Cabin Weekend
When you have a cabin within 90 minutes of home, you need to escape to the lake as often as possible. That was my parents’ belief when I was younger. Sounds great now, but when you’re forced to go to your cabin every weekend of your youth, it wasn’t. Angsty teenage years when all I wanted to do was go to a mall with the … Continue reading Cabin Weekend
Le Gran du Nord
You wake up before your alarm. It’s 4:45am and the dew on the trees above your tent is starting to coalesce and drip. You’re not sure if anxiety or doubt is the reason for your awakening–anxiety because you drove four hours for this race; doubt because it would be easier to sleep in and fish all day than ride 60 miles on gravel. You go … Continue reading Le Gran du Nord
It Might Be Illegal
I bought Audra a Wisconsin fishing license online without her knowing it. It wasn’t my proudest moment, but I live life with no regrets. Well, she kind of knew because she handed me her drivers license and told me her social security number, but the payment, that was all me and she was in the other room when I did it so I’m considering this … Continue reading It Might Be Illegal
Coffee and Bikes in the Morning
In most circles, it’s called Adventure Coffee. (Not typically capitalized, but I did so because it’s a wonderful thing and it deserves tall letters, y’know?) The activity is simple. Find a group of friends, gather coffee/tea, camp stoves, water, and bicycles, then settle on a place outdoors to enjoy the fruits of your labors before work. There’s a reason coffee shops make most of their … Continue reading Coffee and Bikes in the Morning
From Two To Crew
It was 1:45pm and I was running late. Nothing new there. On this occasion, I was tardy by 15 minutes, which wouldn’t have been so bad, but I still hadn’t left my house. My name is Kurt Stafki and I’m never on time. It was to be a day riding an easy 30-40 miles to St. Paul and back. I was on my Niner RLT 9 … Continue reading From Two To Crew
February Shouldn’t Be Like This
February isn’t typically a fun month to fly fish. Rivers are quiet, yes, but it’s usually cold, rivers are lined with ice, snow could turn to rain whenever it damn well pleases, and there’s always a risk of your reel freezing. Fish are generally sluggish, as well, as hatches are few and far between, save for sporadic midges climbing mounds of snow like first ascents. … Continue reading February Shouldn’t Be Like This
I Love Loppet
It’s one of my favorite weekends in Minneapolis. Lakes become luminary-lined parks, roads become trails, and skis are everywhere. It’s the City of Lakes Loppet. The 2013 Loppet was my first taste of winter culture in Minneapolis. The company I worked for was a sponsor and I had the opportunity to get involved. It didn’t take long before I was hooked. I attended the 2014 … Continue reading I Love Loppet
Get Uncomfortable
At a certain point, I lost count of the times something didn’t go right. Navigating three feet of powder on a mountain side with cross-country skis strapped to numb feet seven miles from the nearest road; losing footing while trying to cross a river in waist-deep, snowmelt raging water; finishing your last water bottle in 104F heat 17 miles from the car on a bike. You … Continue reading Get Uncomfortable
Wyoming and Back
The best trips happen spontaneously. No planning require. Get in the car and go. That, at least, is how we feel. Two weeks before heading west, I had an idea. I’ve never been to Utah and I needed to use some PTO. Yeah, let’s go to Utah. After some quick research, it would take too much time to drive all the way out there. What’s … Continue reading Wyoming and Back
Reflecting
Things didn’t go as planned last night. We fucked up. White people, this is why we can’t have nice things. It hurt to see such a terrible person (though that would be a compliment) be elected President. It actually hurt. I’m still stunned. Who knows what’ll happen when everyone makes sense of this. I took pride in voting for a woman to become President, just … Continue reading Reflecting
Birch & Flannel 