Hiking – Page 7 – Valerie's Voice

February Heat Wave

It was 56 degrees when we went for a walk in St. Olaf’s grasslands on Saturday. The path was a little wet in places but it was great to be out in the open prairie. We sat on a bench for a while to soak up some sunshine. After our hike we went downtown and there were people out everywhere…enjoying this Minnesota winter heat wave. Most of the snow has melted because of several consecutive warm days, and the forecast calls for these temperatures to continue for a few more. Will winter return?

On these nice days I turn down the heat in the house and open windows to let the “sneezes” out! The fresh air smells so good.

I remember last year we had a couple of warm days and we went on a bike ride in February. Is this the new norm?

A Park for All Seasons

Light, Space, Zest, that’s God! Psalm 27:1 (The Message)

We return often to visit one of our local favorite parks, Big Woods State Park. It is always a welcome sanctuary. To be outside, in open spaces and natural light, enjoying God’s creation fills me with joy and… zest! Here are a few photos I took today on our hike at a park we enjoy during all of Minnesota’s seasons.Colorful!
Funky.

Space.

Zest (and ice)

As we drove away from the park there above us, perched on a high tree branch, was an eagle, bidding us farewell and, I think, enticing us to come back again.Light.

Stinging Nettle and an Angel

On our camping trip to Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park we did some hiking (and toured the cave too.) On one hike we had a great, wide trail to walk on but there was a very narrow section that took us through some brush…and Stinging Nettle. We, of course, did not know the nettles were there but we quickly found out even though I’ve never been stung by nettles before we knew the symptoms. It’s distinct!

After pouring some drinking water on our legs we continued to hike on but just a few minutes later we stopped to talk to the camp host who was on his ATV checking on the trail. He was a kind man and eager to talk to us and had a wealth of knowledge about the park and its plants. I asked about nettles. He said there were a lot of Stinging Nettle in the park but he had an antidote…Jewelweed. Within seconds he identified some Jewelweed and picked a few leaves for us to rub on our legs. Almost instantly it took away the sting! We were pleasantly surprised and very happy to run across this angel on the trail. The nettle sting didn’t bother us any more!