An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Three challenging weeks - recordgleaner_20260819_trg-2026-08-19-0-014_art_0.xml
An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Three challenging weeks Mark Walters Hello friends, Last week, I wrote to you about the fact that I was very ill. This week, I am going to describe my life for the last 22 days of purely trying to exist through what was determined on day 16 to be the parasite Giardia and E. coli. The combination of those two things cost me a lot of body weight and made me extremely, painfully ill. The story over the three weeks is pretty crazy and, once again for next week’s deadline, I cannot do fieldwork. On the other hand, tomorrow I leave for Montana and then Calgary, Alberta, and as I have said for years, “The sun always comes up in the morning.” On Tuesday, July 21, I learned that my golden retriever Red only had one puppy in her. The same day I learned of what would cost a chunk of money in setbacks. That night I literally lost my body strength and could not hold food down for the next 14 days. On Saturday, July 25, I picked up my daughter Selina at the airport in Madison for what would be an eight-day visit at home. Selina is making a major move in the very near future and I did not want to trouble her with my poor health. I might add that Selina chose this date so that she could be home when Red had pups. Today was day 62 of what is normally a 57- to 63-day gestation. At this point I was still 12 days from my diagnosis, something I only have myself to blame for. On Selina’s first full day at home we swam in the pond, fished in the pond, and ate fish from the pond. It was a simple and great day for a father and his daughter. On day two, Selina was able to witness Necedah Outdoor Adventure Club (NOAC) at its best. I am the president of this club. In our three-year existence, we have built a beach with a picnic area and swim raft, a disc golf course, and every winter we create and maintain a lighted ice skating rink. On this day, NOAC hosted a beach party with free hot dogs, brats, chips, and water along with music from a local DJ. On Wednesday, Selina and I hit the Wisconsin River in our canoe along with Red, who was now on day 65. I was feeling rough but kept it quiet; it was the first time I ever felt Selina was a stronger paddler than me. That evening we drove down to rural Portage and spent some time with her brother, Travis Dushek, who has purchased 13 acres of beautiful land on the Fox River along with his wife, Anne. On Thursday night, which was day 10, Selina was out for a few hours and I became very ill. Everything hurt and my legs were numb or untouchable from the knees down. I lived in the bathroom, the right side of my chest always hurt, and my belly was very sore and swollen. My eyesight was very poor and my mental condition was not good. The following afternoon, Selina went away to see her very good friends from college for the weekend. For the first time, with the help of a friend, I made sauerkraut from my garden, which was very cool. That night, I literally felt like I could die from giardiasis, also known as “beaver fever.” The following day, 18 quarts of chili from my garden were created. By the end of September, there will be 90 quarts in the freezer. That night, beaver fever hit me the worst yet. I wanted to take a bath and had a hard time getting out. Then it felt like electrical pulses were shooting down both of my arms from my elbows to my fingertips. Just the sheets touching my legs from the knees down was unbearable. Selina headed back to Montana the following night. If all goes well, I will meet her on Saturday, Aug. 15, on a remote mountain that neither of us has ever seen. The following day, Red gave birth to her pup, a lone male. The veterinarian told me that it would be no problem to breed her the next time she goes into heat, as only having one pup will not be hard on her. I was really looking forward to having a pup, but that will have to wait. Four other people also have chosen to wait until this spring or next summer. Exactly three weeks ago today I lost my health and, temporarily, my disposable income. Single low-income homeowners often share this problem. I have energy for an hour and then feel like I have lost every bit of my stamina for the next hour. Yesterday, my physician told me this will last for up to another month. I have 4,500 miles to put on the GMC Hotel, elk to find, and a daughter to move! Remember what I said earlier about the sun? Sunset School Sports Calendar If you would like to advertise your business while sponsoring this spot on School Sports Calendar Granton Greenwood Loyal spencer Mark Walters’ column, Granton Greenwood An Outdoorsman’s Journal, Loyal spencer please call 715-223-2342 An Outdoorsman’s Journal: Three challenging weeks Mark Walters Hello friends, Last week, I wrote to you about the fact that I was very ill. This week, I am going to describe my life for the last 22 days of purely trying to exist through what was determined on day 16 to be the parasite Giardia and E. coli. The combination of those two things cost me a lot of body weight and made me extremely, painfully