On the Woodward Valley Trail at Point Reyes National Seashore (photo credit: Colleen O’Connor)
Hello friends,
I have returned from San Francisco and am already missing the phenomenal dim-sum and temperate weather. Though I do love Minnesota winters, I am quite disappointed by the lack of snow. I haven’t had a chance to use my snowshoes and my skis are collecting dust! (Though I do feel bad mentioning lack of snow, especially knowing that many people are without heat because of the blizzard ravaging the Northeast.)
Other than that, I haven’t been up to too much since I’ve gotten back. I’ll mention a couple things before I write about my adventures in SF.
I played some good ol’ Mario Kart!
1. I went to a fantastic birthday party hosted by my friends John and Alsa. The party was full of party games, musical performances (including Bakfat), and N64’s Mario Kart and Super Smash Brothers. I didn’t join in the party games as much, but I definitely sang a tune with my friend Ranjit. I will also say that I stunned some young men with my N64 skillz. I won’t go into detail, but I definitely left some boys in the dust while cruising on Choco Mountain and might’ve sent some people flying off Sector Z’s Star Fox central command ship. It must be the inner 5th grader in me that still feels a slight tinge of satisfaction when I beat boys in a boy-dominated sport/game/etc.
2. My friends and I went to a performance by Lux String Quartet at Northeast Minneapolis’ Eat My Words! Bookstore. The troupe consists on 2 violinists, 1 violists, and 1 cellist. My friend Ben (who also invited me to a Chamber Jam a couple months ago) plays viola in the troupe and he’s the reason I knew about this cool event! They are all very talented and I would recommend going to any of their shows.
My sister on Arch Rock
Couchsurfing and Point Reyes National Seashore:
So, I had big plans for my trip to SF, but ended up having to change it up when I got there. And as someone who often likes to fly by the seat of her pants, it worked out swimmingly. I ended up posting a message on the local Couchsurfing page asking if anyone wanted to go hiking near the SF area. Within the day, a nice gentleman named Albert responded and we (Albert, my sister, and I) made plans to do a 13-mile trek through Point Reyes National Seashore!
The above map shows our route and our picnic/sunset spots
2 days later, we rendezvoused in Richmond and then drove 1.5 hours north of San Francisco. On the way there, we introduced ourselves and reminisced about our past couchsurfing and travel experiences. We learned that Albert was originally born in the Philippines and had travelled all over the world! He told us some pretty cool stories. It made the car ride seem very short.
When we got to the parking lot, Albert told us that we had to check out the short Earthquake Loop. This path highlights California’s earthquake history and is within the San Andreas Fault Zone. It’s famous for having a fence post that shifted over 15 feet during the deadly 1906 earthquake. After we saw the fence, we looped back to the Bear Valley parking lot and veered left onto the Bear Valley Trail. By this time, the morning fog had lifted and the sun had come out.
Albert and I on the Earthquake Trail
Since it was a Thursday, the trails were very quiet. Albert told us that over the weekends, this park is packed with people. I was thankful to have the park all to ourselves. We reached Meadow Trail and turned right. The trail began with a steep incline, following the Inverness Ridge. I was happy to see that the trail was canopied with a Douglas fir/mixed-evergreen forest. It reminded me of my weeklong camping trip along the Oregon Coast with my friend Kerry. Especially, the smells of the fern-y underbrush and wet dew in the air. It made me yearn for Oregon’s cool, wet mornings again.
For 2.5 miles, we hiked beneath the towering Doug firs. It wasn’t until we reached the Sky Trail that the trail transformed into a whole different environment. The wind picked up and the dewey smells of the forest were exchanged with the faint smell of salt. From the Sky Trail, we could see the Pacific Ocean. My sister had never done a hike that took her from ridge line to sea. It was fun seeing her so excited. It really is quite empowering to walk across a landscape to find an ocean.
We followed the Sky Trail till we intersected with the Woodward Valley Trail. Albert had mentioned that he wanted to see Sculpted Beach, which was at the bottom of this trail. We hiked down the ridge line and, soon enough, the evergreen forest faded away and we entered a sunny coastal scrub. The trail switchbacked a couple times down towards the Pacific and though we must have hiked more than 2 miles, it still felt like no time at all when we reached the beach entrance.
Post lunch ocean gazing
We ate lunch and explored the beach. I even got to use some bouldering skills to climb in and out of the beach bordering our picnic spot. Sadly, high tide was rolling in, so we didn’t have too much time to explore the cool sculpted arches.
