Recovering from injury
by Arthur
George H. Crosby State Park
After having fallen and shattered part of my pelvis, I struggled to enjoy myself while I recovered. I could not wait to get back outdoors to where I feel at home away from the city. My roommate at the time had been wanting to get a mid-fall hike in somewhere. I was finally ready to get out after a winter of recovering. As someone who winter camps at least once a year, I dutifully looked at the forecast and assumed my roommate had as well. I brought my cool-layer sleeping bag leaving the others behind. We hiked from the park to the Superior Hiking Trail down to the Egge lake campsite, arriving around dusk. I got a fire going and prepped dinner. We then set up our tent and at that point I find out my roommate did not realize it was going to drop below freezing. The next day I asked him what was the coldest weather he had ever camped in and found out that the last night was, by far. The sunrise and foggy mist over the lake that morning was incredible and was just what I needed to get away from the city to realize I had recovered from my injury the past summer.
Hiking Trail and my journey crossed Tettegouche State Park. I had the place all to myself as the park was officially closed. I encountered no other person. Along the trail there was a large blown-down pine which made for a great place to take a break. I sat in silence for some time just appreciating the moment. All of a sudden I felt a presence behind me. I waited a while and then I slowly turned my head back and saw just a foot or so from me a young deer. Looking into each others’ eyes, we both remained frozen for a bit and then the deer quietly walked off into the woods. It was a moment to ponder.
The next morning the sky was blue and the air crystal clear. Park naturalist Harvey Djerf lead us on a wonderful hike!!
In 1960, as part of the Minneapolis Aquatennial celebration, there was a “Canoe Derby” covering 400 miles over 10 days down the length of the Mississippi River from Bemidji to Minneapolis. My dad and uncle entered the race that year. I remember our family first driving to Itasca State Park then on to Bemidji State Park, the starting point for dad’s canoe race. When we entered Itasca State Park, the road was lined with local Indian artisans selling birch bark crafts, dolls and other souvenirs. It was a different time then, and things were still very rustic, but it stays in my mind still today. Dad and my uncle came in second place – billed as the “toughest human-powered race” in the country – and they won a powerboat.
We watched the large porcupine splayed out on the broad surface of a huge white pine bough in back of our campsite snooze the day away, then back down the tree, scratching the bark the whole way, as she set out on her nocturnal rounds. We biked the Paul Bunyan Trail, white-tailed deer springing out of our path, into the deep woods of red and white pine. My son named the chipmunks skittering around the perimeter of our campsite and tried to photograph them for a story he wanted to write. 
One morning when it rained, we went into Bemidji for pancakes, poked around antique and junk stores and when the rain cleared, took our obligatory photos posing with the huge statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe, the Blue Ox.
My older brothers, Mark and Mike, took me fishing many times at Split Rock Creek State Park in Southwest Minnesota. One day, just below the Sioux Quartzite Bridge, I caught my first Northern Pike. What a fighter! I’ll never forget it. Thanks Mark, Mike, and Split Rock Creek!
For many years I’ve enjoyed the ski and hiking trails, canoeing in the river, camping. I remember on one hike seeing a woodcock with her tiny chicks. Another time in the spring the sandhill cranes were calling loudly. I’ve enjoyed the restored prairies. I love to hear the frongs in the spring and so many other things!
It was a great trip and a fantastic weekend. We camped overnight at Gooseberry Falls and cooked hobo dinners in the dark on the campfire afterwards. The Girls are all now adults. But this is one of their most favorite memories of Girl Scouting. It would have been possible, though, without the State Parks and the opportunity to see a real mine.
For most of the girls, it was their first time seeing the lights. We watched up by Sepmann’s mill. While the millions of fireflies danced below in the valley, the Aurora danced over our heads. Nobody will ever forget that camping experience!
We hiked for almost two hours and she was completely wet and muddy by the end. The makings of a fabulous outing! She slept all the way home, one very content puppy! Thank you, MN State Parks, for providing great places to make memories with our furry babies!
Living in Southwestern Minnesota ourselves, we knew that the southwestern Minnesota prairie area can offer some very beautiful scenery, but we had no idea that Camden State Park was so beautiful. We enjoyed our picnic lunch and then took time to do some hiking while at the park. The Redwood River flows through the park and there is so much nature to enjoy here. If you ever find yourself near Camden State Park, do not miss the opportunity to enjoy this State Park. We were impressed! Thanks for the great memories!
There were a lot good times and a lot of firsts for my son and his friend who were both only two years old at the time. I look for ward to going up there again this year and for many more.
