Duluth Hiking and Biking Trails

31 years ago the Upper Midwest was subject to a four day winter storm that buried cars in Duluth. By way of contrast, this week we're gearing up for some unusually generous warmth, short sleeve weather for those so inclined. I decided to go for a walk, not a walk to the end of the road as I usually do, but a bit of hiking on the Superior Hiking Trail. 

I don't know what things are like elsewhere but here there's an amazing array of hiking and biking trails. It's a Northland feature that I'd never paid much attention to, but have become increasingly aware of. Hiking is a great way to disconnect from all your devices, and a tradition that goes way, way back in human history.

Here are some stats from that Halloween blizzard in Duluth:

• At the time, the 36.9" of snow that fell at Duluth set the state record for storm total snowfall. That was surpassed in 1994.
• Snow began in Duluth at about 1:00 pm on October 31st, and did not end until 1:00 pm on November 3rd, meaning that snow fell continuously on the city for about 72 hours.
• Moderate to heavy snow fell in Duluth with as much as 2 inches per hour from about 11:00 am on November 1st to about 2:00 am on November 2nd - about 15 hours.
• Blowing snow was reported in Duluth for 33 consecutive hours, starting at 2 PM on November 1st. Winds regularly gusted to between 30 and 40 MPH. Visibilities were frequently near zero across much of the region.

EdNote: Though near 37 inches fell, the gusting wind produced massive drifts. Most cars were buried in our Central Hillside neighborhood.

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And here are some photos from my afternoon hike.

I couldn't help but think of Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken as I came to a few places with forking paths. 

Are you a hiker? The bike trails here are phenomenal as well. 

Tribute to Borges' Garden of Forking Paths

This weekend I came across the coolest Reddit page. It showed a photo of a labyrinth dedicated to Jorge Luis Borges,  author of a story called "The Garden of Forking Paths."

Naturally, any time I see something like this I want to share it.

The Garden of Forking Paths appeared in one of his early volumes of short stories titled Ficciones. (Fictions) As I peruse the table of contents here my heart stirs with wonder at the quantity of incredible stories his imagination produced. If you're a fan of this remarkable Argentine author you'll be similarly stirred by titles like The Lottery in Babylon, The Circular Ruins, The Library at Babel and Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius.

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I'd planned to share this Borges-themed labyrinth yesterday when I unexpectedly received an article from a New York friend that included some Borges anecdotes which deserved to be shared here. The title of the article was A Visit to the Klippersonian. It's about a globetrotting photographer named Stuart Klipper who collects things, both tangible and experiential. He's not only an interesting story himself, but he has a lifetime of interesting stories to tell as well.

At one point his story intersects with Borges. Their meeting feels as spooky and unexpected as a Borges tale that feels more fate than luck. The net result is Klepper having an opportunity to host a visit by the world-renowned Borges to Minneapolis, where on the a non-forking path along Minnehaha Falls there is a stature of Longfellow. They similarly visited the Walker Museum, making memories there as well.

And if all that is not enough, Klipper shares a few Dylan anecdotes that you've probably never heard before, for those who never tire of hearing another Dylan detail.

Photo by Victor Garcia on Unsplash

Here is a link to The Garden of Forking Paths so that you may grasp why Borges has such a following.

In my youth I was fascinated with mazes and labyrinths, hence it was especially delightful and mentally stimulating to discover Borges. I've many times noted Borges has been one of my chief influences when it comes to writing fiction. In 2011 I assembled a half dozen in my first volume of short stories titled Unremembered Histories, my own attempt at Magical Realism.

The title of the book takes its name from my Unremembered History of the World, which in its own way treats the concept of time like a series of forking paths. You can read that one on Medium without purchasing anything. Feedback always welcome.

In closing, here is a very short piece by Borges, which like all his short pithy pieces is both pointed and properly rewarding: Inferno, I, 32

Have a great week.

Related Link
The Mind of Borges

Klippersonian link courtesy LL

Borges and I, Redux

This morning I woke with a pleasant inbox surprise. The following email from a visitor to my website and ultimately my Labyrinth. How sweet these fellow travellers can be when they tumble into our lives.

Hi there,
I don't ordinarily "write" anything that isn't technical and academic, but I spent the last two months reading Borges and it affected me. I found your site/labyrinth and thought I'd share my (very) short piece of prose/verse with you, because I think it's up your alley and I don't know anyone who would actually appreciate it.
If you like it, please let me know and feel free to post it on your site. If you have comments on it, I'd be glad for the feedback. It's a work in progress.
In any event, thanks for just taking a look.
R. J.

I replied:
"A very fine little piece indeed. It really snaps one to attention. Thank you for sharing. And yes, I will share it on my blogspot, recognizing your authorship of course. Can you briefly tell me a little more about yourself? Or should we keep that ambiguous."

He replied thusly....

For public consumption, the forking paths of ambiguity are probably fine... Google will tell anyone that I'm either a physicist, a budding economist, or an 18 yr. old kid w/ a myspace page (or none of the above). The alternative is a short bio, and that really doesn't seem appropriate (as it would be longer than my little contribution ;) )

For you, I'm actually _____ . I study and teach _________ (I have my classes read "Of Exactitude in Science" on day one), and play a lot of chess. I'm glad you enjoyed the writing and thank you for reading. I'd be happy to return the favor some time.
R. J.

Here is the wonderful gem which Mr. Briggs presented to me.

Borges and I, Redux

I know why I am not Borges.

Maybe it’s obvious, but I had to discover it for myself once. Looking at my eyes in the mirror, focusing on the reflection of myself looking in the mirror at the reflection of myself infinitely, going always down and always inward, that’s where I saw him.

Because I saw him in my reflection, I know I am not him.

Because in the moment that the ideal becomes real, it slips out of raw experience into the persistent and necessary imperfection of perception and memory that are all we know.

And the insistent division between them that dances between us, which draws me into writing this and you into reading it, seductively suggests a voice you have not heard that leads you into a labyrinth of swords and knives, gauchos and tigers, mortality and the infinite, the absolute oneness and the constant separation from it, save for the defining moments of life that forever defy description, indelible but usually forgotten, lost forever perhaps because they can exist only in the singular sense of now, outside of what we “know”, beyond the place and time I need to tell you who I think I am not.

But one can never be too sure--better look again.

RJB, 2009


Ennyman's Note: If you wish to read the original Borges and I, here's the place you can check it out. Be sure to follow up with the lustrous Of Exactitude In Science.