nQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h427/Hansi_Photo_121124__MG_1827.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <p></p>Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-90193021632289387752020-05-26T07:35:00.000-07:002020-05-27T09:16:06.179-07:00ASYMPTOMATIC: How Two Fishing Addicts deal with Covid 19<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hn7nsNbk3Xo/Xs0RUjgnZ4I/AAAAAAAANnM/9PDHPD9Q93k0YuhhAF4Xt3pqDIMrhEZDACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2020059A0463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hn7nsNbk3Xo/Xs0RUjgnZ4I/AAAAAAAANnM/9PDHPD9Q93k0YuhhAF4Xt3pqDIMrhEZDACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020059A0463.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Fish, deep clear water makes for awesome viewing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>I left Duluth at 4am on a fast horse bound for BWCA glory. Lord knows though that there is no way fast enough up the North Shore of Lake Superior, to get to the Gunflint Trail and fishing nirvana.</i><br />
<br />
For over nearly a decade I have had a box to check on catching a Lake Trout on a fly.<br />
<br />
Stupid dream I know. <br />
<br />
The Lake Trout is known for its dark life, deep in the basins of the northern forests. Not fly rod territory by any means. This fish though captivates me. Its one of only a few trout that are indigenous to our region. The Laker can grow to massive size. It is a fickle and smart trout, yet super aggressive and tough. Finding them in the shallows however is a thing that requires timing.<br />
<br />
I am not big on killing fish, but I love to eat a Lake Trout anytime I can while in the backcountry.<br />
<br />
Many folks have made this dream of catching a Laker on a fly a reality before me so I scoured the web and old fly fishing books for fellow fools and then came up with a multi pronged strategy. Which promptly sat on the shelf gathering dust for several years. Life got in the way, kid, work, family you know, I don't have to explain it.<br />
<br />
<i>Somewhere around Tofte, I uncorked my thermos for another round of Duluth Coffee. Brewed in the confines of my own home. One taste and I missed Eric Faust, Charlie and the DC crew horribly....... </i><br />
<br />
I had decided over last winter that it was time to take the Lake Trout Attack Plan off the shelf, dust it off and turn it up to Defcon 5 and make it happen this spring. The place to do it I knew was the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. The BWCA is a world class fishery for all types of fish, but especially the wiley Lake Trout and it happens to sit very near my home.<br />
<br />
Then of course Corona hit and all my well made plans went to shit. I refused to give up though. There had to be a way. I aint getting any younger and the good spots in the BWCA are not getting any closer!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4IpChPwzzbY/Xs0a1qtZiEI/AAAAAAAANoI/phqBgZaqSpcwhuxmLa2RYJr9lv4Qg_2-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2020059A0269.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4IpChPwzzbY/Xs0a1qtZiEI/AAAAAAAANoI/phqBgZaqSpcwhuxmLa2RYJr9lv4Qg_2-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020059A0269.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover your face!</td></tr>
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There are only a few folks I know locally who are as focused on Lake Trout as I needed to be to make this event happen. Somehow amidst all this CV19 chaos I was able to keep communicating with them and keep learning from them.<br />
<br />
I also had committed myself to a photo project to catch more BWCA imagery this year which has kept me rolling up the shore on and off all spring. Through my friends and through my own visits I was able to keep some really basic tabs of conditions and when it might be time to give the fishing a go.<br />
<br />
Of course the big issue is how to take on this effort in the age of Covid. To get nice and deep in the BWCA it requires some work. You have to haul gear, hump canoes, set up camp and of course do all the work required to find fish and set the hook. This all done easier with two or three folks, versus one. <br />
<br />
Yet the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea of using a solo canoe and the freedom it could afford me, as well as the social distancing. <br />
<br />
So the next thought was, who do I know who would be up for a solo trip! Solo canoeing has always been one of my passions, so why not take that idea further and have somebody else solo along as well. We could be paddling far enough part, and carry our own stuff. Essentially both being on our trip so to speak.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-2MvA_cRVA/Xs0RaDtV7bI/AAAAAAAANnw/5UddrzqAuHcBtDoqtn-A_Ww2PbWnvEYcgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/hansi_2016GOPR5788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K-2MvA_cRVA/Xs0RaDtV7bI/AAAAAAAANnw/5UddrzqAuHcBtDoqtn-A_Ww2PbWnvEYcgCPcBGAYYCw/s640/hansi_2016GOPR5788.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Its rare to have big lakes give you flat water but this trip had a lot of it</td></tr>
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Yet going on solo trip has it own challenges. To be totally solo you have have to be able to get yourself to the water, carry all your own camping and cooking gear as well as fishing and in my case camera gear. No easy feat, especially if you wanted to one trip it ha! It is also a special person that is cool with working that hard!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sFRg-7hR1T0/Xs0ZVwwDH2I/AAAAAAAANn8/imedbQZ4zv0CmWo0ajIiM3ja_O-1TMKMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2020059A0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sFRg-7hR1T0/Xs0ZVwwDH2I/AAAAAAAANn8/imedbQZ4zv0CmWo0ajIiM3ja_O-1TMKMQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020059A0329.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eric G, trout master </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My first attempt at Lakers on the fly was with Eric Goerdt and his band of buddies. These guys are true trout addicts! We tried to chase Lakers on some day trips just after opener and it was semi successful.<br />
<br />
Super successful to be outside with cool people and in cool places, but no fish came to the boat via a fly. I learned a lot though and am extremely thankful to those guys for allowing me to tag along in my solo canoe.However after that attempt I knew exactly where the fish were and were not, which was not in a place where my fly rod could touch em.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Zzj3INaALw/Xs0lu8bW1hI/AAAAAAAANow/NF4fY2FmujghjmklKQqpcSeVp9XEVRNagCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2020059A8953.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2Zzj3INaALw/Xs0lu8bW1hI/AAAAAAAANow/NF4fY2FmujghjmklKQqpcSeVp9XEVRNagCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020059A8953.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everybody knows when you see this stand of trees, that adventure is around the corner!</td></tr>
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<i>Between Tofte and Grand Marais, is the deer dodging capitol of the world. You have to be awake for it. In mid May though you also have the sunrise at 4.30am to contend with. It's hard to keep your eyes on the road with all the beauty of a Lake Superior sunrise stuck in your face.</i><br />
<br />
One reason I love Duluth, MN is because it is fairly close to many good sections of the BWCA. For instance I can make it to Poplar Lake on a half tank of gas. Not only are you safe and not having to shop on the way up, your also nimble and able to target fish based on conditions and reports and actually act quickly on them. Talking to Eric G. I realized spring was the time to go after the Lakers if I wanted to catch them on the fly.<br />
<br />
