This trip was a more
spontaneous one. My mom and I really didn’t decide what state park to drive to
until the minute we were in the car. My ultimate goal is to hike in a Minnesota
State Park at least once a month, but because of my summer internship this year
in Des Moines, I would not have the opportunity to hike in June; thus, this
spur of the moment adventure.
There were many aspects of this trip that I hadn’t
experienced with my previous hikes – mostly involving wildlife; although, the
surrounding lakes and blooming trees I would definitely include on the list
too. Overall, the park is located on the border of prairies and deciduous trees
– a mix of two of my favorite things I might add. But, since I’m on the topic
of deciduous trees, I’m going to take this moment to geek out slightly since I
learned about these trees in Ecology a couple semesters ago.
Deciduous trees are the ones able to drop their leaves
annually in the fall. They have this ability because their growing seasons are
long enough to support this action, and allows them to live throughout the
winter months too. So, if our seasons went from summer for a couple months to
straight winter the rest of the year, then those trees would have to adapt and
keep their leaves in order to grow and retain or gather nutrients throughout
the cold winter months too. Then, we would probably term those trees
coniferous. I hope that makes sense for you all!
Additionally, my mom and I saw a lot of beauty within the
trees we walked by on this hike. First, we walked through a trail that
contained millions of cottonwood seeds, a light dusting of gray and white,
making the trail look like a puffy layer of snow had just fallen. Other cool,
blooming trees we witnessed were ones that contained white and pink flowers.
(Sorry, I don’t know the actual specie names.) The floral scent they gave off
reminded me of body soap and it invited us to stay a while longer in their
midst. What I enjoyed the most from these trees was looking up at the branches
and flowers and see the sun’s rays glide and spread through them. The lights
would also change the color shades of pink and white, creating a unique moment.
Another beautiful moment we appreciated were the lakes surrounding the state
park. The occasional strong breeze would also drift the muggy scent of lake
water towards us, which to me wasn’t a horrible smell. We could also see
various species of ducks, pelicans as well as boats recreating about on the
lakes. It happened to be on these parts of the trails though, that the bugs
were the worst. We fortunately, didn’t get bit, but they were extremely
annoying.
Overall, wildlife dominated the highlights of this trip.
Within the first twenty minutes of walking we witnessed a small herd of deer,
frozen, waiting for us to make the first move. After a few minutes, we did, continuing on our way. Next, we came across a swamp, which was
peaceful and gorgeous to gaze at. I tried to look for signs of fish living in
it, but instead a frog startled me. Before we could snap a picture of the
creature, it hopped deeper into the murky waters.
When we hiked to the “Big Island”, we spotted more
waterfowl, all of which flew away before we could really look at them, except
for one bird. A young green heron, I believe. We observed it jumping up and
down off a fallen tree log, almost like it was clearing the space for a mating
dance. Unfortunately, the heron remained too far away to capture a good picture
of it. Then, while heading back to the bulk of the park, I noticed a small
creature about a quarter mile away ahead of us – a turtle, crawling at a decent
speed too. I wanted to look at it up close, so actually my mom and I ran to
reach it before it disappeared in the ditch on the other side of the road. The
heat, humidity, and our tired bodies did not make this task east, but we were
still successful. The turtle hid within its shell at first, but slowly gazed
out and at us. We also noticed two snakes within the tall grass from the
prairies, but with us both being afraid of these creatures, we quickly expanded
the distance between the snakes and us. Finally, the last animals we witnessed
were some wild turkeys foraging for food. I did my best turkey impersonation in
hopes that we could hear them call back, but instead, my noise scared them
away, farther into a brush patch of land. In addition to those animals, a few
bird songs that I could identify included a catbird, red-winged blackbird (no surprise
there), a white-throated sparrow, and some crows.
Overall, my mom and I finished this hike hot, sweaty, and
tired. But, enjoyed each other’s presence and every moment of what the state
park had to offer. Except, of course, the bugs.
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