Stories: Walter Rhein. Chasing Two Olympians up an Andean Pass.

Today we speak with

Walter Rhein

. Walter is a full-time writer, traveler and amateur athlete.

After college, he lived in Peru for 10 years, writing and editing for publications there. He moved back to his home in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, and re-immersed into the world of cross-country skiing.

He writes about the Birkebeiner - the biggest North American ski race which attracts athletes from all over the world - in his book “Beyond Birkie Fever.” He writes about the race and his experience with it.

His personal essays focus on social justice, immigration, and narrative non-fiction. He also writes novels for his children which we hope to see published soon.

He lives with his wife and kids in beautiful Northern Wisconsin. Today, we interview Walter and read his story: “Chasing Two Olympians up an Andean Pass was an Exercise in Humility.”

From the show:

“…When I lived in Peru, I was an editor of a couple different publications down there. And through that, I met Peru's first winter Olympian. And that's Roberto Carcelen, who was a cross-country skier. And it was just sort of funny because... there's two people in this country that even know what cross-country skiing is…”

“… because my daughter now is in cross-country and she'll do things. It's funny, these little things you realize, like she'll be out running cross-country and she'll make her hands into fists. You can't waste energy making fists. You have to keep your body loose. You know, if you're tight, that energy is not making you go fast. So everything that you do is keeping you moving forward. And it's just a nice philosophy in life. I mean, you think about the energy you spend worrying that isn't helping you go forward…”

“…We understand that our computer screens need screensavers, right? Otherwise the image gets burned onto the screen. Well, the same thing happens in your brain. If you're always in the same environment staring at a screen, you get caught up in this kind of cyclical thinking. So if you do something as simple as get away from your desk and be able to do a walk around the block for 20 minutes…”