Desperate to catch a Laker on a fly I booked an overnight paddle permit and made a quick plan based on the information gathered on my first attempt. I also put the feelers out for a partner who would be both keen enough to chase Lakers as well as adept enough at backcountry travel to put in some pain for access. I also called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/flyboxmn/">Scott at the Flybox and Company</a> in Grand Marais and took his advice on some fly's and promptly ordered some from him. Scott is an awesome guy and The Flybox an awesome resource so toss him some bucks if your up there!<br />
<br />
Lucky for me Dave Stenehjem was able to make the adventure!<br />
<br />
<i>We pulled up in our own rigs to our put in spot mid morning. Before I could even take my canoe off the roof of my truck I could tell things were different. Spring green up was exploding. The air temps were in the 60's and the snow and ice that were still on the ground only a week before were gone. Insects were buzzing around like crazy. Life was back in the BWCA and that only boded well for our mission.</i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QuLe7ayLhoo/Xs0Rh6ryttI/AAAAAAAANnw/R-pclpd3gkUABfFnnBGXVPDihTGHus_jwCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/hansi_2020059A0409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QuLe7ayLhoo/Xs0Rh6ryttI/AAAAAAAANnw/R-pclpd3gkUABfFnnBGXVPDihTGHus_jwCPcBGAYYCw/s640/hansi_2020059A0409.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bigger the hills, the longer the carry the better the fishing </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We busted our asses getting to our lake and our campsites. It was hours of silent toil. Broken up by swats at newly hatched black flies or looking at wild flowers we could not identify. The sky was a neon blue and the sun was hot on our faces. White Throated Sparrows sung in the background as our soundtrack.<br />
<br />
Camp pitched, we strung up rods with our best guesses and head out onto the water. Dave who had at this point done a myriad of BWCA trips, but never a solo version blew me away with how at ease he was in the canoe. No issue there, the guy looked like he had been solo paddling for a million years.<br />
<br />
The lake we chose to fish is incredibly clear. Clear enough that it feels like your flying over the rocky structure below your boat and often times I had to look up for fear of vertigo.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DOYr6vK23Ew/Xs0nUdWKLZI/AAAAAAAANo8/aUKYVkPIk6QmGrlZFUJaagwKk3Nh6AfXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2016G0116385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DOYr6vK23Ew/Xs0nUdWKLZI/AAAAAAAANo8/aUKYVkPIk6QmGrlZFUJaagwKk3Nh6AfXgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2016G0116385.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Its like HD tv around here</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KWhbyc99kBY/Xs0RkiV6_6I/AAAAAAAANnw/QimYnXpEEh8KM4GMWAqMrreHU2pOTDc-QCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/hansi_2020059A0245.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KWhbyc99kBY/Xs0RkiV6_6I/AAAAAAAANnw/QimYnXpEEh8KM4GMWAqMrreHU2pOTDc-QCPcBGAYYCw/s640/hansi_2020059A0245.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Larger Lake Trout often have facial scars from eating in amidst sharp rocks for crayfish and bugs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We fished a good chunk of the day with no real success. A follow here and bump there but nothing conclusive.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-MY7BECd9o/Xs0iokbxPkI/AAAAAAAANoc/hIvX4VIQEnEpDmFPq-Ox6lUWwcuRrafwACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/hansi_2020059A8685-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b-MY7BECd9o/Xs0iokbxPkI/AAAAAAAANoc/hIvX4VIQEnEpDmFPq-Ox6lUWwcuRrafwACPcBGAYYCw/s640/hansi_2020059A8685-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bugz!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Around sunset though that started to change. Mayflies started to sprinkle the air. Bugs of all shapes and sizes started to buzz around us. Large flying ants started to drop in the water front of us. Honestly it was a sight to behold. It was like there were 200 different types of bugs all hatching at the same time. The fish of course responded. The surface of the lake started to boil with fish gorging on the bounty. We started to target the rising fish and at first caught nothing.<br />
<br />
Then we caught a massive Smallmouth bass. Which was super fun, but also a bit deflating as we at that point assumed all the rising fish in front of us were bass. Any other time we would have been dancing over that fish!<br />
<br />
So we took our eyes off the ball for a while and went back to streamers and shorelines. Over another hour though the feeding frenzy intensified and became such a spectacle that you could not ignore it. Fish were slapping the water loudly, you could see fins and the backs of fish as they shoveled bugs from the surface film of the lake itself. <br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rNQ1ol9qrlA/Xs0RdRa2PmI/AAAAAAAANnw/Ex-jFwzan8g58j0XD-kIveyrpaj6eNr8QCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/hansi_2020059A0577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rNQ1ol9qrlA/Xs0RdRa2PmI/AAAAAAAANnw/Ex-jFwzan8g58j0XD-kIveyrpaj6eNr8QCPcBGAYYCw/s640/hansi_2020059A0577.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carry all your stuff while solo paddling means cutting weight whoever you can. Hyperlight has been my tent solution! One pole tent, super bombproof, super light!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Dave, being the smart one, finally put on a dry fly and made an attempt at another riser. It was 9pm and the sun was nearly down.<br />
<br />
Swish, swish, cast...plop....BOOM. Fish on! Dave set the hook and we both held our breath to see what kind of fish it was. At first the fish just ran a small bit, then it plunged straight down like 30 feet. <br />
<br />
That is Laker behavior and on a fly rod its awesome. You reel spits line, your rod bends nearly double and you just hang on. Eventually Dave brought the fish home and of course it was our first Laker. A solid 20 inch fish. Not a trophy by Laker standards but for a 6 weight fly rod a damn fine time. I quickly retooled with a similar fly and the night went from there. I landed my first Laker in minutes after Dave and we lost count after that.<br />
<br />
Laker Box Checked!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3dlewhPwMM/Xs0iwU3trXI/AAAAAAAANoY/C13k2EP-RdMw-5auiD80CL8oEe_J1XLlACPcBGAYYCw/s1600/hansi_2020059A9616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M3dlewhPwMM/Xs0iwU3trXI/AAAAAAAANoY/C13k2EP-RdMw-5auiD80CL8oEe_J1XLlACPcBGAYYCw/s640/hansi_2020059A9616.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave and his first Laker on the Fly...a dry no less!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
That was day 1! We had two more days on the water. Which we made good use of with sore arms and full bellies.<br />
<br />
Of course catching the fish we were targeting was an awesome experience but more so was the fun experience of being on the water with a really good friend like Dave. We as a society are just beat down on Covid. We all are. Yet by coming up with a creative way to access the backcountry safely by Solo paddling and camping Dave and I were able to keep our distance yet spend time together. That was cool. Even more fun was having two heads to work out the complicated problem of <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
