Winter Camping Symposium 2015

The Scene 

 The 17th annual Winter Camping Symposium 2015 wrapped up just over a week ago, and was my second time in attendance. I had such a good time the previous year I brought my kids with me to see what it was all about.

Blacksmith 

Climbing wall on -site for the kiddos

If you don't see any other seminars all weekend....you MUST see anything put on by Brian of Muskrat Metal Works... He will have you rolling with laughter. If he quit his day job, I'm certain he would make it as a stand-up comedian  

  My youngest two were enrolled in the kids camp specifically meant for them. At a very reasonable rate, it was a no brainer. They got to do a whole bunch of things geared more toward their interests, while my older son and I enjoyed a less hectic learning atmosphere. Like last year, a majority of the people stayed in hot tents, mixed among them where conventional dome tents. On the outer fringe of camp, in a pine grove, a contingent of hammock enthusiasts had their own little area that they took over. Having my son with me and not wanting him to get too bored, I took in less seminars as last year. Instead we spent our time strolling around camp and seeing what others were up to, most of our time evolved BSing with friends.

ArcFlash's tent .....single pole pyramid made from bed sheets 

Best part of the weekend.....I didn't have to cook any meals 

Entertainment near the camp fire on Saturday night 

  G man was very excited to spend some time with a group watching and learning from a blacksmith. He got to participate a little and now is looking on craigslist for his own equipment. From there, I took in another seminar while G man built fires outside.  As the day went on, the two of us checked in on the "buddies" ( Super Y and Big D) who were having a fantastic time playing and making new friends.

later in the night some of the drunk guys, as well as my son gave this a try

The yurt behind my tent was my favorite of the weekend. It's owned by my friend "craigslist" and was set up just like a cabin. I should have gotten a pick but the inside had carpet, an electric cooler, cots, and  a table, as well as a table lamp.    I may have to build one 

I had a great weekend , but I think the kids had more fun than I did

  As the evening approached we had dinner in the main hall and moved outside to gather around the large community fire ring. We stayed up way too late talking with friends and went to bed too tired to get a fire made in our own tent. It wasn't very cold anyway, but since I set it all up we at least wanted to use it. Sunday morning things wrapped up early and the four of us were rolling out by about 11am.  We all had a great time and look forward to the 18th Winter Camping Symposium.

At the gear swap, G-man bought this battery powered, fan/blower wood cooking stove and was giving it a good test run by cooking us some lunch 

       

Field Test

Checking out OD's lever action

 After completing my bicycle gun mount project I needed a proper test run. A couple of the guys in our regular crew were interested in going but failed to have their mounts ready, or a free weekend.

Go fix a couple sandwiches for the ride 

Super Y's Mini-Sota 

 Super Y and OD made up our group of three for the the small game hunt test run. This would be short overnight trip making use of my dad's small cabin near Sturgeon Lake. After a hectic Friday night the three of us slept in and got rolling long after the crack of dawn. It was a beautiful day and weather or not we saw or shot anything really didn't matter....we were all riding our fat-bikes and having a good time.

OD.....        Note: 45 cal pistol attached via zip ties to fork leg 

to my happiness....gun did not interfere with steering or even come close to knocking out my teeth on any of the terrain covered that day 

  We left directly from the cabin and made use of an ATV trail to get to the spot in the woods I had scoped out the previous year. Super Y wasn't real fast and the excitement level was no where near what he was hoping for, so we stopped and shot the guns to break things up a little. During our half day endeavor we saw nothing and only heard one grouse flush while we weren't paying attention. It would have been nice to get just one bird but I was happy with the outing anyway.

didn't get enough speed going into the mud hole to  make it...on the other hand he didn't fall in or get wet 

 The gun mount worked fantastic and I got to take my son hunting for the first time with one of my pals. After the ride, OD had  to head out, so Y and I tried one more time hunting on foot with no success. Eventually, if he's still interested, I'll build Y a gun mount, until then he'll have to tag along and learn the ropes of hunting, safety, and etiquette.

Yo Y........this is where YOU have to go to the bathroom

Y was allowed to carry a bolt action 22 ( a gun I got at about age 14).....unloaded , but with a clip 

No.....we are not hunting snakes........unless we get really hungry 

Filthy 50

 Filthy 50......x3.  I've done the Filthy 50 three times now but have not shared the story about the free gravel event in Stewartville MN....... I just ran out of time to post it when it might be relevant.

My Homies      Vandy,Triumph, The Mayor, and Best in Schow

Yeah...it was super dusty this year.....like following a car, dusty

 As the name suggests it's roughly 50 miles and is a gravel race/ride in southern Minnesota. Although it's half as long as the typical 100 mile standard that most gravel events consist of, it's far from easy.....at least at the front of the pack. Fifty miles just means you go way harder and don't need to pace yourself for a 5-6 hour event.

The bridge. The first two years the bridge next to it was not there

New coat of dust for my old wagon

Filthy 50, 2014....much colder than 2015....rode with V for most of it

   In all three races I went out hard with the lead group which then typically splinters into numerous smaller groups. I usually end up in the second or third of these smaller packs. Things fell apart for me in the latest installment of the Filthy, and I found myself taking a break just beyond the halfway point, located on an old bridge. The bridge and a downhill section entering a steep valley are the two most scenic spots of the route (IMO). The cliff lined valley comes too soon in the course to stop and admire so the logical choice is to stop at the bridge.....besides that they had soda,beer,and food.

Start of Filthy 50, 2013. Trenton giving last minute words

Stopped briefly to wait for a friend and snap some pics.

The friend I was waiting for.....Pat Sorensen of Penn Cycle

 The rest is pretty typical of gravel events.. ride hard, get covered in dust, ride with your friends, make some new friends, and have fun.  Do yourself a favor and get to the Filthy 50 next fall...........I'll see ya there

D Rider...........out

The bridge the way it used to look without a concrete eye-sore next to it......no free drinks or snacks though 

Settling In

I'm no stranger to the North Shore of Minnesota and the many types of activities it has to offer. However, having a place to stay has opened more opportunities that I have not yet scratched the surface of. Having an adventure TO-DO list is a good thing.  As we are settling in to our retreat (as revealed in the previous post ) we're feeling more at home with each night's stay. Over the past couple months the family and I have been doing our best to get after it. Labor Day weekend was our first long stay and we definitely played. Typically before the kids go back to school I take them on a summer vacation "last hurrah". Unlike the last two years, we didn't have to deal with the typical reservation nightmare, we just drove up, unlocked the door and were ready for action. The boys and I, as well as my dad, had two days before Lynn and my mom showed up for the full three day  weekend. During that time we hiked, hit our favorite swimming hole, did some mountain biking, and a little work around the house (new water heater). For the remainder of the weekend we took a drive up to Grand Marais , played in river, rode single track, rode gravel, took some four wheeler rides and did a little fishing. A week later I was back up on the shore with a bunch of folks for the gravel conspiracy. This was just an overnight pit stop but beat the hell out of staying in a tent after riding 100 miles of rugged gravel. Several weeks later the family was back up for one of the final weekends at Spirit Mountain's lift served downhill MTB runs in Duluth. The next day we spent the morning relaxing before doing a long hike and enjoying the fall colors before returning home.......