ill. The story over the three weeks is pretty crazy and, once again for next week’s deadline, I cannot do fieldwork. On the other hand, tomorrow I leave for Montana and then Calgary, Alberta, and as I have said for years, “The sun always comes up in the morning.” On Tuesday, July 21, I learned that my golden retriever Red only had one puppy in her. The same day I learned of what would cost a chunk of money in setbacks. That night I literally lost my body strength and could not hold food down for the next 14 days. On Saturday, July 25, I picked up my daughter Selina at the airport in Madison for what would be an eight-day visit at home. Selina is making a major move in the very near future and I did not want to trouble her with my poor health. I might add that Selina chose this date so that she could be home when Red had pups. Today was day 62 of what is normally a 57- to 63-day gestation. At this point I was still 12 days from my diagnosis, something I only have myself to blame for. On Selina’s first full day at home we swam in the pond, fished in the pond, and ate fish from the pond. It was a simple and great day for a father and his daughter. On day two, Selina was able to witness Necedah Outdoor Adventure Club (NOAC) at its best. I am the president of this club. In our three-year existence, we have built a beach with a picnic area and swim raft, a disc golf course, and every winter we create and maintain a lighted ice skating rink. On this day, NOAC hosted a beach party with free hot dogs, brats, chips, and water along with music from a local DJ. On Wednesday, Selina and I hit the Wisconsin River in our canoe along with Red, who was now on day 65. I was feeling rough but kept it quiet; it was the first time I ever felt Selina was a stronger paddler than me. That evening we drove down to rural Portage and spent some time with her brother, Travis Dushek, who has purchased 13 acres of beautiful land on the Fox River along with his wife, Anne. On Thursday night, which was day 10, Selina was out for a few hours and I became very ill. Everything hurt and my legs were numb or untouchable from the knees down. I lived in the bathroom, the right side of my chest always hurt, and my belly was very sore and swollen. My eyesight was very poor and my mental condition was not good. The following afternoon, Selina went away to see her very good friends from college for the weekend. For the first time, with the help of a friend, I made sauerkraut from my garden, which was very cool. That night, I literally felt like I could die from giardiasis, also known as “beaver fever.” The following day, 18 quarts of chili from my garden were created. By the end of September, there will be 90 quarts in the freezer. That night, beaver fever hit me the worst yet. I wanted to take a bath and had a hard time getting out. Then it felt like electrical pulses were shooting down both of my arms from my elbows to my fingertips. Just the sheets touching my legs from the knees down was unbearable. Selina headed back to Montana the following night. If all goes well, I will meet her on Saturday, Aug. 15, on a remote mountain that neither of us has ever seen. The following day, Red gave birth to her pup, a lone male. The veterinarian told me that it would be no problem to breed her the next time she goes into heat, as only having one pup will not be hard on her. I was really looking forward to having a pup, but that will have to wait. Four other people also have chosen to wait until this spring or next summer. Exactly three weeks ago today I lost my health and, temporarily, my disposable income. Single low-income homeowners often share this problem. I have energy for an hour and then feel like I have lost every bit of my stamina for the next hour. Yesterday, my physician told me this will last for up to another month. I have 4,500 miles to put on the GMC Hotel, elk to find, and a daughter to move! Remember what I said earlier about the sun? Sunset School Sports Calendar If you would like to advertise your business while sponsoring this spot on School Sports Calendar Granton Greenwood Loyal spencer Mark Walters’ column, Granton Greenwood An Outdoorsman’s Journal, Loyal spencer please call 715-223-2342
Josiah Mann gets around the left corner and scores on a short touchdown during Rib Lake’s offensive scrimmage session against Gilman Friday in Cornell. The Redmen kick off their 2026 season tonight, Thursday, at home against Cornell at 7 p.m. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS
A WIAA Division 2 state qualifier last fall in the 100-yard breaststroke, junior Sophie Sperl is one of 14 returning swimmers on the roster for this year’s Medford Raiders, who dive into their new season today, Thursday, at the Merrill Outdoor Relays. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS
Senior Kady Weix sends a strong return over the net while playing teammate Raylin Rothmeier during Medford’s Aug. 11 practice. The Raiders got the year off to a 2-1 start Saturday in Amery and host Merrill today, Thursday, at 4:30 p.m. in their GNC and home opener for the 2026 girls tennis season. MATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS
