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| Hiking | 4.62 Miles |
746 AEG |
| | Hiking | 4.62 Miles | 2 Hrs 44 Mns | | 1.73 mph |
| 746 ft AEG | 4 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | A family gathering had us at a nearby VRBO for the weekend - with one of my niblings fascinated with potholes, and a sign for "Glacial Potholes" sighted on the way to our lodging, we added a visit to this park as an activity.
The parking area had a number of vehicles and another family group or two milling around when we arrived. Temps were chilly, and the day was breezy. After getting our parking fees figured out and the appropriate receipts displayed on the dashboards of our vehicles, we headed off to have a look at the potholes - the Glacial Potholes area of the park is made up of mixed surfaces and is designed as an interpretive hike with signs providing insight to the natural history of the area. The niblings had a grand time checking things out, both on and off trail (there was a gently sloped basalt hill that they especially enjoyed scrambling around on). While a bunch of the potholes have been excavated to determine their depth, many were full of water when we visited. After completing the short circuit amongst the potholes and enjoying views of the Saint Croix, our group split up, with half heading back to the VRBO, and the rest of us opting to continue on a longer loop.
We headed out along the Walter F. Mondale River Trail, catching sight of some turkey vultures soaring above. Along the way, we saw evidence of beaver by way of gnawed trees. Also caught sight of a chipmunk and a black squirrel. At the far end of the trail, we hit the parking area where one of my brothers surprised us with a car in case anyone wanted a lift back to the house. We lost another couple adventurers - the rest of us decided to have a look at the tunnel that passed under the highway to see if we might catch a different trail back to our starting point. We weren't certain we'd be able to complete the loop as signage indicated that the tunnel was closed due to ice blockage - when we looked at it, most of the ice and snow had melted, and it was passable. We confirmed with the ranger that it was okay to continue, and off we went. Footing through the tunnel was a little trecherous with the slick ice - the potential penalty would be a wet foot (the only secure foot placement was off ice, but in the meltwater) or, I suppose, a fall. Our party managed to negotiate the tunnel successfully without incident. We headed back along the Railroad trail...which we had expected to be flat or gently graded - however we were surprised at some steep stairs that first descended to a drainage, then ascended back out to meet the base of some sandstone bluffs before proceeding on the expected flat grade to its terminus. At the end, I walked with my SIL back to the VRBO, while the others headed back to the parking area to drive back.
While not a long hike, it was a nice wander and provided a good opportunity to get outside. If I'd had more time, I might have hopped over into WI to have a look at the Ice Age National Scenic Trail with its western terminus just on the other side of the Saint Croix River. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
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Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually  |
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