Monthly Archives: October 2014
MN Trip ~Day 8 Wolves & Wilderness at Tamarac
On day 7 we hung out with family and crashed.
It is amazing how much your feet hurt when you lay around vs. when you are using them constantly for a hiking.
I was trying to not laugh at all the aches and pains that were showing up from our hike.
As soon as I put shoes on and got moving they faded away.
Although I did take pictures that day I decided they did not need to be shared on here so I am skipping to our last day.
On our last day in Minnesota we decided to go to Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge again so we could go to their Fall Festival called “Wolves & Wilderness”.
They have educational stations set up about different aspects of the park and wolves.
Wild Rice grows in the park so they had a demonstration of how they process it.
The volunteers were very nice and full of information.
It was held near these old cabins which were cool to look into.
At the trapper tent they told my youngest he could touch the wolf trap they had.
He wanted to know if it was set to go off first.
Yes, they set it and are trying to trap the little children that come to the tent…
I guess that is a valid question if you have never really seen one before and therefore do not know if it is armed.
Of course his next question was if they would set it.
The event was centered around a wolf named “Old Three Legs” that terrorized the area in the early 1900’s.
Since Nick and I saw a wolf limping on our trip north, my youngest told everyone and said maybe it was three legs.
I don’t think you would have made it Maddie…
Poor Maddie being compared to Old Three Legs.
You got a stamp in a book at each station and if you filled it you got a prize.
What I like most at events like this is the spark it puts into my boys.
Even if they do not remember any of the information they hear, they are more likely to try to find out about that subject because they are interested now.
It would not surprise me at all if my youngest picked up a book on wolves at the library sometime.
They had a storyteller tell the story of Old Three Legs.
He was a teacher and it showed.
Nick’s mom and some of the boys cousins came as well.
I really enjoyed listening to him.
It was really cold and we had a long drive back to Oklahoma ahead of us so we tried to hurry through the last activities.
I am sorry if I seemed rushed to any of the volunteers, I felt like we had a ticking clock following us.
Does it get any better than a cabin in the woods?
Dream house.
Maybe one a little less drafty though.
I am glad that we started our drive a little late so we could attend this event!
They did a great job and the boys had a lot of fun!
The boys earned their prize!
They got a wolf poster and some apples.
Those apples were really good!
We ended up with a beautiful sunset on the way home.
I always enjoy my time in Minnesota so much.
It is a beautiful place.
What is your favorite state to visit?
Any fall festivals going on in your area?
MN Trip ~Day 6 The SHT
After a wet cold night, I was ready to get moving!
We were heading all the way back to Silver Bay so this would be our longest hike of our trip.
My homemade instant oatmeal worked out really well!
Something hot to start out a cold morning really helps.
Everything we need for a hot meal.
We went ahead and went to the waterfall overlook before getting on the Superior Hiking Trail.
There was apparently a really nice view down below and on the other side but we did not want to add more miles and a ton of steps to our hike.
Maybe next time.
Silver Bay this way!
You start out your hike with “the drainpipe”, interesting name.
It is almost like rock climbing.
I was having a lot of trouble getting going so Nick carried the camera for most of this third day.
Mount Trudee without rain!
I had missed the photo opportunity the day before due to the rain so I was glad it was dry on the way back.
Well, it did not rain at least.
The path was a muddy mess.
The walking poles helped with the slipping around everywhere.
I still wiped out once though.
This was one of our steepest climbs for the day so I was glad we got it done.
I am glad we packed our light tripod for the trip.
I like it when both of us can be in a shot.
See his grin?
That is the grin of a man that is on the edge.
Literally.
I did not realize it until I had set the timer and went to him.
He tried to pull me close to him and I about freaked!
In this picture I am actually trying to pull away, closer to the nice safe rocks…
As opposed to open air and a steep fall.
Still enjoying the beautiful colors!
We did it!
We ended up with just over 11 miles that day.
We also just missed the rain.
It started just minutes after we started driving.
Despite the rain, I had to stop and take some pics of Lake Superior!
What a great trip!
Have you ever been to Lake Superior?
What is your favorite spot?