COVID-19 Perspective: We saw 1 family at the parking area as we finished our hike – not a single other person (except for a couple cars that drove through the park) the entire time! We’ve been here several times and each time we have seen few visitors. We definitely felt comfortable and were not concerned with exposure.

Kid Perspective:

• Running Wild – Feel free to let the little bundles of energy loose!
• The Trail – Tell Lake Trail to the Chase Point Campground and then an unmarked trail to the backpack sites at Pine Lake. Our return trip was on the Fire Tower Trail, road, Chase Point Campground and the end of the Hiking Club Trail back to the parking lot. We walked through the woods and passed lakes. It was mostly packed dirt but we did a road walk and the unmarked trail looked more like an old primitive road through the woods.
• Trail Conditions – Great! No issues.
• Bugs and Pests – Ticks and mosquitoes were plentiful.
• Plants – Some budding flowers but the Princess Pine was the crown glory!
• Bathrooms – We passed primitive toilets near the boat launch but nothing else on this hike.
• Cell Service – Decent, not great but not terrible.

Trail Information:

• Length – 6.79 miles
• Moving Time – 03:01:48
• Elevation Gain – 134 ft.
• Difficulty – The trail was easy, mostly a flat and winding trail through the park with no significant elevation gain. BUT if you take the Chase Point Trail (not pictured here) you will definitely experience more of an easy to moderate hike with some elevation gain and more tenuous terrain.

Highlights:

• Combo – Seeing Grandma and Grandpa!
• Biff – Seeing Grandma and Grandpa!
• Blaze – Being back home!
• Ripper – Seeing the smiles (and tears) when we surprised Grandma with an impromptu visit. She never saw it coming!

Let me preface this by saying that COVID-19 sucks! Like it really sucks. We are forced to stay away from our loved ones and our lives have been completely turned upside down. The “new normal” (which I HATE hearing) is nothing like what we are accustomed to. I’ve fallen significantly behind with these posts, so bear with me – some of the older one’s are going to be a bit more brief as I cannot remember all of the fun details that I usually include.

SO…my family has gone through some stuff (too much and too personal to explain here) and throughout I have gotten closer to my mother in law. This is a bright side to COVID-19. We have talked more, shared more and experienced more together since all of this started. That being said, she had recently shared with me that it had been killing her not to see our kids and was brought to tears because of missing the kiddos so much. This made our decision to choose a park close to their home for our hiking adventure – we were going to surprise Grandma Goober with a visit!

Side Note: We have WAY TOO MANY Steve’s in our life. We have two Grandpa Steve’s, a brother Steve, Uncle Steve and nephew Steve. When Combo was little she quickly became confused trying to tell all of the Steve’s apart so she came up with her own names for everyone and they stuck. The Grandma’s and Grandpa’s were known by their pet names. Blaze’s parents are known as Grandma and Grandpa Goober (after their cat) and my parents are known as Grandma and Grandpa Sadie (after their deceased sweet puppy).

We made a call to Grandpa Goober to get the timing of our arrival right and set our alarm quite early (4am) so we could get our hike in and make it to their house in time for Grandma Goober to get home from work. Boom!

As previously stated we have been to this park several times now but we usually take the Chase Point Trail. This time we decided to take a new path and headed in the opposite direction. As we started our adventure, Biff was excited to point out that there was an animal in front of us! His excitement soon turned to disappointment when he noticed it was only a log:)

It had been quite chilly when we packed up in the morning so we were all dressed prepared for the chillier Bigfork weather…soon we found that was definitely a mistake. We loved that we were the only ones on the trail and we did not have to worry about social distancing and avoiding those that do not choose to social distance themselves from others. There was a bit of mud on the trail and we took great pleasure in laughing at the “mud farts” our shoes made! Yep , we continue to be THAT FAMILY! Almost immediately we were taken by the trees that towered above us. Definitely a wonderland of sorts.

Soon we came to an area that Blaze had travelled on snowmobile as a kid and he told us all about those fun trips. You could hear it in his voice and see it in the twinkle of his eyes – he was SO happy to be home again!

Biff has taken to talking to the birds at home, yelling out “KaKaw!” He does this when he is super happy, having a tough time and when he see’s a bird that just needs a good old hello. Today was no different. Biff KawKawwed several birds along the way and was quite pleased when he would get a response. We stopped to look at several budding flowers and butterflies along the way and Biff was truly disappointed to find that we were in yet another state park where he could not take a flower home. Sorry buddy, we have to leave things as we find them! Combo experienced this kind of disappointment when she was younger and tried to help him deal with the disappointment. Ever the caring big sister.

Combo’s magic on Biff worked and soon Biff was off to the races, tearing up the trail ahead of us!

We have driven passed this lake more times than we can count on our way into town but this time we were able to get an up close look. Very cool! Beavers had definitely left their mark and the kids really enjoyed looking at their handiwork. Following the lake we encountered a boardwalk with many beautiful flowers that we had to stop and check out along the way. The downside to this portion of the trail was that we found our first tick…ugh!

Finding our first tick put us on high alert and we quickly sprayed ourselves with our OFF! tick spray. Fingers crossed we continued on. After a short period of time we crossed the park road and headed to the boat launch at Coon Lake. The lake was gorgeous! The walk next to the lake was even better!! And if things could not have gotten any cooler, there were campsites located just above the lake, most of which had a private staircase down to the lake and a small dock onto the lake. Yes please!

Shortly after we left the campground area we crossed the park road again and found ourselves walked through marshes, surrounded by multitudes of dragon flies and butterflies. I had the unfortunate experience of inhaling a bug while telling the kids a story (ugh). And Biff was hot and tired and decided he did not want to go on. He threw himself to the forest floor and refused to move. We continued on. Combo saved the day and went back for him to cheer him up and convince him to keep hiking. I have no idea what she said to him but eventually we saw them hiking hand in hand back to us. Way to go Combo! When the kids finally caught up to use we celebrated with MASSIVE marshmallows…the kids loved it at the time but it took a toll on their tummies. Something to note for sure.