Our shadows were getting longer at this point, so we decided to hike a bit faster along the Coast Trail. While hiking south, it was nice to hear the ocean waves crash against the coastal cliffs and smell the salt in the air. It isn’t often that I get to hike along an ocean, so I made sure to soak it all in.
Almost to Arch Rock.
Watching the Sunset
It was almost sunset when we reached Arch Rock, our 3/4 point. Albert and Colleen went down to explore the beach below, while I decided to chill instead. (Mostly because my Keen sandals did not have the best grip against wet rock.) As they played, I felt a little nervous because we didn’t pack a flashlight and our phones were pretty low on battery. But I was soon relieved when we met some fellow hikers who had planned accordingly and brought headlamps. They invited us to hike back with them. So, they encouraged us to sit back, drink some tea, and enjoy the sunset. And we did just that.
Our new friends were Mike and Jay. They met in the Air Force many years before and now work as pilots for major airline companies. It was a long 4-mile trek back, but their company was well appreciated. Not only did their lights guide us back safely to the parking lot, but their conversation made the trek back much more enjoyable.
The best part though? At mile 3, we entered a clearing and had an amazing view of the night sky. I was surprised at how many stars I saw! Even the Milky Way gave an appearance. I never thought you could see so many stars so close to a city, but I was proved wrong. We all stood together, necks cranked back, staring at the starry sky, hoping to see a shooting star.
It took a little over an hour, but we made it to the parking lot and said goodbye to our pilot friends. Albert was kind enough to drive us all the way back to our sister’s apartment too. Albert, thank you so much for the great time. I look forward to meeting again. Maybe next time it’ll be for a week long camping trip to Yosemite??
Well, this post became a lot longer than expected. I’lI leave it here and talk about Big Basin Redwood State Park in my next post.
Much Love,
-Molly
Albert and the Sea
Hello friends,
I am writing from San Francisco! As I type, the sun is shining, the window is open, and I can hear the sound of Telegraph Hill’s wild parrots flying overhead. When I come back to SF after a long hiatus, these are just some of the things that remind why I love this city.
1. The weather is pleasant. Rain or shine, I enjoy the sweater weather, especially compared to Minnesota’s very hot summers or frigid winters.
2. The food is so good! Dim sum in Chinatown is a must. Tacos or pizza in The Mission is delicious. Or brunch at the several cute cafés/diners that are strewn about the city are a great morning chill-out spot.
(bottomless mimosas are also a thing-if that’s what you’re into)
3. Also, my awesome sister lives here. As always, she graciously offers me her couch and let’s me borrow her bicycle!
This is my sister’s bike. It’s a Fuji. I love it. <3
For my first week here, I spent it bicycling around town, visiting my friend’s cafe (called farm:table) in the Tender-Nob, and making food with new and old friends. Also, some of my old high school and college friends have moved to the Bay Area. I decided to reach out and met up with some of them this week. My friend Chad (who now works at Tesla) and I reminisced about high school. My friend Jack (who now works for Apple) and I chatted about our old improv team and our families. And my friend Lisa drove up and spent 2 days with me exploring the city. It was great to catch up with all of them. <3
I’ve also been going to my sister Meghan’s theater shows. She’s involved in the San Francisco theater scene and is associated with a few groups. She’s the artistic director for Theater Pub, which is an organization that performs at pubs/bars, so to make theater more accessible to the general public. We went to one of their shows at a new bar called Piano Fight. They performed a nerdy romantic-comedy play about a satyr (a mythical creature that is half man, half goat) that can’t find a lady and a nymph who can’t find a mate. It was great drinking cider, eating pizza, and watching a funny play in a comfortable bar.
She’s also apart of the improv group called Chinese Ballroom. We watched a rehearsal of theirs the other night and laughed the whole time! They’ve been rehearsing more often lately because they’re prepping for their show at SketchFest, which’ll be on Feb 5th and 7th starting at 8pm at the Brava Theater. If you’re around, you should totally check it out! Here’s a short clip of them for SketchFest!
She’s also a sketch writer for a group called Killing My Lobster, which will also be performing at SketchFest. Overall, my sister is pretty darn cool and if you’re in San Francisco at all for the next 2 weeks, you gotta go to at least one SketchFest show! It goes till February 8th.
I’m actually on my way out to watch them rehearse one more time. But, in my next post, I’ll tell you all about my hiking adventures at Point Reyes National Seashore with my twin sister and a fellow couchsurfer.
