MnGCA

[Trekkin' and Birdin']

ok...i broke my arm last week, slipping on ice at a stupid p/g. obviously, i'm not going to be up to our usual speed for awhile, but hopefully in a week or two more, can return to some gentle hiking. so....
of the following state parks, which have fairly easy, level hiking.

afton...yeah, i know, but great river bluffs is a hop and jump
mn river valley state rec
wm obrien
wild river
rice lake
lake louise
sakatah

distance wont be an issue. more a matter of fairly safe footing. thanks.

[bflentje]

[Grey Wolf and Wild Rice]

Wm O'Brien will be tricky in the winter. That road is closed (not plowed) and it can get very icy especially under MN95.

[KRedEP]

Sorry to hear about your injury.

[Trekkin' and Birdin']

thanks...i'll survive. i actually went out for a four mile walk by myself today, about half of it on snow trails. felt good.

[4nhand]

Bummer about the arm! Here's my take on the parks (I haven't been to Wild River yet):

Afton - fairly level, lots of small ups and downs, fairly long
mn river valley state rec - fairly level, watch out for snow mobiles
wm obrien - road closed, as previously mentioned, not recommended
rice lake - super easy, can't even consider it a hike
lake louise - mostly level until very end, fairly long
sakatah - slightly downhill, but not too steep and over a long distance

[kc9gbo]

Minneopa, Fort Ridgely and Flandrau were all nice and easy a couple weeks ago when I visited the parks. Worst for hiking was Minneopa with ice on the trail as it looked like they used it for snowshoe classes.

[Trekkin' and Birdin']

Thanks for the feedback....we've already done the New Ulm/Mankato parks, and hope to get to Rice Lake this weekend when we cache our way to a history trade fair.

I did go snowshoeing this past weekend at a park in Wisconsin and it went well. Somehow I think it might be a long time before they let me climb any trees. I'm bummed about that!

[bflentje]

[Trekkin' and Birdin']

Don't worry Bart. We've been out a bit. Two weeks of mostly complete rest and I just couldn't take it any longer. Last weekend was way too nice to sit on the couch and the doc ok'ed me for some outdoors fun.

I'm a little concerned about recovery with respect to paddling. They won't really be able to assess any tissue damage for at least three more weeks. Hopefully my next visit will show that I can begin rehab, though. Was Norvina's shoulder injury a proximal humerus break? That's what I got. Online references suggest it's "a common injury among the elderly and high energy people." I'll take the latter!

As for the tree climbing....well, this is a two person team. Trekkin' and I just won't be doing rock paper scissors to see who gets to play in the trees for awhile.

[bflentje]

Be sure to be healed by Saturday August 17th.. the 6th annual canoe event.

[Trekkin' and Birdin']

Ha ha, that and the one in the BWCA for the virtuals.

[Aix sponsa]

Is it love or obsession that gets Trekkin' to go out on a limb? I'm guessin' that climbin' can be a bit out of Trekkin's comfort zone.
_________________
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. ~Robert Frost

[Trekkin' and Birdin']

Only when he's tied up in ropes hanging over a cliff. No problem free climbing. Go figure, Mary!