The next section of trail took us through the woods that had not been touched by others in quite some time. Blaze regaled us with stories about his time spent in these woods and all of the silly kid stuff he had enjoyed doing. We could tell that he felt at home amongst the towering trees and familiar landscape. He told stories about walking through the woods to find supplies for making Christmas wreaths (big pastime). Eventually we found Princess Pine, which apparently is super valuable. The kids wanted to pick it all and we had to explain to them that we have to leave it for others to enjoy. Nonetheless it was educational and exciting for the kids.

The gravel pit was up next. Not pictured here was the Grouse we saw flying through!

We started to get hungry and our minds turned to food. Combo decided that she was like Garfield the Cat because she always craves Mom’s Lasagna! As we continued on Biff stopped us all dead in our tracks to see this tiny red bug (he notices everything!). At this point it was getting quite warm and I was regretting my decision to wear pants…but there was a breeze here and there which felt AMAZING!

Biff’s bird friends continued to follow him on the trail and he was quite pleased! We were all disappointed to find another tick on Dad – this made all of us feel like the little buggers were crawling on us everywhere!

Another nostalgic moment for Blaze – the Herb Brandstrom snowmobile trail!

Our journey finally took us to the backpack sites that we so wanted to see! And the one we were able to check out did not disappoint!! The only downside was that we found even more ticks crawling on us.

Following the backpack site we made our way to the fire tower, excited to take in the views. We should have known that it would be closed due to COVID-19 but we were hopful to no avail. It was still fun to see the tower even if we could not go in. But it did appear that kids from the area had taken the opportunity to go on in. Live on kids but please be safe!

Biff had newfound energy after the fire tower and cruised on ahead. We were happy that he actually remmebered the rule that if he could not see us we could not see him and he had to stop. At this point Combo needed to do her big job (sorry in advance buddy) and let out a toot to rival all toots!

As we started our race to the campground and potties we were saddened by the folks that had burned randomed logs.

But on the bright side Biff saw a Hawk!

We received a call from Grandpa Goober alerting us that Grandma would be home soon. Time to kick it into gear! Combo having to go number 2 really added to the pace lol!

We walked along the road back to the campground and this was the most difficult time on our adventure as it was super touch and go for our little lady. She was super uncomfortable and really needed to go!

Combo felt sweet relief at am appropriately distanced portion of the trail!

This brought us back to the lake walk but we were all super excited to see Grandma Goober that it did not even matter that we were retracing our footsteps. We had new found energy to get back to their house before she made it home.

The last leg of our hike was through the woods with a super cool boardwalk. It was bumpy and splashy but we loved it nonetheless! The woodpeckers seemed to be sending us morris code which was cool!

To end our story – we had a WONDERFUL time with Grandma and Grandpa Goober! Hugs were had, smiles and laughs were shared and overall spirits were lifted. We have ana amazing family and we are so grateful for that!

Happy trails folks. Be safe. Continue to enjoy the beauty around us.

Happy Hiking!!

COVID-19 Perspective: Definitely get there early! This park fills up fast and right now they have signs up within the park recommending where to park for overflow parking. That says it all right there.

Kid Perspective:

• Running Wild – Definitely areas to exercise caution on the trail we took this time around. Nothing insurmountable but there were definitely portions where we held hands and would not let the kids run (Hell’s Gate). The rest of the time we felt perfectly comfortable letting their little energy filled bodies tear up the trail.
• The Trail – Inland portion of the Quarry Loop to Hell’s Gate, retracing our path to the connector with the High Bluff Trail. Quick stop at the Wolf Creek Falls and then the Wolf Creek Trail to the Trillium Trail and back to our car.
• Trail Conditions – Some muddy areas (especially the Wolf Creek and Trillium trails!) and lots of fun places to climb and scramble. So much fun!
• Bugs and Pests – No issues.
• Plants – Beautiful trees and low ground covering plants (not an expert here).
• Bathrooms – The park actually brought in additional porta-potties at the trail head (another sign that this park is HEAVILY trafficked right now).
• Cell Service – Great!

Trail Information:

• Length – 5.09 miles
• Moving Time – 02:30:09
• Elevation Gain – 253 ft. overall but with all of the ups and downs, definitely more as a total
• Difficulty – Moderate (Hell’s Gate) and Easy (High Bluff, Wolf Creek, and Trillium). That being said, if you are new to hiking, especially with smaller children, Hell’s Gate probably is not the trail for you. The first time we took this trail was September of 2017 and the kids were 2 and 6. Definitely carried Biff a good portion of the trek and Combo needed lots of assistance. People looked at us like we were nuts, but we have never been good at following rules and had been hauling the kids all over by that time.

Highlights:

• Combo – Hell’s Gate and rock climbing!
• Biff – Same!
• Blaze – Not seeing people!
• Ripper – Only seeing ONE person the entire time and Hell’s Gate!

We were up and out of the house by 6:00 am, hitting the trail just after 8:00 am. The weather was predicted to be crummy for this Mother’s Day celebration, which had Blaze and me jumping for joy! Maybe there would be fewer people out because of this? We loaded up with tick spray after our last encounters with the blood suckers at the completed deserted parking lot. Maybe we were in luck!

We started on the Quarry Loop because many people frequent this portion of the park and we wanted to make sure that we could Hell’s Gate while running into as few people as possible. It was pretty chilly and we actually saw some snow on the ground! I ended up twisting my ankle slightly on the rocks and roots jutting out of the trail in my haste to quicken our pace while still taking in the beauty of the trail. Luckily it was nothing serious and only provided for a little discomfort right after it happened. Lesson learned.

Bridges have always been and continue to be a favorite for us and we ALWAYS stop to let the kids through things in and peer over the edges, even when we are trying to scoot along. That’s important. Always stop for the favorites, take time to notice what they find important, and make sure that above all they have enjoyed the experience. Not only do we want to keep them willing to come with us time and time again, but hopefully as they grow older this will be a pastime that they enjoy and want to pass on to their little ones.

