2021 Year in Review
Happy 5th Birthday to Wandering Pine! F I V E . Y E A R S 🎉 Break out the party tooters and root beer, it’s time to celebrate! Thanks for being here, from Wandering Pine’s very first post to the 190th post! ‘Tis is the season that I find myself reflecting on the year, … Continue reading BLOG
What’s in My Field Art Kit and How to Build Your Own!
If you’ve been reading along this year, you’ve seen my little art kit in just about every post since our Isle Royale Trip. It is now considered an essential piece of gear and comes along on every trip. It is lightweight, simple and organized, and so easy to bring along. This post gets into the … Continue reading BLOG
Campsgiving at William O’Brien State Park
We’re back from an refreshing Thanksgiving weekend trip to William O’Brien State Park! It’s been a while since I’ve had a cold weather overnight and it was great to dust off the skills and gear to extend the camping season. This 3 in 1 post covers: Our Free Park Friday/Opt Outside group hike on the … Continue reading BLOG
Fall Camping and Hiking at Temperance River State Park
We’re back from our last family camping trip of the year and the camper has been a great way to spend time together, extend the season and have some of the comforts of home. Our dog eats tents, so it’s also been nice to have a way to bring her along! Temperance River State Park … Continue reading BLOG
Hiking Southern Minnesota | Upper Sioux Agency and Camden State Parks
Welcome to part 2 of my trip report, featuring FOUR more Minnesota State Parks! In 2014, my buddy April and I started hiking the Minnesota State Parks Hiking Club trails. Even though we live in different states now, we still manage to pull off one or two camping trips a year. Read her trip report … Continue reading BLOG
Hiking Southern Minnesota | Big Stone Lake and Lac qui Parle State Parks
Welcome to part 1 of our trip to 4 more Southern Minnesota State Parks! It was great to be back on the trail with my first hiking buddy, and visit 4 new parks – painting and capturing my favorite things along the way. Find out how long Big Stone Lake really is, and stay tuned for part 2, where we visit Upper Sioux Agency and Camden State Parks. Happy Trails!
Art Hike at Theodore Wirth Park!
Today’s hike was a special visit to Theodore Wirth Park! The brilliant women at Kula Cloth reached out to me and asked if I would lead a “Kulas on the trail” community event in Minnesota. I jumped at the opportunity to lead another art hike in one of my favorite local parks. Check out this post to read more about the history of Theo Wirth and our creative adventure!
Schoolcraft State Park
Welcome to the final trip report from our visit to four North Central Minnesota State Parks! Today’s hike takes us to Schoolcraft State Park, a small park along the Mississippi River that features a 300 year old Pine Tree! Im excited to get back to my goal of hiking all 67 of the Minnesota State Parks Hiking Club Trails, and this trip makes number 56! Enjoy!
Big Bog State Recreation Area
Welcome to day 3 of our trip to 4 North Central Minnesota State Parks! Today’s hike takes us to Big Bog State Recreation Area, part of one of the largest undeveloped wilderness areas in the United States. The park features many species of rare and fascinating plants and feels like going to another world filled with tiny surprises. Enjoy!
McCarthy Beach State Park
Welcome to day 2 of our trip to 4 North Central Minnesota State Parks! We used our new camper as a relaxing home base for exploring neighboring parks and I’m excited to get back to my goal of hiking ALL of the Minnesota State Park Hiking Club Trails. Have you been to McCarthy Beach State Park? Be sure to hit subscribe or check back to see more paintings from the trail, and hear more about a 300 year old pine tree and a belching bog!
Hiking and Camping at Scenic State Park
We’re back from a great trip to 4…count ’em, F O U R North Central Minnesota State Parks! We used our new camper as a relaxing home base for exploring neighboring parks and I’m excited to get back to my goal of hiking all of the Minnesota State Park Hiking Club Trails. Have you been to Scenic State Park? Be sure to hit subscribe or check back to see more paintings from the trail, and hear more about a 300 year old pine tree and a belching bog!
Hope you are having a wonderful end of Summer and are looking forward to cooler temps and the colors of Fall.
Painting, Paddling and Hiking on the Gunflint Trail | Part 2
We’re picking back up from part 1 where we’ll head back up to the Gunflint Trail and venture out on a few hiking trails, paddle in the BWCA and do some more adventure painting! So many of our favorite places are currently burning and are on my heart these days. Isle Royale, the Arrowhead of … Continue reading BLOG
Discovering the Beauty of the Gunflint Trail | Part 1
So many of our favorite places are experiencing active wildfires this summer. The forest has a miraculous ability to regenerate itself after fire, but my heart and prayers are with all of the firefighters, emergency workers, residents, recreationalists, resort owners and animals as the BWCA and Arrowhead of MN burns and is currently closed for … Continue reading BLOG
Black Hills and Badlands | South Dakota Roadtrip!
