I had the pleasure this evening of paddling my kayak on Lake Calhoun with 16 HOW women. Doc brought lots of boats, the weather was perfect, and many of the women were from our kayaking trip last summer. What a joy! We paddled Calhoun into Lake of the Isles, around the island and back. It took about an hour. 60 minutes of conversations on the water, moving meditation, women connecting. Never mind the frantic paddling of Hoigaard’s Canoe Derby participants rocking the water around us. We moved into the zone and enjoyed the evening.
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By this time next week the North American Nordic Walking Expo will be a memory.
See you on Saturday!
Last week we got rained out on the first Nordic Walking Tuesday, this week it was a beautiful evening and there were 18 of us at Lake Calhoun with our poles. It was a reunion of sorts, walking friends I haven’t seen all winter. It’s like the first ski clinic in the fall when I see instructor friends I don’t see all summer. It was so good to reconnect with all of them. We had just a few new walkers so we really stepped out on the walk around a lake free of ice with wind surfers on the waves and kites in the sky.
It’s only the beginning of what promises to be the summer for Nordic Walking!
Let the season begin!
It’s Wednesday morning in Grand Marais Minnesota. For those not familiar with Minnesota I’m way up on the “arrowhead” just about 60 miles from Canada, right on Lake Superior. Grand Marais is a small town cradled between the big water and the big woods. At times there are more deer on the hiway than cars. It’s an artistic community, inspired by the natural elements around them that set the pace of every day. The Superior Hiking trail, Gunflint lodge, Lutsen ski resort, multiple state parks, and of course the lake itself are only a few feet away.In summer it’s a busy tourist spot, in winter lots of the stores and restaurants are closed so it’s much quieter, the perfect place for a retreat from life in the city. I’m watching the day begin on the lake. Yesterday it was windy and big waves crashed on the beaches and rocks along the shore. Water splashed up over the breaker for the harbor. Clouds broke apart creating islands of sunlight out on the lake
and eventually the day ended with a spectacular sunset of red and gold.We are a mixed group of wise and wonderful women, ten in number and generations in experience. We have skied, snowshoed, explored, ate and drank together during our time here. We have stretched our bodies and our minds, challenging ourselves to take a deep breathe and go a little further.I am refreshed in spirit and mind and almost ready to return to the cities. I love HOW, Hoigaard’s Outdoor Women. It allows me to know women who are outside my normal circle of life. I am enriched by their energy and their willingness to share their lives with me and each other on our trips and events. It is a joy and a blessing.
This time of year it’s all about Nordic Walking. In the past 2 weeks I’ve led walks at Mall of America, Medica, Plymouth Senior Center, Minnehaha Park and taught classes in 3 different communities. The numbers aren’t all big, sometimes as few as 5 walkers, but the enthusiasm and delight in discovering Nordic walking and trying the poles for the first time is always huge.
I should know better than to plan the first Nordic Walk of the season on April Fool’s Day. Once again mother nature played a trick on us and gave us snow on Tuesday evening after heavy rain all day long. I awoke on Wednesday and looked out at snow flurries that were determined to keep going the whole morning. We had 2 walks scheduled at the MN Arboretum, one o’clock and six o’clock, and I was totally convinced that due to the cold, dreary, nasty day there would be no one to play with on the trail. My vision was one of sitting around all day hoping for someone to come walk with me.
But I was to be totally surprised! We had 25 walkers at 1:00 and 28 more at 6pm. Most of them were new walkers and some had driven 45 miles just for the walk. They were all excited to be there and the recurring theme was “heck, we’re from Minnesota, a little cold and snow won’t keep us from doing what we had planned.”
It was sooo much fun! After a short introduction to the poles we walked the 3 mile drive through the gardens and orchards. Not much happening there except for some snowdrops blooming in the frozen hosta gardens but the action was all on the path with the energy and joy of nordic walking for the first time. If this day was any indication, it’s going to be a great season!
One of the joys of working retail is helping families start their own tradition of skiing together. This past weekend was the 41st Annual Tent Sale at Hoigaards. It was the biggest sale in recent history and was a smashing success. But not only because we sold lots of product. The real success was fitting first time skiers with their very own skis and boots
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There is nothing better than the smile of a 3 year old anticipating snow on the hill unless it is the same excitement found in his Dad’s smile. We had so many families come to us this weekend looking for the best fit and the best deal to get them back on the hill to ski and snowboard, makes all the long hours and hard work of an event like this worthwhile.
There were 30 nordic walkers on the trails by Hoigaard’s tonight. Eleven who were walking with poles for the very first time, and lots of familiar faces. I had spent the middle of the day at Methodist Hospital Farmer’s Healthy Market promoting healthy lifestyle choices for outdoor activities. Seems that lots of people did just that tonight.
It was our biggest group of the season and we were not really prepared for it. It’s a lot of poles to adjust and we want to make everyone feel welcome and part of the group. Once we got out walking it was a beautiful evening and everyone fell into rhythm by the end of the first mile so we were on a roll. Lives connected, new friends made, a new activity explored.
I’m ready for bed!
It was a simple article in the paper, but it seems to have reached out to so many people. I am humbled and very touched by the response to the “How I got this body” article from last week. I have talked with so many individuals and couples, coming into Hoigaard’s to look at nordic walking poles. And their stories all have one thing in common, reading about the early morning walking gave them hope, inspiration, confidence, and motivation to try something new that just might make a difference in their life. Again, I am humbled by the response. Thank you.