Till then,
-Molly
Makin’ Belgian waffles with my sistas. They were the best waffles I had ever made! (Photo by Colleen)
Hello friends,
Happy New Year! I hope your holidays went well. Mine sure did. I spent it with my family and friends, mostly eating tasty food and playing board games. As I mentioned in my last post, all of my family was in town. Mostly, it was great having some sister time. It had been over a year since we all were together (since Meghan’s wedding) and as you can see in the photo above, we took full advantage of it.
As always, for my active Minneapolis lifestyle, I’ve been playing frisbee every weekend and this weekend was the first time it had been below freezing (with windchill). The funny thing though? We had a big turn-out. I was surprised to see so many people bundled up in their balaclavas and 3 layers of pants, ready to play some good ole snow-ultimate! I’ve also been climbing at least once a week for the last 2-3 months and it feels good to see that I’m improving. And lastly, my brother and I dusted off our racquetball glasses and played a few rounds. Though it may be chilly in Minneapolis, there are always ways to stay active!
Hanging with my good friend, Sam. We’ve been friends since middle school and he was even my prom date. Aw. I visited him in Japan almost 2 years ago. (Photo by my Mom)
Us in Ise, visiting one of Japan’s most sacred towns (Spring 2013)
As for fun things I’ve done for the last month, here’s a few things. The months started off with my very first Ugly Sweater Party. My friend’s Rachel and Jessica hosted it and had a handful of people over for mudslides, a christmas sweater competition, and a white elephant exchange. It was a hoot-and-a-half! I’m happy to have friends who are always up for a good time.
Preeeeeetty ugly, right? (Photo by Rachel)
I was also invited to a Chamber Jam. First, what is a Chamber Jam? Well, it is when a bunch of classically trained musicians get together to sight-read some music. For this jam, they played Brahm’s in B-flat. It was pretty funny watching as people entered the apartment with their instruments in tow and people yelling, “yay! The cello is here!,” or, “yes, finally we can play the 3rd movement; the second violin just arrived!” I’m mostly being silly in my quotations, I’m sure the chamber jam people would say otherwise, but you get the picture. Overall, it was a great getting a free concert, playing my clarinet a bit, and meeting some new people.
A Masquerade Party: The whole gang – Photo by Zina
Lastly, for New Years Eve, my friends hosted a Masquerade Party at their house. People dressed up in their best attire and wore their finest masks. It was fun seeing people’s outfits and playing Zina’s Ukranian party games! As for any New Years party with my sis, when the clock struck 12, Colleen was my first kiss (on the cheek!) of the year and I wouldn’t of wanted it any other way. <3
As for 2015? I have a new project! I was asked to illustrate a children’s book. I can’t tell you too much about it (or maybe I can, but I want to double check with the author), but I’ll let you know that it is full of sage wisdom for children. ; )
Here’s a doodle I did that won’t be in the book, but it’s the same style I’ll be using.
It feels great to be using my skills in a creative way. I’ve been doodling in a sketchbook since I was a little girl, but I never thought I could make money from it. And who knows if I will? Maybe the book will be a flop? (I sure hope not!). Either way, I’m going to have fun creating these images and pushing myself to draw new and interesting things. I’ll be updating you all on my progress through the next couple months. I’m planning on being done by April.
As for the near future? Next week, I’m flying to San Francisco to visit my older sister. My twin sister is also flying over to join me on a backpacking trip. I’m hoping to do Big Sur, but we’ll see what the temperature looks like! There is a bunch of hiking options nearby, so I’m sure we’ll figure out sometime. Either way, I’ve been stationary for far too long and am in need of some adventure!
Well, that’s my life as of now. Hopefully in my next post, I’ll be telling you all about the fun I had in California.
Till then,
-Molly
My friend Mike from Canada came through town. We met in Mongolia 1.5 years before! You can read about our adventures in my Gobi Desert posts.
Hello friends,
The holiday season has arrived! Christmas lights are popping up all over the city, outdoor ice skating rinks are open, and I can hear the distant sound of holiday music as I walk through downtown Minneapolis. It is a welcoming sound and I look forward for this upcoming Christmas because all of my family will be in town!
Well, the month of November has been a good month and this is why.
First of all, I am officially a published and paid writer. Those 65 articles I wrote for RootsRated are finally published and you can find them all here. I couldn’t of done it alone. I am thankful to my family and friends who helped me through the process, especially with editing some of my articles. Thank you, everyone!
I’m taking a break from writing and now I am the photo editor for RootsRated. I miss writing a little bit, but being a photo editor has its perks. I like the communication aspect. I’ve been in contact with dozens of parks and photographers all over the United States. It’s been fun hearing their stories and knowing what people are up to across the country. I’m hopeful about this site. I personally think it is a great idea and I believe it has the capability of becoming an everyday tool for the outdoor enthusiast.
