Nothing could stop Sandi Braunstein from carving her way down a ski run at Snowmass Resort in Colorado. She glided over the snow alongside her two coaches, Jeff and Erik, who were there to instruct and support her as she made turns down the mountain.

Braunstein uses a bi-sit ski, which consists of a molded seat mounted on a frame with two skis underneath. This adaptive equipment is designed for people who ski in a seated position and might have difficulty balancing on traditional skis.

“When you go down the hill, it is both thrilling and terrifying,” she said. “I’m like, don’t fall, don’t fall, don’t fall.”

Sandi Braunstein of Grand Rapids, Minn., center, and her coaches, Jeff and Erik, take in the view at Snowmass Ski Resort in Colorado in April 2025. (Courtesy photo)

Braunstein is a full-time mom, student and hobby farmer in Grand Rapids, Minn. She is also a military veteran who served for nearly a decade in the Minnesota Army National Guard.

During a training exercise in the Guard, she broke her leg and three vertebrae in her back. After seven unsuccessful surgeries over the span of nine years, Braunstein elected to have her left leg amputated below the knee. Now she is an avid member of the group Disabled American Veterans. That is why she was downhill skiing in Colorado.

“I love sports, and this is the winter sports clinic that they do every year. I skipped last year, so I am happy to be back on the slopes,” Braunstein said.

Returning to civilian life after military service can be a welcome change, but the abrupt transition can also be stressful and overwhelming. The reintegration process can feel isolating, and especially difficult for veterans who come back from long or dangerous deployments, or who found a deep sense of community in the military. Reentry can provoke anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress.

Braunstein has been exposed to multiple traumas over the course of her life and lives with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a mental health condition that can develop after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event.

She said nature has a positive influence on her mental health.

“Even if you go to a park, just touch the grass,” Braunstein said. “I know it sounds mundane, but it helps. It has helped.”

Spending time engaging in outdoor recreation is known to improve general health and well-being. And research shows that veterans, in particular, benefit from outdoor activities as part of a complementary approach to treating mental health.

Studies indicate that outdoor recreation and multi-day wilderness trips can reduce symptoms of PTSD, anxiety and depression. Outdoor excursions also build on veterans’ strengths and can echo positive aspects of military service, like being physically challenged, having a defined purpose and building camaraderie.

“To me, it’s more healing and fulfilling than anything else I’ve experienced,” Braunstein said. “I’ve met so many incredible people, and I’ve done so many incredible things that I don’t think I would have had the spirit to do otherwise.”

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says about 13% of female veterans and 6% of male veterans have been diagnosed with PTSD. The percentage is higher for Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans.

Symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, difficulty sleeping, hypervigilance and detachment manifest differently from person to person. They can persist for an extended period of time and impact a person’s relationships, ability to work and daily activities.

The Veterans Administration’s health care system sets clinical practice guidelines to identify first-line treatments for PTSD. Psychiatric medication may be included in the treatment plan, but psychotherapy is generally the first line of treatment.

Engaging in beneficial activities, such as wilderness adventures, can complement both medication and therapy.

Getting outside is something Matthew Kaler, a psychologist with the Veterans Administration in Minneapolis, encourages wholeheartedly. He said it is a way for people to introduce rewards into their day-to-day life that may have been taken from them by their symptoms.

“Getting to a place where you feel like you have meaning in your life again is critically important, and so we want to encourage people to find those things that fit for them,” Kaler said.

Some veterans have found that fit and are sharing it with others.

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Sean Gobin lives in southern Virginia and served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the Marines. Gobin was a tank platoon commander in 2003 during the initial invasion of Iraq and fought in Fallujah in 2005. He then spent 2011 in Afghanistan training the Afghan national security forces. Gobin says this was his breaking point.

“I did not realize it at the time, but I was obviously struggling with pretty severe post-traumatic stress symptoms. I was having a really hard time connecting with people and talking to people and being around people. It was a lot,” he said. “I was like, I have to get out. I have to make a change or else everything is just going to implode.”

On Gobin’s last day in uniform, he left his base in North Carolina and headed to Springer Mountain, Ga., to begin a 2,200-mile hike on the Appalachian Trail. He trekked across rugged mountainous terrain all the way to Maine to “walk off the war.”

