Greenland Inuit Kayaks

This past week I met with a boat builder in Grand Marais to talk about a kayak that Greg and I were hoping would fit the purpose and needs of our Superior Dream trip.  The kayak is an Inuit skin on wood frame from Greenland.

A shorter version than one we would paddle.

It's a beautiful boat with a unique stowage system dating back many years.  If no pigment is used over the nylon skin the hull is transparent, letting you see the ribs, gear, and paddlers legs inside.  It certainly gives the appearance of a delicate craft and though it does demand a bit more consideration with rocky shorelines and stormy landings, according to both the course description and builder it is bomb proof.

This is a 6oz nylon, we'd use a 14oz

This kayak would add a uniqueness to the trip and we're very intrigued with the idea of circumnavigating Lake Superior with it.  We would be able to make a few simple modifications to it to allow for filming and the addition of a rudder.

With a dark pigment added

Obviously if we are going to kayak around The Lake, first and foremost we need kayaks!  Thanks to Mark Hansen and North House for taking the time to show me around and discuss kayak logistics.

We'll see what happens...

Skiing in a "Superior" Place

The Mountain Times- March 2010 Column:
"An old ski track recently filled in with light snow was evident to my buddy Focht and I from the bridge overhead. We stood on a northern Minnesota county road that crossed over the Cascade River nearly four miles up from where it tumbles into the largest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior.  On this day we had come to ski it.

Waking up that morning lakeside in an old fishing shack turned charming cabin, Focht and I watched the steam linger over a calm mood of The Lake. From surging waves the night before a thin layer of ice painted the rocky shore just feet from where the non-insulated cabin stood. We huddled around the small wood stove hot with red embers, our faces inches from the single paned window, cloaked in toasty rays from the rising sun far across the water."

To read the whole story click HERE (and scroll down a smidge).

North Shore

I am up in Grand Marais and along the North Shore of Lake Superior this week meeting with various folks to discuss things pertinent to Superior Dream.  The most important of which regards the boats we hope to build and paddle on our trip.

I met with Mark Hansen, the kayak builder and course instructor, this morning to find out more about the Greenland Inuit style kayaks and to get an understanding whether or not they would be an ideal fit for our trip.  We talked design, modifications, and materials at his shop just north of town and then he drove me down to the school to look at a variety of actual boats that have been built over the years.

Afterwards, on a walk around a sunny and warm downtown Grand Marais, I had some great impromptu conversations with a few local faces.  I even stopped into Northern Wilds for a long overdue face to face "hello" with an editor and staff I've worked with a couple times in recent years.

Now, Jasmine and I are sitting at the Java Moose basking in the sun, staring at the harbor.  The water is calm and inviting and I can't help but imagine myself paddling out on it.  I picture us rounding the break walls point on our way into town sometime early July, on the start of our Superior Dream journey.

Things are looking up.  The boats seem to be a good fit.  Now to approach them with the idea of a sponsorship opportunity that I believe has some amazing potential for all!

It is a great day.

MT column, circa 2007

This was my first submission to The Mountain Times, back in October of 2007. Either it or my continued submissions prompted then editor Steve Willent to offer me a column space. Sweetner.

Another Week in MN Bliss

I spent the last week up in Duluth, MN again, playing on north shore streams, listening to great musicians, being around fires, running along the Lakewalk, and drinking fantastic beer; all in the company of warm and inspiring friends!  

So glad to have people and activities such as above in my life.  So. Glad.

Simple things like an old battery operated radio playing country music from a snowbank and a fire brings a smile to Jasmine's face.

The Mountain Times - Feb Column

Call Of The Wild - Minnesota Style

"The smell of reheated pesto eggs Benedict wafts out from the microwave and fills my friends kitchen. It was my breakfast yesterday at a downtown joint that lures slow moving Sunday risers in with the promise of a quaint songwriters showcase and a Bloody Mary bar, which could be a complete meal in itself. 

This morning it retells our story from two nights ago."

Click HERE to read the rest of the column.

(Jasmine and I under the Lift Bridge)

Post Plunge Photo Session...

...captured on film as we linger behind the bleachers.