Another highlight (although this was technically in late October), my friend Mike was road tripping across the USA and he decided to stop by Minneapolis! (The top picture is of us at a small breakfast diner in Hopkins). We met in Mongolia 1.5 years before while I was on my big trip. Him and 3 Swedes invited me to join them on a road trip across southern/central Mongolia to see the Gobi Desert. On a whim, I decided to join them and then spent in total 10 days in a cramped car with them. It was an unforgettable experience and it was nice to reminisce with Mike while he was in town. It is crazy to think that it has already been one and a half years since I was eating hosher and hiking through the Mongolian Steppe.
We reminisced about hiking through Ice Valley (Spring 2013)
And the many nights spent in gers (Spring 2013) – photo credit Carl-Johan Fredman
Another highlight of November was hanging out with even more great people. I’m apart of the Friends of the Robert’s Bird Sanctuary group and I often get invited to pull buckthorn at local parks throughout MSP. I try to get out at least a few times a season to help out. It always amazes me how many people show up to pull. It’s hard work and you need a determined bunch of volunteers to get the job done! In the picture above, we pulled at William Berry Park. If you want to get involved for the next season, I know most of the parks have mustard pulls in the Spring.
Buckthorn is very invasive in Minnesota, so I spent a chilly fall afternoon picking it with a group of people.
Lastly, a few friends and I went to the Minneapolis Holidazzle Village (Holiday Market), which is situated in downtown Minneapolis (just across the street from Brit’s Pub). It’s a European style open-air market and a definite must-see if you’re visiting MSP this upcoming winter. There are a bunch of sellers with a variety of merchandise, such as knit goods, Christmas trinkets, mulled wine, and tasty bratwursts!
It was nice to see so many people out on a chilly December day. Twin Citizens are a rugged folk.
Well, I’ll end my post here, but I’ll be writing soon because I have even more good news to share about my first couple weeks of December.
Much Love,
-Molly
Hello friends,
I have a life again! I finished all my writing for RootsRated and soon they will be published online. When they are available, I’ll write another post and link it to the site.
This Fall has been absolutely beautiful. There was little to no rain and it was so warm up until a week ago. Thanks to this, the leaves stayed up on the trees and gave us Twin Citizens a great show. Now, Fall is ending. I harvested and dismantled my garden yesterday, resulting in me having way too many green tomatoes! Also, it was below freezing this morning. While on my morning walk, I realized too late that I should’ve worn a second layer underneath my pants. I also almost slipped on an ice sheet. Uh oh, soon Minneapolis will become the frigid city that we are famous for.
So, other than writing and walking a lot, I have kept myself busy with other fun activities. I’ve been playing music more often (mostly clarinet and ukulele). I have a couple buddies I’ve been jamming with and it feels good being creative through music again. I’ve had a few bonfires at the house, which resulted in good conversation and music.
For my outdoor pastimes, I recently went hiking at William O’Brien State Park, Interstate State Park (MN), and St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park.
William O’Brien State Park is expansive and offers a myriad of trails that wind through prairie, wetland, and mixed confier-hardwood forest. My brother and I enjoyed walking along the Beaver Trail and looking at the beaver activity in the marshland. There was also a hill (in the northwest section) that worked my glutes, while also showcasing some of the parks oldest trees. The leaves were at full peak, so this trail was bursting with yellows and oranges. I didn’t get to do the Riverside Trail, but I saw pictures online and it looked fantastic. I really enjoyed hiking around this park and I look forward to returning during the winter and checking out its Nordic trails!
Interstate State Park (MN) is full of glacial potholes and fun scrambling routes. I had visited Interstate State Park (WI) two years ago with my bro and I remember loving the trails and large explorable potholes. On the same day as visiting William O’Brien, my brother and I realized how close Interstate State Park was, so we decided to drive up to Taylor’s Falls and check it out. I had never been to the Minnesota side, so it was a treat to see how drastically different it was to the Wisconsin side. It definitely doesn’t have as many hiking trails, but the 200+ potholes to explore makes up for it! Walking down into the Cauldron is a must-do. The views of the St. Croix River Valley are also exceptional.
St. Croix River Bluffs Regional Park is a secret hiking gem southeast of the cities. I went hiking there by myself a couple weeks ago for my RootsRated job. I had to write about it, but had never been there, so I decided to go on a quiet Saturday morning. I first visited the beach, which was desolate, but I can only imagine it would be full of people during the warmer months. Then I hiked up the ridge line and sauntered through the wooded trails. The trees were past peak, so a lot of the leaves had fallen by this time, but it was still a beautiful walk. My favorite place was the scenic overlook, which is pictured above.