catching a Lake Trout on a fly rod. Which I would not have done totally solo.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9iCk1YN5DDk/Xs0RnryK-DI/AAAAAAAANn0/SEWekJUZJrcw12uOyGLaclBcQuGDHFx8gCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/hansi_2020059A0255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9iCk1YN5DDk/Xs0RnryK-DI/AAAAAAAANn0/SEWekJUZJrcw12uOyGLaclBcQuGDHFx8gCPcBGAYYCw/s640/hansi_2020059A0255.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bellies of the fish were just stuffed with insects</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The fishing had became more complicated the days after the big hatch, yet we did it and by trips end there was not a beat we hit that did not produce results. The best fishing partners for me are the fishing partners that want to solve the problems that you face in catching a particular fish. The folks that take the information they glean and bring it back to the table and work with their buddies to come up with solutions to catch the fish at hand. To unlock that trips code.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6d8_mOijTkc/Xs0j3fNyRyI/AAAAAAAANok/PY1S4Mm2Qcg2bm726cxudTsmLUYrz1qbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2020059A9647.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6d8_mOijTkc/Xs0j3fNyRyI/AAAAAAAANok/PY1S4Mm2Qcg2bm726cxudTsmLUYrz1qbQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020059A9647.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh yeah! Yum. Yum. Yum!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was an insane trip. As Dave said later that if he were to write a script for a successful fishing adventure, he was not sure he could have done it any better than we experienced. I would have to agree. To see a hatch like that, just based on time and reality, might be a once in a lifetime experience for us.<br />
<br />
I really want to say thanks to Eric G. and to Dave for helping me make this dream a reality. It takes a team to unlock the code for any fish you have not caught before, especially if you are doing it DIY and these guys helped me do that! I also want to again thanks the Flybox and Company as well as <a href="https://www.rockwoodbwca.com/">Rockwood Lodge and Outfitters</a> who did some great work in getting a solo boat for Dave as well! They did it safely and easily and that made Daves trip a successful one.Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-18524916293781806802020-04-01T21:01:00.138-07:002020-12-17T12:39:24.505-08:00Grinning in the Midst of the Maelstrom <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7eWgIdIN2s/X9u9ukXUwCI/AAAAAAAAN3Q/d4Mw6o3u9LU6BHhjrbbq_MCO3o5Jmp6dACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k7eWgIdIN2s/X9u9ukXUwCI/AAAAAAAAN3Q/d4Mw6o3u9LU6BHhjrbbq_MCO3o5Jmp6dACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A9206.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kick Turns and Birch Glades. Matt Ramsay marking time<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>
Storm skiing is a double edged sword.<br />
<br />
On the one edge, your stoked because its dumping feet of snow at a time and your skiing the goods as they happen. <br />
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On the other hand the storm is literally beating the absolute shit out of you. <br />
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In this little tale the concept fits reality extremely well. <br />
<br />
For decades I had dreamed of skiing Japan. It was top of the list, but just a bit behind BC, France and Norway..... maybe a little bit more than a bit unfortunately.<br />
<br />
I had always hoped I would ski Japan, when I was young, still had legs of steel and still living in the mountains and truly getting after backcountry skiing.</p><p><br />
<br />The reality though is that my chance finally came after I had left the mountains for over 12 years, became a father and started a new, all consuming career in the Midwest. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NGSo5uBH52M/X9vBkO4Y3jI/AAAAAAAAN4Q/av8uk5ECo94Zxi-jLFrO9PDXbHvKtULfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NGSo5uBH52M/X9vBkO4Y3jI/AAAAAAAAN4Q/av8uk5ECo94Zxi-jLFrO9PDXbHvKtULfQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A9025.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Johny Z keeping us all honest <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div><div>In fact I will admit I had sort of given up on the dream of skiing Japan entirely. Yet due to the persuasion of some long lost ski friends I was goaded to get off the couch and make the long trip to the land of the rising sun.<br />
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Even then the trip nearly did not take place. <br />
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First Japan as a whole and Hakuba Valley, the region we were slated to ski, was experiencing the worst snow fall totals in 40 years. For real...40 years!<br />
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Secondly of course was the Corona Virus, which was just rearing its ugly head as we left for Tokyo.<br />
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You can imagine I was gnashing my teeth around the idea that I was going to travel all that way to Japan to ski marginal conditions (on no ski legs at all) and possibly end up with a horrible disease. <br />
<br />
Somehow though, the Ski Gods made it all work out. </div><div> </div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wxs10zWRSdk/X9u-AWq9UnI/AAAAAAAAN3g/i-I_q35C9-oF_LNdcEFszJ0dIFkFkHcmACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A8983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wxs10zWRSdk/X9u-AWq9UnI/AAAAAAAAN3g/i-I_q35C9-oF_LNdcEFszJ0dIFkFkHcmACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A8983.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mc Mark getting funky in the dumpy <br /></td></tr></tbody></table> </div><div>The week we were in Hakuba it ended up getting colder and the famed "Japow" snow machine turned on and gave us a glimpse of what Hakuba would look like on a normal year.<br />
<br />
Which is how I found myself the tail end of a three man group touring group, the ragged, punch drunk, remnants of a hearty group of what had been ten men.<br />
<br />
We had skinned up out of the resort called Tsugaike Kogen into the luscious Birch Gladed backcountry that is so part of the Japanese ski and snowboard mystique. </div><div> </div><div>The day before a powerful storm had dumped nearly three feet of snow on the mountains and while were skiing, the back end of the storm was intensifying, trying to blow itself out and in turn was dumping the last of its snow by the bucket full.<br />
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I have seen it snow hard, but this was a whole new level. Even skinning it was hard to make out the person in front of you and that was without the wind. The snowflakes were the size of a fist at times.<br />
<br />
The group climbed the mountain, then lapped a nice little 1500 foot pitch. It was the quintessential Japanese line. Nice and steep, with snow that was quite literally overhead, through the trees I had literally dreamed of skiing in. To drop in was to truly experience bottomless bliss. I quickly learned to keep my speed up and just assume getting back on your tails was a death move, because there was nothing to support them.</div><div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JDKmJ5YxqkM/X9vBATlPrqI/AAAAAAAAN4E/aH2i0hWLq0IyhNGfc7L3rakJ4fKgbyvmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JDKmJ5YxqkM/X9vBATlPrqI/AAAAAAAAN4E/aH2i0hWLq0IyhNGfc7L3rakJ4fKgbyvmwCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A9280.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paul Z checking the speed <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br />
Truly it was the full reason I made my trip to Japan. The full on dream line I had hoped for. It was also a safe choice for us, who were skiing in a new zone and with just basic Avalanche data for us to make solid choices on.<br />
<br />
The group crushed out one lap. It was deep, deep trail breaking work to get to the top of the pitch. <br />
<br />Immediately after the first lap we had several guys bust off and call it a day, fully happy with the run they had put in the bag. The second lap once we got to the top was even better skiing than the first. Dream like and ethereal. Visibility was great once you were in the glades, but the super deep light snow would quite literally put you in the white room with every turn.</div><div> </div><div>I was tired and feeling both the walking in the deep snow and of course the amazing descents as well, but in my mind I knew I would be skiing at least one more lap, even if it meant dying out there to make it happen. This was it. This was why I had come and I would fulfill that dream. It was time to leave it all on the track.<br />
<br />
There was no going home early, there question about it.<br />
