Happy Saturday! I hope your weekend is going great. Eric and I had a really productive day getting housework done and finally getting some Christmas shopping done. I love productive days.
Now we’re relaxing on the couch watching movies. We finished The Good Dinosaur on Disney+, that we started the other day and have switched to A Walk in the Woods on Netflix. I didn’t realize the book was turned into a movie too, so this was a nice surprise. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail is based on the true story of travel author Bill Bryson’s spontaneous decision to hike the entire Appalachian Trail (“AT”). It’s about hiking and is a comedy, so, would recommend!
Have you ever been really inspired to do something?
Too often when I’m watching things like this, I find myself feeling inspired, or more like yearning, for adventures of this magnitude. To hike the AT or summit a mountain or cross through Drake Passage or cycle the Swiss Alps are all things on my life’s never shrinking only growing bucket list. I love and appreciate my surroundings and the opportunities that Minnesota holds for outdoor adventure, but picture this:
Hiking through the woods seeing some of the nation’s last remaining American chestnut trees, or some of the most beautiful overlooks and views east of the Mississippi River, going through 14 states solely by foot.
Or this: Catching the stunning purple, pink, orange, and red hues of a magical sunrise from the top of some 14er.
Or: Dealing with the most atrociously choppy body of water for 2 days, and waking up in the most secluded edge of the world presenting itself with the coolest views of gigantic mountains and the largest glaciers you’ll ever see. And penguins.
Or even: Biking your butt off through mountain passes, along the countryside with mountain goats and livestock, experiencing the most gorgeous views of snow-capped mountains, including Matterhorn.
To my dismay, I’m usually a realist, but when it comes to stuff like this, I’m also a dreamer. But I know that dreams can become reality, it’s just figuring out the puzzle to get there. I’ll get there. Ideas like this are part of what keeps me going.
Do you ever feel this way too? I can’t be alone. If you do, what about? Let me know, you’ll probably inspire me too!
What a cool thing, to get inspired. Without inspiration, the world would be such a dull and stagnant place. Could you imagine? No, thanks.
Though I have lofty dreams that aren’t possible around Minnesota, I can still do so many similar things around here, on a different (not worse) scale. I’m hoping in the next few years to be able to do some of the above things but locally!
If you’re interested in something similar, here are local to Minnesota alternatives:
Hiking: The Superior Hiking Trail is 310 miles, and the Border Route Trail is 65 miles, both entirely in Minnesota and both totally worth hiking. If the timing works out, we’re hoping to spend a few nights on one of these in 2024.
Summit: Minnesota, technically, according to the UN Environmental Programme’s definition of a “mountainous environment,” has a Class 6 “mountain”: Eagle Mountain! Eagle Mountain is 2,301’ and offers a unbeatable views of Boundary Waters lakes, is the highest point in Minnesota, and I hear is best hiked in the fall season when the leaves are changing.
Secluded body of water to secluded beautiful views: Rent a houseboat and explore Voyageurs National Park in far up north, basically Canada. Can you imagine floating off into the sunset, parking at a campsite, and waking up to the beautiful call of the Common Loon? McDreamy.
Cycling distances for views: There are so many road cycling trails in Minnesota! These offer the best views: Sakatah Singing Hills State Trail, Paul Bunyan State Trail, and the Root River State Trail.
Can’t wait to check these out! Have you done any of these? Please share some insights 🙂
P.S. Enjoy this photo from last night’s Northern Lights show in Minnesota! I feel so lucky to have witnessed them for a few minutes last night before they drifted away.
P.S.S. This post is part of the 2023 Blogmas series. See the first Blogmas post – about the purpose of Volkman Adventures – here.
