Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring. - Lily Pulitzer. Spring signifies better things to come. It’s a time of awakening. Spring often takes a long time to set in, but once it arrives, there’s no stopping it! Minnesota is known for it’s glorious summers. What a 12 week period it is - a reason for optimism. My mom and I saw trumpeter swans in her farm field north of Becker this past week when I visited her. I love hearing birds sing.
Another sign that spring has arrived is that maple syrup is flowing. Jerry Hegdahl has been tapping boxelder trees in this area on and off since 1978. He and his friend Ralph Johnson have a small maple syrup operation near Palmer. Their operation only yields enough maple syrup for close family and friends, yet they enjoy the process.
The two are long time friends and were both my teachers in the 1980’s in Becker (when Becker’s graduating classes hadn’t soared to nearly 200 but hovered around 60 graduates).
Hegdahl taught chemistry and Johnson taught calculus. I enjoyed having both of them as teachers and found them interesting and knowledgeable. I remember a small fire in the chemistry lab involving a bunsen burner in Jerry’s class. He took it in stride. It was a blessing that both Mr. Hegdahl and Mr. Johnson were very patient, considering chemistry and upper level math weren’t my strongest subjects. My dad always said anytime you start mixing numbers and letters it was never a good thing.
Both Ralph and Jerry are outdoor enthusiasts.
Jerry studied botany before he started teaching in Becker in 1978. He retired in 2008 after teaching science and chemistry for 30 years in Becker.
Jerry is an avid bicylcist and loves all things outdoors. He recently returned from a trip to Arizona with his niece, where he thoroughly enjoyed the landscape and scenery. They got plenty of exercise on their excursion as they participated in daily desert hikes near Patagonia, AZ and visited state parks. They also spent time in Buenos Aires, AZ (wildlife refuge). They hiked up to 10 miles every day and had daily picnics - shopping at an organic co-op for fresh produce for their daily morsels.
Jerry and his niece enjoyed the culture and the people during their travels to AZ. Jerry said: “It was particularly unique to have my 22 year old niece Amy join me, since it was her first trip to the desert.”
Jerry has gone on a summer trip almost every year for the past 25 years. Most of his expeditions have included his two children and involved camping and backpacking (14-28 days at a stretch). It brought a chuckle from Jerry when I informed him that my sisters and I consider camp a four letter word. The lack of indoor plumbing is a serious factor in my opinion of the activity.
Jerry is very environmentally conscious and that is reflected in his daily living. He goes through considerable effort to raise a majority of the food he consumes year -round. He is not daunted by the task, either. It’s a way of life for him and he has no intention of changing that.
He has a large garden and grows a plethora of fruits and vegetables. He cans and freezes a great deal of fresh produce every year. He also raises eight bantam chickens and also eats venison from his deer hunting. Jerry buys very little at the grocery store. Jerry told me: “I’m happy I don’t leave much of a carbon footprint”.
Jerry has two children - April (34) and Andrew (29). April is a clinic social worker in St. Cloud and Andrew takes after his father and teaches science in Dassel-Cokato.
Jerry and Andrew are looking forward to a trip to the Boundary Waters this summer. They will enjoy plenty of hiking I’m sure. Exercise and being outdoors are good for the body and the soul. Jerry is enjoying his retirement - one journey at a time!
