As soon as I was old enough to hold a rod, I tagged along on my dad’s canoe trips up north. It seemed as though the outdoors were a part of my blood.

When I was five, we bought a house near Knowlton, Wisc. It was a young boy’s dream, with 35 acres of woods in my backyard and a river right down the road that connected to the Lake DuBay Flowage. I spent my days with my older brother Jonah exploring the woods and building forts and rafts that we tried to float on our pond.

As we got older, our neighbor gave us traps, and we began to trap and shoot squirrels. My mom often opened the freezer in the garage to find the latest squirrel or rabbit kill. I watched the two most important men in my life find both peace and productivity in the outdoors.

We heated our home with wood, so I also learned how to work and take care of the land we were given. I learned by watching and through the patient explanations of my grandfather (Buppa). He would get teary-eyed when I showed him how I mastered a new skill like shooting my bow, catching a big fish, or killing my first deer. My dad, who grew up in northern Wisconsin, prefers to leave the well-known trail and explore, which is where I found my love of camping and exploring in the unknown.

After my dad got home from work, or on the weekends, my dad, brother and I would head out and fish in our six-person duck boat. It wouldn’t be long before my younger brother Seth tagged along, with matchbox cars and snacks to keep him occupied. We looked forward to this time, and treasured the stillness of the water and hiss of the line coming off our reels.

As we got older, my dad bought us a canoe that we could use to fish on the river near our home. It was light enough that we could carry it ourselves, and because we homeschooled, we could get on the river as soon as our schoolwork was done. We were constantly exploring new waters, excited at the prospect of the unknown. In spring, we slammed crappies and walleyes, bringing home enough for a Wisconsin fish fry. In summer, we caught lunker bass. And in fall, it was the time to hit the woods.

There are always things to do in the changing seasons of Wisconsin; each new season brought excitement.

When the summer of 2023 rolled around, I was pumped for the upcoming bow season, finally able to draw back 30 pounds. Little did I know that my dad would have stage 4 cancer in his jaw. This drastically changed my plans for the upcoming hunting season. Filled with grief and fear, I turned to the outdoors where God and I have alone time, wrestling with the thought that my dad might not be a part of my future outdoor adventures.

My parents spent lots of time at Mayo Hospital in Minnesota. During this time, I spent a lot of time with Buppa, just quiet in the woods. I knew we were both dealing with our own emotions and doubts. It’s okay to do that in the woods.

Thankfully, my dad was miraculously healed. During the youth hunt, I shot a nice doe with my dad. Suddenly, the outdoors meant so much more to me; it was a place where I could find peace in this chaotic world, where words didn’t need to be said, and God felt closer than ever.

As I continued to set aside other things like soccer, and focus fully on being outside, my love for the seasons and adventures they held only grew. We hiked in state parks, fished new lakes, took camping trips in unexplored parts of the Northwoods in the Chequamegon National Forest, and took yearly trips in the pack tent for gun hunting, as well as countless trips in the canoe.

I will soon embark to the Boundary Waters to become a man—a family tradition—at the age of 13. My dad and I will set out with the bare essentials, a canoe, map and our ambition. I will leave a boy and come back a man, having braved the portages, weather and unknowns. I will earn my keep.

I became interested in filming my expeditions; that is how 3 Brothers Outdoors was born, named after myself, my brother Jonah and my brother Seth. We are best friends who explore nature together and want other kids to grow up with a love of the outdoors and an appreciation for the God who created it all. Though I am young, one thing I do know is that the outdoors has the power to change lives. I want to use my experiences to inspire other people—in particular kids—to get outside and do hard things.