We packed up early and stopped at a high quality outdoor equipment store on the way home. We purchased a “rain guard” tent that, along with later editions of similar tents, has kept us safe, dry and happy — up until this year. This year, Carol tripped over the tent stake while we were camping at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park and tore her rotator cuff, requiring surgery, a sling and rehab!
snowshoes (which I later deemed unnecessary) and proceeded to follow the east ridge line of the Brule River towards the “Kettle.” Deer sightings and signs were everywhere, as were well-traveled wolf paths. When I reached the point where I had to descend to the river, I almost turned around because confronting me was truly the Devil’s staircase to hell. Mostly snow and ice encrusted, I couldn’t use my snowshoes due to to steep pitch of the endless staircases. Walking straight down was also out of the question – I did the only thing I could and that was to grab both railings and walk down backwards in order to secure my footing. Reaching the bottom, I discovered that there was another climb just to get to the small observation deck positioned directly above the Devil’s Kettle. As I sat there mesmerized, staring down into the dark mysterious chasm, I thought to myself, “I wonder what all the good folks will be doing at the annual Parks & Trails Dinner tonight?”……
a pop-up camper and visited a dozen other parks in the state – while each had their own unique qualities, our family also seemed to like Sibley the best. We talked about Sibley as “going to our cabin on the lake!” Our kids attended every nature hike or program offered through the park naturalist and grew to appreciate nature and being outside. Our three kids are now adults with their own families – each continues to value the outdoors and make use of state parks in their own area (all live out of state). I do believe that their time at Sibley provided them with the opportunity to gain a deep appreciation of nature and value what the time can mean for families and for personal enjoyment. Thanks Sibley!
While camping at Sibley State Park’s Oak Ridge Campground I went for a night hike. It was quite dark as I was making my way back through a brushy field when something started crashing through the undergrowth, heading straight for me. In the still of the night it sounded enormous, and I froze expecting at any moment to be bowled over by a whitetail buck. Closer and closer, louder and louder, I mentally upgraded it to the stature of an elk. The collision was imminent and I steeled myself to go flying when out of the grass at my feet there popped a juvenile raccoon. It skidded to a halt, as shocked to see me as I was to see it. Once we had both caught our breaths we inched past each other and continued our nocturnal journeys. And I gained a new appreciation for the quiet preserved in Minnesota’s state parks, quiet so intense that a small raccoon could grow to the size of an elk.
After thoroughly exploring and taking pictures of the falls, I started hiking the River View Trail over to Agate Beach. Only intending to take a short break, I found a spot to sit along the beach. After several moments, I couldn’t leave. The waves brushing the sand on the shoreline in a rhythmic pattern had captured my full attention. It was beautiful, peaceful, and quiet. I began to journal about all my fears and concerns, which helped me release the stress I was feeling about everything. It was the only time in my life that I can remember feeling so peaceful and worry-free. My focus turned to every detail in the nature that surrounded me. I walked along the beach for several more hours before heading back to my campsite.
picnic area. It was beautiful. We drove straight back to Fall Lake and broke camp and moved to A Lane at Bear Head. We finished the rest of our week at Bear Head and enjoyed every minute of it. The clear water, the quite campground except someone playing a guitar at a campfire, which was wonderful. We went back the next year for a week. That week grew into several weeks. We have gone camping at Bear Head almost every year since. My daughter also now goes. Although it has grown and there are many more campers and lots more amenities including a paved road into the park, it is still quite and beautiful. We love the loon calls, fishing on the dock, swimming in the cold water, and the campfires. We have camped here for 40 years. We don’t like the flies much but that is about the only thing. We love hiking around Lake Norby and going to the berry patch by Cub Lake.
It was over the July 4th weekend in 1979 that I joined a group of Twin Cities people for a retreat held on the North Shore entitled something like, “Spirituality and Nature.” The gist was that we would engage in rock climbing, new to most of us, during the day and then each evening two professional psychologists would help us process what we’d learned about ourselves and others through the experience. After some basic training and practice at Carlton Peak we were taken to Palisade Head and to Shovel Point to rappel and climb. We had a young man from Ely who trained us for the climbing and who, in turn, did his climbs. However, the big difference in his case was that he challenged himself by doing things such as doing the climb blindfolded or without any ropes or both! This man was Will Steger, later to be made famous by his polar expeditions. Tettegouche was then known as Baptism State Park not knowing that at that very same time (June 29, 1979) legislation was passed establishing it all as Tettegouche State Park. I did not pursue rock climbing as an ongoing experience but learned how outdoor experiences could give me new insights into myself and life….it was a magical, transforming experience.
In June 2000, my wife and I hiked into the gorgeous DeSoto Lake campsite at Itasca State Park, set up camp, and explored the immediate area. That night we were awoken by a rustling outside our tent. It was a snapping turtle trying to burrow under our backpacks. After shining our headlamps on the turtle, he/she ambled away slowly and we returned to sleep. The next morning as we climbed out of our tent there was a giant painted turtle in the middle of our campsite.
chilly. One year it was 25 degrees and we were changing our two year old daughters diapers in the tent 2-3 times a day. We’d spend our days exploring the rocks and the lake and the nights huddled by a warm inviting camp fire and enjoying the beautiful black night sky. It was the stuff life-long memories are made of. Some 40+ years later our children are sharing the great outdoors with their children. It has been a blessing.
º. I slept in two sleeping bags and used a scarf to cover my nose. There was a full moon that lit up the whole landscape, reflecting off the deep snow. One night we took a hike on the frozen lake, looking for wolf tracks and listening for wolf howls. We were lucky enough to experience both.
