Four days, 33 miles, toads, sweat, hills, beauty.

Frontenac State Park, MN on Lake Pepin

Memorial Day weekend is over and I'm proud to say, Team Roger got in 33-miles of practice/training hikes in four days. We tried to hit every kind of terrain and weather we might find on the Rob Roy Way, and we certainly found the hills if not Highland mountains. One thing we feel fairly certain about is that we probably won't hit 90-degrees in Scotland. We can't rule out anything, of course, but the muggy, buggy Minnesota summer isn't likely to follow us across the pond. (70's and sunny would be lovely, however!) The last blog went into flooded detail about our Friday hike of nine miles at Old Cedar Avenue Bridge.

Saturday was supposed to be longer but was another nine-miler in, literally, our very favorite Minnesota State Park. Frontenac SP is in the southeast almost-corner of Minnesota along Lake Pepin (a large, wide lake formed by and in the Mississippi River) and is just plain a beautiful place. Betty and I find it has the most peaceful spirit along with many many steps down to the lake and river and back up, bluff walks, and the feeling you're walking through an enchanted green fairy realm with moss-covered rocks, logs, and fern-filled valleys. 

 

Enchanted Forest

Cap and Betty in a little Fern Gully

We made our longest hike of 11.5 miles on Sunday at an urban park reserve called Elm Creek. This was our hottest walk although it began in a slight rain. Cap and Scout scoffed at any use of rain gear, but Betty and I just had to model our Patagonia and Frogg Toggs storm couture. 

This was a hike filled with lovely water, woods and prairie, goofing around, breaking the rules, and some wildlife. Check out my little toad friend, our flying trumpeter swans, the Trail Closed sign and Cap and I with our fancy hats.

My toad friend was not amused.

Trumpeter swans taking flight.

Trail Closed. We went through anyway.

A

Babs' and Cap's next Christmas card pic for sure.

Finally, on Monday--Memorial Day--we made our shortest hike of 5.5 miles. This was a true test of Betty's grit since one of her toe blisters re-opened when the blister bandages slipped and got stuck to her sock, causing sharp stabbing toe pain. But, she made it with flying colors--and several walks downhill backward! This was the hilliest hike we've done in Minnesota. Fitbit declared we climbed 1200 floors. Every time we went down a hill we could see the next one dead ahead. Mind you, these were not long slogs, but they were steep. Scout loved them. Cap loved them. Babs liked the calories burned, and Betty just kept repeating her second-favorite mantra (which we will cover in later episodes) "D---it, Jan."

Aftermath of hills in the heat

Betty backward down the hill.

But--all-in-all it was a super-successful training run. We are now only 8.5 days away from leaving and we are all but ready. We certainly are excited. All that's left is to pack our bags for the final time, bring my orchid plants to my mother's house (Granny Grace) for plant sitting, and Cap and I have to hire someone to visit our house several times to make sure the mice aren't living in the kitchen. 

Next time: Scotch. Promise.

Floods, Muds, and Blisters - 8.6 miles

An iconic Twin Cities Bridge--now hikeable.

We are making the final practice hikes for our trip to Scotland and England since we board our plane in twelve days. This Memorial Day weekend, Team Roger is taking four days in a row of long-ish hikes to identify and tweak/fix the last equipment and body-conditioning issues we have. Like blisters.  Like "Do we need to bring gaiters after all because we now have to cross this flooded path?" Like "I forgot to put the towel back in my pack and my feet are wet."

Friday of Memorial Day weekend, the four of us went to one of our favorite Minneapolis metro hiking places--Mound Springs Park beside the old Cedar Avenue Bridge. Twin Cities, Minnesota locals will recognize the iconic structure, and if they're old enough will remember driving on it across the Minnesota River and praying not to scrape the side mirror off the car (yup, did that). 