The quarry remains impressive with the rock extending towards the sky and towering over you to make you feel small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. We also saw many trees that were cut down and the kids enjoyed trying to figure out if a beaver had cut them down! No guys, beavers do not take trees down with such a straight cut… Biff was proud to point out a tree that was growing out of the quarry rock – I love that they really take in what is around us and take pleasure in finding these small miracles.

As we took some time to check out the rock piles we have explored time and time again, Biff took the opportunity to “sneak” the snacks out of my pack. Yep, we bribe them good treats (swedish fish, trail mix, beef sticks, jerky, peanuts, etc.) to keep them happy hiking. You do what you have to do!

Did I mention that the boulders and rocks here are massive?

Here we begin our journey on the Hell’s Gate Trail! I LOVE this trail!! It is full of rocks to climb and scramble over, cliffs to marvel at, little “caves” to explore, and rock formations. The signs at the start of the trail warn that the trail is not recommended for small children but we have never been good at following rules and have been breaking that rule for a few years now. That being said, this is definitely an area to exercise caution with your kids because a wrong move could mean very bad things for your family. So be careful, take precautions, and enjoy!

In September of 2017 the river was far lower than it was this time. Looking at the area that we had stopped to have lunch at previously was pretty cool because there was no way that we would be able to get to it this time around.

The rock formations here are amazing and keep your imagination running. Take this one, it really looks like a dinosaur if you look at it the right way. We love to point out these things out on the trail, sometimes making up back stories about how “the dinosaur” came to be here.

This is where the trail started to get trickier and we made sure to keep the kids within arms reach. Not to say they did not attempt to run on ahead and we did not have to get their attention and pull them back in.

Being high above the river and looking through the trees and rocks to the water rushing swiftly below was amazing!

Here we retraced our steps to the High Bluff trail we decided that we would check out the falls finally. We have been to this park numerous times and have yet to check out the falls. It was about time!

The Wolf Creek falls were small but still impressive, especially because of the setting. Walking to the falls you would not expect to see them and they kind of jump out of nowhere at you. We saw our only person on the trail at the falls. He was a very nice gentleman taking photos of the falls and graciously offered to leave where he was so we could get a closer look, while remaining socially distance. Such a wonderful change from what we have experienced thus far! We declined his gracious offer, telling him we would check it out on our way back when he was done taking his photos.

Back on the Wolf Creek trail our minds turned to food. White Castle is on the way from Banning to our home and it is really the only opportunity we have to get those delicious little sliders (no White Castle near us). BUT Dairy Queen’s shakes, cheese curds and chicken tenders are also on the way. Decisions, decisions. We ended up telling the kids we could make a stop at both, provided they got a move on and we would have enough time. It was game on for the kiddos, they were NOT going to miss the opportunity to get their favorites on the way home!

The Wolf Creek trail was FULL of mud. But slipping and sliding through the mud was spectacular and we loved it!

On the Trillium trail Biff was showing off his awesome rhyming skills, choosing one word for the rest of us to rhyme to. Well…he might have chosen sit and I might have chosen the grown-up word that rhymes with sit before thinking about it (I think I have been spending FAR too much time with the kids, as they are really starting to feel like me coworkers) and of course this brought on extreme laughter and asking if they could repeat the word. Yep, I am a bad Mom and let them repeat it but the looks on their faces as they let it loose made my day. This quickly backfired on me because Biff wanted to chose the word “duck” next for rhyming…

All in all, this was the PERFECT Mother’s Day! Slipping, sliding, and climbing through the park while telling fart jokes and taking in the beautiful scenery was just what we needed.

That wraps up this hike folks! If you have a moment, can you write us a comment to know your thoughts on the hike, post, etc. We would love any feedback that you have to offer. Things we could do differently to make the post more useful, things that you like hearing about or trails that we could check out next time. I would to test out a new trail for those interested in previewing a park or trail before packing the family up! Take care and HAPPY HIKING!!

COVID-19 Perspective: We only saw one couple on the trail!

Kid Perspective:

• Running Wild – No concerns.
• The Trail – We just did a VERY short loop because our adventure was cut short due to the rain but what we saw was very pretty.
• Trail Conditions – No issues.
• Bugs and Pests – We found one tick after only hiking a short period of time…
• Plants – Flowers were just blossoming and the trees were already very green!
• Bathrooms – Did not see one on our trek.
• Cell Service – Decent.

Trail Information:

• Length – 0.49 miles
• Moving Time – 00:17:19
• Elevation Gain – 116 ft.
• Difficulty – Easy

Highlights: We did not have enough time to really explore and comment here, but we will be back! The last time we were at this park we took the Hiking Club trail and really enjoyed seeing all of the birds of prey.

This was our second stop on our early Mother’s Day adventure. We chose this park and path because we hoped that we would not see too many people and it was somewhat on our way home from Whitewater. The road to the main entrance of the park is closed and the detour takes you on a very roundabout path. We were lucky enough to find a parking area on the outskirts of the park and decided to start from there, making our way up as we went.

The last time we were here was in March of 2019 and there was melting snow and ice covering the park. This was quite the stark contrast!

Less than 10 minutes in it began to rain. After checking the radar, we saw that we were in for quite the storm. Being inadequately prepared for the rain we chose to make a short loop to get back to the car before the heavy rain began to fall.

Luckily we were still able to make it to an overlook!

A quick stroll on a bike path brought us back to our car just as fat droplets of rain began falling from the sky.

And that was literally all she wrote. I debated whether or not to post this one but thought it might give a quick snap shot of the park. We will be back for a more in-depth look and have written about another trail in the park previously. If you are interested, check it out. Banning State Park is up next!

COVID-19 Perspective: Arrive early! This is always a busy park and now it is even busier!

Kid Perspective:

• Running Wild – Some steeper portions of trail but nothing too concerning.
• The Trail – Gorgeous!! Meadow Trail and Dakota Trail with Coyote Point, Signal Point and Eagle Point overlooks.
• Trail Conditions – Could not have asked for better. See below.
• Bugs and Pests – No ticks!! YAY!!
• Plants – Wildflowers were abundant!
• Bathrooms – Located at parking lots and campgrounds.
• Cell Service – Sketchy in several areas but for the most part OK in the park.

