About Brian Day
Brian Day has been working in the specialty outdoor industry for over 30 years. He began his career at Life Tools in Green Bay, WI. A few years later he moved to Madison, WI to work as a sales rep at an agency representing Lowe Alpine Systems, Boreal, Bluewater and Crazy Creek. Brian spent several years working at Rutabaga Paddlesports as a kayaking instructor, sale associate and buyer before returning to rep work with an agency that represented Mountainsmith, MSR, Chaco, KAVU and Horny Toad, and later Osprey packs.

Brian’s outdoor writing has been featured in Sea Kayaker Magazine, Adventure Kayak, Paddling Magazine, Paddling Business and The Boundary Waters Journal. He spent a summer working for the Voyageur Outward Bound School in Ely, MN and six months sailing aboard the tall ship Lady Washington before returning to Wisconsin to pursue a degree in Journalism.

In 2009 Brian completed a Masters Degree the University of Wisconsin and moved to Asheville, NC to take a sales rep position with Pyranha US selling Pyranha, P&H and Venture Kayaks. In 2014 he was appointed Head of Operations for Pyranha US, a position he held until 2017 when he moved back to Wisconsin to be closer to family, the Boundary Waters and the Great Lakes.

In summer 2020 Brian took a position with Wenonah Canoe and Current Designs Kayaks in Winona, MN.

About Cristi Day
Cristi grew up on a red dirt road in south Georgia near the Okefenokee Swamp. She’s an avid gardener and spent much of her adult life working as a horticultural professional. Cristi started her own fine gardening business in Savannah, GA in 2009 and quickly developed a loyal clientele.

Cristi spent seven years working for REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.), first in Asheville, NC and later in Madison, WI. As a Southern transplant to the Deep North she became an expert in teaching people how to dress to stay warm in frigid Wisconsin winters.

Cristi’s adventurous spirit has taken her road tripping across the West, sailing to the Bahamas and rambling around Mexico in a VW bus with a broken gas gauge. She’s sea kayaked on the Georgia Coast, explored the live oak forests of Cumberland Island and backpacked in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Cristi loves canoeing and adventuring in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of Minnesota, especially if Pedro is along for the ride.

About Pedro
Pedro the Wonder Dog grew up on the “mean streets” of Woodfin, NC. Cristi found him wandering down Riverside Drive near the French Broad River. When she opened the door of her truck he hopped right in.

Pedro was our constant companion on the road. He saw us through the COVID-19 lockdown and helped us make the move from Savannah to Winona. He succumbed to his dog cancer in the fall of 2020, leaving an outsized hole in our world. We’ll leave him up here for a while as a reminder of how much joy a dog can bring to the world. Thanks P.

About Neko
Neko the Savage Coll-erd came into our life in the summer of 2021. He’s part border collie, part German shepherd and all wild. The Smol Haus Wulf enjoys chasing balls, chasing squirrels, chasing birds—well, you get it. Neko loves people, hates dogs and is a VERY good camper. He’s also the unofficial hospitality officer at Wenonah Canoe.

About Kitchi-Gami
Kitchi-Gami is an alternative spelling of Gitchi-Gumi or Gitchi-Gami, the Ojibwe word for Lake Superior. This spelling is used in the title of Johann Georg Kohl’s book Kitchi-Gami: Life Among the Lake Superior Ojibway, an account of his travels among the Ojibwe in the Great Lakes during the mid-1800’s.

The Ojibwe People’s Dictionary defines gitchigami as either Lake Superior specifically or  as “a sea,” or “a large lake” in general.

The Big Water of Lake Superior and the public lands near it’s shores have been the focus of many of Brian’s adventures. This blog is inspired by the beauty and majesty of Lake Superior and the spirit of the wild North Woods.