Wild River State Park
Date Hiked: April 14th, 2025; June 15th, 2025;
Trail Hiked: River Trail Loop; Nevers Dam to Walter Mondale River Trail to Old Logging Trail;
Distance Hiked: 11.8 miles; 3.71 miles;
Elevation Gain: 289 feet; 121 feet
Duration: 3h 43m; 1h 25m
To first explain the second entry in this revisiting travelogue, a novice hiker wanted to come with me to a state park that day. Given that it was a weekend, some of the ones near the Cities tend to fill up really fast, and this is someone who hadn't been hiking before, I decided that the Hiking Club trail for Wild River would be a perfect fit for such an occasion. While it would not normally take me over an hour to complete this trail, especially without ice or mud, my pace was not the priority on this occasion. Introducing someone to a real hike rather than being on a treadmill, and enjoying my time with someone who doesn't come outside very often, that was the focus of the hike on June 15th.
Early in the morning, we set out on a familiar loop, though I did the route in reverse. I figured some flat terrain to get D going before having them deal with inclines and declines would be more prudent to their experience. Plus, I had a feeling that after they did the one uphill portion of the trail, they'd be ready to be done, and this turned out to be accurate. That is not a slight on them, for the record. I am used to hiking for the sake of elevation gain and trying to push myself. If this wasn't D's first ever actual hike, it wasn't much higher on the list than that, and I wanted to be respectful.
Despite getting the "I can't keep up with you" spoken at me by pretty much everyone who is interested in spending time with me, I am more than aware that I'm the one who is unique, in that I put considerable time and effort to being able to hike the times and distances I do. Of course I'm going to meet someone where they are. What kind of a terrible guide would I be if I expected someone with no experience to go at a pace that took me years of work to build up to? If you want to introduce someone to something you're passionate about, you meet them on their level and teach them things and show them how it's done, not take off at your usual speed and expect them to struggle. That's not how passion gets passed along, and it would be foolish to think otherwise. That is how hobbies die out, when people act like newcomers aren't worth the time and energy it takes to show them the ropes. This was a delightful day for them and I was glad to provide a peek into my world.
The other day? I started off on the Sunrise Loop trail, and bailed. After walking through sand, dodging horseshit, crawling over fallen trees, and otherwise feeling miserable, I took the rural road back before taking a loop around the Hiking Club trail for the extra miles in my total. They can't all be winners, right?
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