Trail Information:

• Length – 3.05 miles
• Moving Time – 01:48:47
• Elevation Gain – 434 ft. overall, but several ups and downs so the accumulative is more
• Difficulty – Easy and perfect!

Highlights:

• Combo – Crossing the water!
• Biff – The flowers!
• Blaze – Getting to go to a new portion of the park – it is always beautiful!
• Ripper – Finding a new spot at the park and just loving everything about our time there!

Traditionally we travel to Whitewater for a Mother’s Day hike and it is super crowded. So this year we decided that we would go a day early in hopes to miss some of the crowds. Plus it was forcasted to rain so we hoped that this would deter the non-hikers. Just heading to this park made my heart soar!

We’ve been to this park many times and have loved it each time. I definitely recommend checking it out! We tried a new portion of trail with less big hitters, in hopes of seeing less people. As we parked near the Dakota Trail, we noticed that most people parking here were at the park for fishing. Biff was pretty upset that we told him to get a move on in the parking lot to avoid people….major tantrum ensued!

Biff’s tantrum lasted for almost half a mile until we reached the bridge over the water. I am telling you folks, water always helps! After the yelling and anger calmed, we all had a fun time watching people fish along the shores.

Strolling along the Meadow Trail, we pointed out the trails in the distance that we had previously traveled, reminiscing about all of the fun. This was the start of the gorgeous flowers and Biff took every opportunity to point them out!

Usually we take the stairs of the Dakota Trail down but this time we wanted to head up right away to see the overlook before more people arrived. It was definitely a different trip going up! We noticed the new “social distancing” signs and were quite pleased. While travelling up we heard voices in the distance and the kids urged us to keep moving.

We were feeling great as we walked along the ridgeline of the Dakota Trail and I was even more excited to take the lead and experience all of the glory, almost as if on my own. I am an introvert and have not had ANY time to myself lately so this almost felt like time on my own. This was definitely my favorite portion of the trail thus far (over all the times we have been here).

As we moved into the trees the trail itself became increasingly more fascinating. The roots and rocks of the trail were awe-inspiring! Our hearts were again soaring and we felt a giddiness in our steps. Again, we could hear people behind us so we picked up our pace and got moving. BUT we did stop to enjoy the beauty around us. I SO love this park!

Nearing the password and then diverging from the Coyote Point Trail, we saw a fort in the woods and more wildflowers!

Moving away from the Hiking Club Trail we relished in the newness of the experience and reveled in the beautiful flowers that we saw along the way. We joked that Biff’s new trail trail name should be “Flower Master”. He stopped to point out every single flower that he saw!

The trail is absolutely gorgeous and we loved every single moment of it!

A spur trail presented itself and we decided, why not? It was a quick detour that yielded a “good vibes” rock, shotgun shell and fun for the kids taking pictures of Mom and Dad.

COVID-19 is at the back’s (sometimes forefront) of everyone’s minds these days and the kids are not different. Our kids began asking us when life could return to normal. We did not have an answer and told them just that. It is hard not being able to quell their fears but we were able to commiserate with them and share our difficulties, which seemed to help. We discussed vaccines and potential plans for the future and how our leaders are thinking we might be able to deal with it. At this point, Dad’s hydration pack sprung a leak and Biff decided that he would wear the pack because it was “less likely to leak” on him – ok buddy, you do your thing!

We needed to step off the trail to let others pass us by – the trail was beginning to become quite crowded but we were still able to keep our distance. People on this portion of the trail (except for a few) were really great at social distancing and that was a surprising and joyful discovery!

The water crossing came next and we really loved it!

Unfortunately the Valley Trail was closed so we continued on the Dakota Trail. The hill up was fun!

This portion of the trail was flatter which kept the kids in good spirits. Climbing over the downed tree was super fun! There was a couple in front of us that had been taking videos for what we can only assume was Utube – an older gentleman with a significantly younger female companion that was lifting and bending and pulling, while he filmed it. That in of itself is not a big deal, what bothered me was that they were disturbing the land around us – displacing rocks, unearthing roots, etc. It made my heart sad. Utube videos are not worth the destruction to our Earth.

This was as we moved passed camping areas. It looked great from what we could see from a distance.

Biff stopped to smell the roses (flowers) because he loved them. We loved the trail and felt like we were on Cloud 9!

The last of our trek back to the parking lot was bittersweet. The time in the beautiful was coming to an end. But I know we will be back!!

Thank you for joining us on our trip! Take care! Be safe, be healthy, be happy, and remember that your are doing the best you can with what you have!

HAPPY HIKING!!

COVID-19 Perspective: All I can say is GET THERE EARLY! The first portion of our trip we had the trail to ourselves. As the day grew older, more and more people showed up. See more about this later.

Kid Perspective:

• Running Wild – No concerns, let ’em loose!
• The Trail – We started from the parking lot to the Hallaway Hill Overlook, continued along South Lida Lake to pass by Beaver Lake and to the boat launch on South Lida Lake. From there we passed trail markers P and O. We then cut across to trail marker H and F before making it to Little Grass Lake. Then trail-marker E, D, Y X, V, U and back to the parking lot. Super helpful I know but I do not have the trail names handy at the moment. The trails were awesome! And for the most part they all afforded for good social distancing should you come across other hikers.
• Trail Conditions – A few areas of mud but overall great!
• Bugs and Pests – SO MANY ticks!!!
• Plants – Wildflowers throughout and gorgeous budding trees!
• Bathrooms – Some bathrooms spaced throughout the park.
• Cell Service – No issues.

Trail Information:

• Length – 8.14 miles
• Moving Time – 03:26:00 (rough guess, I had issues with tracking the hike)
• Elevation Gain – 182 ft. from the highest and lowest recorded heights but there were several ups and downs
• Difficulty – Easy but one hill towards the end (trail-marker V to U) had a decent incline

Highlights:

• Combo – Trying out my new hiking gloves!
• Biff – Seeing all the birds!
• Blaze – Finding a trail that allowed for social distancing.
• Ripper – Stretching our legs and FINALLY getting a few more miles in!

