Except for the rain that’s currently pouring down, I’ve had perfect weather for adventure-having since I’ve been up in Sandstone. Yesterday, I loaded up my pockets and headed to Banning State Park, which is very near by. I wasn’t expecting much, and it’s significantly smaller than St. Croix State Park, where Chris and I camped last month. But the terrain was actually much more interesting — I had a blast!
The land by the Kettle River is clear down to the sandstone bedrock in a lot of places, so there was a ton of climbing to be had instead of just moseying along a cleared forest path. I wore my Vibrams, which are the perfect hiking shoes. You definitely have to watch where you step and be a bit tough about walking over sometimes-rough terrain with only a thin layer of rubber between you and the ground, but it’s worth it. I’ve always been very nervous about going up and down steep paths in regular tennis shoes, but I was much more confident when I was able to feel the shape of the rocks and dirt under my feet.
When I was talking to Chris’ parents about camping (which I did for the first time this year), I said that it felt like discovering a part of myself that I had never known about but had always been there. It just makes so much sense to me. I had that feeling yesterday as I was hiking around. If it wouldn’t have been a guaranteed broken neck, I would have been running from place to place; it just felt amazing to be physically active, climbing up and over things, with so much nature around me.
Let’s hope I feel that way about running around outside later this week — the Great River Ragnar Relay starts on Friday!
I’m so glad that you’re enjoying discovering this part of yourself! It *IS* awesome to be out in the wild, hiking, camping, boating, swimming, active in any way in nature!