Compiled by Adam Fornear
Mud season has arrived in Duluth. That means it’s time to put the skis away, shelve the ice tools, and take off the studded fat bike tires. What a great winter this was for being outside! The trails rode really well, I got many more laps on some vertical ice, and had many a campfire to stay connected and engaged with my friends in the region. It’s sad to see it go but every season has its rewards.
I got back into a canoe this weekend and that felt really good. Paddling season has begun! A couple friends and I paddled the Nemadji River, a large, muddy tributary of Lake Superior. It’s muddy because it runs through the clay basin of the headwaters of Lake Superior. It’s particularly muddy this time of year when the water is high from the snow melt at higher elevations and spring rains. With the high water, we were able to knock out 12 miles in a short two and a half hours. It was a beautiful stretch of water that none of us had paddled before and we all thoroughly enjoyed the float. At one point we came around a bend in the river and were greeted with a convocation of Bald Eagles flying above with their annoying friends, the crows. We also spotted some mallards and mergansers in their spring plumage. The last bit of wildlife that we saw were a couple beavers waddling along the shoreline…they are definitely more eloquent in the water. The other great surprise was a couple of beautiful cedar groves. We spied a particular nice one that we were able to pull over and take a break to stretch the legs and eat some trail snacks.
I loved exploring a new river. Our curiosity drove us to paddle a new section and explore a little bit of the unknown (to us). Our campers every summer aren’t the only ones that get to have the great reward of exploring something new to them. I really seek out these new experiences up in the Northwoods, and am still finding new places to explore. And one of the great things about Nebagamon is the opportunity for our campers to go exploring too. I hope all of you choose to search out something new for yourself. I’m sure all of you have these areas a short drive or bike from your homes. Let your curiosity guide your adventure. Then sit down on the computer machine and email me about it…I want to hear!
I’ll be here in Duluth, waiting to hear from all of you (alumni as well!). Get outside, breathe in some clean air, push yourself to bike up that steep hill and get excited for the never-ending days of summer to be on us soon! Just shoot news over to me via the interweb at [email protected]. Be well and have a great day!
IT MAY INTEREST YOU TO KNOW that Atlas Barnes (Chicago) joined the Chicago Rowing Foundation last year and has been really getting into rowing crew. Atlas is also spending more time playing tennis and ping pong. Atlas – I’ve been playing a fair amount of ping pong as well. When you get up to camp this summer, I’d like to challenge you to a game. Sound good? Sebastian Alderman (Tulsa, OK) passed his drivers test on his first try – Nice Work!
IN THE WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW DEPARTMENT: Charles Meyer (NYC ’06-’11,’12) recently released his first single, “Love” on streaming platforms. I had a chance to give it a listen and its cool…check it out at https://linktr.ee/CharlesOnTV . Isaac Weiss-Meyer (NYC ’10-’13,’15-‘17) is the manager for Charles Meyer Music.
IN THE BIBS AND DIAPERS DEPARTMENT: It’s a girl, Effie Lynne, for Karla Bright (Chicago) and Ryan Glasspiegel (Chicago ’96-’02,’04-’07,’09). It’s a boy, Weston, for Natalie Mandel (Lutz, Florida) and Jeff Schram (Boston/Lutz, Florida ’97-’02,’04-‘06).