I chewed thoughtfully on a veggie burger from Culver’s and gazed out the car window at the boughs of tamarack trees glowing golden in the fading sunlight.
My friends and I were headed to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a weekend with hopes of getting away from the chaos and stress that occupies our lives at the University of Minnesota.
We were about to enter a weekend of relaxation and restoration — it would entail a cold plunge into Lake Superior, a hike through pristine woodland to a waterfall and a trip to a haunted house in an abandoned copper mine that would temporarily scare away any thoughts of midterms or research papers.
For a glorious 72 hours, I escaped from the campus bubble and remembered life exists beyond the confines of our university. The mental clarity I gained was well worth putting off my homework.
We stayed on the property of my friend’s cousin Danielle Perkowitz and her wife, who moved from the Chicago suburbs to the Upper Peninsula seeking a life more centered around nature and family.
Together they own and operate BigGoat Farm, a dairy goat farm in Houghton, Michigan. Perkowitz said moving up north and starting their business has changed her family’s life for the better.
“I get to have a herd of cuddly, adorable animals that I take care of every day while also making really delicious cheese and yogurt and caramel,” Perkowitz said. “It’s really fun to marry those two things that I love so much.”
Visiting the farm exposed me to a lifestyle far outside my own. There was no running to catch the Campus Connector, dodging cars while jaywalking University Avenue or hearing music blasting from the Kollege Klub late at night. Instead, I pet goats, touched grass and saw the stars.
Perkowitz’s farm offers “Goat Hangs,” which are opportunities for people to interact with the goats and experience the pastoral beauty of a small Michigan farm.
“It’s difficult to find situations where you’re very present. A lot of times we’re still looking at our phones or talking to people,” Perkowitz said. “It brings so much joy to me to be able to give people the opportunity to have a really relaxing, happy day where they’re not thinking about anything stressful and they’re just enjoying themselves.”
Indeed, playing with their goats was joy-inducing. Unlike the greedy, food-driven goats in conventional petting zoos, these animals were calm, gentle and friendly. They seemed to epitomize the laid-back lifestyle of this rural community.
As my friend and I sat in our guest cabin on the farm during the last night of the trip, watching “Sex and the City” and looking out at the rolling hills from the living room window, I wondered how life could be so good. We returned to campus refreshed, rejuvenated and high off the idea of immediately dropping out of school and moving to the Upper Peninsula.
Luckily, you don’t need to know someone who owns a dairy goat farm in Michigan to get away from campus for the weekend.
Our university offers a variety of resources to go on trips to natural areas, including the Recreation and Wellness Center and student organizations like Outdoors Club.
Madelyn Bergien, the treasurer of Outdoors Club, said her organization specializes in making outdoor trips accessible to all students. The club offers excursions like day hikes and backpacking trips year-round, providing an affordable way to experience nature and meet like-minded individuals.
“Our boundary waters trip was $135, whereas if you’re going to the Boundary Waters with just you and another person it is easily going to be $250 to $300,” Bergien said. “Additionally, we take a lot of time trying to teach people outdoors skills they might have not learned growing up.”
The Twin Cities may have more green space than cities like New York, but there’s enough concrete, traffic and light pollution to make you lose sight of the joy and tranquility that nature can bring us.
“There’s something about nature, I feel like, that just regulates my body,” Bergien said. “It’s so calming and relaxing, and it reminds me that there’s so much out there than just myself.”
Walks along the Mississippi River provide me with much-needed respites from the bustle of campus life, but there’s no way to truly experience the benefits of nature without traveling outside of Minneapolis. The city has its allure, but it’s difficult to feel grounded.
“Being in nature reminds us that we can just enjoy what we’re given,” Bergien said. “We only need to take what we need, and not more.”
Being surrounded by nothing more than autumn-hued trees and small, family-owned farms last weekend was a humbling experience. With forested hills as far as I could see, my worries about classes and the state of our country following the presidential election felt relatively small.
In these troubled times, sometimes stepping away is the best way to regain your footing.
