PERHAM, Minn. — An 11-year-old Minnesota boy achieved a remarkable feat this summer by ascending Mount Kilimanjaro alongside his 70-year-old grandfather.

Wyatt Guck of Perham and his grandfather, Stewart Hofland, hiked the mountain in Africa together.

Hofland has been on many adventures through the years, including hiking to the top of the African continent’s highest peak. In December, he told his grandson, should he accept the challenge, he would also be agreeing to a big commitment to physically prepare.

“I thought it would be fun,” Wyatt said, adding that soon after he agreed, the 5 a.m. workouts began, and he built up stamina to hike up to 10 miles in a day while carrying a backpack with about 20 pounds.

Hofland took him to the Perham Area Community Center or CrossFit to use the stair stepper and treadmill. When the weather allowed, the two visited Maplewood State Park to hike its hilly terrain.

The two remained committed and were well prepared when they left for Africa in late June. After 36 hours of traveling, they arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport.

Wyatt Guck enjoyed the vastly different landscapes while hiking up Mount Kilimanjaro. (Photo courtesy of Stewart Hofland)

Before beginning the ascent, Wyatt and Hofland met about a dozen hikers at the base of the mountain, as well as a dozen more guides or porters. Hofland explained the porters carried the bulk of the weight for the hikers, including their tents, food and other supplies.

When the hike began, Hofland gave his grandson some sage advice. During his past experience on the mountain, he learned the person walking directly behind the pace setter had the longest break.

“After I told him that, he was about one foot behind the leader,” Hofland said.

The crew traversed through five biomes. Including the cultivation, rainforest, heather-moorland, alpine desert and the Arctic summit.

“The rainforest was neat, and not a lot of bugs,” Wyatt said, before adding the “moors” looked like a “desert without sand, just rocks and gray dirt. The last two days it’s just rocks.”

Wyatt Guck hiked through five biomes on his way to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. (Photo courtesy of Stewart Hofland)

Mishaps create memories

There were many memorable moments with the people Wyatt and Hofland met, and things they saw on the trail. However, there are moments that really stick out in most adventures.

For Wyatt, those times often included silly banter and joking with his grandfather, or the time a packet of hot chocolate exploded in his face. In those moments, memories were being built that will likely last his lifetime.

Hofland appreciated those times too, but there was a moment during the ascent when he didn’t know if he could complete the mission.

“Somewhere along the way, I got COVID,” he said. “The night we were ascending my mind and body were telling me I can’t take another step. I’d never experienced that before.”

Because of past experiences climbing various mountains, Hofland knew altitude sickness can impact someone at any given moment. So, he told the lead guide about his dilemma. The guide reached into his backpack and pulled out a packet.

“They called it goo,” he said. “It’s just sugar. But I accused him of giving me illicit drugs because 15 minutes later, I was going up that mountain like it was a hill. It was the dangest thing, and poor Wyatt had to listen to me sing.”

The extra boost came during the final ascent, which was the most challenging day. Hofland explained the final hike lasts several hours and requires waking up at 11 p.m., hiking to the peak, then back down a good portion of the mountain.

Wyatt noted the night hike made him feel like he was in a “snow globe with stars everywhere.”

And at the top, he took in another inspiring view and looked down from the peak to see clouds and a sun that appeared to be poking through them.

As the hike became long and intense, Hofland was able to keep pace with the group, despite not feeling the best. He said his motivation came from his grandson.

“I think I told him there was a rope between his back and my heart,” Hofland recalled.

Wyatt Guck and his grandfather, Stewart Hofland, take in the view as they ascend Mount Kilimanjaro. (Photos courtesy of Stewart Hofland)

On the way down, the hikers were given the option of taking the trail or riding a half-mile scree slope. Wyatt dug his heels into the scree, or loose rocks, and then slid his way to a shortcut and an early break.

“He went down that thing like a squirrel,” Hofland said, adding he also took the shortcut.

After a few more nights camping on the mountain as they descended, they arrived at basecamp where a celebration with singing, dancing and fistbumps awaited them.

Wyatt hopes this is the first of many adventures. He is hoping his next one will take him to the untamed Amazon River for some piranha fishing.

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By ROB GILLIES and MARIA VERZA

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met with President Claudia Sheinbaum Thursday on a two-day visit to Mexico focused on how to diversify trade under U.S. tariff threats and keep the most important free trade agreement in the Western Hemisphere alive in the lead up to negotiations next year.

