Lately I have been feeling the opposite of homesick: I have been craving the need to go on a road trip. But the problem was I didn’t have a destination in mind. My favorite time of the year is Spring-Fall when we can pack up the car and take off to somewhere pretty and hike until we lose our breath or until we see something that takes our breath away. It is still a little early and too much snow on the ground to really get back into the hiking season, but I knew I needed to get my outdoorsy heart back out there before I went stir crazy.
Similar to throwing a dart at a map and going wherever the dart lands, we listed 20 state parks or destinations that were ½ of a day trips away from us (roughly 3 hours one way). Admittedly, I added Barnes and Noble and Costco as two of the choices just because who doesn’t love a trip to either of those stores? Also on the list was Big Bog State Park, Crow Wing State Park, Bear Head State Park, Kawishiwi Hiking Trail and several other state parks. We rolled a 20 sided dice and landed on Kawishiwi Hiking Trail. I was not too thrilled about this selection since I was hoping for several hours in the vehicle to listen to audible, relax and take in all the beautiful sites Minnesota has to offer, so I rolled two other options: Cuyuna State Recreational Area and Mille Lakes Kathio State Park. I continued rolling this several sided die until I landed on one of three choices for a second time. I was hoping for Mille Lakes, but ended up rolling Kawishiwi for the second time. It was decided. We were going to the beautiful Superior National Forest to see the iconic falls.
The day of our adventure, there was a snowstorm predicted so we both agreed that the dice and perhaps a higher power was keeping us safe by keeping us closer to home. It took 1 hour and 20 minutes, a stop at Caribou for soul fuel and a stop at Holiday for fuel, and we arrived at the destination.
It was a well-traveled trail and snowshoes were not necessary, but ice cleats would have come in handy. The short trek to the falls was absolutely beautiful, all covered in snow. The first look at any falls is breath taking and this day was no exception. We were awestruck at the ice that had formed on and around the falls. It defied all logic how the water was rushing under these huge ice formations. The contrast between the white snow and ice and the sediment filled water also drew our attention. From the ledge that we stood a simple turn of the head to the right we overlooked an ice covered lake with a stream feeding into the body of water.
The entire loop at Kawishiwi Falls is just shy of a mile and before we knew it, we had explored and took in all of the site and we were back to the Hummer (the vehicle of choice for the day’s snow storm). The snow and blowing made for a slow drive home, but we made it and our adventurous hearts were at ease for a short while until we could dive back into hiking season.
Dreaming of panting alongside a hiking trail near you,
Krysta
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