The Northern Nerd

Years ago, many families came together after the work day to share a meal together. This sit down meal provided a time where stories from the day were shared, updates on how the school day went (“We didn’t learn anything new, Mom.”), and other topics were thrown about the table while mashed potatoes were being passed. It was a time to truly get to know the people around you and your family members...

My friends, Beau and Bethany Petersen had me over at their Wisconsin Surf shop to enjoy a night of podcasting in their mobile sauna called Wisconsin Sauna. While we were slow cooking in the sauna, we discussed the Birkie, what the event means to us, and also gave you some Birkie tips! Enjoy!

There's nothing quite like Birkie Week in Hayward, WI. The town's population grows exponentially and there's a buzz that everyone can feel. It's the Super Bowl of the Northwoods. With the big week quickly approaching, I dipped back into my vault to talk about what the Birkie means to me. Enjoy!

The American Birkebeiner is less than a month away and I couldn't be more excited. The atmosphere in the northwoods area this time of year is something I wish I could bottle up and save for a rainy day. With that being said, this year will be a little bit different for me. I won't be just a spectator this year. I will be skiing in the Kortelopet ski race. Coming from a guy who didn't put on skis u...

We kicked off 2022 by having our friend from the Whistle Punk, Josh Joiner, join the show. It was his first podcast and he rocked it. Josh recently moved to the area from Illinois and we wanted to hear what he loves about living in the northwoods. He also talked about his Chicago Bears, but we let it slide (just this once.) We also gave you some concerts to be on the look out for, some stand up co...

After almost three years since my solo trip out to California, this episode is dedicated to the solo traveler. Traveling with friends, family and your significant other is beautiful in its own right, but solo trips can be revolutionary as well. Here's a tale from the vault about my trip out to California and the things I learned about myself along the way. Enjoy!

Small town life isn't for everyone. The pace is often a little bit slower and the there's not much for night life besides tucking yourself into a corner booth at the local watering hole. But there's so much more to small town life than there appears. There's beauty in conversations while in line at the grocery store. There's a simplicity found in waving to your neighbors while on a walk down the s...

We all had a favorite teacher growing up. For some of us, it probably doesn't take too long to recall. You remember something funny they did or the way they made you feel while you were in their classroom. We all had a teacher we didn't like as well, but let's not think of them right now. Teachers have an opportunity to make a profound impact on the lives of their students and that's just one of t...

Merry Malortmas! Let's preface this episode by saying that you're going to want to have a full glass before you start this one. We always enjoy getting together at the end of every year to rehash the events of the year. This year (much like last year) was a doozy and we probably had too much fun recording this one, but who cares? If you'd like to turn this episode into a drinking game, here are th...

Chris Wolf is one of the co-founders of the legendary Seeley Lumber Camp and is also one of my best friends. I have been meaning to sit down and record an episode with him for the longest time and the opportunity finally presented itself. Enjoy our in-depth dive into Seeley Lumber Camp and also some of our favorite (and not so favorite) Christmas traditions. If anyone wants to start the lights unt...

After a brief hiatus, the After Hours crew was able to sit down with a few cold beverages to discuss what we've been up to lately. A lot has happened since July when we last recorded an episode! We also discussed the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, gave out some great recommendations and gave you some not so legit promo codes to use. Also, if anyone is interested in sponsoring our backpacking trip...

"The Show" was an iconic morning show on 92.3 WRLS in the northwoods of Wisconsin for over 20 years with my dad, Gary Hessel, and long time radio host, Dick Bender. While I was growing up, I got the wonderful opportunity to join them in the studio on multiple occasions to listen to them crack jokes while conducting "The Show." It has been a dream of mine to get these two back together for a "reuni...

Lucia Mauro is a Chicago filmmaker and cancer survivor and she is bringing her film "One Year Later" to the Park Center on Thursday, September 23rd. I had the pleasure of interviewing Lucia to talk about her film and other films she has made. We also discussed her travels and her favorite places to venture to in Italy! This will be her first time in the northwoods and we are so blessed to have her...

The Northwoods Humane Society is celebrating their 25th Anniversary with a 1k Dog Walk & Ice Cream Social on September 12th. I had Deanna (NHS) and Vallie from the Ovarian Cancer Symptom Awareness (OCSA) organization over at the house to talk about their wonderful organizations and how they are collaborating to put on this great event and other events in the northwoods. We had a fantastic time...

Bryce Gervais is a professional hockey player and an avid fan of the northwoods. He's played for the MSU Mankato Mavericks, Chicago Wolves (AHL), EHC Olten (SL), and most recently the Heilbronner Falken (DEL 2). In this episode, we talked about growing up in Canada, what it's like to be a professional athlete, life as a new dad, and the wonders of the northwoods. Enjoy our latest episode!

A rainy evening at fishing camp was just what we needed to get this episode recorded. I always wanted to sit down with my dad and brother to recount stories of hunting/fishing and many others throughout our time together. Enjoy our stories, endless movie quotes and laughing at our own jokes.

There's nothing like a good old fashioned family road trip. Dad's always have some memorable lines along the journey and in this episode I share some that were sent in to me by you guys! I also share some of my favorite family road trip memories as well as discuss some events happening soon in the Northwoods! Thanks for listening and Bucks in six!

We know you're probably confused by the title of this episode and so are we, but that's what happens when you take the show on the road and wind up at Darryl and Robin's cabin. This was our first show as guests in someone's house and we had a blast. (Probably too much of a good time.) We discussed the chaos of summer in a tourist town, 4th of July festivities, great summer movies, gave a terrible...

I was able to chat with Sam and Adam LaSalle to discuss the wonderful world of timber sports and what fans can expect from the Sawyer County Wood Chop this upcoming weekend. We also chatted about life as a lumberjack/lumberjill and they shared the nerdiest things they own. What a fun couple to have on the show! The Sawyer County Wood Chop is happening in Hayward at the Lumberjack Bowl on Sunday, J...

If this week was any indication, summer is officially here. In this episode, I discuss the signs of summer that were sent in by members of the "Nerd Herd" and also give recommendations on things to do in the Northwoods. Crank up the AC, crack a cold one, and enjoy our latest episode. Episode Sponsor: Sublime Subs

No one on this particular episode was safe from roasting as we recorded from my kitchen. The grammar police were in full force as well as many random promo codes which may or may not be legit. (But we're like 99.9% sure they're not legit.) We had special guests, Gary Haack and Taylor Egge on the show along with a rather interesting appearance by Beau Petersen. We discussed vacation plans, the Aaro...

We've all got cabin fever and it's inherently obvious in our latest episode involving Birkie talk, a weather update, our latest recommendations or "recs", fake ads and our horrible book club stories that we made up. Enjoy our debauchery and we thank you for listening.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to travel the country while living in a van? In my conversation with Mackenzie and Will I was able to get some insight into the "van life." They shared their inspiration behind the switch to this kind of lifestyle as well as how they went about building out their van. Mackenzie and Will discussed some of their highlights of the journey so far and share...

My high school friends Eddie, Mitch, and David came over to break in The Northern Nerd garage studio. (It sounds fancier than it actually is.) We discussed Birkie, small town bars, shared college stories, and gave you some good local directions to follow. Enjoy our latest episode and you'll probably want to listen to it with a cold brew in your hands.

The band got back together for another "After Hours" episode to discuss the recent happenings in the stock market with GameStop (in which we have 0 expertise), discussed sports, music, movies, fake ads, and even tried out some new bits to kick off the new year! Enjoy the latest episode and here's hoping that Malcolm Gladwell joins us on the next show.