Hike the Superior Hiking Trail!

Well my usual bloggin routine as of late has been to disappear for a while, and then post a blog having to do with something sweet that I’ve done outside. Here we go again. Alison and I, along with our good friend Chris went backpacking along part of the Superior Hiking Trail this past weekend, and man, it was fun. Really sweaty and difficult, but fun. We hiked from Beaver Bay, MN, to Hwy 1 north of Tettegouchi State Park, which took us through some of MN’s best scenery. I had no idea of how cool the backpacking can be on the SHT until this trip. Previous trips have been enjoyable, but I know now why it is rated consistently within the top 10 long hiking trails in the country. There’s something about going for a long backcountry walk, living for days on the trail and seeing places that you wouldn’t ever see without putting forth the effort to haul a loaded pack that is soooo rewarding. It’s so simple and so fun. You just walk as far as you feel like walking during the day, seeing all sorts of crazy backcountry details, and then hang out at your secluded camp and have a dinner that tastes 100 times better than the dinner at home you did not have to work so hard to earn. I hope to someday through hike a lengthy trail such as the SHT. It may not happen for a while, but I hope to do it. Along the same lines, I hope to road bike across the US at some point in my life. People sometimes make these crazy dreams a reality, but most get lost in chores and duties. I hope I can make it work. With as many months that are in a person’s life, you’d think there’d be a couple to be crazy and meet a goal such as those. Anyway, I have to go home (I’m just finishing at work and am taking advantage of the free internet- it’s once again not working at home- the reason I haven’t blogged as much lately). I’ll leave you with some more SHT pix to dream about:

1st backcountry campsite, at the south Beaver River camp...

One of the many sweet woods sections, good for catching your breath after the steep rocky sections...

Near 2nd backcountry campsite, Bear Lake. Very good swimming. Washes the stink off. Sorry that my nipples are so viewable in this picture. :)

Mt. Trudy overlook. I was pleasantly surpised to find such a view in MN. Thought for a minute I was out west. Very cool place, but you've got to work to get there...

If you hiked the SHT, you'd be as happy as this guy, and as smelly...

Yeah, so once again I’ve been slow to update my blog, but life has been busy. Alison and I, along with friends, spent a week in Rocky Mountain National Park, to attend the wedding of our good friends Casey and Sarah. This of course has further fueled my already difficult to manage fire to move west. We basically decided during the trip that we are done with ND, and are now actively pursuing jobs in the mountainous section of our country, primarily in Salt Lake City, UT. Soon we hope to be living in, and not just visiting, some of America’s beautiful mountain country. Speaking of this type of beauty, here are a few shots of the recent CO trip. Mmmm…













Off-trail hiking through a meadow underneath Deer Mountain...














View of Deer and MacGregor Mountains from a Highway 34 overlook...














On the summit of Deer Mountain...














The same Marmot from my previous blog, hangin' on his very respectable front porch...














Alison and I taking a break at 12,300 feet. Alpine tundra is sweet!

So yes, we are moving. Soon, we hope.

Marmot!

You are what you eat (or don't eat?)...

Many of you know that in the past couple of years I’ve become increasingly aware of what food I like. Not to say that I’m a picky eater in the normal sense. I love trying all sorts of new foods, and to that respect I’m very open. What I am now rejecting quite emphatically is all the garbage that the FDA allows to be in our food. Food used to be simple, not pumped full of preservatives, hydrogenated oils, and mounds of salt. It has now become difficult to go to a normal grocery store and buy foods that haven’t been bastardized by additives, many of which would not exist outside a lab. America’s children are getting fatter, there are all sorts of new ways of getting cancer and heart disease, people are getting more stressed out, and people everywhere are complaining about not being “in shape”. Well, right, they’re not in shape. And it goes beyond food, but food is a big part of it. I saw a statistic on tv last night that stated less than 25% of American children eat a home cooked meal at dinner time. People dig boxed up fast foods over cutting up a vegetable or baking a loaf of bread (neither of which take much time at all, by the way). This particular program was actually focused on school lunches, which in most places are a disaster health-wise. But not according to the FDA. America proclaims how wonderful it is in all facets of life, but in many areas we are content in setting the bar dangerously low in the name of economic efficiency. I say cut it out! Support your local food co-op/health foods store (if someone in your town is smart enough to run one, and enough locals smart enough to keep it in business). Or if you live in a larger community, check out Whole Foods Market. Sweet place. Buy organic, or at least natural foods. Your heart will thank you, and you’ll even find that you actually feel the difference in your daily routines. I’m not just blowing off steam, I’ve found it true in my own life. And yes, I know that buying organic foods is actually negative to the area I’m living in (tons of factory-style farming happens in the Red River Valley), but you know what, just because something is good for the economy doesn’t automatically mean it meets the greater good of the people, and the earth that my grandchildren someday have to live in. I’ll stop ranting for now, but the point is, I think people have reached a dangerous point in their eating, and it’s not at all hard to see. Change it.