If you want more detail on any of these hikes, then you’ll love the articles I wrote for RootsRated. They are all 500-600 words and chalk-full of information for the curious hiker, paddler, climber, and cyclist.
Now, I must be off. I’m going to make green tomato bread and possibly do some urban exploration in downtown St. Paul.
Till next time,
Much Love,
-Molly
Sunday brunch potlucks are the best.
Hello friends,
I know it has been awhile. I have been busy writing articles for RootsRated.com and enjoying the beautiful autumn weather. Hopefully within the next month, I will finish all my articles and then have more time to focus on making more films! For the last month, I have been sitting on my butt a lot. Not only because of my recent writing gig, but also because I sprained my knee while rollerblading. I’m out from playing frisbee for a couple months. I was very sad at first, but now I’ve returned to the hobbies that once defined me, like playing my ukulele, drawing, reading, and other non-active activities. Luckily, I can still go on walks, so I have been doing that as well.
Well, enough about my month. Let’s focus on what I have been working on for the last week! I made a video on How To Make Cinnamon Rolls While Camping. Filmed and edited by me (Molly) and the star of the show is my friend, Laura. I hope you enjoy it and please share it to your friends! If you have any questions or clarifications, feel free to contact me.
If you prefer, the link is here. If you like vimeo, here is the vimeo link.
Best,
-Molly
On a walk along the Mississippi River
Hello friends,
As I sit, I notice the mosquito bites on my ankles are itchy, I feel my shoulders and neck are sore, and I see that I missed some dirt between my toes. The reason why is because I just returned from Minnesota’s Superior National Forest: The Boundary Waters Canoe Area. I went with my roommate and friend, Laura, who is well versed in the BWCA. She spent 4 summers leading trips through Camp Widjiwagan. So, she was a great companion, especially since this was my first time ever in the Boundary Waters.
We left Thursday evening after Laura got off work and just to give you a general idea, strapped onto the roof of my car was a 17-foot Northwind canoe by Bell Canoe Works. In the trunk was a Granite Gear Portage Pack packed full of the essentials: our tent (Sierra Design LT Strike 2), 2 sleeping bags, 2 sleeping pads, a tarp, a water filter, a camping stove, and our food. I also brought a daypack. Overall, we packed pretty light (except when you put on the portage pack, you thought otherwise).
We drove up to Grand Marais and spent the night with a nice fellow named Derek. He is a couchsurfer, which means I found him through couchsurfing.org. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then you should check the site out!). We woke up nice and early, filled up on eggs and sausage, picked up a “world-famous” donut from World’s Best Donuts, and then we were off to find Round Lake, which was our entry point to the BWCA.
It was raining when we got onto the Gunflint Trail. We drove for 40 minutes and followed the signs to Round Lake. We unpacked the car, took down the canoe, and within a short time Laura and I were ready to go! When we set off on Round Lake, I could tell pretty quickly that my paddling muscles were small or non-existent. It had been a while since I had last paddled a canoe. Laura on the other hand, she was a powerhouse. During the next few days, Laura would be my canoeing sensei.
Laura also made me the map lady. I’ve done orienteering before and I feel comfortable looking at a map, but I had never orienteered with a canoe. In my past backcountry endeavors, we would have to detour and avoid lakes, since humans can’t walk on water. But, with a canoe in hand, you can do anything your heart desires and that was a very cool realization. I felt powerful in a way. Maybe it is because I can defy nature or something.
To enter the BWCA, you have to paddle and portage in. You can’t enter by car.
We paddled across Round Lake and found our first portage. For people who do not know what a portage is, it is a trail that connect two lakes. You can also use portage as a verb, which means you carry all your gear across the portage itself (Does that make sense?). We unpacked the canoe and decided we would take two trips. I wanted to try carrying the canoe, so with teamwork, Laura and I flipped the canoe onto my shoulders. I had trouble balancing the canoe at first (which we learned later was because the shoulder pads were too narrow for my shoulders and I had them too far forward). I continued anyway, using my arms as leverage and trying to use my core to balance. The portage was 142 rods, which means it is 142 canoe lengths. Calculated into miles, that’s a little less than half a mile. I carried it about halfway and then needed a break.
During the first portage, it started to rain even more. We were thinking about doing a second portage that day, but Laura told me that we should find a campsite earlier than later because the better campsites get taken very quickly on rainy days. I followed her advice, so when we reached Missing Link Lake, we located the 3 available campsites. One was empty, but not optimal for rainy weather. Another was already taken. As we paddled to the third and final campsite, a loon graced us with his presence. The loon glided right by us and sang his loon song. I had never seen a loon so close.
