Last week, after the rains and before the string of beautiful sunny days, a friend and I went for a hike in Nerstrand Big Woods State Park.
It was green. It was lush. It was muddy.
First we walked down the steps to take a look at Hidden falls which was very full and gorgeous. The sound of the water falling over the rock bed is mesmerizing.
Next we decided to cross the river which required carefully stepping on wet blocks, with water flowing over them, to get to the other side. We held our breath as we slowly stepped on each block.
Once safely across, we started down the trail only to find lots and lots of mud. We had to navigate each step forward. Thankfully we had hiking poles, and thankfully neither one of us fell in the slippery mud.
The muddy trails did not take away from our observations. On this cloudy day, in addition to seeing the beautiful overflowing falls, we saw several spring wildflowers…
and the best sighting of all…a Scarlet Tanager, a stunning, red bird.
Nerstrand is a wonderful park. This park is poetry to me. I have been going to this park even before we moved to the area 25 years ago and it holds a special place in my heart. I have many good memories of hiking, skiing, and camping…family times, winter picnics, summer picnics…and much more.
For me, Nerstrand is a wonderful place to get away, yet be so close to nature, to God, and so close to home!