The old Cedar Ave. Bridge from the new Cedar Ave. Bridge

The trails adjacent to the bridge and the banks of the River are twisty and green and rolling but have no steep hills (there are no mountains in Minneapolis). It's a really pretty area and we planned to get in six or seven miles. But it's been a rainy spring and about the time things start to dry out, we get another rainy weekend. Guess what happens to a river when it rains a lot. Then guess what happens to trails next to that river. 

The park area is beautiful but wet this year.

Rhetorical questions, of course. Cap did his best but was thwarted several times when our trail disappeared under a rippling pond and we had to backtrack. Normally that would have been nothing but a minor course correction, but our Betty has several toe blisters that are healing and they were not happy with the changes. Fortunately she has good blister protection. Unfortunately, the hiking fairies were feeling like pranksters. 

This was supposed to be our trail

At the seven mile mark, with only a mile or so to go, we believed we were home free. The river was well within its banks and the path we were trekking was solid packed dirt. We were in single file on the wooded path when we all heard Cap mutter "This isn't good."

It wasn't. The path ahead was swamped all the way to the river on our right as far ahead as we could see. To our left, what was supposed to be a trail bike path was a ten-inch-deep creek. With sinking hearts we knew there were two choices. Find a way to cross the stream (higher than our boot tops) or back track and add five more miles. 

Betty & Cap: shoe removal

Betty's toes made our decision. We found a spot where the ground on the opposite side was firm and took off our boots and socks. Scout crossed first and announced it was not mucky or difficult. I (Babs) went next and agreed. After that Betty and Cap waded together into the water, hoping Betty's blister bandage would stay on--it didn't. After everyone was safely across, I discovered I had removed the towel from my backpack and was stuck sitting on a log with muddy feet. BUT! I had an extra pair of socks in my pack so the old ones got used to wipe feet and comfy dry socks took their place. Cap couldn't care less about putting socks on damp feet. Scout and Betty hadn't forgotten their towels. Within ten minutes we were booted up again and ready to finish.

Crossing together

Not deep but a little chilly

 

Scout: mud removal & shoe replacement

 

 

 

First, however, we had to go cross country to find the trail again. Walking through grass, weeds, and low-hanging branches is not Betty's favorite thing about hiking, as I hinted at yesterday. If you remember, there's a mantra: "I'm fine. This is good. This is fine. I'm okay." That helps keeps ticks at bay, in case you aren't familiar with the ritual. 

 Finally all of us bad-ass, creek-fording, cross-hikers made it back to the trail and found we had less than a mile to the end. We'd definitely made the right choice not to turn back. We might still be walking.

 

Sweet Canada geese family.

 

The hike payoff--reaching The Bridge

In the end we hiked nearly nine miles. Betty had a last traumatic experience when one rude wood tick ignored the mantra spell and hitched a ride on the back of her neck. In this group, however, it's all for one and one for all and we're nothing if not supportive. A thorough hair check, back check, and underarm check later, we convinced our girl she had not been bitten and wouldn't have a Lyme's Disease relapse. We enjoyed some baby Canada geese, made it back across the old bridge and finally  ended our hike the way we always do -- eating back most of the calories we spent hiking on a great burger and fries. Because, after all, we also have to train for all the great Pub Food we plan to find in Scotland!

Tricks of the Trail: Peripheral Skills

Scout, Cap, & Betty on a 10-mile training hike

Most people don't realize there's a lot more to training for a long distance hike than walking tons of
miles. People are impressed when I tell them we now look at 3 1/2 miles as a warm-up, or we're disappointed if we only have time for a 5-mile hike. But that's just down to physical stamina and muscle conditioning that we can build up as any athlete does. 

The actual difficult parts of training have to do with practicing the peripheral things that fill in all the minutes on the trail not involving in taking steps, and handling the hours after the walk. Here's a short taste of the things Team Roger is working hard to master.

WHINING: The necessity for this important skill was brought to our attention by Betty who tries to convince us that she is the expert at whining while on the trail. She might be right, but everyone except Cap is actually getting fairly good at coming up with impressive complaints--like toddlers on a long car trip. If anyone would like to practice their whining skills, here are a few examples you're welcome to try:

Part of whining is letting it show on you face.