Campsite #1
We found the third campsite and chose it because it had tree cover and a nice view of the lake. We unpacked our gear and rested for a little bit. It was still raining and Laura was pretty cold, so she went into the tent to warm up. By this time, the rain had subsided, so I tied some p-cord in between 2 trees to hang up our wet clothes. I also decided to look for twigs to use in a fire. I knew most of them would be wet, but I wanted to at least try. I found some decent ones and by around dinnertime, I had found enough dry kindling to make a small fire. My fire making skills impressed Laura, even naming me a “fire whisperer.” I would say otherwise, but I’ll take what I can get. For dinner, we cooked sausages.
When we finished our food, we cleaned the dishes and repacked all of our uneaten food into a bag. We didn’t have a bear barrel or any good rope to hang our bag in a tree, so instead we put everything in a bag, which was then put into a garbage bag that was sealed tight, and then we put the bag into the portage pack. We placed the pack well away from the campsite and put our pots and pans on top.
I was exhausted and fell asleep very quickly. At around 11pm, I was awoken by sounds outside the tent. Laura was awake too. When she noticed I was awake, she told me that something had been rummaging around the campsite for a while. I heard steps and soon enough something rubbed against the tent and gave it a good sniff. Laura and I freaked out a little bit (silently), but the animal left pretty quickly after. We decided it must’ve been a deer (or a moose?) because the steps sounded like hooves. I awoke a few times after that, once from the rain and once from the sound of wolves. There was a howl not too far from camp. The one wolf howled a couple times and then I heard another wolf howl on the other side of the lake. Eventually, I heard at least 3-4 wolves howling in unison. The sound was haunting, but I wasn’t scared at all. I was honestly thrilled to hear a wolf cry in real life.
Campsite #2 on Snipe Lake
The next morning, I woke up and read Ernest Hemingway’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Other Short Stories. I also tried to make breakfast, but failed at starting the stove. I had to ask Laura to help me and soon realized that I had the stove upside down… ops! After we ate, we packed up all of our stuff and headed towards Snipe Lake. There was a 180-something portage. We decided to do two trips again. I started with the canoe, but soon switched because it was pinching my neck and shoulders (due to the reasons mentioned above). So, Laura took the canoe the whole way and I took the portage pack the whole way. Whew, were my legs tired!
Along the way, we passed two guys on the trail and they told us that they had just spent the last few days at a great campsite on an island on Snipe Lake. Laura and I were intrigued. We decided to check it out. We reached Snipe Lake and paddled between large glacial rocks and tall conifer trees. Laura also gave me some paddling advice. She taught me the J-stroke, which turns the canoe to the right, and the C-stroke, which turns the canoe to the left. It is useful knowledge because then you can paddle on one side of the canoe, instead of changing sides each time you want to change direction. It is much more efficient. With this knowledge, I pulled out the handy-dandy map and found the island campsite. It was SW of the portage. I used my J-stroke to veer us in the right direction.
We found the campsite and loved it right away. It had a great cooking area, lots of seating, and it was right off the water. We unpacked our gear and ate our lunch. It hadn’t rained all day and the sun even showed its lovely face. We took advantage of this and hung up our wet clothes. I also took off my keen sandals, hoping they would dry as well. The rest of the day was full of relaxing. We decided we wanted to camp here for a couple days, so we got comfortable. That evening, we cooked pizza. (I plan on writing a separate post about our cooking regime. It was impressive what we could make out in the woods!)
Sunrise on Snipe Lake
I slept like a log that night and woke up early for the sunrise. It was misty, which gave the lake a mysterious glow. While I sat and enjoyed the quiet morning, a loon family came around the bend and foraged for food. I watched the adult loon submerge into the water looking for fish, while the juvenile loon waited patiently, guessing where his or her parent would reemerge. It was cute to watch the juvenile float about and then swim very quickly to the parent, hoping that they had caught breakfast.
That morning, Laura and I made cinnamon rolls (which were delicious! I will write about this in the camping food post). The weather was cloudy, but warm. I spent most of the day reading, writing in my journal, gathering firewood, and napping on a big rock along the shore. For dinner, we cooked some rice with veggies. When everything was cleaned and put away, Laura and I watched the sunset. The sky was purple and the clouds were a rainbow of oranges and yellows. I could also hear a male loon making his eerie, yet alluring birdsong. Laura and I sat in silence, enjoying the moment. No wonder people love the Boundary Waters so much. It is so beautiful.
