Whose woods these are I think I know.

The Arrowhead 135 takes place on Ojibwe land. Rugged, beautiful, storied land with centuries of Indigenous history & spiritual significance that our temporary, fleeting experience can barely comprehend. We seek to respect this land, to listen and learn from its original people that have called this home long before we arrived.

The race begins at 7am Monday morning in International Falls, aka I-Falls, Frostbite Falls, the Icebox of the Nation (who still says “icebox?”) and traverses the frozen Minnesota Northwoods to Fortune Bay in Tower. Racers have 60 hours to complete the route, which according to math means a steady 2.25 MPH. Sounds easy enough, particularly on a bike, eh? With an average completion rate below 50% (some years as low as 20%), there has to be more to it.

His house is in the village though;

I was lost. According to my forest service map the road I was on should not dead end at a railroad, but instead ought to lead to a ski trail parking lot. I pulled up an aerial image on my phone, and sure enough it too showed the road going through. I tightened my gaiters and took a short hike across the tracks to find a plowed road in the distance. Apparently, the only route to Checkpoint 3 has moved, and I just needed to find its new terminus.

Soon enough I found & followed the new road to its actual end and began planning our home for the next few days. I decided to wait until daylight to setup the new-to-us 40 year old canvas tent & woodstove, and slept in the van at -20F instead. Volunteering at winter ultras has provided a lot of opportunity to test my cold-weather gear & techniques. At daybreak I unloaded my Pugsley and rode up and down the trail until crash landing in a suitable location. I shoveled out space for the tent and outdoor kitchen. Our experience hosting winter on-farm events helped get the checkpoint setup in short order.

He will not see me stopping here

With tents set and fires a-blazing we welcomed our first racers. Matt Bosman flew in, paused a moment for his obligatory check-in (our official job) and was on his way “to win this thing.” Unsupported. That means no filling up with warm water, no extra Embark, and no chill’n in the hot tent.

There was a lot of emotion amongst the commotion when veteran racer Ben Doom and rookie Chase Wark rolled in. We had been chatting with Chase’s delightful grandparents for a couple hours around the bonfire, and they were ready with hugs and words of needed encouragement when he arrived. Chase & Ben made a single wrong turn and ended up almost 10 miles off-trail. Just two days earlier Chase podiumed with a 2nd place finish at Fat Bike Worlds, but the Arrowhead was proving to be a different beast. Each racer’s bib is adorned with “Strength Endurance Solitude Survival” which is more a reminder than a tagline. More racers began showing up, including multi-discipline champion Kate Coward, who also completed a double Arrowhead on foot (yes, 270 miles) just a couple years prior. We greeted her with cartwheels and sent her off in style with fireworks. The race was on!

To watch his woods fill up with snow

Monday saw temperatures in the upper 20s, an unusually balmy start to the Arrowhead. The warm weather softened the trail and brought snow, making for slow & tedious conditions at times, and a lot of crashes while searching for firm ground on the steep downhills. The extra effort also made moisture management crucial, with swapping socks and adjusting layers being a key strategy. The wind picked up, blasting racers with blowing snow in the open bogs. By Tuesday night temps had dropped to -20F, an almost 50 degree swing.

My little horse must think it queer

I first learned of the Arrowhead 135 in 2008, at a time when I was searching for purpose to help get me through long winters. This was also the year I started experimenting with fatbikes, first with a modified Surly Instigator and then a proper Pugsley. I began assembling a winter adventure gear kit and using it any time I could. That summer I also started endurance mountain biking; I wouldn’t call it racing since external competition has never really been a motivation for me, but I did manage to find myself on a podium while simultaneously capturing DFL in the singlespeed category. Skills. There was something about the personal challenge of the Arrowhead that was calling me, however about the time I felt I was ready to attempt the AH135, Bree and I founded our maple farm. Suddenly winter had a different role in our lives, becoming that crucial time to work in the woods preparing for the spring sap flow. It was a different adventure, one I was happy to be on even though Arrowhead dreams were being put on hold.

To stop without a farmhouse near

There is a common thread amongst participants, sharing a trail but each still on their own. A few chase records or wins, but most are out there for the journey itself. On the trail there is no security but that brought by lived experience and the ability to summon the strength and stubbornness to keep moving. There is no farmhouse near. The buzz of ordinary life is left behind, and in the silence that follows there are no excuses, no distractions, just you and the trail, and the truths discovered when facades of civilization are left behind.

Between the woods and frozen lake

Through contrasting white birch & green pine, across wind swept lake & bog, there is a seemingly endless ribbon of trail inviting you to venture deeper into yourself while traveling this rugged wilderness.

The darkest evening of the year.

As dusk fell, Bree molded ice luminaries, Dan lit up tiki torches, & Brandie brandished fireworks to welcome racers through the entirety of the night. Much like the solstice, a warm sense of security & community emanated from the flickering fires. Even though reprieve from the frozen trail was temporary, the Good Energy was high at the Embark Experience, sending wafts of well-wishes to new friends traveling through.