Last night I drove north along on the peninsula. To my left, Lake Superior was an eerie blue mirror glimmering in late afternoon sun. To my right, birch trees dripped with fresh rain and the last of the thick purple lupine flowers stood stark against the green and dark sky of a just-past storm.
I drove past three separate mothers with spotted fawns, eagles perched above the lake. Why is it, do you think, that the bluest the waters ever looked comes after a storm? It must be something in the light.
It’s been a really busy June. I wrapped up helping with the on water skills portion of guide training then spilled directly into guiding my first overnight sea kayak trip, the was out on a project in Duluth for a few days before having about a day to do laundry then heading directly back out to host a women’s rock climbing weekend. I had three days “off” (housework, laundry, oh and like the desk part of my job so not really all that off) before heading back to the water for a busy long weekend helping with the Freshwater Paddler Symposium last weekend.
The Freshwater Paddler Symposium is a long weekend event up at the edge of the Apostle Islands where seasoned sea kayakers and curious beginners alike can gather and learn from some of the best coaches in the area, choosing an ala carte style curriculum of sea kayak lessons/instructions and adventure paddles. We had rolling clinics, cave rescue practice, first aid for kayakers, intro-level courses as well as (naturally) a group adventure paddle to the Meyers Beach sea caves.
It is an excellent time and you should mark it on your calendars for next year (first weekend after solstice usually)! I spend most of my time here helping with event logistics, but also do some coaching with the beginner group as needed.
I’m writing this newsletter on Tuesday, the last day of June.
Back in April I came home from a trip and looked at all the work in front of me, how every single day of my life was scheduled for the next three months and could just feel panic rising in my throat. What do you do when your dream job is ruining your life?
The end of June for me signals the last of my commitments from April, before I realized I was doing too much, coming to an end. I wrap up my last four (lol) outstanding projects this week and next. I have not taken on any new project-based work for the remainder of the summer and have blocked off the next three months. The end of June is feeling like the light at the end of the tunnel, like I’ll have time to do things just for fun again.
Instead of using every scrap of free time for work, I’ll be working at Lost Creek Adventures to help out when it’s busy. I’ll guide a few overnights and day trips, or be a friendly face in the office. I’ll keep writing my regular Sunday newsletters and do minimum maintenance on Hello Stranger (my own online publication) but I’m hoping to have a real summer, and a chance to recover from how busy the last six months have been.
I’m hoping to paddle and backpack and listen to a lot of podcasts and go for long walks to the neighborhood coffee shop and get a pink drink and walk home. For a long time, since college really, I had a dream of writing my own collection of travel essays. I’ve always had fragmented pieces of this little dream, but I’ve been intimidated by the idea of starting a project like that. I think I could do it; I don’t want to find out that I can’t.
But as the busy part of my life winds into something more sustainable, as I’m focusing on building a life I want to have I’m wondering if I can’t maybe find the space, time and confidence to try.
A great essay I read this week that really resonated: I wanted to be Anthony Bourdain—until I met him. by Cailey Rizzo at Body Count
Northern Michigan Dispatch #1, Amanda Monthei, Little Fire Burning
Group Trip Board Link. If you want to come travel with me, do it! Right now I’ve just got one trip with space on it (Guatemala ‘27!) but check back here for updates as we roll into the late summer/fall.
New on Hello Stranger: A quick guide to the best sun hoodies, a logistics guide to camping and backpacking on Catalina Island, a guide to the best hiking socks + how to prevent blisters, a no-build guide to sleeping in your car
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