<br />
At the bottom of the third lap another group decided to pull out. The winds had gotten huge. Sometimes threatening to push us over the edge of the high thin ridges we were climbing. The skin track itself was being completely erased after each lap, meaning it had to re-broken each time. I stopped to use the 30 plus pounds of camera gear I was lugging and got a bit behind. </div><div> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TZXewE0ynSg/X9u-JVyHgNI/AAAAAAAAN3k/SipkLEf73zYFyxZAe_AV_RqJoBkJBhbGQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TZXewE0ynSg/X9u-JVyHgNI/AAAAAAAAN3k/SipkLEf73zYFyxZAe_AV_RqJoBkJBhbGQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A9571.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Japow <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div>I could see the group reach a bench and stop to discuss next steps.</div><div><br /></div><div>As the guys discussed their options I just kept putting one foot in front of the other until we made it to the decisive spot. My decision was made, the only question was who else was in with me. If need be I would do the last lap alone of I had too.</div><div><br />
<br />
Not surprisingly the Canadians, Mark and Matt were in for sure on another lap. These guys were me in my thirties. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcVBz-lWBNI/X9vBUueuaZI/AAAAAAAAN4M/Od6XbqSpEh8IqhzMTD97xFzqH2cHHMWmACLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kcVBz-lWBNI/X9vBUueuaZI/AAAAAAAAN4M/Od6XbqSpEh8IqhzMTD97xFzqH2cHHMWmACLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h426/hansi_2020059A9149.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Game time<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div> </div><div>Fit, gung ho and fucking super keyed up to ride this storm to its ultimate conclusion and thank god for that. Their buddy David would have been in as well, but his binding had exploded on the last run and he was already limping it toward the Ramen House.<br />
<br />
We left the other group and started our tour back up and into the screaming abyss, or at least it felt like that. <br />
<br />
The light was dimming, the wind was howling and the snow was coming down in curtains. So much so that taking photographs was super hard to do. I had to sacrifice my gear every time I pulled out the camera, things were getting soaked. It was not a warm cozy, comfortable experience.</div><div><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K8dhOfrCapY/X9u-WtaMLjI/AAAAAAAAN3s/2e0GRpIaiucg1C3akEppYwqlEpOPJTKkgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A9521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K8dhOfrCapY/X9u-WtaMLjI/AAAAAAAAN3s/2e0GRpIaiucg1C3akEppYwqlEpOPJTKkgCLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2020059A9521.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just me hanging on <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up front Matt and Mark took turns breaking trail. If they could find the old line they could save energy by not breaking as much snow, but sometimes they would fall off the old skin track. When that would happen it would be back to waist deep snow and that was tough. I was no help at this stage, other than screaming my encouragement and offering up day old 7-11 Sushi Triangles.<br /></div>
<br />
At one point about 3/4 of the way to the top, Matt had missed the old skin track and we found ourselves on the knife edge the ridge, just out from a small cornice and because of that we had to be careful. <br />
<br />
We were tired and our energy levels were getting pretty low. The wind was just hammering us. All three of us had our hoods up and our back to the offending gale. <br />
<br />
When Matt, two guys ahead of me was talking, I could not hear him at all, often times in the wind both he an Mark would disappear from view entirely and they were less than six feet away from me. <br />
<br />
Taking a break we all dug out what food we had left which was not much. I had those 7 Eleven Sushi Triangles, so I dealt with them. The situation was so isolating and harsh that I just had to concentrate on getting my food to my mouth without it being blown out of my hand. <br />
<br />
Truth be told I was loving it. I enjoy that situation. I was warm, I was safe, I had a damn tasty rice roll, I was in Japan, almost to the top of another epic run. <br />
<br />
Fuck yeah. <br />
<br />
I did not really know Matt or Mark, so I did not know what they thought of the scenario but I had my suspicions and those suspicions were confirmed when, after stashing that damn rice ball in my face I looked up to see what was going on. <br />
<br />
Literally hovering in front of my face, coming out of the blowing snow, was an outstretched hand, with a Kit Kat bar in it, when I looked further down the arm I saw Marks grinning face, covered in snow and ice asking if I wanted some chocolate.<br />
<br />
And that is when I knew that to me the best people I could ever spend time with in my life are the people who can grin in the midst of the maelstrom....</div><div> </div><div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CCbDeg5QJ2Q/X9u-2QCRYiI/AAAAAAAAN34/t_QCduJHpSYgTeNBiAZrTthKajxF4diOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1080/hansi_2020059A8763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CCbDeg5QJ2Q/X9u-2QCRYiI/AAAAAAAAN34/t_QCduJHpSYgTeNBiAZrTthKajxF4diOQCLcBGAsYHQ/w426-h640/hansi_2020059A8763.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I forget the Japanese Name for this stuff, but it was heaven on earth after a full day of getting my ass kicked<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br />
<br /></div><br /><br />Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-49609250411846716572020-03-31T08:03:00.000-07:002020-03-31T08:03:14.089-07:00Right Where They Belong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zw7SHOls4PQ/XoHwSJKO3yI/AAAAAAAANj4/uoy-Um8v0YQFODMpFWDqglS3Al7neidRACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2019hansi_2019059A4551.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zw7SHOls4PQ/XoHwSJKO3yI/AAAAAAAANj4/uoy-Um8v0YQFODMpFWDqglS3Al7neidRACLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2019hansi_2019059A4551.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
I have always been a believer in the idea that a camera is a tool for social justice. <br />
<br />
Yet, I had never really been in a position to yield it that way, at least not so pointedly.<br />
<br />
However, maybe those situations come when you least expect it.<br />
<br />
Last spring I was invited into a really unique project here in Duluth, Minnesota. That invite came from a contact of mine in the cycling world who had been following some of the work around Equity and Inclusion we had been doing in Duluth with Youth Outdoors Duluth. <br />
<br />
The call was interesting because it was a person who was calling in the idea of learning and listening. This was a rare moment for me because in general any call I received about this topic from somebody in the Outdoor or Cycling industry it was more about how they could throw money at the issue or bikes or gear and just tick off a box to say that their brand had made a change, without of course making a change at all.<br />
<br />
The other difference was that this person was a point person for Patagonia MTB, Sakeus Bankson. Patagonia has been a leader in activism around environmental issues for a long time as well as the social justice issues that abound around environmental activism. <br />
<br />
So while I was still wary, Patagonia is an extremely large business, nearly $1Billion dollars Annually, I was really happy to hear them wanting to learn what I had learned. <br />
<br />
Which of course is very little in this realm as I grew up (proudly) as a very pale, Norwegian American.<br />
<br />
Yet my life experience both in the raising of our son, who is Asian, and subsequently in the work I had entered into in the City of Duluth with the Minnesota Land Trust around Outdoor Recreation, made me at the very least a voice with a tiny bit of knowledge worth listening too.<br />
<br />
