GREAT OUTDOORS CAMPING AND HIKING ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER By Sheila Regan Great River Blu s State Park, in the Blu Country of Southeastern Minnesota, has dramatic shifts in elevation and steep blu s hovering over the lush Mississippi River Valley. Part prairie, part hardwood forest, the landscape transforms as you move through it. baguette. I listened to the burning wood as it crackled in tune with the sound of the wind blowing in the trees. LANDSCAPE That night, the wind For a solo camping blew o my tarp, and trip on Labor Day TRANSFORMS I had to get out of the weekend, I was tent to stake it down happy to have driven AS YOU MOVE again. In the morning, down the scenic a soft pinkish light route along the river. THROUGH IT. greeted me. I made The blu s popped in another fi re and and out of view, all roasted a marshmallow for a breakfast s’more green and brown, with hints (a graham cracker topped with a square of of orange and yellow. chocolate, a gooey marshmallow and another When I arrived at the park, I ventured graham cracker). out for a hike along King’s Blu Nature On the second day, I made my way toward the Trail , which started out in an oak-hickory Valley View vista. I found it very peaceful to forest. Acorns lined the trail and crunched hike alone through the tall trees, surrounded beneath my shoes as the forest shifted by an abundant undergrowth of white into a spectacular blu prairie, lined with wildfl owers and mushrooms. At the end of blooming fl owers. the trail, enveloped by red velvety fl owers and The vista at the end of King’s Blu is gob grasses, I sat down and drank in the view of smacking. The glimmering water of the blu s cascading down into the prairie below. Mississippi River, surrounded by vegetation After a rest, I pushed on to visit the other and framed by the rolling blu s, trails. The East Overlook o ered a tremendous made me gasp. view of where the Mississippi intersects with That evening, I pitched a tent, made a the Black River Delta, and the South fi re and ate Spanish ham and brie on a Overlook was equally vast and rich. It was achingly quiet. Camping by yourself feels a bit lonely, but that’s the point. It forces you to be present with your thoughts. PART PRAIRIE, I felt the warmth on my face from the fi re, PART HARDWOOD then, as if on cue, the moon appeared to FOREST, THE keep me company. 32 | EXPLORE MINNESOTA .COM
Explore Minnesota Travel Guide 2022 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide: Page 32