“What started as a bucket list item of something I always wanted to do since I was a kid — and I just looked at as a personal physical challenge — ultimately ended up saving my life,” Gobin said.

It took him 4½ months to hike through 14 states on the Appalachian Trail.

“Towards the end of the trail, I was like, wow, this has been so beneficial to me,” Gobin said. “I wonder if it would be beneficial to others.”

The experience inspired him to form a nonprofit called Warrior Expeditions, an outdoor therapy program that aims to help veterans transition from their wartime experiences and recover from PTSD.

Vets process their traumas, reconnect socially and improve their physical health through long-distance hiking, paddling and biking expeditions. The trips last three to six months.

“There’s enough duration within the experience to actually rewire the brain,” Gobin said.

Numerous studies show that spending time outside has a direct impact on the brain and body. Outdoor experiences can lower blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol and improve cognitive function.

Gobin said being on extended outdoor trips allows for decompression and the ability to process emotions.

Warrior Expeditions collaborates with two psychologists who are also veterans. They measure post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression among participants before and after each journey. They say the results show a clear reduction in symptoms and an improvement in psychological well-being. Gobin said when you see somebody at the end of a trip, it’s like a light switch was turned on.

“Eyes are bright. They are super exuberant and enthusiastic while talking and telling you about everything, and they are laughing,” he said. “It is a night-and-day difference in interacting with the person I met six months ago.”

Veteran advocacy groups around the U.S. successfully backed federal legislation in 2020 that launched programs and policies to help veterans with reintegration, mental health and treatment. The legislation also requires a Veterans Administration task force to research the benefits of outdoor recreation therapy.

Trent Dilks is the Minnesota legislative director for the group Disabled American Veterans. He advocates for veterans at the state and federal levels and said the VA task force study is overdue. Dilks also served 10 years with the Minnesota National Guard and did two combat tours in Iraq.

Trent Dilks, the Minnesota legislative director for the group Disabled American Veterans, takes a selfie in the mountains and snow in Colorado. (Courtesy photo)

“Being in Iraq and seeing all of that, and then the culture shock of coming back to all of the excess and all of the things and all of the noise here, it was difficult,” he said. “I was restless. I was not comfortable where I was. I was dealing with a lot of anxiety. Later, I would realize it was post-traumatic stress.”

Dilks coped with his PTSD in destructive ways by partying and trying to numb his feelings. He tried therapy and medication but did not like how the drugs made him feel. Dilks recognized that he needed to find his own path to healing. A significant part of that journey involved spending time outdoors.

With a burst of excitement, Dilks grabbed his phone and tapped open a video from a trip to Colorado. In the clip, he and his former roommate from Iraq are summiting a peak. Snow is blowing in every direction.

“It was him and I hiking up there, and the wind gusts were just absolutely crazy,” he said.

Watching the video, Dilks burst into laughter, and a smile spread across his face as he noticed the icicle hanging from his beard. He said that whenever life feels difficult, he returns to the outdoors, because nothing beats fresh air and the space to breathe.

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There’s a reason that the announcement from the Vikings didn’t even feel like breaking news.

As much as the conspiracy theorists on social media tried to make this into a bigger deal than it was over the past few months, it always felt like only a matter of time before the Vikings worked something out with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

That’s exactly what happened on Friday morning when the Vikings announced that they had signed Adofo-Mensah to a multiyear contract extension.

There wasn’t any other choice.

Since being hired in January 2022 to oversee a competitive rebuild, Adofo-Mensah has steadily built the Vikings into a perennial NFC power.

Maybe even a Super Bowl contender in short order if future franchise quarterback J.J. McCarthy is as special as everyone in the organization thinks he can be.

That’s a testament to everything Adofo-Mensah has done throughout his tenure. He’s taken some big swings along the way, and while some of resulted in home runs and some in strikeouts, the Vikings have consistently been heading in the right direction.

There’s no sense in shaking up the status quo. Not when the Vikings are in a good spot as currently constructed.

After inheriting an aging roster that looked to be past its prime, Adofo-Mensah slowly but surely dug the Vikings out of salary cap hell, which allowed them to be among the biggest spenders in free agency this offseason.

There were some tough conversations along the way, such as releasing beloved receiver Adam Thielen, parting ways with star running back Dalvin Cook and, most notably, moving on from franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins.

