Heather Herbeck's thoughts as she plunges down the Kadunce River might go something like this: Okay, oh-kaaay, oh my gosh, dip dip fall, keep straight, straight, almost to the end, just about there, splash and…wow. "The Kadunce River on Minnesota's North Shore is one of my favorite runs," says Heather, who has been running rapids, risking neck and limb, and walking the extreme edge of outdoor recreation for ten years plus. "It's not a long run, but it's a 150-foot plunge so narrow in places that a sideways kayak could get stuck."

The Paul Bunyan and Heartland trails are well highlighted on our Lake Country map. The Itasca and Bemidji State Parks, the Migizi Trail in the Chippewa National Forest along with the bed and breakfast we planned to stay was clearly marked.

Our Fourth of July vacation was neatly planned. We fun time for our twin daughters, biking and hiking for mom and dad, neatly set, perfect, no flaws, then life has a way of changing our best laid plans.

Before I ever saw the Devil’s Kettle, I dreamed of it.

About the Kettle I knew very little; only that it was a waterfall, somewhere in northern Minnesota, that poured into a hole rumored to be bottomless.

Rivers are arteries of history.

The Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway a good way of experiencing that history.

My sister, Annie, and I mapped out a eight-mile bike tour through 200 years of Minnesota history near the Mississippi River between Minnehaha Falls and Mendota visiting six historic sites.

What happens when your friends vote you into office and you don’t feel ready to lead?

You learn how to lead.

That’s one of the practical life lessons young adults like Esther Swanson learn during outdoor activities with Venturing Crew.

The endurance trail race season begins on Friday, April 13th with the Zumbro Endurance Races. Runners in the 100 mile run start at 8am and will finish some 21 to 38 hours later. In the middle of the night on Friday, the Zumbro ‘Midnight’ 50 race begins.

As Slim and I approached another mild-looking rapids on the Snake River, we saw that some other racers were capsized at the bottom. They were wading around in the chest-deep water, fishing their gear out and trying to free their canoe, which was submerged and pinned by the rushing water.

Minnesota’s Paul Bunyan State Trail, named for the legendary large logger, is arguably the state’s favorite paved trail for hiking, biking, inline skating, snowmobiling, and is now destined to be a geocaching mecca.

As the deep snows of the North Shore of Lake Superior melt away, a dramatic collection of mountain bike trails are emerging to meet a wide variety of challenges.

It had snowed a couple of inches of soft fluff and there were still a few flakes falling like feathers in the darkening twilight. I was registered for a Full Moon Snowshoe Hike at Lebanon Hills Regional Park and the clouds were expected to clear, it looked to be a perfect night.