It felt silly when when the idea came out of my mouth years ago. When asked about my life dreams, I looked to the ceiling and tried to put words to it. The image in my mind was of Denver’s front range, and the dream was to interact with those…
Howling at Wolves
I didn’t really think it through when we signed up for the Wolf Howl Hike at Alfred Hole Goose Sanctuary last week. After work and school we drove out into the growing darkness in the Whiteshell, met up with a small group of fellow headlamp-wearing families, strapped on snowshoes, and…
Climbing
Have you watched The Alpinist yet? It’s the story of Canadian climber Marc-André Leclerc’s crazy mountain climbing feats all over the world. Similar to Alex Honnold of Free Solo fame, Marc-André’s climbs featured a distinct lack of ropes or other safety nets (literally or figuratively), but also include the extra…
Man Versus Winter
It’s been a wild few weeks in winter-land. Storms on a twice/week basis, snow drifts up to the chin, and temperatures often plummeting down below -30°. As someone who enjoys winter endurance sports, I’ve had a few weeks of self-reflection. Last week I read iRunFar’s article “When is it too…
Drafts
The ebook version of Morning Rounds launched in September, a collection of poetry and stories from my adventures on foot. Since then, I’ve been working (slowly, painfully slowly) on getting it into print. Books on screens are convenient, but there’s something special about seeing your words take on physical form,…
Weightless
Watched a great adventure doc recently (thanks Semi-Rad for sharing), the story of friends Connor and Steve-O tackling a 14er in Colorado. One interesting way of listening to a story is to ask, “Who do I relate to?” or, “Who am I in this story?” Watching Weightless, I naturally related…
One True Sentence
“All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.” Ernest Hemingway My quirky writing project, RunHaiku, hit 1000 little poems this week. Begun about 1500 days ago, on Oct 15, 2017, I’ve documented my (nearly) daily runs three lines at a time…
The Year of Big Magic
As we close 2021 and look to the new year, I’ve had the benefit of a slowing down, sleeping in, joining the natural world in settling into winter. I picked up Liz Gilbert’s Big Magic, which re-kindled a familiar flame within me to dream and create in the new year….
For Your Ears
I had the opportunity to chat with a few podcasts recently about the upcoming Longest Night Run. Have a listen! Inspired Soles Hosts Kim and Carolyn put a ton of care into their weekly shows, interviewing runners from across the spectrum of running styles and backgrounds. We reminisced about past…
First Tracks in the Snow
The following is a poem from my new book, Morning Rounds. Is there somewhere you can find this book? Why, glad you asked! It’s available in digital form on Amazon and Gumroad, but you can find more details here. On quiet winter mornings, the whole town hesitates, waiting for someone…
© 2022 Brent Manke