Breaktimes at TR...

I’ve been out west of town to Turtle River State Park a couple times so far this spring, and it’s been refreshing. It’s not a big place, but nonetheless can remind you that the world is not entirely covered in prairie with no known deviations in elevation. I forget sometimes living in this town. The first time I went out was a singlespeeding venture on the 1x1. I’m sad to say the looong winters here tend to make me somewhat of a fat-feeling man come spring, cuz the gear I was pushin’ last fall sure felt tough this spring. However, the ride was definitely enjoyed, and I’ll have to try and make some regular trips out there now that the weather is not continually foul. The second time I went, it was on foot with Alison, and our friends Jess and Chris. It was surprisingly nice to slow things down from the regular biking pace and do some hiking. The park seemed a little bigger, and I saw a lot more wildlife than normal. I going to have to say that hiking/backpacking is just as much fun for me as riding at this point in my life, which in the past I never would have said. There’s a poem at the beginning of The Complete Walker IV (blogged about previously), that states:
Shall I walk,
Or shall I ride,
Ride, pleasure said,
Walk, joy replied.
I agree that both are good ways to get out of the humdrum hustle of busy everyday chores and enjoy what’s outside. Don’t spend your whole life toiling…

Quote from One on One Bicycle Studio (a respectable urban MPLS bike shop) blog-

most over-used phrase in America: "it's a really good bike." most under-used phrase in America: "no it ain't!"

heh heh.

Another General Update

Time for a blog update, I suppose. Life has been busy and still at the same time lately. Busy trying to figure out what in the world to do next concerning future career or school issues, and still in not really working all that much. I’ve actually been working at the bike shop just about as much as I’ve been flight instructing, and I’ve found myself enjoying it. If I could be a professional bicycle mechanic and support a family, I’d have my decisions made by now, but that’s just not an option in today’s world of money being so necessary. School is looking like a descent option right now, and my choices have been between pursuing and MBA or Airframe and Powerplant aircraft mechanic certification. Being a mechanic would probably be more fun, but it would be pursuing another round of school that would land me in another specialized career in which my employers take advantage of my skills, going along with a cut-throat industry that the government baby-sits (it’s infrastructure, so they won’t let the bankrupt companies go), and I’ve already played that game. I think I’m about done with that. An MBA would open up options with in many industries, not just the rotten one I’m in. I could apply for jobs ranging from managing corporate flight training departments, to marketing management at REI, or something else wild. Either way, change is overdue for Ben Jensen right now.
As for the relaxing side of my life, I’ve been entertaining myself again with my fixie project, which never gets finished. I’ve been converting/building/repairing/fabricating this bike for almost two years now, and you’d think I’d have it done by now. I guess that’s what happens when you refuse to spend money on a freebee bike, and wait for the random parts you need to accumulate, or to figure out how to construct alternatives. Last night I spent a little time cutting steel in my apartment for some chainring spaces I need (not too late of course, I wouldn’t want to be the irritating neighbor type- had too many of those over the years). There’s a few random little cheap parts that I need to finish ‘er off, but I think working at the bike shop again will help. I’ll probably have to stop being cheap and just finish it. Then I can show up to the shop in true mechanic style on a bike no one realizes as being friggin’ sweet, even though it clearly is.
I’ve also been thinking about making another change in my stable of two wheeled friends. My Trek 8000 has always been two small of frame for me, so now that I’ve regained my dangerously sweet discount at the shop, I may just sell it to turn around and get something new (and probably full-suspension and disc brake equipped) for the same price. Mmmm. Don’t know for sure if that’s the plan, but it may be nice idea. I’d have to investigate what rides are available that would suit me.
I’m toying with the idea of doing a 12 hour mtb race in Mandan this June. I’ve browsin’ the ND Cycling Federation website lately, and I think I may have to try the Race to Sunset, since it’s home turf. I’d have to convince some riding buddies to take the trip too, but if it worked out I’d think it would be fun. I sure don’t plan on winning, but I’d like to break through the mental barrier I’ve had for so long with racing. I know I don’ have the lung capacity necessary to be very competitive (I’ve got pectus excavatum for those of you that don’t know), I’ve always thought that the whole atmosphere of bike racing is great. Folks that dig riding going all congregating to go all out and have a good time. We’ll see if I make it to Mandan in June.
Anyhow, I have schools to research.

Nice little Itasca Run...