Last summer after our trip to Montana, Maplewood State Park was our first in-state hike and we loved it! I’ve started to look for parks that have more miles of trails so we can attempt to avoid as many people as possible. We decided on Maplewood because we knew that we liked the portions of the park we had already explored and there were several options for a longer route! It was a bit of a drive for us but we arrived at 9am and were pleased to see that there was only one other car in the parking lot! Knowing that people would soon start waking and heading to the park, it was time to get moving!

At just under a 3 hour drive (plus time to grab some food), Biff really had to go when we got to the park. He was quite unhappy that he could not relieve himself at the parking lot. Sorry dude, that is not ok.

Our first views of the trail were amazing! The little pond was so pretty and really caught our eyes. We saw a place where Biff could finally take care of business and boy oh boy was he happy! We’ve been watching a show together as a family – “Lost in Space”. We are all enthralled with the show and have been shamelessly binge watching it when we have the time. Combo joked that Biff runs like Dr. Smith (from the show) as he made his way to his spot. Her description was right on and had us all in belly laughs!

After everyone was feeling more comfortable the trail talk began. Combo described how the different cracks in the trail looked like buttcracks. This led to a theory that the world has a buttcrack and it’s the Mariana Trench! Seriously I cannot make this stuff up!

As we moved into the woods, near the highest elevation in the park Biff became too hot and needed to shed a layer. Biff brought his pack with him on this trek and was super proud that he would be able to place his extra layer in his pack instead of burdening Mom with an additional load. So sweet! The massive trees surrounding us had us enthralled, as we have been accustomed to staring at the little trees in our yard as of late.

Mushrooms growing on trees is always a cool find and of course we had to take an extra moment to really check them out.

Here we encountered a nice hill down to the designated Lake Lida Campground. The campground was of course closed – gosh we miss camping! We shared stories fun stories of camping together and this just made us miss it more. I know the closures are important but a selfish part of me really wishes that we could continue our camping adventures. This too shall passs.

Moving passed the campground to the Beaver Lake overlook, we walked along the road and the kids came up with a game to keep them occupied. Races! BUT the catch is that Biff gets to run while Combo has to Skip. This was really fun to watch! I’ve said it time and time again but it is really amazing to see these two come together and work to make sure both are happy on the trail.

Eventually the road we were travelling split into two and we headed towards the boat launch. Blaze and I really looked forward to the road ending but the kids were A-OK with running on the gravel road. As we split to the right we noticed a flock of Pelicans flying overhead! Definitely a sight I will not be forgetting soon!

The Lake Lida boat launch was spectacular! Combo noted that the poles on the dock were whistling but they really sounded like Orca Whales singing.

Just passed the boat launch we were finally able to get onto a dirt trail. THANK YOU! As we reveled in the wonderfulness of the trail, we also noticed a couple of amazing homes located nearby. We decided this would be an amazing place to live. Trails upon trails nearby and an abundance of wildlife. The kids were really excited to get off of the road and begin exploring everything around them!

So yeah, at this point in the hike I had stepped in MULTIPLE horse droppings and of course this was when I stepped in a HUGE one! The kids thought it was hilarious but what I thought was “man, I am really enjoying the beauty of everything around me. So much so, that I do not notice when I step in HUGE piles of poop!” Yes, to each their own.

Seriously, this park is AMAZING for bird watching! We have seen so many different birds along the trail – Swans, Pelicans, Great Blue Herons, and many more that we could not name.

But all good things must come to an end. Biff decided that things were not going the way he wanted and he had the TANTRUM of all tantrums! Dad decided we should keep going because maybe he will learn that tantrums are not the answer to his frustrations. As we kept going Biff yelled out “You ALWAYS do what Mom wants!!” (speaking of hiking). I kept a close eye on the little guy, but he got madder and madder by the moment. Of course Combo relished in the fact that she had Mom and Dad all to herself. And the following hill proved to not be Biff’s friend…boy oh boy did he not like that by himself.

Combo and I continued to shout out words of encouragement to get Biff to join the group but he is stubborn, just like me and it took a LONG time for him to come around. As Combo and I admired the greenery just sprouting around us, Biff caught up and it was time for a hug and a restart to our day (so many restarts lately).

The restart was just what Biff needed and he was ready to hit the trail running. Dad made a new rule that the kids had to stay in front of us if they wanted to continue with the trail talk – great motivation! Combo encouraged Biff to tell tales of the Old Man that was Snoring and we laughed while making airplanes in the breeze. Those tales can last for ages!

Here is where we had a decision to make – continue on to another loop or head back. Knowing that we had a Skype Dinner Date with our friend for later in the evening, we decided that we should start heading back (trail-marker N). Combo took pictures from my camera (lugged along within my pack – extra weight), before we enjoyed some Salted Nut Rolls – YUM! As we continued on we were really taken aback by the moss and flowers skirting the trail. But all good things must come to an end…we found our first tick and from here on out we felt and found those creepy crawlies all over!

As we started to head North again on the trail Biff had finally met his “weiner” talk quota on the trail and Dad had to convince him to find different words for that appendage – oh my goodness were the new terms hilarious!

Biff began to get tired carrying his pack and Dad stepped up to take over. That backpack sure looked awesome on Dad! We also saw an abandoned car in the woods as we walked on – how did that get there??

Little Grass Lake was a pleasant surprise but what was even better was seeing two Swans relaxing in the water! They watched us closely while we continued on our journey. BUT this fun also brought even more ticks and we started to keep track of the ticks we each found ourselves. Stay tuned for the final counts!

Travelling Northwest to the park road we focused on keeping the kids moving and happy. Gale from Frozen 2 decided to visit us, leaves swirling and rushing around us! The joy on the kids’ faces made my day!

