.<\/span><\/p>\n At the moment the wind is howling. The grey, overcast sky barely shifts as recently bare tree limbs bobble and sway in the heavy wind. There\u2019s snow expected this weekend, the first of the season. Winds will shift from the south to the north tonight, blowing arctic air from Canada over the warm surface waters of Lake Superior, turning on the lake-effect snow machine for the first time. The ground isn\u2019t frozen yet so the snow won\u2019t stick around. But this is how it all starts every year: an abrupt beginning that somehow catches me off-guard no matter how prepared I may feel.<\/p>\n This year has been a tireless ride. A new job, health set-backs, and some home-ownership woes made it a struggle at times. While starting a new journey of learning how to sea kayak kept it exciting. There were other pot-holes and long stretches of freeway to navigate, no year is without its ups and downs. But I cruised down the highway of life at 110, windows down, music turned up to eleven, trying to string together some type of life that was fun and meaningful.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a look back at the year that was 2025.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The winter of 2025 was one to remember. It started off heavy in late December and never stopped until April. We logged over 250 inches of snow in Au Train, one of the heavier snowfall years we\u2019ve been around for. As with any high snow year the amount of time spent snow blowing and shoveling was astronomical. I logged over 60 days of snow removal activities. Probably as much as I\u2019d ever snow-blowed in the seven winters we\u2019ve been here for. Can I claim my Yooper card, yet? I don\u2019t know. I\u2019ve submitted my application to sasquatch himself. I\u2019ll report back next year on the verdict.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n At the beginning of January I took a new job. Good bye long days of client meetings and swinging deals, hello again corporate America! It was another fully remote position, so other than getting a new laptop and a fresh slate of faces for work colleagues, my normal routine more or less stayed the same. I\u2019ve been working remotely now for almost five years which is crazy to think about. Never in my wildest imagination would I have pictured myself being able to work at home. To be honest, I\u2019m not quite sure how it would feel to go back into the office. Probably pretty terrible. I can\u2019t say I miss the small talk or having to smell someone microwaving their leftover fish dinner for lunch. Remote work is quiet and gives me back a lot of time I would otherwise waste driving to and from work. Sure, you miss out on the more social aspects of office life, but that is replaced by greater work efficiency and overall better work-life balance. I can\u2019t say I have any urgent plans to go back into the office any time soon.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The abundance of snow led to a great cross country ski season. Like the previous year, I volunteered at the Valley Spur Ski trails most Saturday mornings. I would open the lodge and start a fire and get things set for the day. I enjoyed greeting the skiers as they arrived to hit the trails, collecting donations and explaining the trail system to newcomers. I would try to ski before my shift which I found beneficial so I could report on grooming status and trail conditions. Was it a better day for classic or skate? Should the hills be avoided or was it a good day to send yourself hurtling at top speed into the void of winter?<\/p>\n Since I work from home, having scheduled social interaction was good for me. I spend too much time alone at home by myself, and I\u2019ve found it is important to have opportunities to organically meet new people and at least talk to someone in person that is not my wife (I think she appreciates it). I\u2019ll also see my friends and others from around town and it\u2019s nice to strike up a conversation and see how people are doing.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Every February I make the trip back out east for the annual Killington Vermont ski trip with the guys in my family. Due to some unforeseen circumstances the group was smaller this year, just my Dad and cousin-in-law (is that a term?) Greg, but we had an absolute blast. The conditions this year were amazing after a blizzard swept through the mountain the first night we were there, leading to an excellent powder day. In the town of Rutland we tried out a golf simulator for the first time, which we all really enjoyed. I bested cousin Greg on the last hole for a sweet victory (sorry, pal). You can try again next season.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Carolyn and I made another trip out to the western UP to the Porcupine Mountains to do some winter yurt camping in late February. This would be our fourth winter trip. We were supposed to spend two nights but a winter storm delayed our arrival and we only ended up spending one. It was still a fun time and has easily become one of the highlights of the winter. We played Scrabble, did some snowshoeing, and cross-country skied on our last morning before driving home.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n With my herniated disc pretty much all healed from the prior summer, I was ramping up mileage on the skis and also my running. I was starting to feel strong and back to myself again, with one minor problem. Through January and February I started developing a strange pain on both of my heels. It would come and go but was always dominated by a painful sensation that was hard to describe but very noticeable walking barefoot. And then one day, after a hot yoga session, both of my heels turned red and purple and I could barely walk.