Hiking, web development, best practices, and general awesomeness
Soft pinks and purples swirled above the chilled fog on Lake Siskiwit. Shivering through my sweaty shirt I continued to pump water from the swampy inlet on the western shoreline. It was early, still thirty minutes before the sunrise, and I had made darn good time this morning. Close to four miles…
With groggy eyes and stiff legs I slowly made my way down to the dock at Todd Harbor and set up for breakfast. There was water to pump, oatmeal to make, and coffee to brew. The rest of my gear was already packed - I wasted little time once I woke up and saw that I had slept in an hour past the…
Darkness surrounded me on the trail leading out of Lane Cove. I paused on a long boardwalk and let the sounds wash over me, the insect noises and curious rustles, my headlamp unveiling a section of path that was too intense and too dark all at the same time. With a deep sigh I pushed onwards. There…
When I first started to mix backpacking with hiking, about four or so years ago, the thought of tackling Isle Royale popped up a few times. I was in the midwest, hiking in the Upper Peninsula, and that island seemed like the ultimate escape from civilization while staying in Michigan. The idea never…
Since the summer of 2008 I've been exploring the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It all started with waterfalls, the quest to find and document every waterfall within a hundred mile radius of our old house in Houghton. Once Katie and I moved to Wisconsin the adventures slowly changed, becoming more…
A cold wind swept off of Lake Superior and swept the trees around Kathleen and me. As the sand stung our eyes and the sound of crashing waves pounded our ears we exchanged an uncertain look. Little Presque Isle was not exactly an easy destination to reach, especially through a turbulent great…
A long year has passed by since I hiked around the tip of the Keweenaw, one of my most ambitious adventures to date. Not only was it a rather long hike (around twenty miles in length) but it took me to many locations I had never seen before. Horseshoe Harbor, Keweenaw Rocket Range, Schlatter Lake,…
Morning sun shone bright over the trailhead to Bare Bluff. It was early, mere hours since the sunrise, yet there already was another vehicle sitting here. The chance I would run into these hikers was low. The first part of today's hike may be along the main trail but I had an ambitious side trek…
The long drive from Eagle Harbor to Copper Harbor helped calm my jittery nerves. After all, I had just bumped into a bear and dozens of bats in the pre-dawn forest above Copper Falls. Driving the winding, familiar M-28 under a dark morning sky was oddly soothing. By the time I pulled into the…
Cooling air swam around me as I trudged along the two-track, burdened by a full backpack of camping gear. The air felt good against my skin after the August heat of the day. I was walking a familiar path and soon saw the trademark blue shaft with bat cage on top. Today, though, I wouldn't be…