We saw that people were not parking in designated parking places – practice mindfulness….we can only control what we can control…the actions of others cannot be controlled and thus we must let go. Moving on. Biff really wanted to play 20 questions…it did not go well. Questions and answers were misheard and this led to Biff’s next meltdown…it was brutal.

But after MUCH encouragement, Biff was able to turn it around and able to start enjoying the day again! Gosh this deserves a BOOM because it was SO MUCH work! But again…all good things come to an end and of course we found even MORE ticks!

We moved back into the prairie while doing continuous tick checks. So many “do you see any on me?” and “hey can you check the back of my legs?” came up that I could not possible keep track. Basically we constantly watched each others legs to find those little buggers! At this point we decided to keep track of who was in the lead for ticks – who has the most and who has had the least?

The kids were relieved to know that we were on the home stretch because we had found SO MANY ticks – this really freaked them out and they were ready to get back to the car.

As we moved back into the woods from the prairie we found a SNAKE!! So cool!! We began to see more and more people…like everywhere! We could see people climbing hills in the distance and they were on top of each other. We prepared the kids to run like mad if it got that bad on the trail we were on but it didn’t. We came across one hiker that was super pleasant and respectful – thank you!

And then we made the mad dash to our car to avoid people in the parking lot. We did a tick check in the car (Biff threw one into the car out of fright and we made the drive home thinking about that guy searching for us…ugh). I LOVED this hike despite the ticks. It was beautiful and I cannot wait to go back! As we drove away from the park we counted no less than 15 cars in quick succession going to the parking lot we had left…yikes!

Tick count – Mom was the winner with 8, Combo had 7, Biff had 3 and Blaze had 2…BUT on the way home we found 3 more crawling on us (Biff, Combo, and Ripper)…THEN we found 2 more after we were home! AHHH!!!

Thank you everyone for joining us on our adventure! As always HAPPY HIKING! And stay safe, practice social distancing and take extra precautions to make sure everyone stays safe. Practice LEAVE NO TRACE and protect our natural resources.

COVID-19 Perspective: We arrived to the park at 1pm and were done shortly after 2pm. We only saw 2 people before we hit the interpretive trail. We could tell that there were many people at the park but few seemed to venture beyond the trails with sightseeing opportunities.

Kid Perspective:

• Running Wild – No real concerns. The trail along the river near the Battle of 1768 monument had steepish drops down to the river but the biggest concern there was the amount of people congregating and checking out the sights. Lesson learned.
• The Trail – We left the parking lot and group camp area to follow the Mississippi River for about a mile before heading East and back into the park. As we turned East we found ourselves walking between private property (farm fields) and the State Park. The contrast was quite interesting – big trees and farm land. We then meandered our way back to the Mississippi River and interpretive trail. After a short stroll we were back to the car. The hike itself was pretty flat and uneventful but we still enjoyed ourselves.
• Trail Conditions – No issues.
• Bugs and Pests – None that we found.
• Plants – Blooming flowers along the way!
• Bathrooms – Located within the group camp and parking lot.
• Cell Service – Just fine.

Trail Information:

• Length – 2.85 miles
• Moving Time – 01:10:01
• Elevation Gain – 89 feet
• Difficulty – Easy

Highlights:

• Combo – It was short!
• Biff – Mom pouring water on me!
• Blaze – The walk along the river was pretty.
• Ripper – Pouring water on Biff!!

We chose a trail that did not have any posted outlooks or historical sites (until the very end) in hopes that we would be able to enjoy some time to ourselves. When we arrived we saw one gentleman sitting at a picnic table within the group camp site and he watched us carefully from the time we parked until we were disappearing into the woods. We were ready to hit the trail. The sun was beginning to dip behind the clouds and were slightly concerned that the predicted rain would hit us earlier than expected, so we kicked it into high gear.

Our hunt for mushrooms and flowers never stops and we were quite pleased to see some right off the bat!

Biff and Blaze were deep in conversation when Combo and I decided we wanted a Mom and Daughter photo…man was he UNHAPPY that he was not in the picture. Seriously, it took multiple fart jokes to cheer him up.

Combo is not one to be outdone by her little brother and decided that it was time to start picking on Blaze herself. After she gave him her first shove, the look in her eye told me that she worried she might have bit off a little more than she could chew. But there was also this twinkle that said “GAME ON DAD!”

Biff is always the first one to start shedding layers on the trail and today was no different – off came the shirt! He was pretty excited about how tough he looked without a shirt while wearing his backpack, hiking gloves, and sunglasses! He even had a little strut lol!

The walk along the river was truly beautiful and we kept a close eye out for a spot to stop and toss in a stick. Not sure why, but throwing sticks into the water is always a hit and even when we are on a time crunch we make sure to take the time to toss one in.

Soon we saw our first person of the day, a young hiker on their own. We stepped off the trail a reasonable distance and did the good ole MN nod as she passed by. Stepping back onto the trail we noted a lone CROC just off the trail. I will never understand how single random shoes land on the trail or the road. You would think that you would know that you were missing a shoe (I prefer not to think about the other theories of a lone missing shoes on roads and trails…too dark for me).

The walk along the edge of the State Park and private property was pretty cool. We were surrounded by water on both sides and could see the trail drift off in front of us in the distance. It was not anything grand but it was really beautiful.

As Combo yelled out, “BONE, MOM it’s a bone!” I really thought that she was full of poo. But she wasn’t. Sitting there in the middle of the trail was a bone picked clean of everything (thankfully – I was not ready to explain that to the kids). We examined the bone, pondered what animal it came from and just how it met it’s demise before hitting the trail again. The clouds were getting darker and more saturated by the minute. Best to keep trucking on!

We take many photos of the flowers that we find on the trail and many of them are fairly similar. What the photos fail to capture is the pure joy that the kids get from finding that little bit of beauty and color among the brown and grey dried leaves and sticks. Finding the wildflowers has become one of our favorite parts of our journeys. Finding the beauty among the depressed landscape…seems fitting for what we are all coping with right now. I hope you are able to find your own wildflower!