Polar Plunge WBL 2010

Yesterday, amidst ice fisherman, law enforcement and an enthusiastic crowd, team Nipples Cut Glass plunges into a hole cut in White Bear Lake on a sunny January day with the temperature hanging around 4 degrees.

Jumpers included Bano and I (speedos), Jen (ladybug), and Zeb (daisy duke wearing construction man).

Jumping the Cascade River

A quick look at the start of our 3 mile Cascade River descent.  Only a couple spots where I had to tip toe around some falls or open water.  Conditions were excellent.  This leap is nothing extraordinary but it brings a smile every time, especially when I think about the thin slab ice I was landing on and launching off of.  Mother Nature was kind on this day.

Canoeing in December

I've been restless here in suburban Minnesota lately so yesterday I geared up for the cold and portaged my dads canoe down to White Bear Lake for a late season paddle. Temperatures have just dipped into the 20's finally, and ice is just now forming around the lake's perimeter.

For clothing, I had my 5mm wetsuit steamer on as a base, with dry bottoms and a spray top over it, thick wool socks with my neoprene boots, a winter hat and thinner neoprene paddling gloves. The portage was quick and I only had a 10-12 feet of ice to cross to open water, which ultimately broke as I walked over it.

I followed the contour of ice south and around Manitou Island as far as I could go, then retraced my path back. While I was out I had the water all to myself, though I found out later that when my brother walked down to the beach to look for me he spotted a stand-up paddle boarder paddling out near a newly exposed island.

(I used Google Earth to map my route, this older photo shows inaccurate ice coverage)

I went down again today to see what conditions looked like and saw significant more ice coverage. Surprisingly there was still accessible open water, but a slight chop and cold breeze kept me onshore with Tischer. I'm still hoping for one more paddling day before total freeze-up, and am excited for the supposedly coming snow accumulation-it will be a first to paddle in that!

Think Snow!!!

Kitchen view sunset

Walking and Climbing w/ Tischer

Our usual walk down to Optimist Beach on White Bear Lake brings us through West Park, and on a recent evening Zeb and Jen joined us. We stood in the unfrozen shallow water and climbed trees and fences.

Checkin' out Christmas lights along the shore of WBL.

The old backstop at West Park.

She's got that.

Tischer showed off her mad climbing skills too, which are impressive. I can thank the tall snowbanks of Government Camp on Mount Hood for 3 years of practice.

December Column

Check out my latest column for The Mountain Times.

"I returned to Costa Rica for most of last month to surf the warm Pacific waves and spend some hammock time in the shade. To fill in a time that embodies the shoulder season between fall and winter when the skiing has more rock hazards than tree wells and the paddling is stormy.

With simple living in mind and a cheap ticket, we ditched the grey tint of Chicago and headed 2,200 miles straight south. First we scored a room only a block from the beach that had two beds with a thin sheet each covering an even thinner mattress. Next we acquired surfboards that caught good waves, fit perfectly in the corner when unused (which was mainly while we slept), and waxed them with a block of Sticky Bumps that was found in a pile of driftwood."

To read the rest click HERE.

Superior Dreams Blog

Greg and I have been slowly building a blog (which will soon be linked from a new SD website!) for our Superior Dreams trip. I just put a new post up and hopefully they will be coming more regularly now.

www.superiordream.blogspot.com

Exciting things are happening with this project.

Check it out!!

Take Me Away

I'm sitting in a recliner starring at a computer screen. Outside the window is a dreary White Bear Lake. But a short time ago I was many miles straight south, bobbing in the warm pacific on a surf board. Oh My! Take me away...

...to right Here.

It was a bright sun, not dissatisfaction.

Another Campfire and the Aromas of Home

My October column for The Mountain Times:

"Tonight I stood around a slow burning fire with my brother and our dad. The backyard in which I grew up in was quiet. Looking up, following the swirling smoke, the sky was aglow from the big city lights to the south. The burning wood scraps offered a subtle heat, the rest of me being warmed by my down vest with one cold hand from holding an iced beverage.

I thought back to the fires I would have on decent fall nights outside the cabin in Govy. The freshly split fir from stacked rows in the basement burned quickly on an overturned garbage can lid in the driveway. On those nights, the neighborhood was quiet too but the only brightness in the sky came naturally."

Click HERE to read the rest...(and scroll down past the first column-which isn't actually mine)