|
 Sam
has spent most every summer of his life in the Keweenaw,
residing at his family's cottage, near Copper Harbor.
He has a genuine love for the area, the community, its
history, geology, all around natural beauty and of course,
Lake Superior.
After
college, Sam moved to Colorado and spent his first 5
entire years in the Vail Valley, (Avon most specifically) including
the summers. It was during this time that he became
hooked on the sport of mountain biking, with the abundance
of sweet trails to ride and participation in the
local race series. During this time living out
west, Sam realized he had a strong yearning to return
to the Keweenaw and tried to figure out a way to make
a living here and thus is ultimately how he wound
up as the propritor of Keweenaw Adventure Company. After
doing the seasonal gig between spending winters
in Colorado and summers in the Keweenaw for a number
of years, Sam is now a full-time, year round resident
of Copper Harbor. One of his other favorite places to
spend time is in the Canyonlands, near Moab, Utah where
he still tries to make an annual trip.
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Sam graduated from Northwood University in Midland,
Michigan in 1992. He received a Bachelor's of Business
Administration Degree in Marketing and Management and
an Associate of Arts Degree in Hotel and Restaurant
Management. He became the owner of Keweenaw Adventure
Company in the Fall of 1998 at the age of 30. He attended
Barnett Bicycle Institute (BBI) in Colorado Springs
in 1999 to learn more about bicycle mechanics...he now
has a general understanding of mechanics, but considers
himself to be more of a wanna-be than a real mechanic.
Sam is also certified in Wilderness First Aid (WFA).
He
currently serves as the vice-president of the non-profit
Copper Harbor Trails Club, in addition to the Keweenaw
County Trails & Recreation Committee and Keweenaw
Trails Alliance. He was asked to serve on a 10
month long Citizen's Advisory Committee with the DNR
to represent the interests of silent sports and non-motorized
trail development on the newly acquired State land on
Keweenaw Point in 2004...plans for the proposed +/-
25 mile Keweenaw Point Trail are on-going and Sam continues
to support the efforts to make this dream become a reality.
 Although
Sam enjoys the great outdoors from a variety of perspectives,
his number one passion is mountain biking. He tries
to ride whenever possible and has spent 1000's of hours
as a volunteer helping to establish the Copper Harbor
Mountain Bike Trail System since the late 1990's. His
original hopes in that one day Copper Harbor would be
on the "mountain bike map" and may become known as the
"Moab of the Midwest" due to its unique terrain and
public access to the land were affirmed with the designation
of the Copper Harbor Trails as an IMBA (International
Mountain Bicycling Association) "Epic Ride"
in 2009. He has been the race director of the annual
Copper Harbor Fat Tire Festival mountain bike race since
1998. The race has gradually gained a reputation for
being one of the most challenging race courses in all
of the Midwest and riders now make the journey from
literally all over the country to compete
in this fun-filled event.
When not behind the desk at the office, Sam may likely
be found instructing sea kayak lessons during the summer.
He has been active with the ACA (American Canoe Association)
and is certified as a "Basic" level Instructor. Most of
his paddling experience has been on Lake Superior
including many trips on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Isle Royale
National Park and the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin.
Winter means snow and more importantly, FRESHIES!!! Nearby
Mount Bohemia (opened in 2000) is the primary reason
that Sam now spends his winters in the Keweenaw.
Even after 11 winters of being a ski bum on the slopes
of Vail & Beaver Creek, he feels that his skiing experience
is not too compromised due to Bohemia's sustained,
steep terrain, fantastic glade skiing, lack of crowds,
and consistent Lake effect POWDER!!!
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cartoon
of Sam by: Bobby Sutton |
He
also enjoys cross country skiing, back-country ski touring
and snowshoeing . He has been an active volunteer helping
to maintain and groom the Copper Harbor XC ski trails
and has been active in helping to establish the new Keweenaw
Mountain Lodge Nordic Ski Trails which opened in the 2008/09
winter. He works part time at the Lodge as a trail groomer,
in addition to working nights and weekends waiting tables
and bartending so his days a free for skiing.
Sam
is into live music and tries to see shows whenever possible.
He's likes a variety of music, but rock, folk, bluegrass,
reggae and blues are some of his favorites. Some of his
favorite bands include the String Cheese Incident, Widespread
Panic, the Del McCoury Band, Leftover Salmon, Bill Monroe,
Galactic, the Grateful Dead, the Funky Meters, Karl Denson's
Tiny Universe and local favorites such as Chasin'
Steel, the Blackflies, Mojo Perry and Steppin' In
It. You will often hear these tunes and more drifting
through the streets of Copper Harbor coming from the shop.
Sam likes to get down and boogie! |