We woke up early the next morning because we had to return to civilization. We packed up our gear, said goodbye to our campsite, and retraced our steps back to Round Lake. After eating all of our food, the pack became lighter and much more manageable. We decided we could do the portages in one trip this time. We put my daypack in the portage pack and headed off towards the first portage of the day. For the first portage, I took the canoe and I finally found the sweet spot. I carried it the whole way and even did some pretty technical stuff with it. I was impressed with myself. On the second portage, I carried the portage pack the whole way. Even though the portage pack was lighter, it was still exhausting (as you can see in the picture above). We made great time and paddled slowly across Round Lake, so to enjoy our last moments on the water.
It was sad to leave, but I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to go and finally witness what all my friends have been raving about. The BWCA is a magical place and I plan on going every summer if I can. I only saw a glimpse of what the Boundary Waters has to offer. Now, I want to see even more! The next time I go up north, I plan on being out much longer than 4 days.
During my time in the Boundary Waters, I had my video camera and plan on making a short film. I also want to make a short video on glamorous cooking in the wilderness with Laura. She is a pro at cooking delicious food on the trail. So, the next time you hear from me, it’ll be about those two things.
Thanks for reading. I know this was a rather long post, but I hope you enjoyed it.
Till next time,
-Molly
This is Eloise Butler’s native prairie, which is full of wildflowers and bumblebees!
Hello friends, good news! I am officially a published writer. A start-up organization called RootsRated has hired me to write about the hiking trails near Minneapolis. They are a great resource if you are in a new city and want to find a good local hiking trail or restaurant. My first article is about The Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary. You can find it here. Let me know what you think!
In my last post, I had updated you all on my Oregon trip; mostly focusing on my time in Portland, Corvallis, and Eugene. For part two of my Oregon story, I will tell you about Camp Millennium, which is a camp for children dealing with cancer. It is a week long camp full of fun activities, such as swimming, archery, zip lining, and horse riding. It is pretty much like any other camp, except that some of the campers may have a past or present cancer diagnosis. I say some because we invite siblings to attend camp, as well.
I have been volunteering for 3 years now and something I learned right away was that usually you have no idea which kid has or does not have cancer. Sure, there may be a child without hair or someone may have a scar from a previous port in their chest (usually due to Leukemia), but often enough they look like any other kid. And, honestly, they are just kids. They want to run, wrestle, swim, climb trees, and do kid-like things. And that’s exactly what we let them do; we give them the opportunity to be as silly as they want to be (with some adult supervision, of course).
Camp M in the morning. I normally went on walks before the children awoke
So, that is why Camp Millennium exists. It gives these children the chance to get away from their homes and their hospitals and be around other children that totally get them. Camp M has everything that the children need. There are doctors, nurses, medical equipment, trained staff, and living space to take care of over 100 campers. And the best part? It is COMPLETELY free for the families. Every staff member volunteers time out of their year to make Camp M happen. Now, isn’t that something?
I remember in my first year of camp, I was a camp counselor for the 6-8 years old boys, and I had a camper who had never been to camp before. He had just turned 7 and he told me the very first morning that he was nervous to be away from home for 1 week. It was later that morning, when we were heading to the swimming pool that I noticed he didn’t want to take his shirt off. It was then that I realized he had a port in his chest (I could see the port through his shirt). Before I could say anything, a girl in the pool asked him why he wasn’t in the pool yet. At first, he didn’t say anything, but then he noticed she had a port on her chest too. Within a second, he took off his shirt and showed her his port. Then they joked around that they were twins and he quickly jumped in the pool with his new friend. For the rest of the week, he wasn’t shy at all and even cried a little bit when he had to leave camp. I will forever remember that moment because that is what Camp M is all about.
I could write a novel about all the times I laughed, cried, sang, and danced at Camp Millennium, but for now I’ll just leave it at that and hope that you will take a moment to look at their site. Maybe even consider giving some money to help for the upcoming year. There is also GoodShop.com, which will designate a percentage of what you buy through Amazon, Gap, Best Buy, and other stores to Camp M at no extra cost for you! The Camp M Council and sub-committees work diligently all year to fundraise more and more money, so that more and more children can attend camp each year. If you have any questions or want to hear more stories, then feel free to email me. I’d love to chat about it with you.