<\/p>\n After a visit to urgent care and my doctor, nobody had a clue what it could be. I saw a podiatrist who suggested possible heel bursitis, but it wasn\u2019t conclusive. The pain persisted and I was forced to walk with only the assistance of crutches for a week or so. It was frustrating and bizarre.<\/p>\n Over the past five or so years I had been having skin issues with my hands. I would develop these red spots after exposure to cold, which on occasion would become so inflamed that my entire finger would become painful and swollen. It was disruptive to my everyday activities and I never got a satisfactory answers or resolution after years of doctors visits. My heels seemed like they were having a similar problem, but it wasn\u2019t definitive. I did change my boots earlier in the winter season, so perhaps that had something to do with it. But no matter what it was, it was clear that something wasn\u2019t right.<\/p>\n After a month in pain and with limited progress, I was put on a steroid which reduced the swelling and finally began the healing process. However, with such limited mobility, I started to feel an ache in my calf. It felt somewhat like a muscle strain which was odd. The ache got worse and traveled into my inner thigh. In another week, I was completely disabled again. The pain was so severe that applying any pressure on my leg resulted in a stabbing, mind-numbing pain. In addition, I couldn\u2019t take a deep breath without severe pain in my chest.<\/p>\n It was clear that something was terribly wrong.<\/p>\n Carolyn took me to the ER and after an ultrasound I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my left leg. Later the next day I had a CT Scan and they identified small blood clots in my lungs. I was immediately put on a blood thinner and told to come back to the ER if anything got worse. A few days later my left ankle swelled up like a balloon. We went back to the ER and I was admitted. The clot had gotten much worse and the next plan of action was to shove a catheter in my vein and administer clot buster medicine directly into the clot. I went into surgery on a Thursday afternoon and spent the next 2 days in the ICU as the clot was dissolved. I\u2019ve never experienced so much pain.<\/p>\n On the 3rd day they took the catheter out and I was cleared to go home. The following month was difficult but I made a slow recovery. The pain gradually subsided and I regained my strength.\u00a0 There wasn\u2019t any genetic or health reason why I clotted after copious amounts of bloodwork and assessment from specialists. My hematologist suggested that sometimes the body can become imbalanced which may produce an unprovoked clot. That\u2019s the best explanation I would get. I mostly believe it happened because I was immobile for so long dealing with my heels \u2013 that seems the most likely cause, although my doctor disagrees. Whatever the reason, the solution going forward was blood thinners for life (#bloodthinnergang).<\/p>\n Throughout all this I was also referred to a rheumatologist. The thing with my hands, and now heels, the blood clot, and some other random strangeness with my body that had occurred through the past few years, may have been pointing to some underlying autoimmune issue. After an evaluation and blood work, I\u2019m suspected of possibly having psoriatic arthritis. I was put on an antirheumatic drug to see how I would respond.<\/p>\n This health scare was a whirlwind and quite stressful. I can\u2019t thank Carolyn enough for helping me through this tough time and I\u2019m lucky to have her by my side. I\u2019m happy to report that I\u2019m doing better now and seem to have my health under control.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n By end of April I was feeling somewhat better and on the right track. Snow was starting to melt and warmer days were becoming more frequent. As seems to be an annual tradition when the river finally opens up and it\u2019s a decently warm-ish day, we took out the canoe for the first time and played around in the lake ice. It was the first time I\u2019d done anything meaningful outside in a few months and I took it as a sign that things would start getting better.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Right before all my health issues we purchased some sea kayaks from a person Carolyn knew at work. Since moving to the area sea kayaking was always something that I wanted to get into but for some reason never pursued. This opportunity was too good to pass up and we figured we ought to buy them. I have heard stories and read blogs of people kayaking around Lake Superior, and the idea kind of got itself stuck in my head. I think it would be one of the coolest adventures one could embark on in the Great Lakes region. The Au Train river, which we live on, connects into Lake Superior. A circumnavigation could begin and end right from my back yard, which the thought of has always excited me. Who knows if this will ever happen, but it is a dream of mine. In order to make any meaningful progress towards realizing it, I needed to actually buy and learn how to sea kayak. 2025 would be the start.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Over the winter deer visit our property every day. One of our neighbors leaves feed out and they migrate down the road around dinner time to feast. By dusk, the deer wander over to our property and walk along the river. Sometimes they get bold and walk right up to the house and nibble on our bushes. I guess whatever the neighbor provided wasn\u2019t enough this past year or the bushes were just too enticing a treat to pass up. Whatever the reason, over the course of the winter, they really went to town and ate a good majority of them. We had wanted to replace the planter with something else for a while now, and this happened to be the perfect excuse for that as we now no longer had bushes. We bought five new bushes and replanted the raised bed in May. I didn\u2019t realize how much time replacing bushes would take (most of the time is spent ripping out the established plants \u2013 what a pain) but it turns out it\u2019s a bit more difficult than I had thought. Regardless, we liked the way it come out.