"My right foot twists in my shoe and feels funny."

"Ooh, ooh, cramp in my arch."

"This asphalt is hard on my back."

"My laces are too tight. I can't feel my toes."

"Are we done yet?"

"Yesterday the first mile went by faster."

"No, no, I'm fine; my knees are only a LITTLE achy today."

"I really have to pee and there are too many people on this trail."

"Ooh, ooh, cramp in my heel."

Those are courtesy of Betty, Babs, and Scout. Seriously, the worst thing Cap complains about is when his All Trails app shows we missed a trail and we are heading away from our end point after seven miles. 

RE-LACING BOOTS & CARE OF FEET: It's inevitable that feet get tired once you hit a certain point in a walk (note: this comes at a different mile marker for every hiker). If you're unlucky, your feet will actually hurt, and in a worst-case scenario, the hurt will come from raw skin or a blister. So, every good hiker will have several tools to combat these ills. The first is a knowledge of various ways to lace a hiking boot, or loosen and tighten the laces in just the right places. The second is knowing exactly how to cut and place Moleskin protective padding where it won't make the hot spots worse. The third is simply learning to accept how weird it feels to have bandages, Moleskin, or silicone toe covers between your toes when you walk.

LONG GRASS:  This is where ticks live. In all seriousness, our Betty has had two tick-borne conditions in the past, and she is rightfully worried about ticks. We do our best to keep the little suckers from hitching rides on our persons, but once in a while we have to walk through tall grass areas. That's when the mantra "it's fine, everything's fine, this is fine," comes in handy. Also, we have standing agreements not to tell Betty if we see or find any little black creepy crawlies.

Fascinating side story: several years ago, Cap and Babs actually pulled 40 ticks each off of themselves after a state park hike (they weren't stuck in, they weren't stuck in). This might be the first time Betty has heard of this so if you hear a scream...

A ravine--where tick COULD be waiting

POTTY EMERGENCIES: Everyone knows that humans with male anatomy have a much easier time with pee stops in the woods than those with female anatomy. Guys don't really have to do much training for this aspect of long hikes because their dads taught them how to find a tree as part of potty training. Girls, however, must get over concerns not only about ticks but itch weed, poison ivy, wasps, and sharp branches, and develop their quads so as to perfect an extended squat. Here are the peeing rules:

*Move off the path at least a few yards (more in National Parks) to be polite.

*Use a stick or small trowel (because we all carry one, right? *shakes head*) to bury solids.

*Don’t leave TP in the woods.

*Don’t USE TP—embrace natural-ness.

*Face the trail so you can pretend to unexpected trail visitors that you’re looking for your phone.

*If you sit on a log like it’s a toilet seat, make sure it’s sturdy.

*Once you’re finished, check to make sure your phone didn’t fall out of your pocket.

 

FIND YOUR NATURAL NAVIGATORS: In Team Roger Lowa, Cap and Betty are the undisputed map readers. They LOVE maps and if a trail system has waypoint signs with maps, we must stop at every one. This is not a bad thing. Scout and Babs can read maps just fine, but we don't need to. We just enjoy the easy life and now and then correct wrong turns. Sometimes Cap relies on technology--he prefers All Trails for downloading maps. Babs can't keep technology running reliably, so she no longer navigates by phone. Pro tip: designate your map readers and navigators and don't mix jobs--too many cooks and all that!

Those are the main side skills we recommend for any hike, but most importantly for long-distance hikes. If you can gain reasonable proficiency in all these things you'll have no problems. But, if you want one main takeaway from this post it should be this--learn to whine. That will take you through almost any annoying situation!

 

Except this: whining might not have helped had we been sitting on this bench at the wrong time.

Happy adventuring--hiking or otherwise. Coming up on The True Adventures: Memorial Day Marathon and the curative properties of Scotch (and Tom Collins).