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The United States-Mexico-Canada trade pact, or USMCA, is up for review in 2026. More than 75% of Canada’s exports and more than 80% of Mexico’s go to the U.S.

The two leaders shook hands and strode side-by-side into the presidential palace in Mexico City, where Canadian Sen. Peter Boehm said the leaders were slated to commiserate about U.S. President Donald Trump.

“What are they hearing from the Americans, what we are hearing. It’s an opportunity to talk about how to handle the U.S. administration going forward,” Boehm said.

Canada-Mexico trade by maritime routes

Sheinbaum said they want to increase bilateral trade in different sectors through the free-trade agreement and to do so through maritime routes – which would avoid those goods having to pass through the United States.

“The idea is to strengthen trade through ports between Canada and Mexico on both oceans,” she said Thursday during her daily morning press conference before Carney’s arrival.

Carney is also looking to improve relations with Mexico during his two-day visit after some of Canada’s provincial premiers talked last year about cutting Mexico out of any new free trade deal with the U.S.

Seeking improved relations

Trump lumped Canada in with Mexico on fentanyl smuggling and promised sweeping tariffs on both countries. Ontario Premier Doug Ford said then that Trump comparing Canada to the Mexico was “the most insulting thing I’ve ever heard from our friends and closet allies, the United States of America.”

Boehm said the comments by the premiers, which he deemed out of their lane, upset the Mexicans.

“The Mexicans are particularly sensitive on these matters and there was concern about that, no doubt,” Boehm said.

Boehm represented the Canadian government when Sheinbaum was sworn in as Mexico’s president last year and is pushing for more engagement with Mexico. He said relations recently improved, noting Mexico appreciated Carney inviting Sheinbaum to the G7 summit in Alberta in June. Carney also sent his foreign minister as well as his finance minister to meet with Sheinbaum in August.

“A lot of people don’t realize that we trade more with Mexico than we do with the entire European Union, all of the Europe, including the U.K.,” Boehm said. “It’s a pretty big deal for us.”

Mexico is Canada’s third-largest trading partner after the U.S. and China. Canada was Mexico’s fifth-largest trading partner in 2024.

But trade with the U.S. remains paramount for both countries and preserving the free trade pact will be critical.

Trump looms over visit

A key exemption for Canada and Mexico shields the vast majority of goods from the punishing duties. Canadian and Mexican companies can claim preferential treatment under the USMCA. But Trump has some sector-specific tariffs, known as 232 tariffs, that are having an impact. There is a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum imports.

“Trump looms over this visit. Mexico and Canada now share a common threat from the U.S,” said Nelson Wiseman, professor emeritus at the University of Toronto.

“While both leaders are interested in expanding their countries trade with each other, I think their priority is to strategize on how to deal with Trump and the coming renegotiation of the USMCA. Carney and Sheinbaum now recognize that tag-teaming Trump may be more effective than competing for separate deals with Trump, although they are still angling for them.”

Different approaches to Trump administration

Mexico and Canada have had different approaches to manage the negotiations with Trump’s administration but both countries want to increase bilateral commerce within the North American treaty. Sheinbaum said the countries are already setting up teams and reviewing the agreement with the hopes of keeping trilateral free trade in place.

Mexico also wants to encourage more Canadian investment in the country but Sheinbaum said the mining companies should respect Mexican laws, namely environmental regulations which the leader said “they haven’t necessarily followed.”

Canadian companies are the largest foreign investors in Mexico’s mining sector, accounting for almost 70% of foreign investment in the sector.

Carney will have a one-on-one meeting with Sheinbaum on Thursday. There will then be a working lunch, which the leaders will be joined by their Cabinet ministers and secretaries. Carney will visit the Canadian embassy on Friday.

Gillies reported from Toronto. Verza reported from Mexico City.

Commercial broker Mark Hulsey has no illusions about Highland Station, the four-bay service station, micro-convenience store and car wash he’s attempting to market for sale at the corner of Snelling and Randolph avenues.

Snelling Avenue is a state highway that draws high traffic counts. Randolph Avenue runs through the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood, one of St. Paul’s higher-end communities. Highland Station sits on more than a half-acre of land. Combined, those assets would make 485 Snelling Ave. S. a ripe target for a developer with plans for a five-story apartment building over underground parking, if this were 2019.

But the year is 2025, and between current development costs and slowing demographic projections for St. Paul, that’s not going to happen. Hulsey, 62, who has been marketing properties throughout the Midwest since the early 1980s, imagines a future owner-operator will come calling, or the owner of multiple gas stations may want to add one more to their portfolio.