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n During my few months of not being able to walk I bought a paint-by-numbers kit to keep me from going batshit insane. It took a few months to complete but I was happy enough with how it turned out to hang it in our living room. Painting is quite a peaceful and calming activity. There are some things I\u2019ll do differently on my next one, which is underway.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In mid June I was back to walking pretty well. My cousin Michael was getting married in Connecticut so we made a stop in NYC first and spent one night and a few days living the big city life. NYC is about as opposite of a place to northern Michigan as you can get, so it\u2019s a lot of fun being in such a different locale. We walked around a lot, visited Central Park and the Natural History museum, and went to a comedy club which we both really enjoyed. Of course throughout our stay we ate a lot of good food and treats. I was happy to be able to walk around the city for many miles without too much discomfort, which was a big confidence booster for me.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n My cousin got married to his partner at the Milford Yacht Club. It was a great venue for the wedding and was a lot of fun to connect with relatives on my father\u2019s side who I hadn\u2019t seen in many years. After the wedding, I spent the remainder of the week in Rhode Island with my family, hanging out with my two wonderful little nieces and helping my father get rid of and move items from my childhood home in Springfield, MA. My parents decided to sell their house in Springfield and make a permanent residence in Rhode Island, a much nicer spot to spend the golden years.\u00a0 As we were going through all our old items, I found a few gems and snagged a couple of photographs . While I haven\u2019t lived in that house for well over 20 years, it was an odd experience getting ready to sell it. Memories of growing up will always be tied to that property: fun family holiday parties, swimming in the pool, playing basketball in the back yard with my friends, studying in my room.\u00a0 I grew up in that place and it\u2019s hard not to think it partly shaped the kind of person I turned out to be.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n With my health on the mend and a packed schedule, the summer came and went too quickly, as it tends to do every year. There is no place quite like the UP in the summer and it is my absolute favorite time of the year. My new obsession was sea kayaking and we kayaked a lot. There was a steep learning curve at the beginning, but luckily Carolyn was able to teach me some tricks (she was a tour guide during our first summer living in the UP \u2013 so she knows her stuff), and after a season\u2019s worth of getting out there I think I\u2019ve caught my sea legs. We paddled numerous larger inland lakes, Pictured Rocks, and even paddled around Au Train Island, a private island a few miles off the coast near where we live, which was a highlight. Maybe the neatest thing we did all year was a one night trip right from our backyard down the Au Train River and out to Lake Superior, navigating five miles along the shoreline to a tucked away annex of the Hiawatha National Forest called Paradise Point. Back before the pandemic you could get to this spot by land through an easement on private property, but too many people trashed the area so they closed off the easement to the public. The only legal way to get to this location now is by boat. Since we would like to get more into sea kayak touring and multi-night adventures, this was a good first test to try out our gear and understand what it would be like. Having a lot of experience already with multi-night adventures both on land and on the water, it was a straightforward transition to kayak touring, with a few new things to learn along the way.<\/p>\n It was a nice calm afternoon when we set out, which quickly transitioned into a brisk north westerly wind later in the day that stirred the water and lead to some bigger surf. It was a little beyond my comfort zone at first but I eventually eased into it and gained more confidence the longer I was out there. Maybe the waves were 3-4 feet at most, which doesn\u2019t sound like a lot on paper, but when you are out there getting tossed around the reality is a little different. Where we were kayaking there is sandstone cliffs and the waves tend to reverberate back out towards the lake, which leads to choppier waters. We landed without any major issues and it was a good sense of accomplishment back on solid ground. The evening was breezy but beautiful. We found a nice little spot to pitch our tent and had a lovely time eating dinner and walking around the cliffs.<\/p>\n We returned the 7.5 miles in the morning to conclude a successful first adventure. I still have a lot to learn but this summer was a good first season, and I hope to build on my skills next year. We practiced self rescuing a few times which gave me more confidence on the water, knowing that if I tipped over I would be able to get back in. I have not tried rolling yet but hopefully that is something that I can achieve too with some practice. I\u2019ve been on the lookout for a Sea Kayaking class which I think would be beneficial in order to have some structured learning around safety and sea navigation.