Happy 105th Birthday to our National Parks! Our family recently returned from a 10 day road trip out to Idaho to see the grandparents. We didn’t stop much on our way westward, but extended our vacation on the way back to Minnesota, visiting 4 National Parks and Historic Sites! This post picks back up on Day 8 … Continue reading BLOG
Grand Teton National Park | Jenny Lake!
“There are no foothills to the Tetons. They rise suddenly in rugged majesty from the rock strewn plain…” — Gustavus Cheney Doane Our family recently returned from a 10 day road trip out to Idaho to see my grandparents. We didn’t stop much on our way westward, but extended our vacation on the way back, visiting … Continue reading BLOG
Painting My Way West – Idaho!
Our family recently returned from a 10 day roadtrip out West. Our last trip to Idaho to see the my Grandparents was in 2014, the kids were a lot smaller back then! This post is a memoir of our visit. Stay tuned for part 2 and 3 which will highlight our trip home through 4 National Parks and more daily watercolor paintings from the car.
Isle Royale | The Adventure Continues!
We’ve been back on the mainland for a few weeks, but the adventure continues! Last week, we were invited to be on a podcast based out of Michigan, called “Hike: explore|wander|live”! I have been on the show before talking about my SHT LASH (Superior Hiking Trail Long Amazing Section Hike), and it was so … Continue reading BLOG
Whats In My Pack? 2021 Isle Royale Gear List!
The trip report is up, so let’s talk about gear next! This post covers my 5 day packing list, weights (according to my scale) and some of the conditions I prepared for on this trip. Be sure to also check out the accompanying gear video I shot on our last night of the trek, where … Continue reading BLOG
Rock Harbor to Windigo | Backpacking Isle Royale National Park End to End
We’re back from our 5 day trip to the Isle and wanted to get this trip report out, in one long segment in case anyone is heading out there soon and needs up to date conditions. We were given a current condition report from friends prior to leaving and it was super helpful. Please check … Continue reading BLOG
Happy Feet! Foot Care on the Trail Part 2
This two part post covers foot care tips for hiking, backpacking and off the trail. Check out Part 1 for pre-hike foot care tips. Topics covered in part two: my journey to finding the right footwear, daily foot prep, foot first aid kit and a list of my favorite foot gear. Our feet can take us wonderful places, but without proper care, they can be a real pain. So let’s start with some things I learned the hard way, so hopefully you don’t have to!
Treat Your Feet! Foot Care for the Trail: Part 1
This two part post covers hiking and backpacking foot care tips for both on and off the trail. Topics covered: selecting footwear, prepping your feet, checking your gear and my favorite foot gear. Our feet can take us wonderful places, here are a few ways I keep mine happy! Happy hiking!
Groundskeeping Season is Here! (again!)
The great thaw is upon us here in Minnesota, which the means Winter’s trash is making it’s BIG reveal and it’s time to kick off Groundskeeping season! In case you missed it, or you are new to this space… Since 2019, I have been part of a team of amazing humans who are committed to leaving public spaces better by picking up trash, following the Leave No Trace (LNT) principles and spreading the word! In this post, you can also read about my submission for the 2021 Kula Cloth Design Contest and how to support my work with your vote. Thank you!
Emily Ford Completes the Ice Age Trail!
“No matter who you are, or where you come from, or what you look like, the outdoors is for you. And I think everybody should be able to enjoy it.” Emily Ford, Duluth News Tribune We had the privilege of witnessing Emily Ford and Diggins the sled dog make history this weekend by reaching the … Continue reading BLOG
The Long and Short of Insulated Skirts and How to Target Your Layering System
Pants are cool – if you love em, wear em! But I have found, as my body shape changes with age and new hiking and biking muscles, that pants are not the well fitting friend that they once were. Skirts and kilts provide a freedom of movement and fit that pants do not. But the bigger reason for adding an insulated skirt to your closet is that you can target areas that tend to get colder and add a new tool to your layering toolbox. I find that that the fronts of my thighs, rear end and middle get the coldest first, so having another layer over these spots keeps me happy. Having a separate layer of protection provides options for different conditions. Check out this post to read more about insulated skirts, kilts and wraps and a few more ideas of how to stay toasty this winter.
How to Enjoy Winter….just embrace it, they said…
It is currently -16 degrees, -32 degrees with the windchill as I write this. One of the things I’ve come to love about Minnesotans is their fondness for talking about the weather. Re-visitng my journey towards learning to love winter and rounding up some of my best winter posts was a fun to do over a hot cup of coffee on this cold morning. I hope these stories inspire you to keep venturing outside without worrying about freezing your buns off.