It’s always fun to be in the press. Pictures taken at 6am are questionalbe at best but I do believe that Sarah Moran, writer for the Star Tribune “How I got this Body” article, did a good job profiling Nordic Walking and how it plays into my day. You can’t see the picture but the text is available at
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/22072149.html?location_refer=$urlTrackSectionName
Seems that nordic walking is getting headlines more and more. It’s great fun to be part of it all. I have to thank Mike White from Hoigaard’s for putting us on the “cutting edge” 4 years ago. Hoigaard’s introduced nordic walking to the Twin Cities way before it was ready for walking with poles. And now today my calendar is full of classes and demos, from the Mall of America to the Birke Trail, it’s all about nordic walking. Amazing what time and patience will introduce to your life.
April 13
New York was a blast! It was a thrill to nordic walk on CBS Early Show and then I got 2 hours of nordic walking in Central Park with my new best friend Lindy from LEKI. It was a glorious Saturday afternoon, sunny and warm and Central Park was in full bloom. New Yorkers were out in force enjoying the day; walkers with strollers and dogs, bikers, skaters, baseball games, volleyball, row boats and people just sitting in the sun. Such a treat coming from the never ending winter we seem to be having in Minnesota.
And now it’s back to reality. I flew in early this morning and worked the floor at Hoigaard’s all day. Such a whirlwind adventure, was it real??? I am in constant awe at how Nordic Walking has changed my life.
I can’t believe it! Greg Wozer, president of LEKI
It’s been a long journey. I’ve been a walker since 1985. Getting up at 5:30 am to hit the trail for my morning workout. Why so early? It was the only time that no one else wanted and I’m basically a morning person anyway. My walking partner, Gail, lives next door so we set the motivation for each other to get up and going. A day is just not right if it doesn’t start out with a walk. Walking sets the pace for my day, the rhythm of my life. Adding Nordic Walking Poles in 2004 was a perfect fit! I’ve personally seen the results in my own fitness levels and love to pass the good news on to everyone I meet.
LEKI’s mantra is one walker at a time! And I’m known to stop or turn around on the trail to answer questions and tell people about what I’m doing.
And now I get to
One of my most successful programs last summer was Hoigaard’s Nordic Walking Tuesdays. Meeting at different spots within the Twin Cities, we provided Nordic Walking Demo poles and a quick introduction to the sport and then off we would go for a 2 ½ to 3 mile walk. Last year we averaged 25 women on Tuesdays from April to October and maxed out at 42 one evening in June. Many of the women came every week, connecting with the group and bringing their friends come with them to try Nordic walking. Through the course of the summer, including corporate demos, classes, special events and the Tuesday walks I introduced over 500 people to Nordic walking while tracking over 150 miles.
April 1 was our first Nordic Walk of the new season. Everyone was excited to get back out on the trails after a long winter here in Minnesota. I was worried that mother nature could play an April Fool’s joke on us weather wise but I never expected the 8 inches of snow we got on Monday, March 31. My email and voice mail was filled with women depressed about not being able to walk. But Tuesday dawned with full sun and lots of melting. Mixed with the superb job the Minneapolis Park Board did plowing sometime during the early morning hours and the path around Lake Calhoun was clear and dry when I checked it at noon. Nordic Walking Tuesdays could begin!
I drove the Hoigaard’s van to the lake and waited for the walkers to arrive, hoping they got my message that the path was good and the walk was on. One by one they came skipping over the snow drifts with big smiles and hello’s. Hugs and introductions, poles adjusted, leaders identified. By the time we strode off we had 18 nordic walkers swinging their poles and delighting in the early evening sun and brisk air. It was so good to reconnect with my summer friends from HOW. We had 4 newcomers so I got to walk the sunny side of the lake with them, working on rhythm and beginning technique. We all finished together back at the beach, feeling good all over!
Is it the rhythm of the poles, the connection with other women, the new friendships, being outside, the good workout, the runner’s high at the end? Everyone felt better at the end of the walk, everyone had let go of their day and now looked forward to the rest of the evening, everyone had rosy cheeks and a big smile and we can’t wait for next week.
It was my pleasure to take 10 women from the HOW (Hoigaard’s Outdoor Women) Program to Steamboat Springs in early March for 3 days of skiing and adventure. Being a large group we quickly became known as the “Ladies from Minnesota” to the local taxi company. We ranged in age from late 20’s to early 60’s and included downhill as well as Nordic skiers. One of our group came all the way from Amsterdam to join us making us an international HOW group once again.
This was a year of lots of snow for the Rocky Mountain states and Steamboat was on their way to a record winter with over 400 inches as we arrived. The snow gods were good to us, we had new snow every night and beautiful “blue bird days” our first and third day on the mountain.
One of the highlights of our trip was skiing with Deb Armstrong. She coached the women in the triangle of power as it applies to skiing and allowed that they can use the image in everyday life as well. She’s delightful, energetic and has a very personal approach with women. Her tips early on made it easier for women to enjoy the variety of snow conditions all over the mountain.
A trip to Steamboat wouldn’t be complete without an evening at the Strawberry Hot Springs. The hot water and beautiful setting was the perfect antidote for sore muscles and tired bodies. We even took the plunge into the 40 degree river!
I really enjoy traveling with women. It’s a very special experience in the lack of competition in the group. Women offer total support to each other, offering and taking options, allowing each other to be independent (one of our group took off on her own every day to the Nordic center) and recognizing and respecting their own personal limits. We all took great delight in getting to know other and came away having made new friends and connections.