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After many conversations with Sarah’s aunt Kathy expressing an interest in trying out backpacking, we made it into a reality. On a weekend in the middle of June, we had the pleasure of guiding Sarah’s aunt on her first-ever backpacking experience. It was powerful, brought us closer, and pushed us to challenges and experiences people don’t share anywhere else but the wilderness. It was the perfect introduction to backpacking and we are so grateful to have shared the experience and knowledge with her.
We chose a 2-mile backpacking campsite at St. Croix State Park in Hinkley, MN. We figured that was a good distance to hike for a first-time backpacker to get acclimated to carrying a pack. Unfortunately, the descriptions on the MN state parks reservation site doesn’t always have the best details of the trail and campsites. Depending on the experience of the employee who checks you in will also determine how much information about the site is provided we found. We didn’t get much information, so we purchased firewood at $7 a bundle since it had been raining all morning and went on with our adventure. Little did we know there would be a couple of surprises waiting for us at our campsite.
We stayed at the Crooked Creek campsite (CROO as labeled on the map) near the northeast corner of the park. To get to the CROO campsite, we drove 6 miles from the state park office down a dirt road. This was nice because it was extremely secluded from the rest of the park and the only backpack site in that area (the park only has 2 backpack sites in total and it’s important to note that the other backpack site is the same set up as CROO). Along the drive, Aunt Kathy mentioned: “I feel like we are going on an African safari down this dirt road looking out into the open prairies.” It wasn’t the first time we’ve heard friends say something like that on a dirt road experience. It was a reminder of the beauty our state offers. Going to Africa on a safari is without a doubt on the bucket list. Until that day, let’s keep the calm in our day to day lives and remember we don’t need to travel too far to have an escape from the city life and be in natural beauty. St. Croix State Park is just a 1.5-hour drive from the Twin Cities – an easy drive up I-35.
We began our hike in around 5 PM on Friday evening. Kathy had wanted to try biking in even though we mentioned we were keeping our bikes at the car. We supported her decision to take her bike because learning from experience is the best way to figure out what works and what doesn’t. She suggested we throw the bundle of firewood onto her bike, which actually greatly helped in transporting the heavy bundle of wood to the campsite. The hiking trail wasn’t meant to be a bike trail and the further down the trail we got, the steeper the hills were and the more the vegetation grew throughout the trail. It made for a very difficult ride and the bike ended up being walked down the trail. About a mile in was the time when just pushing the bike became a test. Breathing heavy under the weight of her pack and struggling to push the bike to the top of a hill, Aunt Kathy dropped her bike to the ground and said, “I can’t go on!!” This is a perfect example of pushing your limits. Kathy has never done anything like this before, so as a first-timer she needed some motivation. We stopped and gave her patience. She took her pack, sat there to catch her breath, and drank a bit of water. With some words of encouragement and that bit of rest, we carried on to the campsite. Andy helped her out by pushing her bike the rest of the way and we also suggested she leave her backpack there on the trail. One of us would come back for it after reaching the site and dropping the rest of our stuff off. This allowed Sarah’s aunt to hike more comfortably for the last mile.
We were prepared to sleep in our tents at St. Croix State Park backpacking site. After hiking in 2 miles and swatting bugs from our faces (see our top 5 tips for mosquito/tick prevention), we were surprised with a shelter and loads of firewood! It was a pleasant surprise. We did, however, feel a lack of “work” that typically goes into setting up camp when backpacking. Setting up camp this time meant laying out an air mattress and sleeping bag in the shelter. That was it. It was simple and allowed us to have a very peaceful rest for the remainder of the evening. Our dinner was delicious ramen noodle soup with dehydrated vegetables. Check out our recipe!
On Saturday, we hiked back to the car and had intentions of biking the 5-mile paved bike path. Unfortunately, that path was closed for a resurfacing project. It was a reminder that you need to be flexible in life. It was also a good reminder to check the state park’s homepage for visitor alerts before visiting the park, we obviously forgot to look. We were still able to bike around the campsites and down to a canoe landing. Daisy was also introduced to her pull-behind bike trailer. She was not too fond of it and it took many treats and some beef jerky to persuade her into the cart. Once in the cart, she sat for some time but started whining while being pulled in it. With her breed and energy, she would much rather be running alongside the bike. There are certain areas on the trail where it’s too busy and can become dangerous to bike with her. Does anyone use a bike trailer for their dog? Any tips or tricks? Share below.
We were able to hike part of the Hiking Club trail as well. However, the trail appeared to be closed in a certain area near the bike trail resurfacing area so we weren’t able to hike the whole loop. Be sure to check with the park office about any trail closures. We didn’t check with the office. We went to the office the next day and they were nice enough to give us the Hiking Club trail password to log into our book. We’ve now hiked enough Hiking Club miles for a free night’s stay at a Minnesota state park.
Each MN state park has a Hiking Club trail and you can join the Hiking Club for a small fee. Collect the password found on each trail, log your miles, and earn some free camping. The Passport Club is also a motivating way to get yourselves to all of Minnesota’s state parks. Join for a small fee, get a stamp in your parks passport at each park, and earn some free camping. Find out more information
Saturday evening brought us delicious Mountain House freeze-dried meals, hot chocolate, a campfire, and lots of deep conversations. I’ve said it many times but there’s simply a magic touch in the outdoors where people can connect in ways that don’t happen elsewhere.
Fun fact: If you drive around the park at dusk you have a chance of seeing a black bear. We saw 2 black bears on our drive out from the fire tower.
We cannot wait to see where the backpacking adventure leads Kathy! We encourage you to listen to our podcast about Kathy’s first-time reaction and hear more stories and trail lessons from our experience.
Peace, love, and hike thru life!