Kiss Goodnight

It's been awhile since my last post, mostly because my life has been pretty full. Well.. that's not entirely true.. I started becoming a bit lazy and was also working at the Children's Theatre Company on my weekends.. So really if felt like I was always at work and when I had my one day off.. I just sat around. Then in November I started dating the most wonderful girl, but that recently ended, on good terms and I'll leave it at that. So yesterday, while moping around my apartment feeling the deepest sorrow I have ever felt.. mostly because I have never been in any sort of a relationship before this and even though it ended with us still being friends, it doesn't mean the pain just dissolves away.. and so I needed to get away from society for a bit. So many people think I go hiking for the exercise, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Hiking is more or less a very spiritual experience for me. Any sort of exercise I get out of it is merely coincidence/bonus.

I once again visited the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge: Louisville Swamp Trail. This was the trail I visited back in June and July and had been telling myself I had to visit in the winter.. and though it's technically winter yet.. there was still about 5 or 6" of snow on the ground. I had been meaning to purchase some snow shoes.. but once again, hadn't gotten around to it. And with how I was feeling on the inside, I didn't have time to go out and find a pair.. I just needed to get away. So I grabbed my camera, tripod, water, and some tea. I got all bundled up and headed out. I arrived around 2pm and I saw several other cars were there, but only bumped into one person toward the end of the hike which was nice. I needed the solitude. Hiking is probably the best form of therapy I know.. at least for myself anyway. It gives me a chance to be alone with my thoughts in what I consider the real world.. secluded forest and rivers. Don't get me wrong, I love Afton State Park.. but there's just so many people out there on the trails and motor boats.. It's just not the same as this particular trail. I can hear the silence and the last bit of unfrozen running water pushing through the ice. It never fails.. no matter how terrible I think my life is going.. to just be alone in the woods, makes me feel so insignificant, but in a good way. The world is a much bigger place and I am but a small animal living in it's environment and so my problems are made to be even more insignificant than myself.

When I started out on the trail.. I started second guessing my decision to go out today.. all I had were my regular boots (not water proof) and it was pretty cold. And this was after I had only gone about a half a mile! And then the sorrow I had been feeling at home was returning and I just wanted to quit and go back to my car and go lay in bed until I had to go to work Monday. But despite these negative thoughts, I kept hiking. Slowly, my sadness was melted away in the cold. The sun was starting to descend in the sky and I was worried I wouldn't make it to the old homesteads.. My boots were soaking wet and I could feel my socks absorbing the water. I kept going and in the distance I heard some running water bubbling and I knew I was close to the homesteads. I crossed over the rock damn and made it to the homesteads. I was so happy I kept pressing forward rather than turning back. If I hadn't continued to the homesteads, I not only would've been depressed about my life.. but disappointed in myself for not hiking up to the homesteads. So now I felt my remaining sadness shatter and a smile broke across my face. I snapped some photos and decided to head back, seeing as how the sun was now setting. Thinking back now, I wish I had stayed until night fall.. I sure it would've been beautiful there. To look up and see the stars looking down upon me, but again, my feet were now wet and were starting to feel the cold.

While hiking back, I turned around several times and was just awestruck by the beauty of a sunset in a snow covered forest. I may have said this before, but there are few times in my life that I will break out in an open smile randomly, and this definitely did that for me. The sky was like a beautiful painting, created for all, but I felt it was especially for me. I like to think it was a kiss goodnight from Mother Nature and I thanked her and said goodnight.

Sunday Hike

I've been so busy lately, I haven't had much time for updating. Two weeks ago I hiked through White Water State Park 100 miles south of Minneapolis. It was a bit of a drive, but was quite enjoyable. I hiked up two different bluffs and got to enjoy some nice scenery. The only thing i wish is that there had been less people on the trail. It seemed quite busy. And there was a group of people at the park facility having some kind of party blasting music and it could be heard through most of the park.. Just a bit annoying. Not the peaceful hike I was hoping for.. but it did have it's moments of solitude. I'm hoping to return someday when it won't be so busy.

Last weekend I went back to the Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refuge Louisville Swamp Trail. I did a bit of drawing.. not as much as I liked due to ticks getting on me and my supplies. I was carrying far too much with me this time too. Backpack with two bottles of water, bug spray, two sketch books, art supplies, camera, large case of pastels, and my tripod. I'm not sure what I was thinking.. but it seemed like a good idea at the time. So after a short break of sketching, I figured I'd head down another path I hadn't previously hiked on. It was quite nice, a variety of prairie, forest, and swamp like land. Not a whole lot of wildlife other than a crane and some geese. After awhile on the trail I came upon glacial rock, a massive rock in the middle of a prairie. I really wish there had been some kind of information post explaining how it got there.. It really seemed so out of place. I continued down the path and noticed a sign mentioning the ones trails bridge was out, but I was on a overgrown road that seemed as though it were heading in the proper direction so I followed along this road. I traveled for about a mile and a half or so until I came upon someones private property.. I really didn't want to head back from where I came because my water was running out. I wandered through what looked like a path on the property... not a good idea.. but I thought it was the best thing I could do. I passed through some pine trees and over some barbed wire. I noticed an old broken down road that seemed to have been abandoned for some time and then I noticed a big run down house.. I figured I had had enough adventure for that day. I turned around and noticed a different road, so I walked on that for a while and eventually wound up by the interstate I had driven on to get to the trail. It was after midday and I was in the wide open hiking next to the interstate with the sun beating down upon me. My water unfortunately ran out, so I had to stop and rest several times. I was completely spent and I'm sure the people driving past me at 65/70 mph thought I was a crazy person. I traveled next to the interstate for nearly 3 miles and when I finally saw the road I turned off on to go the trail, I was almost unable to move. My left leg was locking up on me and didn't wish to move anymore. Other cars passed me by and eventually I just came to a stand still for about 8 minutes or so. When I looked down I noticed a rusty old coin. I bent down and picked it up. It was a rusty old quarter from 1985 (my year of birth) I just kept thinking of what are the odds of that? That I would take a wrong path and tire myself out and then happen to stop at this very point and find a quarter with my birth year. I felt there was something to it, so I pocketed it and then when I looked back down, I noticed a penny lying face down.. I decided that this other penny was perhaps for someone else... I know it sounds strange.. but that is just how it made me feel. I eventually reached my car and was really hurting. Luckily I always keep a few bottles of water in the car. After that I went home and passed out in bed. I'm still pretty swore. Turns out I hiked about 9 miles. It's my personal best so far... but for now.. I think 8 miles will be my max when I plan my hikes.. and no more taking fake "possible" trails for me haha. Though I did enjoy the adventure of it all.

Not sure where I'm off to next weekend. Time will tell.

Hope all is well with everyone else in the world.