Hike 38 - Pike Island

Thanksgiving was a little different this year since we weren’t supposed to gather in groups due to a rise in COVID-19 illnesses. While I missed seeing family, I really enjoyed hanging out with my immediate family. We went on a hike, and ate a Thanksgiving dinner we ordered from a local restaurant (The Block). It was perfect. There were a lot of people out hiking along with us, but there was always plenty of distance between us and other groups.

Trail: Pike Island

Location:  St Paul, MN

Trail surface: earth

Date: 11/26/20

The last time I hiked Pike Island, which is a trail within Fort Snelling State Park, Jesse and I were dating so that was probably 15 years ago. Jesse, on the other hand, has been out on this trail a handful of times in the last month. It was surely a sign that I needed to go back, but turns out we were missing one thing... a dog. I’ve never seen so many dogs on a walk before. Definitely more people had dogs that didn’t, and you can bet that once home, I went online and searched for dogs at local shelters. I’m still dogless and probably will be for some time, but if anyone wants to lend me their dog I’ll take them on a walk here.

Pike Island is especially interesting as it’s where the Minnesota and Mississippi rivers come together. Had it been a warmer day, I could see us spending time hanging out on the beach watching the birds fly from tree to tree.

Jo: ★★★★

Jesse: ★★★

Riley: ★★★★

Hike 37 - Bass Pond and Old Cedar Bridge

Why yes, I’ll get outside during this beautiful fall weather. Fall is my favorite time to hike - it’s usually not too hot and not too muddy, the bugs are gone and if you catch it at the right time, you get to see beautiful fall colors. I’ve been wanting to check out the old Cedar Bridge for some time. The last time I came down here was when Jesse and I were dating, it was covered in snow, and the bridge was so damaged, it was unsafe to walk on. But years later, the bridge has been repaired and the trails around it updated.

Hike #: 3

Trail: Bass Pond and Old Cedar Bridge

Location: Bloomington, MN

Trail surface: earth

Date: October 11, 2020

Jo: ★★★★

Jesse: ★★★★

Riley: ★★★★★

This is another area where there are a bunch of trails to select from depending on how long you want to walk. We started at one parking lot, walked around one side of the pong, came across a newly built nature play area, crossed the bridge, and then headed back on the other side of the pond. There’s even a little library at the nature play area that’s so new that there aren’t any books in it yet.

Riley was in a bit of a funk on this hike, but once we got to the nature play area and the bridge, she sparked back to life. and it made all the difference. While I appreciate all sorts of trails, I really love those that pay attention to all ages like this one.

Hike 36 - Escarpment/Lake of the Clouds

Awe, the last week before school starts. We tend to use this time to get away one last time before getting back to the school schedule. This year was a little different as we wanted to be as careful as possible with the spread of COVID-19. We tried to make minimal stops as we drove from MN to MI and then we stayed at a campsite, and while they were mostly full, everyone seemed to be keeping their space. Michigan also had a lot of restrictions/instructions in place. Basically, there were a lot more people wearing masks in MI than in WI - probably because they had to.

At any rate, we had big hopes of hiking a lot while on our 4 day get away. Unfortunately, after a week of migraines and then 3 days of horrible sleep, I was dragging badly. So much so that Jesse and Riley went on a hike while I took a nap. But, I did go to Lake of the Clouds with them. You can park in the lot and take a short trek to a beautiful view, or you can continue on to various trails of different length. We headed down the Escarpment trail and walked until we were tired enough, but not to tired to make our way may and up hill.

Hike #: 36

Trail: Parts of Lake of the Clouds and the Escarpment trail

Location: Ontonagon, MI

Trail surface: earth

Date: 9/30/20

I’m a big fan of the trails around the North Shore and Lake Superior of MN, but I have to say that I think I like the Upper Pinninsula of MI better. I’ve heard wonderful things about this area of MI and I’ve always wanted to visit so I’m glad it happened, even if it was brief and I sprained my ankle on the last full day of our trip. I can’t wait to go back and explore more.

Jo: ★★★★★

Jesse: ★★★★

Riley: ★★★★