13 Sep 2010
My trip to Hawk Ridge
I drove up north on Saturday. My destination: Jay Cooke State Park, where I would hike into the same secluded campsite I had occupied for four consecutive nights the year before at around the same time in September. When I arrived there I found that my lack of planning would assign me this time to a drive-in site (car camping) instead of the more rugged backpacking experience. Oh well. Fewer beer-miles on my poor back.
I set up my rugged campsite a solid 15 feet from my car and then set out on what I hoped would be a long hike into the park‘s trails. I looked the part of a hiker: binoculars across my chest, a jacket, a can of bug spray poking out of my back pocket, and reliable shoes. In addition, concealed, I carried a pen, a notebook, a flashlight, a headlamp, warm gloves, a cell phone, a folded paper towel, a small knife, a set of keys attached to a carabiner with another small knife and can opener, and a map of the trails.
I walked and walked, stopping to peer into the dense aspen stands in search of a bird here and there. I didn’t exactly see any birds besides downy woodpeckers, but I sure did observe a lot of trees. And I caught a leopard frog. After miles and miles of walking, with an occasional stop to take it all in, I headed back, following the map in a nice loop.
Arriving at my noble campsite I set up my rations to replenish my energy: I ate peanuts, a lot of them. And I had three hearty beers. I sat and communed with nature, using my headlamp to read the first volume of “The Walking Dead” by Robert Kirkman (a fucking sweet comic). I made a fire as my remotest ancestors had, and threw lots of shit in there to watch it burn, which was neat.
The next day I woke up early in the morning, perhaps ten or ten-thirty, and packed up my tent and set off for Hawk Ridge (by car, of course). After stopping for necessities such as coffee and two Subway sandwiches and some soda, I arrived there and watched the raptors pass overhead in profusion. I was so adept with my hands, and so keen of observation, that I was able to identify them with binoculars in one hand while feeding myself an Italian BMT with the other hand. Truly humans are fantastic creatures.
After a full afternoon of intense wildlife watching, I headed home to Minneapolis, secure in my kinship with wildlife and mastery of the outdoors. And next weekend I will set out into to the wilderness again.
pseudoisaac 