<\/p>\n I\u2019m on the hunt for a dry suit so that I can extend the paddling season. I\u2019d like to get out there in the spring when there is still large ice chunks on the water. I think that would be really exciting.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n We had a few other adventures throughout the summer, including an overnight car camping trip near Grand Marais to paddleboard some remote inland lakes we had never explored before and spend time on the beach. We did a lot of trail running on our local segment of the North Country Trail and our favorite spots around Marquette. We went biking on the Iron Ore Heritage Trail and had lunch in Negaunee. We took countless walks down to Au Train Beach from home on Friday nights after work to treat ourselves to some ice cream, sitting on the bench at the scenic lookout watching the sun set.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Carolyn continues to amaze me with her creativity. She has been cross stitching now for several years and took up sewing this summer. She\u2019s always creating fun new designs and crafts. She entered a decorative cross-stich basket that she had been working on throughout the year to the UP State Fair in Escanaba this summer. We went to visit the fair and see how she did and were thrilled to discover a blue ribbon hanging from her piece, earning her first place in her category!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Near the end of August we took our nieces and nephew backpacking for a few days on the North Country Trail in the eastern UP. We took them on their first backpacking trip a few years ago at Pictured Rocks and had a blast and have tried to make it an annual tradition. We think they had a good time, although it\u2019s hard to tell with teenagers. They were good sports at any rate, the mosquitos were terrible and it was hot and muggy, but none of them complained until the last hours on the last day, so I give them a lot of credit. We created some fun memories and hopefully they don\u2019t hate it enough to never want to go backpacking with us again. As the kids are quite a bit older now, 15 and 13, we are likely at a stage where we could take them on a longer trip in more interesting places. Without kids of our own, getting to share what we love with the next generation has been a rewarding experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Over Labor Day week Carolyn and I went on our annual week-long backpacking adventure. We didn\u2019t want to travel far so we settled on another section of the North Country Trail in the UP. There are around 500 miles of the NCT in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and we have now hiked a good chunk of that. I think we have around 100 miles left to go to complete all the miles, which comprise a large section in the middle and tying up some loose ends in the Eastern UP.<\/p>\n For this trip we started in Grand Marais and hiked west to White Fish Bay where the mouth of the Tahquamenon River is found. This was one of the prettiest sections of trail we\u2019ve been on. The trail meanders along the Lake Superior Shoreline for a good while, providing breathtaking views of the lake and dunes. We passed over the Two Hearted River bridge and headed inland towards Tahquamenon State Park, passing by the largest waterfall in the UP. The remaining miles were left following the bending Tahquamenon River to where it deposits into Lake Superior. It was a fun trip with great weather, excellent trail, and even better company.<\/p>\n Since my photography project last year, I haven\u2019t really taken out my camera. It was fun to get back into it on this trip. Below are some captures.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n September through the end of the year was a whirlwind of activity.<\/p>\n I flew back to the east coast early in the month to help out with the last of the big moving effort. We rented a U-Haul and took any remaining clothes, furniture and loose ends down to the other property. It would be the last time I\u2019d step foot in that house. I went from room to room and looked at them one last time. All things come to an end I suppose, which leaves room for new beginnings and new memories. My sister flew in from California to help with the transition. It was nice to see her and we had a fun family dinner one night. I can\u2019t remember the last time my dad, mom, my sister and me were all together just the four of us. Just like old times!<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n In mid-September to celebrate Carolyn\u2019s birthday and our wedding anniversary (11 years!) we took an extended weekend to visit the capital of Wisconsin in Madison. We had both never been and heard fun things. It is a college town similar to Ann Arbor with a vibrant downtown and things to do. We hadn\u2019t been to a music concert in years, and Carolyn wanted to see a band she had been liking (Big Wild), so we bought tickets and turned out to be a great time. We ate at some good restaurants, took a run on a nice bike path, and took a neat tour of the state capitol building, which was a highlight. We capped it off will a visit to an apple orchard to pick a sack of apples and enjoy some cider and donuts.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\nWinter<\/h1>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.intothewideopen.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/IMG_2642.jpeg?ssl=1\")
<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>Spring<\/h1>\n
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Summer<\/h1>\n
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Fall<\/h2>\n
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