Breakdown, Recovery, and the Outdoors

by Bremicker, Christopher

• ISBN13: 9781963869446
• ISBN10: 1963869443
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2026-01-05
• Publisher: Running Wild Press

Summary

Inheriting a love of the outdoors from his parents turned into the way out of a schizo-affective disorder the Vietnam War put Mike Reynolds through. The outdoors healed him as much as the therapy and medication his doctors at the veterans’ hospital ordered. Without God’ s earth, Mike stood a snowball’ s chance in Hell of making it. But he did make it with a fishing rod, shotgun, skis, and his girlfriend’ s sobriety (helping him with his own). Her newborn daughter helped, too.

Author Biography

Christopher G. Bremicker was born in Manhattan, moved to San Diego when his father was in the Korean War, and returned to St. Paul where he attended Central High School. He was a Green Beret medic stationed in Ft. Brag NC from 1968 to 1970. He is a grouse hunter, fisherman, and downhill skier. He has a BA in English and MBA, both from the University of Minnesota. His day jobs in customer service ended with a job at Walgreens, his forty sixth job since high school.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS Outdoors 11 Jackson Hole 13 Recruiting Center 21 Delayed Enlistment 29 Duck Hunting 35 Sun Valley 43 Basic Training 53 Vietnam 59 Home 71 Aftermath 73 Attempts At Getting Well 77 Camp 81 Camp Life 87 Vicky 91 Parents 97 Namekagon River 107 Northern Flight 113 Authorities 121 Sobriety 125 Cravings 129 Minnetonka Lake 137 Marsh Lake Game Farm 145 The Grouse Road 151 Mickey’ s Diner 159 Mille Lacs Lake 165 Devil’ s Lake 175 Ordway Park 181 Relapse 187 Pelican Lake 193 A Child 207 Family 215 Emma 219 Cable 221 Welch Village 231 Buffalo Lake 239 Recovery 243 Salvation 247 Turkey Hunting 251