Another perk to strolling past the farm was that we were able to watch the farmers prepare their land for the upcoming growing season. The kids thought the massive farm equipment and the dust they kicked up was pretty fascinating. There may have been a trip or two while the gawked and stared.

It seemed that around every turn we found another feather on the trail. Combo and Biff picked up on Dad’s trick of comparing the size of the feather to his hand and decided that they should follow his lead, asking Blaze to take multiple photos.

As the clouds began to turn a lighter shade of grey, our spirits were soaring and we decided to take a quick detour to extend our trip just a little further. I am really looking forward to seeing the parks with trees full of leaves and green. Can you imagine just how gorgeous this looks when the trees are blooming? Soon, very soon!

Posts within Facebook’s Hiking MN group have showed pictures of old garbage on the trail within this park but we did not expect to see it ourselves. It looked far worse in person. It’s so sad that people decide to take it upon themselves to destroy our precious natural resources. We decided that when things become safe to congregate, we would be back with others to clear out the garbage and attempt to lessen our footprint. That being said, we have been seeing more and more scraps of little along the trails lately. Whether it is people just being careless, distracted or purposefully destructive I do not know and I cannot judge. But what I do know is that it makes me sad. Our State Parks have been enjoyed by many throughout the years and I truly hope they do not close as hundreds of more visitors start to frequent them during this “Stay Home order”. Please help to keep our parks clean and take extra care to LEAVE NO TRACE.

Having no further layers to remove, Biff began to complain that he was getting too hot!! His pace slowed, a scowl came to his face and we knew it was just a matter of time before the well loved tantrum hit full force. NO, please no!

So as any good mother would do, I decided I should take the steps to bring my little man some comfort. I poured cold water ALL over him! Maybe this was selfish, maybe I wanted to shock him out of his poopy mood and maybe I wanted to cool him down…one will never know. What I do know is that he was not too pleased with me but it was still really funny!

Shortly after the battle of water, Biff began to complain that he was cold. Really dude? I convinced him that he should put his gloves back on because that would surely help. We were all so focused on Biff theatrics putting his gloves on wet hands that we nearly stumbled over another feather. What was different this time was that there were bones attached to the feather!!

While discussing just how the poop particles happen to find their way into our noses to allow us to smell the farts that we love to joke about, we noticed that Biff had become the big time slugger on the trail and was really rocking his cool monster trail gloves! We were loving the intellectual conversations and silly walks along the trail!

Another feather!

Airplanes fly overhead often but have you ever heard the loud rumble coming for several seconds before seeing one soar high above your head? Well we did and it was AWESOME! At first we had no idea what we were hearing and the BOOM – there it was!

Hearing the rush of the river, we knew that we getting close to our final destination and the trip home. We also began to hear the shouts of glee and laughter from others on the trail. It’s hard because this used to be a joyous sound but right now it puts us a little on edge. Just how many people will there be? Will we have enough room to move off the trail to keep a safe social distance? Will they take the same precautions we do? Right now I have a sign posted to our fridge – worry about the things you can control and let go of the things you cannot. Words to live by. We stepped off the trail and gave our fellow hikers plenty of room to pass by and all was well, if not a little unnerving.

While taking in the beauty of the river we came to a heartbreaking discovery…Biff had misplaced one of his treasured gloves somewhere along the way. We retraced our steps as far as we could but did not find them. We made plans to check out portions of the trail that we would pass on our drive out in search of them. But still Biff was devastated.

Blaze did a quick search on the internet looking for a replacement set AND HE FOUND A PAIR! As he told the heartbroken Biff the good news, Combo decided that she better get a pair to. Sounds good! Crisis averted!!

That’s it for this one folks. In this time of great stress please remember a few things. There are things we can control and things we cannot control. We can control our actions and not the actions of others. We can control the decisions we make and opinions that we hold and not that of others. Every one is entitled to their own opinions and decisions but I think we can all agree to a few key things.

1. Be kind and take care of those around you, even those you do not know or do not feel connected to.
2. Take care of our natural resources. They are important and will not continue to thrive if we do not do our part in their preservation.
3. Do something nice for someone. It will brighten your day, just as much as it brightens theirs.
4. Get outside and safely enjoy everything nature has to offer!

Take care everyone and as always, HAPPY HIKING!

COVID-19 Perspective: Not a single soul on the trail today! As a matter of fact, I am guessing that the trail we took sees little to no foot traffic as a rule.

Kid Perspective:

• Running Wild – No concerns, let ’em run like the wind!
• The Trail – We started our adventure at a parking lot in the Rum River State Forest and walked approximately a mile and a half on a snow mobile trail through forest before entering the park. We continued on this trail with gentle slopes up and down until we came to the fork. When we head to the right the trail became an overgrown hiking trail which wound up and down along a pond. As we moved away from the pond we were pleased with the rolling hills within the heavily wooded area. Our loop soon brought us back to the parking lot.
• Trail Conditions – Overgrown and a bit muddy in some areas but manageable.
• Bugs and Pests – Ticks! We found four on us throughout our trek and one had hitched a ride which I found driving to the second park.
• Plants – Small budding flowers here and there – the kids really enjoyed looking for them along the trail.
• Bathrooms – None.
• Cell Service – Spotty.

Trail Information:

• Length – 4.22 miles
• Moving Time – 01:59:16
• Elevation Gain – 123 feet
• Difficulty – East

Highlights:

• Combo – Finding cool rocks on the snowmobile trail.
• Biff – Finding the flowers!
• Blaze – Not seeing a single other person on the trail.
• Ripper – Seeing the Trumpeter Swans!

We did our research and decided on a two park hike today. Mille Lacs was our first stop and we had chosen a trail that did not stem from one of the main parking lots. We chose this trail and park for several reasons but mainly 1) the mosquitoes in the warmer months are torture so this would be the perfect time of year to check it out and 2) this is a pretty busy park but we figured we would be unlikely to find many people in the lower portion of the park that did not boast any lookouts or historical sites.

