Seasons of the St. Croix

A summer day on the St. Croix

In honor of St. Croix River Awareness Week, I present an article I wrote that was recently published in Minnesota Trails magazine. Enjoy!

From its twisting and turning headwaters in northwestern Wisconsin to the surprisingly wild channels less than an hour’s drive from the Twin Cities, a paddler could spend a lifetime exploring the St. Croix River and still find surprise without even seeing all of its 150 miles.

It is my goal to acquaint myself with this beautiful river as best as I can. I go to it in spring, summer, autumn and winter; I believe you must explore a river in all seasons to fully appreciate its essential character.

I always go for a paddle shortly after the Continue reading »

A celebration of stewardship

The view from the bow

St. Croix River Awareness Week is almost here! The St. Croix River Association and its partners are organizing a week of events to enjoy and help protect the river, featuring clean-up canoe trips, family-friendly seminars, film showings, and lots more. Continue reading »

Seize the carp

White mist, white pines on the St. Croix River

Braving the rain to canoe the river and fish for smallmouth bass and carp. Continue reading »

A watery embrace

Fighting a fish on the upper St. Croix River

The wildness, beauty and joy of the upper St. Croix River really shines through in this piece from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel by Paul Smith, the paper’s outdoors editor. Continue reading »

Trip Report: Camping, canoeing, and fly-fishing at St. Croix State Park

Floating the St. Croix River

To get to the Little Yellow Banks canoe landing at St. Croix State Park, you first drive five miles of paved road from the highway to park headquarters. Then you drive another five miles of gravel road to the landing. By the time you get to the river, you feel like the hustle and bustle of modern life is pretty far away. The river–wild, undeveloped, beautiful–does nothing to dispel that feeling. Continue reading »

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Welcome


-Drawing by Wade
I'm a writer and Web communications practitioner with a bias toward conservation issues--particularly regarding public lands and waters.

I grew up in Stillwater, MN and have primarily lived in St. Paul and the surrounding area for the past 10 years. The outdoors are a big part of my life, as are music, film, art, and my lovely wife and dog. More...

Esker

Esker - Volume 2 - Nowhere Else But HereI have published two volumes of a chapbook titled "Esker." The most recent volume, "Nowhere Else But Here," was released in January 2010. It features writings from every day of June 2009 in an old Japanese form called haibun.

Learn more and purchase for $12 »

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