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Happy New Year
I’ve done my best in this holiday week to unplug, slow routines, spend time with family, and generally not be “doing” in the regular sense for a bit. Not easy, and our whole family routine’s been off, but I think it’s been good. I hope you’ve been able to have some rest as well. Reflecting…
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Manitoba Running Posters
The odd time I shared a doodle over the past year, I’d get a note from my friends over at Big Sky Run Co saying, “Would love to have this one for the shop!” Now, to celebrate the end of a big year of adventures for so many of of you, I’ve printed a few…
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Mantario Trail
We might have stumbled on a bit of trail history… Last weekend a couple friends and I, taking advantage of the lingering autumn conditions, ran the Mantario Trail, from the North Trailhead at Big Whiteshell, and finishing at the South Trailhead near Caddy Lake. This was my second experience of the trail (read about the…
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Pole Dancing
This time of year, between seasons, I pull out the ol’ Nordic ski poles and do some of what’s known as dryland training. In other words, running up and down Abe’s Hill with ski poles but without skis. (For the record, this kind of workout is out way more fun now while anticipating the arrival…
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Mountains of Manitoba
Legend has it, after attempting to answer the call of Manitoba mountains but being defeated by swamps, mosquitoes, and a biting north wind, John Muir headed south. In fact, he is often misquoted. His actual quote is, “The mountains are calling, BUT I must go.”
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DIY Perogy Mile
After four great years, we decided to put Perogy Mile on the shelf for this year. But if you’re craving that unmistakable elixir of perogies and physical exertion, if your stomach is screaming for pain, we’ve got you covered. Here is a guide for hosting your own Perogy Mile Dinner. Coincidentally, yesterday (thx to Brendan)…
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Naked in the Spear Grass: The Wanderings of John Pritchard
If Yvon Chouinard was right when he declared, “It’s not an adventure until something goes wrong,” John Pritchard’s journey across the prairies in 1805 was an adventure with a capital “A”. On June 11, the young Englishman set out from home at Fort La Souris, east of today’s Brandon, Manitoba, with a friend to deliver…
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Race the North Face
A few short miles south of the city, the Brandon Hills tower above the surrounding farmland. Equally beautiful and cruel (to the unacclimatized flatlander) singletrack trails weave throughout this impressive landscape, and play host to the annual Race the North Face. I raced the course in 2022, and both thoroughly enjoyed the race and was…
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Tunnel Island
Tucked away off the main road as you weave through Kenora is a little gem known as Tunnel Island. After many years of driving past an inconspicuous sign marking the parking lot on our way somewhere else, and at the recommendation of several friends, locals and otherwise, I finally had the opportunity to explore this…
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Spirit Sands & Devil’s Punchbowl
In spring we finally hiked the iconic Spirit Sands and Devil’s Punchbowl in the Spruce Woods Provincial Park with the whole family. Recommended as a unique landscape in the area, revealing our province’s glacial past, and the ever-changing nature of the land. In his book, “Lake Agassiz”, Bill Redekop explains the origins of the Spirit…
