Happy Dancing Blog

Some folks simply aren't built for winter outdoors and that's perfectly fine. Others can't fathom being cooped up indoors for months and that's fine too. What counts is discovering a way to make winter feel healthy and fulfilling rather than merely survivable.

Winter sometimes comes and goes within the blink of an eye, which is unusual for an area that usually spends months covered in snow with freezing temperatures. It is so interesting to go outside and see how nature has taken to this weather-wackiness, and wonder what is to come. 

One of the secrets to making it through challenging winter weather conditions may be winter denial. I call winter denial the behavior/task/habit that is appropriate in a season other than winter that someone still carries on through as much of winter as possible.

Each year, I eagerly anticipate the days growing shorter, the hush that falls over the land as the trees lose their leaves, the animals going quiet, and the first frosty white flakes falling from the sky. Winter is by far my favorite season.

Welcome to winter! It’s the middle of January, and we are in the Upper Midwest. Temperatures are hovering around freezing and most days we don’t see much sunshine. When we ask “What should we do?” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Probably not “go outside”!

It's the perfect moment to pause and reconsider our constant companionship with screens. Those endless notifications and quick scrolls can quietly steal away from the warmth of real conversations and shared laughs, leaving us feeling more scattered than serene. Intentionally setting aside our devices, creating digital distance, can help us rediscover the simple joy of being fully present.

Sitting around a campfire can be a soul-soothing experience.

I started going to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) over fifty years ago with my parents. Our trips began as one week...

I am a walker. Maybe it's a gene I inherited from my Dad who walked nearly every day for the 60 years I knew him. If so, I feel very...

Rs for Resilient Living Series For most of us by this time of year, the idea of getting out to work in your yard, seeing the change of...

Spending time with hands in the soil has been shown to provide significant mental health  benefits. Gardening, farming, or simply...

The bright sun of March and the warmer temperatures re-awakens our senses. With fresh eyes (and a fresh nose?), we notice it’s a great...

During the cold winter months, things seem to slow down. But with Valentine's Day just around the corner, we are busy crafting the...

Enjoying the outdoors in all seasons is part of Happy Dancing Turtle’s mission to grow good stewards of the planet. Observing all the...

It started as a COVID outdoor alternative activity in 2020. Since then there have been 8 more Bingo Scavenger Hunts and it has become...

This fall marks the start of Happy Dancing Turtle’s fifth year of Bingo Scavenger Hunts! For each season since 2020, a new bingo card has...

Resources for understanding air quality and air quality alerts.

David Freeman, along with his wife Amy, did for over a year as they lived in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for over a year!

2018 was designated the Year of the Bird by the National Audubon Society, so Birds of a Feather seemed like a natural theme for this year’s Eco Camp. With August now upon us, we have just one camp left. Our first three camps were a huge success and so much fun was had by all! There are favorite activities that we do every year with each group.

Three of our four 2017 Freshwater Friends Eco Camps are in the books. Our campers have ventured on field trips, eaten straight from the garden, and learned a bit about our environment.