First Outing of the Year

Hey Adventurers!

     This past weekend we took our first trip of the season. Meghan has some family friends that own a cabin up on Snake River near Hinkley, MN. We didn't fully backpack but we did hike to the location and test out the equipment we had. It was also the first time that Aliya, Meg's 4 year old daughter, was camping. She was incredibly excited but wasn't too keen on the 2 mile hike to the cabin.

This was the view we had from our tent.

     The common theme from the quick trip was "good to know!". It was good to know that I needed a smaller sleeping bag, larger pack, and other things. It was also good to know what muscles got sore from carrying our packs, and carrying Aliya when she begged Rie enough, so we know what body parts to train.

Meg setting up the tent and the contents of Rie's pack all over the ground.

     Minnesota lived up to it's reputation with unpredictable weather because it was supposed to be around 65 degrees and sunny. That forecast turned into being 55 but feels like 30 with overcast clouds. The tent turned out to be more spacious than I anticipated. It fit Meg, Aliya, and I relatively comfortably. It did get a bit cold but it was all a learning process.

Aliya throwing sticks into the water. 

   We were able to test out the water purifier as well. It was incredibly impressive at being able to turn the river water into being drinkable in only a few minutes. Granted the color of the water looked unappetizing it tasted just like well water! The type of water purifier Meg got was the Platypus  Gravity Works 4 Liter. It worked wonders!

Paused the four wheeler ride to take a selfie

The best view from an outhouse you'll ever see.

Although this wasn't the hardest camping trip it was a really nice start to the summer, Aliya was able to enjoy her first camping trip, and we all were able to enjoy nature even if it was for a short time.  This ended up being an exciting quick trip that will only lead to more fun this summer. 

It was a long day so Rie and Aliya crashed hard.

A Marine and an Artist...

...decided to pair up and take some trips together.

The Marine 
[Meghan]

     I was born in Hinckley, MN where we lived on 280 acres. When I was younger, my dad would always take my sister, myself, and his friends on "walk abouts" where we would walk miles through the woods and scout for deer. We would also go camping all the time. I don't think I spent a weekend inside in the summer until I was a teenager. When I was 13 we moved up to Lake of the Woods, and the outdoor activities did not stop then. It didn't matter if it was fishing or setting up deer stands with my dad I were always outside.

     When I was 18 I joined the Marine Corps where hiking 12 miles before lunch happened pretty frequently.  To be honest, having to hike at someone else's pace can kind of take the fun out of it, but being on top of a hill to see the Southern California sunrise was amazing.

     Now I am currently chained to a desk for 8 hours a day dreaming of weekends and vacation days so I can get some sun on my face and dirt on my shoes. I love planning these trips that we are going to be taking. Figuring out what trails and the best water sources, food planning, the best gear, filling out permits and the whole process have completely filled my winter and I am so excited to get started!

The Artist 
[Marie]

     I was born and raised on Lake of the Woods; wasn't too hard to explore nature as a kid. I would spend most of my days playing around the creek behind my house, throwing rocks at Canada, and burning to a crisp in the middle of the lake. I was always hard to wrangle in as a kid from playing until sun went down and after the mosquitoes had taken a pint of my blood.

     After high school I went off to college to get my art degree. I never knew what I wanted to do with it but learning about my art and myself made me realize my love of nature. It's so fascinating and ever changing that it is a shame not to explore it. 

     I've always listed hiking as one of my favorite things to do. It's my favorite way to enjoy the outdoors and discover new things. It's been exciting being able to plan all these trips with Meghan. Outside my window at work is a creek that is always full of wildlife, and it makes me want to lace up my new hiking boots and turn them into old ones. 

The Places

     When we aren't at our day jobs we have plans to take trips to the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, weekend camping trips to the North Shore, and weekends at various state parks all leading up to our greatest trip, Glacier National Park. Annually we want to tackle a new trail, at a new park, for a full week at a time. We hope to take up as much of our free time as we can with finding new trails. We are going to be able to get on our gear, slap on some sunscreen, and wander around to find new places. 

The Blog

     Mainly this blog is for us, family, and friends. This will be our documentation, writings, photos, and videos of all of our hiking endeavors. We want to offer any advice we can that we we had before taking trips such as what we wish we knew before our initial preparations, quick trips, tykes who hike (Trips that will include Meghan's daughter), etc. This is also a way to show off all the fun we will be having together.



     We hope that we've peaked your interest and you'll join us along our travels!

Stay awesome fellow Adventurers!

-Meg and Rie