31 FALL 2019 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 01 SNOWGOER . COM
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Over time , however , life changed . I graduated high school , left my parents ’ home , went to college and eventually moved back to the Twin Cities while learning to love the city lifestyle . To some extent , I had left snowmobiling and that former backcountry , adventurous life behind – or so I thought .
After a two-year stint writing for a political outlet , I became the managing editor for Snow Goer magazine and my mind immediately flashed back to those very same trails . With top-of-the-line new sleds , I couldn ’ t wait to reclaim the days of my youth meshed with the conveniences of adulthood .
BRINGING IT BACK
At the Snow Goer shop in Plymouth , Minnesota , I loaded a 2018 Ski-Doo MXZ X 850 E-TEC , a 2018 Polaris 600 Rush Pro-S and a 2018 Polaris Switchback XCR into our trailer .
Once loaded , I made the threehour drive northwest to Park Rapids . Founded in 1890 along the banks of the Fish Hook River – which runs northto-south through it – Park Rapids has 3,935 official residents according to the 2010 U . S . census , but during both winter and summer tourist seasons the total population surrounding the area can easily become triple that .
Park Rapids is located roughly 22 miles south of Itasca State Park , and with three 24-hour grocery stores ( one being a Wal- Mart supercenter ), several automotive and snowmobile dealers , and just as many