by Doug Sjoquist | Sep 10, 2026 | Trail Notes Stories
Assumptions. They lead to trouble, sometimes even danger, and almost always are a mistake. I’m a little more careful now, but the certainty of youth generates a lot of them. As a young husband, I thought that since my very pregnant wife had never been camping,...
by Doug Sjoquist | Aug 27, 2026 | Trail Notes Stories
I’ve been out in the woods along our yard with a tractor, 200 feet of steel rope, and a bag of rated hardware, building a longer, steeper zip line for the grandkids. I checked the anchor trees again. Checked the rating of the cable again. I ratcheted out the...
by Doug Sjoquist | Aug 13, 2026 | Trail Notes Stories
Growing up near the Great Lakes and the rivers that feed them made water an important part of my world, but it was also something I took for granted. There’s a subtle difference between growing up in the “Midwest” and growing up in the Great Lakes...
by Doug Sjoquist | Jul 31, 2026 | Trail Notes Stories
Some wild places call you back. Others don’t even notice when you show up. One of those two is the reason a man ended up on the deck of a Canadian lake freighter late on a July night. Paddling across a small lake in a heavy fog is eerie, but kinda cool. There is...
by Doug Sjoquist | Jul 16, 2026 | Trail Notes Stories
August 9, 2008 First Up the Trail We were first on the trail that morning, three brothers and two teenage sons. The boys had wanted a more challenging hike before we left the Smokies, so we were making the trek to the Ramsey Cascades while the rest of our families...
by Doug Sjoquist | Jul 2, 2026 | Trail Notes Stories
July 4, 1976 America’s 250th birthday got me thinking about the birthday party I missed — the big one, the Bicentennial. The largest parade in Highland in years. A town fireworks display dwarfing prior events. Special activities months in the making. All of it...
by Doug Sjoquist | Jun 19, 2026 | Trail Notes Stories
Opening day of trout season — May 6, 1972, Gratiot, Wisconsin My cousin Dan was not only the oldest of us boys, he was by far the strongest — stronger than any two of us. That strength played itself out in our early teens for good and bad — and on opening day of trout...
by Doug Sjoquist | Jun 5, 2026 | Trail Notes Stories
Sunday afternoon, June 11, 1978 — Grand Canyon National Park We were making our way down the Bright Angel trail, heading to Indian Garden Campground before we lost the afternoon light. No gear besides small woven rugs wrapping snacks and makeshift water bottles —...
