I had heard stories of Minnesota mosquitos but, as our plane left Dallas and pointed north I forgot them.
My mom and I were going to the wedding of my niece, Kelli, and, once we landed – and the rain cleared out – we were left with weather perfected. Lows in the high-50’s and highs in the low 80’s and low humidity made for a wonderful, and much appreciated, break from the oppressive heat and high humidity we had been experiencing.
The wedding was beautiful and joyful – as weddings should be – and I loved watching as Kelli was happily wed to Erik. They – along with two year-old Jace, are good together and make a super sweet family.
Finding myself with free time the next day the cool morning beckoned me outside to do some exploring.
Elk River had lots of natural settings to enjoy and my soul was filled with appreciation for this little piece of heaven. An abundance of huge evergreens conjured up visions of Christmas trees covered in snow and laced with twinkling lights.
Quaint landscapes with red barns and the meandering Mississippi River invoked feelings of tranquility and peace.
But, relaxing landscapes and Christmas dreams aside, I wanted to do some hiking, and, lucky me, trails were easy to find. There was an abundance of choices, all within a 10 minute drive.
Looking at a map of the parks I settled on one described as “home to six miles of challenging trails through 80 acres of oak forest”
Perfect!
My exuberance apparently fogged my brain and in the excitement of my impending adventure I didn’t remember that Minnesota had received a lot of rain in the previous weeks.
And, I didn’t remember that bugs tend to be worse near bodies of water.
And, I didn’t remember that when you combine standing water – or streams or rivers or lakes – with a canopy of trees that mosquitoes tend to multiply exponentially.
And, I didn’t remember that, as a general rule, mosquitos LOVE me.
Most important…..I didn’t remember bug spray.
Can you tell what’s coming?
Yep, as I hiked into the forest I discovered there were plenty of those pesky parasites and each time I stopped moving they were determined to move in for the kill feast.
The hike was now forgotten and the race was on as I began running. They wanted to eat me alive? Well, first they were going to have to catch me! I foolishly felt sure I would win this contest.
Oh I was so wrong.
Each time I stopped I resembled a wild woman – waving my arms all around while slapping myself. Obviously, I wasn’t going to be stopping too often, or for very long, so checking my gps was going to be a challenge. As a result, I took a wrong turn and went deeper into the woods instead of out.
Forty-five minutes – and what felt like four thousand bites later, it was the pests who got the win. Dragging my sorry bit-up butt out of the forest I admitted defeat.
Mosquitoes – one, me – zero.
And, okay, let’s be real – four thousand might be a bit of an exaggeration.
Oh well. What’s an adventure without a little adversity? The wonderful time I had with family while enjoying beautiful sights and amazing temperatures made my potentially serious lapse in thinking a minor nuisance. Overall – I had fun and that was worth dealing with a few bug bites.
Minnesota….I still love you. I may have lost the race but the beauty of the area – and some Benadryl – made my not-so-clever choice well worth the aggravation.
It may have been a little muddy in a few spots.
We wondered, “Should we turn around and retrace our steps or see if we can get across?”
AND – we found the giant sycamore! More than 160 years old!
I don’t know what happened to the sign at the start of the trail, but our ‘adventures’ made a good day truly memorable.
My Crazy Graced Life 