“Five or six years ago, it would have been more prime for redevelopment, just because the redevelopment market right now is not terribly strong,” Hulsey said. “The cost of labor, materials, interest rates has really put the kibosh on a lot of development opportunities.”

Still, “it’s a heck of an important corner for St. Paul,” said Hulsey, who handled a phone interview Thursday on behalf of his son Hayden Hulsey, whose partner was in labor.

The asking price for Highland Station, which was built in 1964, is $1.7 million on the open market. That it’s being marketed openly is a bit out of the ordinary for a service station.

“I don’t want to call it rare,” Hulsey said. “They trade behind the scenes. Here we have an owner-operator who has done his time at multiple stations and is going to retire.”

Owned by Sean Kriger and Krigers, Inc., the property last sold in 2003 for just under $756,000.

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Usually, I talk about how the fall-like weather is making it feel like booya time.

Since that weather seems a far way off this year, all I can say is that the thick, rich stew, cooked over an open flame, is good in any weather!

In fact, my family usually makes it during the summer.

Anyway, here’s our annual list of booya events. Every organization’s booya recipe is a little different — so maybe get out there and try a few! These are mostly fundraisers run by volunteers, so you’re eating for a good cause.

If your organization is holding a booya, please send your information to eat@pioneerpress.com, and we’ll add it to our list.

Sept. 20: Knights of Columbus Council 4374, 6133 N. 15th St., Oakdale; 7 a.m. until noon.

Sept. 20: Montgomery Lodge, Sherwood Lounge, 1418 White Bear Ave., St. Paul. 10 a.m. until noon or gone.

Sept. 28: St. Gregory the Great, 38725 Forest Blvd., North Branch; 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. or sold out.

Oct. 4: Hudson’s Fourth Annual Golden Rule Booya, Weitkamp Park, 648 O’Neil Road, Hudson, Wis.; 1 to 7 p.m. Family activities including a petting zoo, book character visits, games, face painting and exploring emergency vehicles.

Oct. 4: Roseville VFW Post 7555, 1145 Woodhill Drive, Roseville; 11 a.m. until gone.

Oct. 4-5: Stillwater Knights of Columbus Blessed Solanus Casey Council 163. Booya sold from 8 a.m. to noon Oct. 4 at St. Mary’s Church, 423 S. Fifth St., Stillwater, and after all weekend masses at St. Michael’s and St. Mary’s churches in Stillwater and St. Charles church in Bayport.

Oct. 5: St. Francis de Sales Booya Fiesta, Highland Park Pavilion, 1200 Montreal Ave., St. Paul;  11:30 a.m. until gone. Booya, tacos, hot dogs, beverages, music, children’s games and raffle.

Oct. 5: Woodbury Lutheran Church, Oakhill Campus, 9050 N. 60th St., Stillwater. 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. or gone. Booya, crackers, cookies, bars and coffee. Takeout available; containers provided. Proceeds benefit the local food shelf.

Oct. 11: Chef Ben’s Booya at St. Paul Brewing, 688 E. Minnehaha Ave., St. Paul; 11 a.m. until gone. Fire barrels, music, Mummy Train Pumpkin Ale release and Flannel Fest — wear your favorite flannel fashion for a chance to win prizes.

Oct. 12: American Legion Post 620, 5383 N. 140th St., Hugo; noon until gone.

Oct. 18: American Legion Post 577, 1129 Arcade St., St. Paul; 11 a.m. until gone.

Oct. 19: Church of St. Agnes Fall Festival and Booya, 530 Lafond Ave., St. Paul; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Games, raffle, country store and other food items available as well. Takeout available.

Oct. 25: North St. Paul VFW Post 1350, 2483 E. Seventh Ave., North St. Paul; noon until gone.

Oct. 26: Church of St. Peter, 2600 N. Margaret St., North St. Paul; 8 a.m. until gone. Takeout available at church’s east entrance and garage on 17th Avenue; containers provided.

Oct. 26: Carry-out booya at St. Jerome School, 384 E. Roselawn Ave., Maplewood. 6 a.m. until gone; St. Jerome will provide containers.

Nov. 1: St. Mary’s Catholic Church Lowertown, 267 E. Eighth St., St. Paul; 9 a.m. until noon. Sold by the quart. Containers provided. Indoor Fall Festival begins at 2 p.m.

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