Each of us brought unique handicaps to the situation. Any of these, individually, might have derailed the hike to this mountain lake before it even began. I don’t believe either of us, by ourselves, could have completed this hike. Inscrutably, our individual impediments coalesced into collective success. Our goal was reached because of these weaknesses, … More Montana. The problem is the solution.
Rolling out of bed, safely at home, after driving the better part of a day straight-through from southwest Montana, is remarkably disorienting. The sun set as our land yacht sailed eastward through North Dakota. The sky was huge and limitless the last time I saw it. The largest cumulus nimbus clouds I’ve ever seen failed … More The Morning After
5.5 years into this farm business, I’m only beginning to improve at getting away. This week, with only a few days notice, I squeezed in a 44-hour bro vacation with the fella who has been breaking away with me on these for well-nigh a quarter-century. Even shorties like this have a manner of impacting the … More A Big Smooch for Isabella!
A wood-fired cabin, blanketed in fluffy snow and nestled along the Canadian border, beats the beach any day of the week. This has long been my ideal vacation spot. Now, for the first time, I was able to share the experience with my family. The cabin, built in 1928, is roughly the same vintage as … More The best farmer vacay ever
As we neared the firing of the cannon marking the end of summer, discontent bubbled up inside me like a witch’s brew in a red hot cauldron, threatening to boil over at any moment. With school set to resume tomorrow, our usual quota for adventure was woefully short. We completely failed to camp together as … More Making it happen after failing so miserably
When you’re body is fixin’ to be laid up a while, it’s crucial to work out some of that sphizerinctum in advance. Whenever possible, it’s even more effective to intertwine that need for raw body movement with exploration by simultaneously taking a dip into that refreshing well of adventure. This reminds of a recent argument … More Pre-surgery sashay along the SHT
In those final fleeting moments before the snow begins to fly, I get twitchy. Must cram in as many fall experiences as possible! Yesterday’s hankering to knock out the next stretch of the trail, before it’d be blanketed under several inches of snow, was overwhelming. Though I only had a handful of four-mile runs under … More Party on the Superior Hiking Trail like it’s 1999. Fox Farm to Rossini.
“I’m walking that trail up to Canada with or without you, boy.” The weather report showed that Friday was going to be a stellar day, so I sprung the idea on my boy the night before while he was hunched over his phone, tired and unmotivated. Bad timing. Thankfully, it all worked out. I knew … More Back on the SHT bandwagon: Normanna Road to Fox Farm Road
At the very moment of the autumnal equinox, I was enjoying a fine cup of coffee along the shores of Rose Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with my friend John. We were on the cusp of an epic day. A month prior to this, I saw this entry point into the BWCA … More Do It Anyway. Rose Lake: Crown Jewel of the Boundary Waters.
It finally dawned on me to start creating a blog post for every hike my son and I take as we slowly push through our project of hiking the entire 310-mile Superior Hiking Trail (SHT), which runs from the Minnesota – Wisconsin border all the way up to Canada, in chunks. Not only could it … More The Ultimate Triathlon: Hike, Bike, and Pay Off Mortgage
Ed's Big Adventure 