Afton Adventure

Overlooking the St. Croix River

After almost two years of calling Minnesota home, I am enthralled with the reality that I can still wake up to thousands of miles of unexplored terrain.

I'm sure such a reality is, in part, due to Minnesota's extended winters. (Blizzards have a way of discouraging the leaving of one's home — step zero to any outdoor expedition.) But it's the beginning of June, and the sun is beaming, the sky is bluing, and we try not to think about the existence of such colder realities at times like this. Besides, I'm beginning to think that summer is could really last forever this time...

(Full disclosure: I've come to realize that we Minneapolitans all suffer from a mental disorder you could call Summer Seasonal Ignorance — SSI. I say could because it remains undiagnosed, largely due to its prevalence in society. Why diagnose the normal? It's hard to know the exact cause of SSI, but I would guess it's triggered by a combination of the mind's first yearly apprehension of a +60F day and the corresponding sensation of sunshine on one's face. What is out of sight is out of mind. Hard to know for sure though.)

Anyways, back to enthrallment and unexplored terrain, Ashley and I woke up this morning and, after a couple cups of coffee and a hearty breakfast, grabbed our running shoes, and headed out the door to Afton State Park in search of the unexplored. Afton is a little far from our house (~40 mins), but not too far. Boasting over 20 miles of (hilly) trails, a swimming beach, a front-row view of the St. Croix River, and isolation from city life, Afton seems to have been made for the child at heart.

And, as with any adventure, there was both the expected and the unexpected on this one. . .

The Expected

Flat dirt along the river (St. Croix on the left)

Grassy trails

Beautiful single-track

The UnExpected

In general, way more picturesque than I was anticipating -- the more I see of Minnesota, the more I admire it!

What's left of the "swimming beach" after some heavy rains the last few weeks, bummer!

Can you spy the deer? This guy/girl (aren't girls the ones without the horns?) was hanging out near the trail when I came running around a corner. I slammed on the breaks and, for 5 long seconds, we were face to face -- probably no more than 5' apart. I snapped this one on the return journey thinking she may still be in a curious mood. After the picture, she galloped off with a few snorts.

Snake! Ahhhh!! Note to self: the sticks that move aren't sticks...

As he slithered off, I was able to (more comfortably) get a closer shot.
My best guess is that it was a Pantherophis vulpina, or a Fox snake.
Other than it being non-venemous (priority #1 in preparation for future encounters), I also enjoyed learning that it (like all snakes) is unable to control its body temperature (and so needs to pick its environment wisely) and that it has been known to shake its tail like a rattlesnake when threatened, even though it lacks the shakers.

For future reference:

• "How to Deal with Snakes on Trail Runs" (Runners World)