I heard very little after the call, but also did not expect too. Like I said, it was a rare moment and in that I had no further expectation, just that I hoped another person in mountain biking had a new view of who rides a bike and why, and even more importantly, who is portrayed in Outdoor Industry marketing as riding mountain bikes....or more importantly who is not.<br />
<br />
So you can imagine my surprise when a few months later I was asked to get on a conference call about a Patagonia Ambassador trip to Duluth to explore the statement that "Representation Matters" for a catalog story on that lack of diversity in off road cycling. <br />
<br />
Duluth would be the backdrop for the narrative.<br />
<br />
The invite came via Text message and I will be totally honest, for one second there I thought, damn, these guys are going to screw this up as much as any other company. I thought that because I assumed I was about to be tossed into a phone call with a bunch of white Bro Brahs that were going to come to Duluth to tell a token story of inclusivity....<br />
<br />
Then I got on the call. <br />
<br />
First the call was organized by Elliot Milner, a talented black cyclist himself who was personally working on this concept of inclusivity in MTB for Patagonia. Then I was introduced to Eric Arce, the photographer who is Latino. In my head I was like, now your talking....<br />
<br />
This is getting real!<br />
<br />
Then I was told that Eric was working with the co-founder, Tracy Brown, of The All Mountain Brothers, an instagram feed that showcases people of color, getting after it on mountain bikes. Eric and some folks from the AMB feed were both the photographer and the subjects. Eric was coming all the way from Salt Lake City for the shoot. The other subjects were Rachel Olzer. Tracy came in from Texas and Rachel lives in Minneapolis, by way of Arizona. My buddy Raequan Wilson also came up from Minneapolis to join them.<br />
<br />
By the end of the call I was like Sold! I am in. This is legit.<br />
<br />
I am not going to lie, I was so stoked about this project but also in my soul I was a bit bummed as I had always in my dreams wanted to do a full shoot with local people of color riding the trails that myself and so many people in Duluth worked hard to make happen. To create that Circle of change on my own and then to document it from a locals view.<br />
<br />
But after ruminating on it and thinking hard about it I realized that my role in this effort was to be the person to step back and to cede my space to these folks who needed to tell this story from their perspective and to not be the 40ish year old white guy who stepped back, not who once again, stepped in. In fact if I could do anything it would be to give freely of the place I have come to love so much. <br />
<br />
Ultimately my role in the gig was given to me. To be the guy on the ground who would get the crew to the goods on time and on delivery. In addition I was asked to snap a few pics of the crew and especially of Eric for some bio images he was going to need. As ultimately he was part of the story and somehow the visual narrative needed to reflect that.<br />
<br />
I did my work on the ground well before the crew even arrived. I dialed in locations, looked at possible shots and put that all together in a form that was an easy guide for them. <br />
<br />
The All Mountain Brothers crew came here in mid August 2019. <br />
<br />
Once the crew was on the ground in Duluth, I had relatively little interaction with them. They were super independent and I wanted to respect the idea that they did not need me to direct the lens of how they viewed the City, the place and the riding. They wanted to this to be a real experience, not a curated one and again not one curated from my perspective in society, that would kill the whole point of the story.<br />
<br />
The riding was spectacular but we did get a bout of rain that week which meant some local knowledge would be helpful. So they reached out to me on some zigging and zagging on where the trails would be resilient. Then there was also this expectation I would shoot them as well. Which with some limited time windows due to weather and their own shooting was going to be tough.<br />
<br />
I had two short chances to shoot, and both of them ended up on rainy days. Not only was the light just horrible, the choices on where we could shoot were limited. <br />
<br />
Plan A for me was out the window. Plan B was way less exciting but I did have one so I just went with it.<br />
<br />
Anybody who rides regularly in Duluth recognizes the old DWP Train Tunnel in West Duluth. It used to be one of the Cities hidden historical secrets, however with the huge rise in Duluth's citizens going outdoors it is now one of its most iconic destinations. <br />
<br />
For me though the Tunnel has always been a place of incredible light. It has something to do with both its depth, its darkness, its dark rocks, but also how its oriented to the sun which gives it this super amazing glow. <br />
<br />
I notice it every time I ride or hike through it. The light is just perfectly diffused there. Its a soft box of massive proportions. Always in my head I have thought, if I ever have to take an outdoor portrait I want to take it there. I thought about that for years.<br />
<br />
That time finally came with The All Mountain Crew. <br />
<br />
We were originally going to shoot at Mission Creek but of course the rain came. We had two choices, do nothing or find a place to ride in the rain. <br />
<br />
I would have one more chance to shoot the next day in Tofte but looking at the forecast that looked grim weather wise as well, so I pushed to ride on the DWP Trail. Its gravel and at the very least the crew could see the Tunnel and maybe, just maybe it would work for the portrait shot I needed to put in the can.<br />
<br />
The results are the image that you see attached to this post. I am super proud of this shot and for a lot of reasons. <br />
<br />
However what I like the most is the strength that these folks display in the shot. At first I was thinking, man I got to get these people to loosen up!<br />
<br />
Then I thought about the story, the idea of "Representation Matters" and how they felt they were going to be perceived in this. Of course they need to be strong and to show that strength. This would be a story about people of color in a catalog that is widely distributed in a white world.<br />
<br />
The lack of light behind the subjects and the super dark rocks, but that crazy diffused light in the rain out front, just lit them up perfectly, just as I had hoped and it really pulls your eyes to their faces and you can see that strength with no doubt.<br />
<br />
A lot of photographers will tell you, sometimes you review a shot and your like..."winner". I knew this shot was the shot I needed as soon as I took it and I knew it would be a shot Eric, Rachel and Tracy would want for their story.<br />
<br />
What I did not know was that Patagonia would run it double truck as the opening image of the story in their March 2020 Catalog. I have never had an image in a Patagonia Catalog, it was something I had always hoped to have happen but did not expect to happen in this project or on this subject and because of that I am extremely thankful to Eric, Rachel and Tracy for allowing me to shoot it, as ultimately this was their project.<br />
<br />
That it's also a photo that illustrates the strength of Eric, Rachel and Tracy as people of color on their bicycles makes me even more proud of its use and that it turned out so well. Its something I hope someday when Tae is older he can look back and realize I was a part of this, and a part of the movement to expand Outdoor Rec more broadly and to a more diverse population of America.<br />
<br />
The rise of the Pandemic has been a huge bummer in so many ways. That said, I realize this next comment may be one of the least important losses in this chaos for sure.<br />
<br />
Eric's story called "Right where I belong" was literally slated to be released the week the Quarantine started, and because of that limited numbers of the physical issue were sent out. So right now this story, which was slated for some huge exposure (nearly 500,000 Patagonia Catalogs go out), it has been stuck sitting waiting for the Pandemic to pass.<br />