The changes haven’t stopped the Vikings from competing at the highest level. Not only have they made the playoffs twice with Adofo-Mensah at the helm, they have managed to produce 34 wins in that span. Only the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Baltimore Ravens have more.

So, why does it feel like a large portion of the fan base is disappointed that Adofo-Mensah is sticking around? Most of the frustration seems to be rooted in the inability to hit on draft picks.

To say that Adofo-Mensah has struggled with that part of the job would be an understatement. It started a few months after he took over. He selected 10 players in the 2022 NFL Draft, most of which are no longer on the roster, and he hasn’t been able to escape it.

Though he certainly deserves his fair share of criticism for missing so badly on safety Lewis Cine, cornerback Andrew Booth Jr., and right guard Ed Ingram, that shouldn’t completely overshadow some of the savvy moves Adofo-Mensah has made in the aftermath of that dumpster fire.

Just look at the roster he’s built. It’s among the best in the NFL.

On offense, Adofo-Mensah gets credit for drafting McCarthy, signing running back Aaron Jones, extending receiver Justin Jefferson, trading for tight end T.J. Hockenson, and completely revamping the interior of offensive line.

On defense, Adofo-Mensah gets credit for signing defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave, signing edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel, all while building depth across the board.

You can’t pillory him for his failures without praising him for his successes.

That’s why the Vikings signing Adofo-Mensah to a multiyear contract was the right move. He has earned the right to see it through.

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St. Paul police and fire personnel rescued people trapped in a burning building on Rice Street Saturday morning after a two-alarm blaze broke out, officials said.

Police and fire officials responded at about 9:30 a.m. to an apartment fire in a three-story building on the 500 block of Rice Street, said Deputy Chief Jamie Smith, spokesman for the St. Paul Fire Department.

When police arrived, they saw flames on the second floor. Officers helped about seven people on the first floor, which contains commercial space, escape the building. When firefighters arrived, they heard people were trapped and rescued another seven people from the third floor of the building.

The blaze was extinguished before it spread from a unit on the second floor.

St. Paul police said two officers were taken by ambulance to an area hospital to be treated for minor smoke inhalation. In addition, one occupant of the building was taken to the hospital to be treated for the same condition.

A spokesperson from the St. Paul Department of Safety and Inspections told officials that the building is now condemned due to the fire damage. Red Cross will work with the building management to help the 14 adults who lived in the building.

Animal control was on scene to assist with multiple displaced cats.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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A sweeping look at the vanishing American prairie and two crime novels set in Minnesota are this week’s offerings to our readers.

“Sea of Grass”: by Dave Hage and Josephine Marcotty (Random House, $32)

(Courtesy of Random House)

Agriculture has altered — and damaged — the very biological and chemical cycles that created the extraordinary prairie in the first place, from the creation of soil to the flow and purity of water, to the ebb of wildlife and the circulating of elements in and out of the atmosphere. It’s created intractable pollution problems that endanger human health and cripple other ecosystems, from its damage to insects to the dead zone in the Golf of Mexico. — from “Sea of Grass”

In this timely and important book, subtitled “The Conquest, Ruin, and Redemption of Nature on the American Prairie,” award-winning former Star Tribune writers Hage and Marcotty explore and explain the environmental crisis caused by the disappearance of thousands of acres of American prairie that once stretched from Montana to Illinois, eastern Minnesota to northern Texas.

The North American prairie, they write, is one of Earth’s four great temperate grasslands, the others being the steppes of Central Asia, the Pampas of South America, and the veld of southern Africa. It is also one of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth, home to small insects and big grazing mammals.

Before the Industrial  Revolution took hold in farming, the untouched prairie grasses created a web of roots that could grow as deep as two feet into the ground. When white settlers arrived in the 19th century they brought with them plows that tore up the prairie for the first time. These pioneers used rudimentary plows, but when steel plows became available farmers were able to plant and harvest much more food per acre to feed a growing population. This affected the prairie’s biological diversity as rivers were rerouted, synthetic nitrogen became a standard fertilizer and the delicate symbiosis of the prairie was uprooted. Over decades the prairie was converted into some of the richest farmland on Earth, but the country paid a terrible price

The authors help us understand what that price means in chapters examining river, dirt, bugs and water. For Minnesotans, the discussion about rivers might be the most important as we learn how the Mississippi picks up fertilizer runoff from rivers that flow into it, growing more polluted as it rolls through the Twin Cities southward until the pollutants create a “dead zone” of chemicals in the Gulf of Mexico.

