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Hi there, and welcome to Hello Stranger. My name is Maddy, and I'm the voice behind the blog. I'm a writer, paddler, photographer, traveller, and freelance editor. I'm committed to exploring the beautiful American Midwest to prove that you can find real adventure anywhere! Toss your email below to keep up with the adventure!

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maddymarq

guide & writer exploring the midwest🏕
📍Wisconsin Northwoods & Lake Superior
inquiries: hello@madelinemarquardt.com
↓ FREE trail guides ↓

I… had a terrible time living on the west coast. I… had a terrible time living on the west coast. In my head the Pacific Northwest is this sparkling and magical green place. From the Midwest, I imagined crashing teal waves and snow capped peaks that turn dusty purple in the evening and blaze pink in the morning sun. I imagined thick carpets of moss and blue rivers and that I would sit by the base of waterfalls and journal, mist clinging to my hair and making the pages of my notebook crinkle. I thought I would get up from my spot by the waterfalls and come home, still smelling fresh like forest. I thought it would be all mountains and alpine lakes, and a deep green rainy season and I thought I would go for a morning jog and drink matcha tea and maybe lose ten pounds and get a line drawing tattoo of the mountains and I would journal every night and I would cook lentils or some shit like that for dinner but the Pacific Northwest cannot make me a morning runner.We write about places like romantics. We show tumbling waterfalls and peaks and on our Pinterest boards cobble together an idea of a place that the place itself couldn’t possibly measure up to. I do think there’s something wonderful about choosing to find your life and the places you are magical, but when all the information you’ve consumed about a place is how magical it is, perhaps we do ourselves a disservice. Maybe my disappointment in the Pacific Northwest is that it’s a real place at all, and that I didn’t magically transition into a beautiful new life upon entering. Maybe my frustration is with myself entirely.Morning Runner PNW Maddy who was somehow four inches taller than me and only drank tea and did yoga every morning never came to fruition but I’m starting to figure just me, Midwest Maddy, might be enough.Still, these are some photos from a weekend early winter camping trip on the coast where, just for a second, PNW Maddy felt real.
Five winters on Superior❄️🌊✨ 2- winter kayaking t Five winters on Superior❄️🌊✨2- winter kayaking through an arch (everyone pictured is a local guide & kayak instructor wearing a drysuit. This is NOT a beginner activity and I do not recommend it without training, local knowledge and specialized gear)3- Lake Superior ice garden4- a frozen river canyon5- more winter kayaking (no, we weren’t worried about ice falling on ice. It was slushy and not hard and we were pretty conscious of the conditions)6- winter camping 7- a frozen waterfall cave 8- ice caves9- a -40 morning 10- hiking on Lake Superior, a sea stack11- aliens? Or ice?12- @sisuandloylysauna 13- snowshoeing :)14- the grand Marais lighthouse 15- winter shadows on the wall
November colors on Superior❄️♥️🌅 1- sunset facing November colors on Superior❄️♥️🌅1- sunset facing south on Lake Superior. Selfie, tripod propped up on a rock. 2- morning in a cabin @elycabincollective 3- gales of November 4- sunny day in Michigan 5- fall colors down, shot by @emksks 6- late afternoon sun. Idk I love this shot7- cribbage 8- the sky in November >9- first snow10- last light at camp11- last pop of color 12- @emksks in first snow!!📍traditional homelands of the Anishinaabe Nation
YOU define your own success♥️🏆 After I got a degr YOU define your own success♥️🏆After I got a degree in Neuroscience, I realized I didn’t want to work in a lab or go to grad school. It just didn’t fit on me. So I got a job as a kayak guide, and joined the Peace Corps and moved to Armenia. I lived on a lot less and with less, and for years everything I owned fit in my Subaru. I sea kayaked surrounded by orcas and kayaked under waterfalls, and learned a new language and slept in the desert and have kayaked under the northern lights. Now, seven years after making a choice to define my own success, I work as a writer & photographer and get to travel for work. I don’t have a big house or big salary, but I wouldn’t change a single thing— Living a life on your terms is so much more important than someone else’s definition of success, and I wish someone had told me that at 20.
Shop the @rei Holiday Sale now through Nov 24 ✨ 🚣 Shop the @rei Holiday Sale now through Nov 24 ✨🚣REI Co-op Heavyweight Merino Base Layer Half-Zip Top [30% off]☀️Exped Mega Mat Duo Sleeping Pad [25% off]🗺️ Oboz Bridger Mid Hiking Boots [25% off]☃️North Face Thermo Ball Shoes [25% off]🌲REI Co-op Members save 20% on one full-price item and an extra 20% off one REI Outlet item with code HOLIDAY2025.Sale ends 11/24 so shop soon! Discounts are based on original prices, and selection varies by location. While supplies last. Shop through my link in bio or in story highlights!#reipartner
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