<br />
That to me is sad as this issue was and still is something I am passionate about and still want to see people become engaged in. Its sad that the hard work that Eric, Rachel and Tracy and myself put in has been hamstrung, but alas it is the reality we are living in right now. <br />
<br />
Eric's story is on line at <a href="https://www.patagonia.com/stories/right-where-i-belong/story-79585.html">The Cleanest Line</a>, unfortunately it does not have all of his other photos on it, but please check it out there.<br />
<br />
HansiLokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-5207883002712570862020-03-27T10:10:00.000-07:002020-03-27T12:05:35.713-07:00Ski At Your Own Risk <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4WpYmBrntI/Xn4y_oH-hhI/AAAAAAAANjo/hh9i9P4picQydeNJZshg45zFjDoGeOOfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2008hansi_2008DSC03812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4WpYmBrntI/Xn4y_oH-hhI/AAAAAAAANjo/hh9i9P4picQydeNJZshg45zFjDoGeOOfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2008hansi_2008DSC03812.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
To say it was snowing and blowing hard is an understatement. <br />
<br />
To even get to the ski hill I had to pull out every bad weather driving trick I had in the book, at one point even ditch surfing with snow literally billowing over the hood of my 1997 Subaru Outback.<br />
<br />
Fighting for first chair though had been worth it. <br />
<br />
Only the Stowe locals had been able to make it and because of the intensity of the storm. It was 1998 and Stowe, Vermont had yet to become the much bigger resort it is now.<br />
<br />
I came with no friends, so the old adage of having none on a Powder Day was mute. <br />
<br />
I was not quite first chair but in the top five. Which actually I liked because I could watch were the first bunch of folks went and either go with my plan or mix it up if I had too.<br />
<br />
This day was over 20 years ago but I can still remember my first run. I hit Goat tip to tail, first in first out and then on down Lower Nosedive. Next run I moved into Nosedive woods and on each successive run, more and more skiers left.<br />
<br />
It was truly an epic day and I did not want it to end. But it did because as the storm grew and grew and the winds picked up more and more and eventually the lifty started telling me they were going to close shit down. <br />
<br />
Damn it.<br />
<br />
Thinking quickly I ran for one more run on the Quad. <br />
<br />
The lifty made to tell me no, then he realized he knew me and look the other way. Nobody was on ahead of me and nobody was getting on behind me. <br />
<br />
Effectively I was alone. <br />
<br />
The ride up the hill was a hunker down kind of situation. Pro Level to be honest, a full on head in the jacket kind of spark it situation if you know what I mean.<br />
<br />
My aim was to finish the day, or what there was of it, on The Bruce Trail, while hitting the two waterfall variations as part of it. <br />
<br />
My pack had some basic backcountry survival gear in it. Simple first aid kit. Extra coat, food water, headlamp. An extra cable for my Tele binding (you needed those then). This was not my first rodeo on backcountry skiing, or slackcountry for that matter.<br />
<br />
On my tear to get on the lift I had seen another friend who lived in Moscow, VT and told her my plans. <br />
<br />
My general routine had always been to swing by her place after a good day on the mountain for a beer as her and her buddies often hung there. But that was for later. I would first ski it out to the Matterhorn Bar and see where it went from there, which was usually a pretty damn good time. <br />
<br />
In other words I had my bases covered, self sufficient and I was more than confident I could ski may way safely down to the warm environs of the Matterhorn Bar.<br />
<br />
I hopped off the lift into a howling gale and stomped my way through knee deep snow past the Stone Hut and then rolled off the backside to the (Then) shaggy entrance of The Bruce Trail. <br />
<br />
Entranced by the fact that there was not a track in it I started in giggling. I stalled at the edge of the woods, zipped my pockets, locked down my goggles, tightened my pack straps and prepared to shove off.<br />
<br />
"Hey!" <br />
<br />
I heard a call and I looked over my shoulder to see a Ski Patrol Member rapidly double poling towards me. My first instinct was to just push off and ski away. I was technically already outside of the ski area boundary and there was nothing this person could say to me. <br />
<br />
Yet, I am generally respectful of Ski Patrollers and hell at that point in my life I knew most of them at Stowe, so I decided to just hang. <br />
<br />
The Patroller skied up and instantly began dressing me down as being irresponsible. What was I thinking she said, skiing off alone into the blizzard and on and on and on.<br />
<br />
Now this was an interesting situation. <br />
<br />
On the one hand I know damn well I can ski the Bruce Trail safely. Its not a hard trail to ski. In full on, thigh deep powder its a Blue trail at best. I had skied it literally hundreds of times in my life by then, often in varying states of sobriety or the lack of it.<br />
<br />
Still, she had a point, yes there is a risk. Stupid shit happens. You catch a random tip and break a leg. You could throw a binding and launch into a tree. You could hit air on one of the many roll overs and stuff it into a gully. <br />
<br />
You could, you could..... you could make your own damn decision and Ski at Your Own Risk!<br />
<br />
Once I could get a word in edge wise I confidently advised her of my plan. My preparedness and my contact in Moscow and then I turned my skis downhill and hopped off into the void, a bit rattled but I also felt I had taken back my own choices and controlled own destiny.<br />
<br />
The run of course was magical. I have forgotten more skiing in my life than I will remember and that day still sticks in my head over two decades and a lot of crazy shit later.<br />
<br />
However had I listened to that Ski Patroller, I would have missed it.<br />
<br />
This life lesson lodged squarely in my mind. In life you should always take responsibility for yourself. You should be your own advocate. You should think for yourself as well. That does not mean you don't listen and learn from others, or always buck authority, but also never turn over your ability to think to others unless your for some reason incapable of it. Be prepared.<br />
<br />
There are a lot of good, solid facts out there about how the Corona Virus Spreads. There is a lot of good solid data on where it is spreading. <br />
<br />
Yet our President is thinking of "opening" up the Economy despite those facts adding up to saying its smart right now to hunker down. <br />
<br />
I say, Ski at Your Own Risk. <br />
<br />
Learn the facts. Listen to the experts and stick your head out when you're ready, not when the Great Oz says you should be ready. You can make your own decisions and make them on your own ability to analyze the risks, be your own Advocate and head back out when the curve is flat, not when its at its tallest peak.<br />
<br />
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<br />Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-14336007495028299242020-03-26T10:59:00.001-07:002020-03-26T10:59:48.603-07:003-2-1-Dropping!!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AKwH_1RRfSY/XnzkmJDFZrI/AAAAAAAANjQ/nnLaMdXMnpcjy98uP7kzDU912vtMyqVgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2016G0324702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AKwH_1RRfSY/XnzkmJDFZrI/AAAAAAAANjQ/nnLaMdXMnpcjy98uP7kzDU912vtMyqVgwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2016G0324702.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small boat. Big Water. Dry Land</td></tr>
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It's no secret that there is a giant sense of elation to having survived something. <br />
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It's why Adventure Sport exists. <br />
