It just works.” That’s Dan Cooke’s response when asked why the hand-sewn camping gear he’s been making for 38 years continues to have such an enthusiastic and dedicated following. “When you have a car, it’s the little things that start to fail. By the end, you just have four wheels to take you from A … [ Read more]
Camp Fire: Over a century of bringing kids of all backgrounds into the great outdoors to discover their true natures
May 29, 2019 by
Catching a frog is something of a rite of passage at Camp Fire Minnesota. The wetlands at Tanadoona—the primary camp and nature-based learning property for the national youth development organization’s Minnesota branch—are teeming with the amphibians, and marketing director Kelly Abraham says that regardless of the kid’s age, background, and familiarity with nature, sooner or … [ Read more]
How To Boundary Waters: Minnesota’s favorite outdoor playground is open to all—with a bit of planning
May 28, 2019 by
There are few outdoor pleasures more classically Minnesotan than mounting an expedition to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and spending a few days on the lakes and under the stars. For all of its charms—outdoor beauty, campfire camaraderie, and the sweet, sweet “general lack of other people” key among them—it can be tough to … [ Read more]
Northern Lights: Talent and ambition powers the dining room of Poplar Haus on the Gunflint Trail
May 28, 2019 by
Ask a handful of Minnesotans about going “up north” and you’ll probably get a cluster of different responses that share a few things in common. Up north isn’t a specific place, although many people have a place in mind. It’s not a where, it’s a what—a slower pace of life, a retreat from the lacerating … [ Read more]
The Cheese Stands Alone: Willi Lehner forges world-class wheels on his self-sufficient wisconsin farmstead
May 28, 2019 by
Above the rolling hills near Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, at Willi Lehner’s 16-acre farmstead, a turbine spins in the wind. It looks like a child’s toy on top of an Erector set, but that wind turbine, in combination with a fleet of solar panels, generates about five times as much power as the whole farm needs. … [ Read more]
Artist Profile: Kurt Seaberg uses lithography to protect our wild places
May 28, 2019 by
Like the tranquil lakes and forest scenes depicted in his lithographs, Kurt Seaberg is as soft-spoken and reflective as they come. He considers each of his words carefully, speaking in the measured, quiet manner of someone who’s spent much of his time among nature. Since he was young, he says he’s leaned on artistic creation … [ Read more]
