- Miles Hiked – 2.3 miles
- Weather & Trail Conditions – It was 14 degrees out and sunny, with a mild wind coming off of the river(s). Snow, snow, and more snow! We slipped and tripped the entire way. There were some places that our 4 year old was certainly thigh deep in the snow! I even took a major biff but it was still amazing!
- Trail Food – Gummy Bears, Cotton Candy, Life Saver’s, Cheddar Cheese Sandwich Crackers, and Jerky. Our 8 year old loved the Cotton Candy, 4 year old was all over the Gummy Bears, Dad was definitely a fan of the Gummy Bears and I stuck to my tried and true Jerky (no surprise there).
- MN Hiking Club & Passport – Password and Stamp obtained: 26 passwords and 27 stamps to date!
- Trail Talk – We tell our kids that there are certain things that can only be talked about on the trail. This includes talk of bodily functions, would you rathers (rathers that you DO NOT want to consider), and funny “naughty” made up stories. We talked about kicking this trails butt and how we would do it – tooting in the trail’s eyes, ears, nose, etc. We also made up a game that if our 4 year old caught up to our 8 year, he could push her in the snow – if she pushed him in the snow, Dad could toss her in the snow! Many laughs!
- Gear – 1 pack, 1 CamelBak, 1 first aid kit, bathroom supplies, hand sanitizer, 1 knife, 1 multi tool, snacks and a good attitude!
We moved into a new home approximately 1 month ago and my favorite room in our house is our hiking room. It was awesome getting to go shopping in our hiking room for the supplies that we would need. We are still working on getting all of our gear up but we have a great start! Both kids helped us pick out and pack all of the treats we would need for our adventure. Our kids really enjoy being a part of packing the supplies for the day so we make sure to include them in every step.
We initially planned to hike at Mille Lacs Kathio State Park but were thwarted and found out that nearly every trail was for cross country skiing and snowshoeing. Not wanting to be the ones that think they can bypass the rules we quickly made other plans. Crow Wing State Park was the next closest in the area – we drove 1 1/2 hours to get to Mille Lacs so we did not want to waste the drive time. One thing that we have learned is that you have to be flexible when planning a hike. There will always be obstacles – closed trails, closed roads to the trail, etc. that impede your planned hike. We try to take it as it comes and find a new adventure – this is something that we have had to do on numerous accounts. It is pretty crazy because some of our impromptu hikes have been the best experiences!
Onward and outward! Upon arrival to the trailhead, we geared up and headed out. Our 4 year old (William) had a bit of a tantrum because his gloves did not go on just so. With a bit of coaxing, he was off for the races. Dad and our 8 year old (Joey) were already quite a bit ahead of us. I decided that today we would hike our own hike. I told William that our only rule was that we did not stop. He could hike as slowly as he wanted…as long as he kept moving. And boy oh boy did he keep moving! It really surprises me what he is capable of when he sets his mind to it (and when we talk about gross bodily functions and laugh our behinds off).
We started off on a fairly packed trail until we came to the first structure at Crow Wing. Crow Wing State Park is an old settlement nestled between the confluence of two rivers and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. We watched a group of men take a group picture and then went on our way. At this point the “trail” became a single line of foot prints from a small group. It was slipping and sliding from here on out!
We continued to give William and Joey treats along the way, as this has proven to be a tried and true motivator – especially when we hike bigger trails with more miles. William quickly tired of the Cotton Candy but LOVED the Gummy Bears. He especially thought it was funny to spit after eating a Gummy Bear to see the color it left in the snow. Joey continued to try to chase Dad (trail name Blaze because he cruises along at greater speeds).
We saw several prints from various animals today and both kids enjoyed speculating as to what animal created the prints. I believe that we saw several bird species, dear, and mice. We started to wonder if we would ever find the Hiking Club password but we did! It was at an overlook that I bet would be actually gorgeous during the summer. Side note – we chose this trail because after research we learned that there are a TON of ticks during the warmer months…not this day though!
Shortly before the Hiking Club password we encountered snow that was well above William’s waist which meant I needed to carry him for several yards, up a steepish hill. I am sure that was a spectacle! Joey on the other hand was a trooper and plowed through the snow like a champ.
Now we were on the home stretch and both kids were rocking it! Truth be told, William usually starts strong but usually peters out towards the end but today he kept going! No complaints, no tantrums (just a kick in the eye from Joey because she thought it was funny…NOT…thank you sibling rivalry). We saw a really cool church from the settlement and I wish there was not as much snow so we could have spent some time exploring the structure. At this point we hit areas paved with snowshoes and thought it would make the going easier, but surprisingly it did not! It actually made for unsuspecting areas for your boots to fall through where it did not look like they should. Side note – Dad and I wore our regular hiking shoes and had quite a bit of snow caked along our ankles.
On our home stretch I met my demise finally. I had made it most of the way without falling, but here I took a big old digger. I slipped and fell into the splits! William laughed and used his big muscles to pull me out of my predicament – what could I do but laugh? We finished strong! William actually ran the rest of the way back to the car, even hugging one of the interpretative signs along the way (I wish I would have gotten a picture). Once at the car, we snacked on Turkey and Salami sandwiches made by William. Joey continued to read Harry Potter and we looked forward to our dinner at our favorite home town restaurant. Thanks Crow Wing State Park – you did not disappoint
Thanks for joining us on our adventure! More to come. Hopefully the weather improves – as I write this I was just informed that schools are closed tomorrow due to the impending snow storm. I am really hoping spring comes soon because we are itching to get out and hit some bigger miles!
Hiking with Kids! 