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Not only is there that jolt of adrenaline that comes with truly putting yourself out there on the edge, but there is also the jolt of being finished and letting go as well. <br />
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You relax and quickly reflect and celebrate the fact that you came through the situation relatively unscathed (hopefully).<br />
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Of course there is a full spectrum of the intensity of these experiences.<br />
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From just heading out the door for a really fun, rowdy mountain bike ride, to a full on you fall you die ski mountaineering trip, to a truly committed backcountry experience, and unfortunately maybe even one thats gone bad.<br />
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Some people have a higher tolerance for this than others. Right? Some thrive on it and push the limits to the very edge.<br />
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Others, not so much! They shrink back, they regress, they lash out and they show extreme fear and once its over they hang up their skis, or their kayaks or whatever and take up Bonsai or Latch Hook.<br />
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The World is experiencing an intense event right now that is making humanity come to grips with its own mortality. Regardless of who you are (if your thinking) your realizing that this Virus could mean a lot of people die and that you could be one of them. <br />
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To some people thats not such a big deal. They perhaps have had situations in their lives where the idea of passing away has already come to pass and they have dealt with it. They stay clear eyed and sane and move forward with planning for survival. To some others though, this is their first go around with their realization of being mortal, of danger and of living with high exposure.<br />
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I am struck by the ways of how some people are grappling with this situation as we go into it.<br />
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Its like paddling over the lip of a super sweet whitewater drop. Some people are grabbing gunwales and just shutting their eyes.<br />
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Others are looking down river and hitting solid forward strokes to take the best possible line in and whooping like banshees all the way down.<br />
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The bigger question to me though....is how the world is going to react once this all passes and we wake up to whatever we call survival afterwards. <br />
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To me everything (for better or worse) is filtered through the lens of Outdoor Recreation. <br />
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I could see this as being the harbinger for a new renaissance in who goes outside and how and where they go outside. <br />
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Certainly the economy and its wounded state will be a factor, but so will this need to once again feel that release of having survived, even its just little bit of it......Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-24366135898490429362020-03-24T05:41:00.001-07:002020-03-24T05:41:43.322-07:00Its Not Me, Its Them <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eGSrjO2c9PM/Xnn9clqdRJI/AAAAAAAANjA/7WhV0amnW0M_PX8unm4cBqbjQ5hV9BdkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2015059A3677.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eGSrjO2c9PM/Xnn9clqdRJI/AAAAAAAANjA/7WhV0amnW0M_PX8unm4cBqbjQ5hV9BdkwCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2015059A3677.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Its nots me its them </td></tr>
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I came late to being a father.<br />
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I was too locked in my own little world. I have always been a free spirited wanderer and locking myself down was a concept that was foreign to me late into my youth.<br />
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Then I met Margaret and my views began to change and of course we adopted my wonderful son Tae. <br />
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Yet, even then it took a while to sink in. I knew when I had truly become a parent when I snapped this photograph one afternoon in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. We had been hanging out, fishing and enjoying the Wilderness when one of those classic BWCA thunderstorms came charging across the lake. <br />
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Essentially camping on a massive rock (common in the BWCA), with little top soil (making the trees sway menacingly) and not many places to hide I popped up our tarp and we huddled to stay dry and to make some hot chocolate while the storm played out. In the middle of this we had some big lightning strikes and some solid boomers. This shot was snapped during one of those monstrous booms. The moment was scary. You can see the raw fear in both Margaret and in little Tae's faces.<br />
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However, for me, it was also the moment I realized I could care less about my own safety and that in the end if was the safety of Them not Me, and that it was now my job as a dad, as a parent and as a partner to be there for my family, come hell or high water, or Coronavirus.<br />
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It's not about you, it's about them. <br />
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That statement applies to somebody in your life, so take it seriously and do what you can to think straight, make choices that are beyond you as a person and impact others in positive ways. This applies to the Coronavirus, but it also applies to life beyond this calamity.Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-1932878197028600572020-03-23T08:34:00.000-07:002020-03-23T08:34:19.523-07:00Dancing with Myself <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbkRZwWLLXk/XnjSz_Fle3I/AAAAAAAANi0/3gE2JN5ZPMM-6cwd65WxM7MMiGpO5S4MQCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2020hansi_2020P1750597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cbkRZwWLLXk/XnjSz_Fle3I/AAAAAAAANi0/3gE2JN5ZPMM-6cwd65WxM7MMiGpO5S4MQCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2020hansi_2020P1750597.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Run with the Deer </td></tr>
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Another morning, another awakening from good dreams to a nightmare world.<br />
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The family is still asleep while I roll out my fat bike from the barn. Fine, fluffy snow is falling and is piling up in the three inches that fell overnight. <br />
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The snowpack however is in its dying days, and the freeze thaw has slowly but surely made it bullet proof.<br />
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As a test I roll into my yard and the crust supports, the ride is silent and effortless with the new powder on top. I literally float.<br />
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I realize its on and head straight to the backcountry of Jay Cooke.<br />
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I have always wanted to run like a deer through the woods. Blasting along effortlessly and silently, going where it wants, all with grace and beauty, trail be damned.<br />
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In the winter there are two ways to try and mimic a deer. One is XC skiing on a perfect track, but you are stuck on a specific trail. Awesome but not total freedom.<br />
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Crust cruising though the woods on either skis or a bike is perhaps the most amazing way to experience flying like a deer through a boreal forest.<br />