Now industrial agriculture is plowing up the remaining grasslands at the rate of 1 million acres a year  If the sea of grass is to be saved, the authors argue, it will take cooperation between farmers who care about the land, help from the federal government and efforts by eco-conscious consumers.

Although we are losing everything from bees to oysters, “Sea of Grass” ends with hope that comes from people like South Dakota writer and buffalo rancher Dan O’Brien, who sees the great creatures that once roamed the prairie as far as the eye could see as a way to restore the animals’ ancestral home.

Books about environmental devastation are increasingly common as we watch the natural world we once knew disappear. “Sea of Grass,” written clearly and with passion, is one of the best.

The authors will introduce “Seas of Grass” during a free program at 7 p.m. Thursday at Magers & Quinn, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Mpls.

“Rattlesnake Bluff”: by Cary J. Griffith (Adventure Publications, $16.95)

(Courtesy of Adventure Publications)

“..they hadn’t anticipated a rattlesnake’s denning instincts, the keen skillset of a wolf dog’s nose, the remarkable aptitude of a DNR herpetologist, DNA analysis of isolated rattlesnake populations, or the use of implanted chips to track rattlesnake specimens. Or that an apparently forged confession might contain the details of what actually happened. — from “Rattlesnake Bluff”

A rattlesnake found on the seat of a Bobcat at a construction site sends U.S. Fish & Wildlife Special Agent Sam Rivers and his wolf dog Gray into investigating a 23-year-old crime in the fifth book in this appealing series. This is no ordinary rattler; it’s an eastern massasauga, an endangered species that doesn’t belong in Minnesota although it might have escaped from a Wisconsin research facility where a scientist is implanting snakes to track their movements. Rivers is joined by local DNA personnel as he tries to figure out if he needs to shut down the site where the snake was found, holding up construction of expensive homes.

When Gray tracks the scent of two bodies buried in the bluff, everything changes. The readers know how the decayed bodies of a young brother and sister got to their rocky resting place but Sam does not. Meanwhile, Sam’s boss in Denver is not happy with him staying in Minnesota and getting behind on paperwork he avoids.

The cast includes a mysterious person who called himself Der Furher as a teenager, Sam’s fiancee who just wants him to come home, and a woman contractor working hard in a business dominated by men.

Cary J. Griffith (Courtesy of the author)

“Rattlesnake Bluff” gets more complicated and dangerous as Sam and others get closer to figuring out what the snakes have to do with the building site and learn new details about the night the young siblings were killed when hit by a car.

Rivers is a smart guy who knows his flora and fauna as well as his duty to wildlife, even snakes. Readers who can’t stand the thought of snakes, even on the page, will be happy to know that the creatures are not described in great detail and one of them is dead.

The author, who also writes nature-based nonfiction, grew up roaming the woods, fields and waters of eastern Iowa, where he developed a lifelong love of wild places.

“Payne Avenue”: by M.T. Bartone (Modern Prose Press, $13.99)

Eddie laughed as he tightened his grip on O’s wrist before quickly yanking out the little screwdriver. O screamed as he pulled his mangled hand away from Eddie. He held it gingerly in his other hand, close to his chest. — from “Payne Avenue”

Set in the neighborhoods surrounding St. Paul’s Payne Avenue, this is the story of the rise and fall of Eddie Bracchio, a gangster who returns to St. Paul from Brooklyn and sees ways to build a criminal empire while betraying his powerful boss.

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Eddie begins slowly, recruiting two teen boys to become his drug dealers. Carefully and sometimes violently, he replaces the neighborhoods’ low-level crime bosses and builds a successful illegal business, siphoning money that’s rolling in through the books of a restaurant he helps an old woman open.

What Eddie wants most, though, he can’t have — beautiful Kate De Luca, who’s married and has no idea Eddie wants to control and possess her. When Kate suffers a tragedy, the plot becomes hers as she ponders revenge.

“Payne Avenue” is long at 154 pages, which sometimes slows the plot. But the author does a fine job of giving readers a sense of place, with characters moving along the streets that surround Payne Avenue in this tale of a killer whose ambition is his ruin.