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Spring Wildflowers- Making Mom Proud

4/5/2020

Almost 10 years ago, my beloved mother passed away from ALS after a very quick and hard fought battle against the disease. By then, I was 30 years old and a mom myself. My mom had the opportunity to see me marry a man my father became strong friends with for all his interesting talents and hobbies; she enjoyed meals in my home watching me try to perfect her classic recipes and helping me tweak my skills and cooking; she shook her head watching me garden and can my own vegetables wondering how I finally got interested in an art I had watched her do a thousand times, yet never seemed much interested in growing up… However, she never witnessed my love of the wildflowers she was such a pro at naming and finding.

The Kinds of People You Meet on the Trail: Protagonists & Antagonists

3/24/2020

2 x 18-25 year-olds try to cook dinner without a stove or water filter. Needless to say, they got some freebie handouts from us.

After years and years of backpacking experience, you start to be able to typecast the individuals you run across on the trail. There is definitely a dichotomy of hikers out there. It’s almost as if you are sizing individuals up as you first spot them approaching you on the trail. Maybe this is some sort of caveman self-defense mechanism to determine whether someone poses a threat to your survival. So without further ado, and correct me if I am wrong, here are some of our top memorable people met on the trail, some of which we've been ourselves.

Igloo Building 101- What not to do….

3/24/2020

In 2010, our area got a very unusual winter ice/snow event that brought our region to a screeching halt. Schools closed and road crews worked 24/7 to keep up with the grind. The first few days were a glorious respite, filled with hot cocoa, sledding, and organizational projects. Our son was 2 at the time, so our days were very routine, a cycle of story time, playtime, snack time, and nap time.

The Waterfalls of Glacier

3/22/2020

Glacier National Park was truly more beautiful than any place I’ve ever been in this country, but the surprising thing even among all that beauty was the overwhelming number of waterfalls throughout the park. On our first hike I assumed we had just chosen well, but as our trips continued, I realized that Glacier is just full of amazing waterfalls....

Does G.Z still love J.Z?

3/22/2020

Leave no trace?

Last weekend, before the world lost its mind and we were all quarantined to our homes, we had one last glorious day hike on an unexpected 60 degree spring day- the kind of day that gently nudges you out the door and reminds you that spring is indeed right around the corner. It was brisk outside, but the sunbeams soaked into our jackets and provided that unique warmth that only the sun can. The wind reminded us of its presence and we hustled on down the trail to generate some heat.
We had an amazing day, unexpected really. Hemlock Cliffs is listed at just a mile hike, so I didn’t have high hopes for adventure. I figured our hour and a half drive would feel hardly worth the effort and we’d quickly be sitting in the car again. Immediately I was mistaken....

Social Distancing

3/16/2020

Is there anybody there....?

Maybe it’s the freeze dried meals, the water filtration, or the seclusion... but somehow in this corona virus pandemic, I find myself, as a backpacker, very well-suited to the social distancing lifestyle. As I sit at home trying to fill my time so that my anxiety doesn’t consume me, I ponder whether other backpackers feel naturally suited to this whole social experiment too...

There’s no such thing as bad weather...only bad gear. Cabins of the Porcupine Mountains

3/4/2020

Porcupine Mountains, Lake Superior

Nestled on the shores of brutal Lake Superior are some well off the beaten path cabins that offer a calm respite from the wind and sometimes rain of backpacking the Porkies. I’m sure the locals know of this well kept secret, but for out of state travelers, these cabins seem like a diamond in the rough find with their wood fired stoves and dry bunks.

When we first heard about the Porkies, honestly, we had to do a little research to find out where they were and what type of outdoor adventures they offered. Most people have seen pictures of Lake of the Clouds, but if that is as far out of the car as you get, you have certainly missed the best part....

"The mosquitoes were affectionate today" and other musings in the Belly River...

2/28/2020

In Lake Clark National Park, Alaska sits a small log cabin that is part of the National Registry of Historic Places. Famed wildlife chronicler Dick Proenneke walked away from his 9-5 job as a diesel mechanic and built a legacy akin to the likes of Davy Crockett or Daniel Boone. He constructed a small cabin on the shores of Twin Lakes with handmade tools and materials gathered and worked with his own two hands. His precision and skill can be seen watching Alone in the Wilderness, wherein he films the labor of love and journals of the run-ins with the majestic animals of the mountainous terrain. So it’s no wonder that this hearty man’s man would speak of the likely swarm and annoyance of North Country mosquitoes as “being affectionate.”

There is a man’s man I know that ascended to the level of Proenneke manhood one summer day while backpacking the Belly River of Glacier National Park....

Facing Your Fears in a Kayak

2/27/2020

Happy to be on land after rounding Indian Head, Isle Royale National Park

Sometimes your spouse asks you to do things that really take you outside of your comfort zone. Sometimes things on their bucket lists are well beyond your scope of experience. This is what happened to me on my first trip to Isle Royale National Park.

Two pivotal moments caught my husband’s fancy while we were hiking along Rock Harbor for the first time.

We had barely set foot on the island when we saw 2 travelers unload their gorgeous, long sea kayaks down off the ferry. Our mouths dropped and there might have been a bit of drool drip as those sleek boats were unloaded and the paddlers sorted their dry bags of gear...

The Golden Rules of Hiking with Kids

2/26/2020

The backpack hung low on his back. It was the smallest backpack we could purchase, but still it seemingly swallowed our son whole. It was a red Osprey cinched up as tight as possible. Inside it held a white blanket with silky borders, called Bindy, and a few small snack bags. We had been chomping at the bit to take our little guy hiking for 3 long years and watching him light up on the trail was warming my heart.

Since that first hike of one mile, we have learned from the highest highs and the lowest lows of hiking with a child. Below is a list of do’s and don’ts compiled over 11 years of adventuring with our little man in tow...