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Skis are awesome but unless its wide open catching tips is always a concern. A fat bike though, makes it even more interesting. It requires extra thick crust and perfect spring conditions, but it does happen.<br />
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Its an amazing thing, to be able to ride wherever you want, anywhere in the forest, silent and smooth, the trees flying past you as you look for the next rise and the next line.<br />
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Today is the day. Plague be damned, I am running with the deer.<br />
<br />Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-27089520815932467062020-03-20T08:31:00.002-07:002020-03-20T08:31:59.586-07:00Knee High to A Grasshopper <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpJyHlA1e2w/XnTeFnVf7gI/AAAAAAAANio/BvOkFlwG3jMEAZ7WQVZltU8mtlwqxauagCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2019hansi_2019059A4447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KpJyHlA1e2w/XnTeFnVf7gI/AAAAAAAANio/BvOkFlwG3jMEAZ7WQVZltU8mtlwqxauagCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2019hansi_2019059A4447.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pickwick Mill </td></tr>
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We used to crawl in through a hole in the wall where the water wheel axle once protruded. <br />
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It was a slightly scary move, a hang out into space, where for a moment you could see down into the pit where the water wheel itself once stood, now a forest of shattered beams and twisted steel.<br />
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The smells were of dust and old wood, of limestone and watercress. <br />
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The old mill roof had been blown off in a tornado allowing the rains to come in. The floors had rotted from top to bottom, making the whole structure un-safe as hell. Yet for us 12 year olds it was a forgotten world we would challenge ourselves to explore.<br />
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Draz the smallest of the crew, had the record for going the highest, not quite up to the roof but close. <br />
I was the first to explore the seemingly black abyss of the now destroyed water wheel pit. <br />
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I came in from the bottom, squeezing my body between two huge beams and a slab of living limestone. Once inside I balanced on a fallen beam and peered into the water. Not looking for anything in particular but entranced by its clearness. The stillness broken only by the small trickle of the stream that at one point was diverted to spin the wheel.<br />
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Suddenly, movement caught my eye and I saw a massive Brown trout roaming the debris, somehow caught in this place for eternity. <br />
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I called for Draz, we had a new mission in life, to catch a fish......Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-5878320069938034762019-12-08T12:38:00.003-08:002019-12-08T12:38:37.485-08:00THE CASE FOR SPIRIT MOUNTAIN <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPF_iQa7tW4/Xe1e77IdHHI/AAAAAAAANhM/a-DJVHrMJq8UMX1Ye_nhUglnKo1PLtw9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/hansi_2019hansi_2019059A8722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZPF_iQa7tW4/Xe1e77IdHHI/AAAAAAAANhM/a-DJVHrMJq8UMX1Ye_nhUglnKo1PLtw9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s640/hansi_2019hansi_2019059A8722.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">For four years I was tasked with helping Duluth build a strong brand around Outdoor Recreation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While we may not always realize it as Duluthians, Spirit Mountain is possibly our most important asset we have in our effort to be one of America’s Best Outdoor Towns.<br /><br />There are of course the obvious connections that are easy to identify. The new Grand Ave Nordic Center, that this season had skiing before even the mountain states had snow.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spirit was the first and for a while, only Lift served mountain biking center in the Midwest, now there are four.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Superior Hiking Trail the most celebrated hiking trail in the Midwest and one of the best in the world, crosses through it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The newly restored DWP trail is accessed by it. Soon a paddlesports launch will be located across from it. There are spots to Boulder/climb at Spirit as well. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The bonus is that Spirit Mountain also has the infrastructure to support that recreation, like lifts to haul up cyclists and snow sliders, the Chalets to change and warm up in, plus food service and a place to wind down after adventure.<br /><br />While some folks call Spirit a ski/snowboard hill the Community of Duluth has to realize that it means much, much more to Duluth’s brand then just a place to slide downhill in the Winter.<br /><br />It is amazing how far ahead of its time Spirit Mountain was when it was created in the 1970’s. Really, before many of the recreational experiences that are now popular in Duluth today.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Mountain biking did not even exist when Spirit Mountain was created in 1974.<br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now, that the Duluth community is truly getting behind the larger idea of the value of our open spaces and our recreational opportunities for both local citizens and Tourists we need to leverage the power of what our past leaders gave us.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Spirit Mountain is just starting to shine as the multi-sport hub it could truly be in Duluth. It's the one spot in a city spread far and wide geographically that we can call a recreational focal point. Nearly every major outdoor recreational opportunity in Duluth can be represented there, including Snowmobiling. It’s our Thomson Hill of Outdoor Recreation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />Spirit Mountain management has been doing some amazing work in capitalizing on this concept in the past bunch of years. The new Nordic Center has been a massive hit. The All Weather MTB trail in the summer is always in use both for events as well as tourists and locals who can ride when the trails are wet and closed<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Spirit Mountain has a new sense of energy when you're there. In the winter you are seeing XC skiers, Fat Bikers and Alpine Skiers and Snowboarders all from the same Chalet. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In the summer you see Downhill MTB riders, XC MTB riders both on the All Weather Trail but also in the kid friendly Pump Track at the base, as well as hikers, bird watchers and people just relaxing by the streams or walking or riding on the DWP.<br /><br />Not every town in the US that is looking to be considered a stand out Outdoor Recreational community (there are many) has an asset like Spirit Mountain to work with, but they sure want one. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I feel like often times as Duluthians we take for granted the gem we have in Spirit Mountain and that we need to stop doing that and start lending our voices to insuring it sticks around for future generations. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36247126.post-28715443492286031622019-06-13T07:41:00.001-07:002019-06-13T07:41:15.327-07:00Open Minds, Blow Minds, build a better Future <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pPExnrHo1E4/XQJgSD3kURI/AAAAAAAANeM/mmqQtLHMsag_jY6ViCF8Bn3jQMApcqGJwCLcBGAs/s1600/hansi_2019P1590409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pPExnrHo1E4/XQJgSD3kURI/AAAAAAAANeM/mmqQtLHMsag_jY6ViCF8Bn3jQMApcqGJwCLcBGAs/s640/hansi_2019P1590409.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />Lokihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17455518576090059151noreply@blogger.com0