I’m late getting to this blog, but the weekend before last held a sweet little backpacking jaunt to Lake Itasca State Park in MN. My buddy Ty and I decided flight instructing could take a break for a couple days and headed out to the woods. Ty recently picked up a new Gregory Palisade pack and some other goodies, and need to take the recently aquired goods on their maiden voyage. They did well. As did my trusty Dana Design (now bought out by Marmot) ArcLight Swiftcurrent pack. It’s been since last year’s trip to the Superior Hiking Trail that I had my big red friend out of the dusty closet. It’ll be out again soon, cuz we sure had a good time. It’s nice to get out and walk through the woods and relax. The cooking was new this time. I’ve been searchin’ through a couple backcountry cookbooks of mine, and decided to whip up a batch of backcountry burritos, using organic lentils, rice, various spices and dehydrated vegetables. Pretty good in the end. I forgot the tortillas though, so they were naked burritos, eaten with a spork. Our campsite was pretty decent, but not quite the one we were heading for. We were told that there was only one other registered backpacker that night, so we never expected to see anyone, but when we reached the backcountry site we were going to use, guess where he was. So, we just backtracked a bit to a shelter site and camped in front of it. We slept very warm in the REI Mountain 2 tent, but I’m sad to say my winter sleeping bag is a cheapo. Although I stayed warm, it tore at the zipper in one place when I simply rolled over. I guess that’s what you get when you only pay 99 bucks retail for a 4 season bag. Something for nothin’ doesn’t seem to work very often. I’ll have to sew it up and deal with it until I am a rich man. All in all the trip was much needed, and we will return to the woods soon. Maybe even to the SHT. (Superior Hiking Trail- it always reads somewhat dirty when using the acronym- for example- sections of the SHT can get quite wet, so wear waterproof boots. Terrible.) Anyway, I suppose pictures will do more to motivate you all into the woods than my rambling:

Ty relaxin' over dinner...













Me and my big red friend enjoying some air...














Campsite airing out after sunrise...

Floodin'

Well, I commented on our flooding river last in my last blog entry, but since then the river went on to do some extensive whoopin’ on the land north of Grand Forks. Our city has finally built adequate protection from the Red after years of getting wet and wondering what went wrong, but since we are so prepared, the land north of us (yes our weird river flows north) gets all the water that misses us, resulting in major flooding. I’m no farmer, but flying over their land lately was simply sad. It’s completely under water, and don’t see how crops will get planted on time this year. I saw several farmsteads that had no protection that had been overrun by the water. Many small towns were completely cut off from everywhere else, as all roads to and from them were impassable. Our river is intense. Here are a few aerial shots of the Red’s destruction from the air (yes I was also paying attention to my student flying the airplane while taking the pix), as well as some shots of downtown Grand Forks. In the first pic, the snakey path at the bottom is the actual Red, but as you can see it is not containing itself...












Blue Moose, Whiteys, Applebee's, etc.. restaurants from the flooded Demers bridge...













Scenic shot of the Herald building from the flooded Demers Ave bridge...














Ahh! We're in the flood!

Of Rivers Foul and Fair

This past weekend Alison and I traveled to Albert Lea, MN to attend her grandfather’s funeral. This spring has been relatively tough for families; ourselves and our friends have been losing many loved ones. I guess it’s the age our lives when our older relatives are reaching the ages where they pass. That’s the way of life though.
Anyhow, on our trip back we decided that we have driven I-94 and I-29 far too many times, and elected to take a slower, yet more scenic route through the north woods country of MN. Our path took us conveniently through Lake Itasca State Park, so we stopped and picked up our ’06 annual park pass and had a look around. The plan is to go on an overnight backpacking venture there this upcoming weekend, so it was nice to have a chance to preview the trail conditions. It’s definitely Spring in the north woods, which means a mixture of ice, snow, dry land, mud, and an occasional drunken fisherman on his super-smelly ATV (or is the himself that in fact is the source of stink?). Anyhow, this week should help dry out the park a little, but we’ll have to prepare for chilliness and sogginess for this weekends loooooong overdue hiking. I’m not afraid. Like I’ve ranted before, sunny skies and warm, dry temps are not the only thing to experience as an outdoor enthusiast. But anyhow, I thought I’d post a shot or two of the icy Spring scenery of Itasca, in all it’s wildernessy goodness (shots taken at the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River). Also, I will post for your viewing my latest visit (same day) of the Red River, our nasty garbage/pesticide filled mess that is yet again flooding our cities. (Why we don’t all just move I’m not clear on; this happens every year and we keep taking it.) Flying over it all today I don’t know how any farmers are going to operate this year. Our fields are completely under water, and so are many farmsteads. Yikes. But anyhow, I must now return home to visit with our apartment manager (who I suspect may have spotted our cat Mullet, who is not allowed in the building- he’s visiting a friends house during the meeting). More later…

Clean wintery solitude near the headwaters of the Mississippi...
















Garbage/ice/tractor parts cloggin' and floodin' our town...