Jeff Moravec - Minnesota Adventure Weekends: Your Guide to the Best Outdoor Getaways

MINNESOTA ADVENTURE WEEKENDS

Copyright 2019 by Jeff Moravec

All rights reserved

Published by Menasha Ridge Press

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Printed in the United States of America

First edition, first printing

Cover and interior design: Jonathan Norberg

Interior photographs: Jeff Moravec

Cover photographs: Front: welcomia/Shutterstock; back: yurt at Glendalough State Park, Jeff Moravec

Cartography: Steve Jones

Typography: Monica Ahlman

Indexer: Joanna E. Sprott

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Moravec, Jeff, 1955 author.

Title: Minnesota adventure weekends : Your guide to the best outdoor getaways / Jeff Moravec.

Description: First edition. | Birmingham, AL : Menasha Ridge Press, [2019] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018054265| ISBN 9781634041560 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781634041577 (ebk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Outdoor recreationMinnesotaGuidebooks. | Recreation areasMinnesotaGuidebooks. | HikingMinnesotaGuidebooks. | MinnesotaGuidebooks.

Classification: LCC GV54.M6 M67 2019 | DDC 790.09776dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018054265

MENASHA RIDGE PRESS

An imprint of AdventureKEEN

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Birmingham, AL 35233

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SAFETY NOTICE: Although Menasha Ridge Press and the author have made every attempt to ensure that the information in this book is accurate at press time, they are not responsible for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience that may occur to anyone while using this book. You are responsible for your own safety and health while following the adventures described here. Always check local conditions, know your limitations, and consult a map.

DEDICATION

To my wife, Kelly, for sharing my love of the outdoors, and for always understanding and supporting my wanderlust.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A fellow wordsmith once told me that if you knew what it was going to take to complete a book, youd never start it. He was probably right. But researching and writing this book was a labor of love, and Im thankful for the opportunity.

I would like to thank my wife, Kelly; daughter, Allyson; and son, Zach. It wasnt until we became a family that my interest in the outdoors grew into a lifetime joy. While Ive spent countless hours in the woods by myself, it wasand isour family excursions that truly warm my soul. Instilling an appreciation for the outdoors in my children, I believe, will be the accomplishment of my lifetime. To see my daughters true elation at discovering the backpacking trails of Isle Royale in 2014 was a moment Ill remember forever. It made the leaking tents, heel blisters, and mosquito bites over the years all worthwhile.

I also want to thank Bob Timmons, my editor at the Outdoors Weekend section of Minneapoliss Star Tribune. While Ive been a writer my entire life, Id never really written about the outdoors until Bob gave me a chance. Without his encouragement and support of my newspaper writing, I would never have had the opportunity to be involved in this project. Bobs a great editor and a good guy.

Thanks to Tim Jackson at AdventureKEEN for giving me the chance to write this book, although I would have finished a lot faster if he hadnt always been engaging me in conversation about Jason Isbell and college football. Tim and the entire team at AdventureKEEN have been a pleasure to work with.

Thanks must also go to all the people in Minnesota, professionals and volunteers, who work so hard to keep our natural resources pristine. A special shout-out goes to Jo Swanson and everyone at the Superior Hiking Trail Association. Im especially thankful for the folks at the state parks, who are overworked and underpaid but do their jobs so well. They are a friendly, helpful lot, and their dedication is amazing.

Im also grateful to Alison Heebsh. Thanks for thinking of me.

And finally, thanks to my brother, Steve, and to Jim Atkins. You inspired me more than you knew, and I wish you were here to see this book.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PREFACE

While I may have difficulty remembering what I had for lunch yesterday, I very clearly recall the moment a quarter century ago when my love affair with the Minnesota outdoors began.

It was my first visit to North Shore of Lake Superior, and I was intrigued with the signs I was seeing pointing toward the Superior Hiking Trail. I pulled my car over by one of the markers at a wayside rest and scrambled up a hill to the start of the hiking path. I peeked down the trail, then ventured a few steps in. Aspen, birch, and white cedar shaded the track as I was drawn into the forest. I left the woods a few hours later, but the woods never left me.

In the 25 years since that day, as my kids grew into adulthood, Ive crisscrossed Minnesota more times than I can count, solo and with the family. Our vacations were never at Disneyland (sorry, kids) but in the state parks and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and on backpacking trails. Weve logged nearly 500 nights in tents (yes, I keep track). Weve watched moose feeding in ponds, discovered fresh bear tracks in our campsite, and had gray jays snatch popcorn from our picnic table. Weve fought whitecaps while paddling through the wilderness and kayaked Superior on days when it was like glass. Ive worn out more sleeping bags than I can count.

It has been heaven (except for a few of those teeth-rattling 3 a.m. thunderstorms) and a pleasure watching my kids as adults take off on their own outdoor adventures. Over the years, as any of my friends or family will tell you, it takes little for me to proselytize about the wonders of the Minnesota outdoors. So its a privilege to share with those of you reading this book a few of the places weve grown to know and love.

Forest above Lake Superior

Often, as a young family with busy schedules, we had to make the most of our time outdoors, and we learned how to pack as much as we could into a weekend. The outdoors is about recharging and soaking in nature, of course, so at the same time we were always careful to try to find a happy medium that wouldnt make the weekend feel like work. My goal has been to duplicate that vibe in this book. But whether you simply stare at a campfire (and Ive done plenty of that) or sweat your way through a 30-mile bike ride, the important thing is that youre in the fresh air.