"A Journey of 1000 Miles Begins With a Single Step" - Lao-tzu





York Island, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

It was this view just over 2 years ago that helped to inspire Outdoor Union.  After a third day of hard paddling on the waters of Lake Superior, our group was rewarded with the view shown above for the evening.  A sandy beach, glass-like water, clear skies, and a bit of fresh Lake Trout caught a few hours earlier.  The northern shores of York Island were one of the highlights of this particular "Polite Pirates"adventure, and we were fortunate to have saved the best campsite for last.  As we sat by our beach fire and sipped from our flasks, our conversation turned to the trips we had taken together, and the love we all shared for the outdoors.  Then it came up, "Hey, we should write about this stuff and give people ideas on what to do and what gear to use, and etc, etc."  Great idea.  What do we call it?  Outdoor Union was born.

Outdoor Union means a couple of things to us.  First, there is a union between us as individuals and the natural world when we set out on a wilderness trek.  Whether you're perched 14,000+ feet up on a summit, or exploring your local county park trails, the experience can be quite powerful and humbling.  There is even evidence that spending time in the wilderness can actually make you smarter.  But there is also a union shared between the people you've chosen to hit the trails with.  Whether it's your family, significant other, or just a group of your buddies, the shared experiences, storytelling, and personal challenge you all endure will help to form a bond that will last a lifetime.

   

The Original Six (we actually have requirements for maintaining Pirate status, hence the reason for only 5 now).

So who are the "Polite Pirates"?  Besides being the most courteous band of pirates you'll come across in the wilderness, we're a group of five guys from northeastern Wisconsin (near Green Bay) that like to push ourselves and take on new outdoor challenges (some more strenuous than others).  The group consists of myself, my brother, and three high school buddies.  The Pirates were started on our "Man Trip" in the summer of 2009 (pictured left) to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Upper Michigan.  Originally a group of six, we deemed ourselves pirates as we jokingly said that we'd plunder any campsites we came across for supplies, politely of course (we hiked over 43 miles in 4 days, so we were just a bit exhausted). The Pirate experience quickly turned into a yearly journey that has taken us on the Namekagon River, the Apostle Islands, and the Sylvania Wilderness tract.  Despite most of us having wives and small children, these trips are still a priority for all of us to get together and adventure.  The summer of 2013 has us spreading our wings a bit more and heading to the Badlands/South Dakota for our next excursion.

So why should you read this blog?  My main goal (and the goal of OU) is to, hopefully, motivate others to get out in nature and have an experience.  I hope to give people ideas of where to go, what to do, and even what gear to use.  Maybe you'll even learn about accessible places you didn't know existed.  This is my first official blog, so bear with me on the format and such.  I promise to make this thing look a bit more respectable.  Along with all of our Polite Pirate adventures, I plan on adding other outdoor trips I've taken with other groups.  Depending on my fellow ship mates, I may even have a guest post here and there.  I hope you enjoy what I have to say, and please feel free to email me if you'd ever like more detail on something.  Set forth!