There’s something about the first mile of dirt road that shakes the city dust off your boots. This week, we packed up the Tacoma, loaded our gear, grabbed the dog, and headed into the Chippewa National Forest for a little something we call overlanding up north. It’s more than just a trip — it’s a mindset, a pace, and a lifestyle we live year-round here at All Trails Lead North.
Trailhead: Into the North Woods
Located in northern Minnesota, the Chippewa National Forest stretches across millions of acres of pristine lakes, towering pines, and winding forest service roads. For us, it’s a home base for adventure — remote enough to feel wild, yet close enough to haul in what we need. Our truck, a gray Toyota Tacoma outfitted with a Leitner rack and rooftop tent, held everything from trail tools to a few bags of our Grade A wild rice.
As we pulled into a hidden spot near Mabel Lake, the morning mist still hung over the water like smoke. No traffic. No reception. Just trees, water, and the sound of the fire crackling to life as we set up base camp.
Breakfast by the Fire
First order of business: coffee. Our small-batch trail roast is made for mornings like these — brewed cowboy-style over an open flame, shared between shivers and sunrise. With the dog curled up near the fire and the smell of pine in the air, we cooked up a batch of wild rice and eggs with some jerky tossed in for good measure.
Food tastes different out here. Simpler. Richer. More connected. Our wild rice, grown and harvested in Minnesota, just feels right when eaten on the land it came from. There’s something primal about stirring a cast iron pan on an open flame with a lake in view and a loyal dog at your feet.
Off the Grid, On the Trail
After breakfast, we hit a nearby trail system, navigating slow and steady through soft ruts and pine needle-covered rock. The GEN-Y hitch handled the off-road weight like a champ, and our gear stayed dry thanks to the rack system we’ve trusted on trips like this all year.
There’s no rush when you’re off-grid. You notice things — the deep green of moss-covered boulders, the sudden flash of a deer, the way sunlight filters through pine branches like stained glass. The truck moved slow. So did we. And that’s the point.
Dogs, Dirt, and Diode Lights
One of the highlights of any trip up north is watching our dog become exactly who she was meant to be. No leash. No commands. Just instincts and freedom. She sniffed every log, leapt over fallen trees, and curled up in the truck bed when she was tired — covered in mud and grinning like a wild thing.
As the sun set, we fired up our Diode Dynamics off-road lights. Mounted to the rack, they turned the pitch-black forest into a well-lit perimeter for camp cooking, gear sorting, and night scouting. When you’re this deep in the woods, a reliable light source is more than helpful — it’s essential.
Why We Do This
Overlanding isn’t about flexing gear or building the most over-the-top rig. It’s about slowing down and reconnecting with the natural world — with yourself, with your dog, with the fire, and with the food you make over it. It’s mornings that start with fog and end with stars. It’s making coffee when it’s barely light out and sitting by the fire doing absolutely nothing in the best way possible.
Trips like this one remind us why we built All Trails Lead North. Every product we offer — from wild rice and coffee to dog treats and hitches — is field-tested not just for function, but for the feeling it gives you when you’re out here. If it doesn’t make your experience better, it doesn’t belong in our shop.
Join Us On the Trail
This won’t be our last post from the North Woods. We’ve got more trails to explore, more coffee to brew, and more stories to tell from the road. We’ll keep the fire going — and we hope you’ll come along.
Explore the shop to get the gear and flavors that fuel adventures like this one. And if you’ve been on a similar trip, tag us in your pics — we want to see where your trail leads.
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