As we turned off the main road we were greeted with a minimum maintenance – travel at your own risk sign. Oh boy!! We did have to take it slow on the way it but it was nothing compared to some of the roads we encountered in Colorado. Still fun!

After parking, we hit the trail. I was a little uneasy because earlier on the drive we past “No Trespassing” signs on either side of the road. BUT Blaze, as always the voice of reason, reassured me that the DNR would not publish a map with a marked parking lot leading into the park without the proper permissions. Nonetheless I kept us on a quick pace despite the kids stopping every few feet to check out the cool rocks on the ground – sparkly this, shiny that, and awesome shapes.

I breathed a little sigh of relief when we made it into the park (I worry about EVERYTHING) and finally let mother nature start to work her magic. As we took each step, I felt the stress and wear and tear of the past week slowly melt away.

Walking past the swamps that were scattered here and there we noticed that the water was less than clear and had a film covering it. The kids wondered what the film was from and we could only guess but after walking through so many parks with pristine water this was pretty sad in our book.

Despite the murky water, the surrounding forest was amazing. We were flanked on all sides by massive trees and the calls of various birds in the distance. It is hard to continue to feel stressed when in these surroundings. Even Combo commented how amazing it felt to finally be out of the house and neighborhood. Being cooped up at home, only leaving for walks in the neighborhood has really gotten the kids to enjoy our weekly hikes, which have become even more precious to us.

Here we made our turn East and away from the snowmobile trail. Right away we had to climb over a small tree covering the trail and it immediately reminded us of our hike last summer on the Nez Perce Trail. Of course we had to bring up “Daddy Tree” and all of the shenanigans that we found ourselves engaged in on the magnificent adventure!

Each step we took brought us closer to the wetlands, the scenery become more beautiful by the minute! This is where we began to see the tiny blooming flowers along the trail and Biff was entranced. He watched the side of the trail like a hawk, looking for every flower he could find. And if the flowers were not fun enough, we saw two Sandhill Cranes fly right over us!!

The trail started to become more covered with leaves, branches, etc. as we happily hiked along. We began to wonder just how often this trail is traveled. As we said earlier, we do not think that many folks feel the pressure of their boots on the dirt of this trail. It’s pretty cool walking in areas that few travel. That was probably one of our favorite parts of the Nez Perce Trail – travelling along a historic trail that sees little to no people throughout the year. Peace and solitude.

Just as we were about to leave the wetland, we spotted Trumpeter Swans out of the corner of our eyes. We stopped for several minutes to point them out to the kids. We have MANY bird feeders at home and the kids absolutely love watching them as they work on their school work and when we enjoy meals together as a family. Having the chance to see different and BIGGER birds really excites them (us too, who are we kidding).

We saw evidence of beavers along the way but unfortunately did not have the opportunity to spot one, but we sure kept our eyes peeled!

Some people hike to find the grand overlook or amazing historic site, often overlooking trails like this one. For us it is all about getting out and finding the beauty in the natural world around us. Do not get me wrong, we certainly thirst for those big miles and elevation gain to see the world unfold in front of us but we still take great pleasure in each trail we visit. As an added bonus, Blaze found a large feather in the middle of the trail!

Before we knew it we stumbled across more trail treasures! Large rocks were placed just off the trail. They looked so smooth that the kids just HAD to stop to examine them. Combo and Biff looked at me with pleading eyes “Can we really touch that?” Yep, kiddos, go for it! It is easy to forget how this pandemic impacts our little ones. Most of the time they seem oblivious, but just the question “Can we touch that?” really pulled on my heartstrings. Yes, this is a safe place. Yes nature is OK to touch. And YES we can still feel normal and happy and peaceful.

Talk of Harry Potter, Lost in Space, and of course FARTS filled the next portion of the trail. We did not have to worry about ANYTHING except placing one boot in front of the other. Hiking always gives us the opportunity to unite as a family. When one person struggles, the other stops to pick them up. When one is feeling discourage, the other whips out a fantastic butt and fart joke. It may sound odd, but for our family this is pure joy. If you ask the kids off the trail, they would certainly disagree but that does not mean that when they are actually out there they do not enjoy it to the fullest.

As Blaze and Combo dashed ahead of their shorter legged counterparts, Biff and I really stopped to smell the roses. We found a pristine white stick that really looked like a wand from Harry Potter – of course Biff had to carry it for a period of time casting various spells on the surrounding trees and wildlife – good times! While casting spells, we also found cool mushrooms that begged to be examined.

Unfortunately, as Biff and I caught up to Combo and Blaze I spotted the dreaded TICK on Blaze. Combo had been super paranoid about ticks on the trail and this just confirmed it for her! For the remainder of our time on the trail she jumped, shrieked, and ran every time she felt something brush against her…even if it was just the wind.

As I have said before, it’s not always roses and sunshine on the trail. Biff fell behind and we encouraged him to stick with us several times before he had an all out meltdown on the trail. We decided to take a hard stance and keep on hiking (keeping him within view of course). Biff was not pleased. Eventually he dug his heels in and raced ahead to catch up with us. As soon as we noticed the tantrum was over and he was putting effort into moving along, we stopped and waited and closed with a hug when he caught up.

Shortly after our hug we were back to the car completing tick checks. We found a couple more ticks crawling and looking for a tasty spot to take a bite and removed those little buggers with vigor. But the day is not over. We hurried into the car to move on to our next park – Crow Wing State Park! Driving out to the main road I found another hitchhiker on my leg and stopped on the bumpy dirt road to leave him safely behind.

Stay tuned for more! I have been slacking on posts lately and there should be more coming soon. Thank you for joining us on another adventure and please stay safe while enjoying the trails!

Please remember that everyone’s story is invisible. Everyone is dealing with this pandemic in their own way and we have no way of knowing what the other person is going through, what tragedy or hurt they are facing. Be kind, refrain from judgement, and support one another. This is a crisis and we need to stick together to make it through. Be kind. Help others. Let others live their lives the way they need to. We can make it through this if we all stick together and take care of one another.

Love,

Hiking with Kids