Category: Sports
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Inspired by the Challenge: Training for the Birkie
It is Monday, January 23rd, and I am breaking a sweat in the 30-degree air. I am trying to cross-country ski over hilly terrain, but the result might be more accurately described as chasing my cousin Helen through the woods with boards attached to my feet. My mission: to prepare for the American Birkebeiner. That […]
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Snowshoeing provides the means for truly discovering those places on both our cognitive and paper maps. For those who love being outdoors and for those who aren’t sure, snowshoeing affords the freedom from groomed ski and snowmobile trails and is a great way to stay in shape through the winter months. Romantic images of explorers […]
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With the Wind: Kiteboarding the County
When people envision extreme sports, Door County usually is not the backdrop in their brain; however, there is a group of individuals who have rejuvenated the notion of what Door County could be. No longer just the picturesque surroundings for fine dining, art galleries, and antique shops, this crew has found a new vitality in […]
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Racing Home: Sailing the Hook Race Death’s Door Challenge
Sailboat racing has brought friends and families together off the shores of the Door Peninsula for nearly a century. And as intriguing and adventuresome as these races are, none can compare to the granddaddy of them all – the Hook Race Death’s Door Challenge. Spanning 197.4 nautical miles, this course pits experienced crews against each […]
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A Subterranean Exploration: Caves of the County
We often think of the earth we walk upon as solid and unchanging. Nothing could be further from the truth in Door County. Caves, sinkholes, open joints and fractures are everywhere in the carbonate rocks of the Door Peninsula. Bedrock here is known as the Silurian-aged Niagara Dolomite. Born from warm sub-equatorial waters 425 million […]
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Gliding Through Door County Winters
Being a year round resident in Door County, I’m often asked by visitors how I survive the winter. My answer is the same that a Norwegian or Swedish person may have given over 5,000 years ago: I ski. In Norway and Sweden cross-country skis were an essential survival tool used for hunting in deep snow. […]
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Rod “Chief” Billerbeck A Legendary Presence in Northern Door
The numbers are the first thing you notice, and how could you not? They pop off the page at you: 41 yeas as head baseball coach, 377 wins – a state record when he retired, 25 league or conference titles, and one state championship. I began the task of writing about the man responsible for […]
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The Basics: An Introduction to the Fundamentals of Sailing
It was 9:00 in the morning and the couple I was scheduled to give a lesson to that day had just arrived. “Ready to sail?” I asked. With a familiar mixture of excitement and nervousness, they both nodded. I handed them life jackets, we boarded the 15-foot sailing dinghy, and within moments we were sailing […]
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Kayaking in the Door: A paddler’s perspective
The morning sun has just peaked over the tree line, the water is golden glass, and the air is suspended in silent haze. My kayak is resting on the car rack, paddle between the seats, and the PFD, skirt, bilge pump, and paddle float are tucked in the trunk. I assemble my gear, take a […]
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What I remember most about the trips is the sense of awe I felt. The open sea, the waves, and the weight of the wind against the sails enchanted me as we were pulled toward some unseen shore. With it, of course, came stress. I can vividly recall my mother’s face turning white during a […]