Why is this man always happy?

The first time I met him, he grabbed my wrist, twisting it until I was forced to the floor. I rolled backwards, stood, and grounding myself, grabbed his wrist and did the same. This is a typical interchange in the nonviolent martial art of Aikido, and it is where I came to know the true nature of Michael Hyllested.

In his years of study at Blue Lake Aikido with Senseis Jen and Mark Dulyanai, Michael attained the level of brown belt. Aikido uses techniques to neutralize rather than retaliate — stepping into an attack, blending with the opponent’s energy, and then redirecting to cause a non-harmful resolution to conflict. Although the studio closed, Michael continues to utilize the principles he was taught there. He has combined that with a resolute openness for whatever might come his way.

Michael has lived in the small town of Markleeville for over 11 years now. Originally I thought he moved here because of our Aikido classes visits to my house. I assumed he was taken with the remote forested lands first and relocated because of that. But on the contrary, it was happenstance. He was very happy where he was in South Lake Tahoe, but a house came up in Alpine that was perfect. He fell in love with the everything Markleeville has to offer after he moved here: the quiet, the sense of community, the intimate nature of knowing this land and the people who have decided to spend their lives here. 

One of five children, he was born in California’s San Fernando Valley, and moved to Tahoe when he was 7 years old. He came from a long line of talented individuals. Both his grandparents were Danish gymnasts, and his paternal side was first-generation American. His father was in law enforcement, and his mother was a well-known oil painter.

His intense creativity is naturally occurring, as is his positive attitude.

“I have made a conscious choice to be happy, no matter what the circumstances” he said. “Money can’t buy happiness,” he continued chuckling, “unless it’s a Camaro SS396.”

Having watched Michael facing some tough situations over the years, I can attest that he manifests this outlook. His response when things have been difficult and daunting has consistently been the high road, even when it has caused him additional pain.

Growing up, he had what may be considered a classic Tahoe childhood. At 8 or 9 years old he would head out on Echo Lake trails with a machete on his back. “That machete saved my life once!” laughed Michael, “Plus we would hunt crawdads with it, cook ’em up and eat ’em!”

He was on the Buddy Werner Ski Team, becoming an adrenaline junkie early. It is still one of his favorite things to go down “The Wall” on an icy day. Michael says Kirkwood is “his mountain.” He loves skiing because “It is a zen thing: I don’t think, I just do.”

He worked at Sunset Horse Corrals when he was just 12 years old, so he could buy his own dirt-bike at age 13. This gave him even more freedom to roam the mountains. He skateboarded and biked, as he continues to do today.

Still in high school, he left home at 15, worked at Happy Steak, and lived with friends. He even moved to L.A. in the 11th grade, attending Chatsworth High, which was just the opposite of Tahoe. “Metal detectors, armed guards, and violent gangs,” says Michael. Even in that situation, he reports that he had “no fights or negative encounters.”

He took a lot of different, seemingly random jobs and saved enough to buy a car to move back to Tahoe.

“I might have encountered a lot of trouble,” he reports “but, I made it to 18!”

Continuing to exemplify the “Tahoe Lifestyle,” he worked multiple and overlapping jobs to “live in Paradise.” In absolutely no chronological order at all, and over a long span of years, he has worked at Michael’s Craft Store building displays, Kmart in stock replenishment, Los Tres Hombres, and Sierra-at-Tahoe. In 2018 he worked for a general contractor as superintendent on military base projects across Nevada and California.

Finally, he spent 20 years in the very physically and mentally demanding position of a professional roofer, and as supervisor of the “Flat Roof Crew.”

All of this shows he is both adaptable and resilient, but the best part is that he doesn’t complain about whatever it is he has to deal with. He acknowledges what is, and then simply moves forward.

His 13-year-old son Gabriel was named after one of his best friends and has grown up with Michael in Markleeville. They have two dogs. One is an exquisitely trained Belgian Malinois. Michael has put himself 100 percent into being a parent, knowing his demeanor and world view make a huge difference in his son’s upbringing.

Gabriel is involved in all sorts of incredible adventures that his father has created for them. Not only do they do regular things like playing video games and reading, but every Sunday they possibly can, they meet up with friends to play Dungeons and Dragons. Michael is sharing his passion for fixing up old vehicles (including a 1967 Ford F250), wild harvesting local plants like Morrell mushrooms and elderberries, growing ginger and peppers in their two greenhouses, making their own kombucha, drawing comics, hiking, and dirt biking. They have a local group to play hacky sack with each week.

Michael does his own leather work, making things like a replica of Doc Holiday’s Cross-Draw Holster from Tombstone. He cooks Danish medisterpolse, rye bread, and other delicacies from his family recipes. It all seems a little overwhelming, doesn’t it? But this is who he is, and why he has that grin on his face. He is a Renaissance man who is intrinsically motivated by endless curiosity.

He works for Scherbak Construction in Markleeville but still pursues other woodworking projects on his own. Always uniquely himself, Michael “believes in being a good person.” He prides himself on honesty, being responsible, and “doing the right thing.”  He is even a volunteer with Eastern Alpine Fire and Rescue.

Alpine County offers so many possibilities, and so much to explore. It is the perfect place for someone who would “rather do stuff” and be in “the thick of things” than sit on the sidelines. Michael is writing his own fascinating, one-of-a-kind story, polished by the most intricate details. There is no way to predict what surprising twists and turns lay ahead.