My Portland friends (and me in my camp attire)
After camp, I caught a ride back to Portland and got to spend my last 1.5 days in Oregon with friends. Two of them were kind enough to drive me to Mt. Tabor and I got to see the Portland cityscape from afar. I was also lucky enough to get a good picture of Mt. Hood as well (I could even see Mt. Saint Helens!). For my final night, my friend, Elena, brought me to a geek trivia night. Little did I know, Elena invited a bunch of old college friends to come along. I was surprised to see my friends from Corvallis again. They drove all the way up to give me a final goodbye. I’m fortunate to have so many good people in my life. The following morning, a buddy of mine dropped off some Blue Star Donuts as a farewell gift and I was whisked away to the airport to catch my flight back to MSP.
What have I been up to since I’ve been back? Well, mostly I’ve been taking advantage of the awesome Minnesota weather. I’ve been playing frisbee, swimming in the lakes, biking around town, paddle boarding, going to trivia with friends, jamming around bonfires, and, of course, hiking for my new job. Life is pretty good for me right now, and for that I am grateful.
I’ll be busy writing for RootsRated for the next couple months, but I’ll make sure to write a post soon. It’ll probably be about my canoe trip in the Boundary Waters!
Tell then,
Much love,
-Molly
I’ve attended a few Bic paddle board races since my Oregon trip. I’m still not that good, but it sure is fun!
So, Portland…
Hello friends, I hope all of you are well. I am back in Minneapolis and enjoying myself. One of the first things I did when I got back into town was watch the Minneapolis River Rats Water Ski Team perform a Star Wars show on the Mississippi. I had never seen a ski show before and was surprised at how brave the water skiers were. The Star Wars puns were just an added bonus!
You all might’ve noticed, but you haven’t heard from me for awhile. That’s because I was in Oregon for 2.5 weeks visiting friends and working at a camp called Camp Millennium. My first couple of days were spent hanging out in Portland. I drank a beer with friends at the Deschutes Brewery, spotted hipsters in the Pearl District, and explored Portland in general. I also hiked around the Tualatin Hill’s Nature Park Interpretation Center. I never realized there was such a big park just outside the city. It must be a pleasant escape for the citizens of Portland. On that Saturday, a couple of friends drove up to see me and we watched the Pride Parade, as well as scoped out the Saturday Market selection. The best part of the morning was eating brunch at Mother’s Bistro & Bar. We waited for 1.5 hours, but it was well worth it. I’d highly recommend stopping by; it’s the best breakfast food in town.
My friends from Corvallis.
As a last minute decision, I decided to jump in my friend’s car and drive down to Corvallis with them. I had never seen the town and it was in the same direction as Eugene (which is where I was planning on going anyway). That evening, we walked along the main street and went to dinner at a restaurant called Aqua. They had very good burgers and a great fish selection. After dinner, they brought me to the Oregon State University and I was blown away at how pretty the campus is. Many of the buildings are a rich red brick color that compliment the vibrant green of the trees. It seemed every corner we turned had the potential to be a brochure picture for the university. I think my favorite part was Patrick Dougherty’s dramatic stick art sculptures, which are adjacent to the OSU Art Museum. There are 9 house-like sculptures and each one is built out of alder, cherry, and willow branches. It was fun to walk inside them, weaving through the odd shaped openings. The following morning, my friends and I walked to the bus station and I caught the first Greyhound bus to Eugene.
I could write a whole post about Eugene, OR, but I’ll just summarize the best I can. For those who do not know, I went to the University of Oregon for my bachelors degree. So, I got to know Eugene pretty well after 4 years of living there. For this trip, I decided to stay for 3 days to reminisce and catch up with my friends who are still living in town. Luckily, my old landlord and I are still good friends and he let me use his (if I recall correctly) 1930’s French Raleigh bicycle. It was a little too small for me, but it rode like a dream. I was surprised at how good of shape it was in.
My friend Josiah, the Willamette River, and my bicycle!
After almost a week without a bicycle, it felt good to stretch out my legs and pedal around my old stomping ground. First, I biked to the University of Oregon and found all my favorite places: the science library, biology advising, Deady Hall’s douglas fir lined pathway, and Alton Baker Park. I also biked to my favorite restaurants and ate food that I’d been hankering-for for ages! If you’re ever in town, you have to order the #2 at Pizza Research Institute, eat the Bubba burrito at Laughing Planet, or choose anything off the menu from Off the Waffle.
Autzen Stadium
I didn’t just eat in Eugene, I did some hiking too. My friend, Rebecca, and I drove east to the beautiful Mt. Pisgah Arboretum. We first laid along the middle fork of the Willamette River and enjoyed the sunshine along the rocky bank. I jumped into the frigid water, only thanks to the encouragement from Rebecca. After that, we put our hiking pants back on and started our climb up Mt. Pisgah. While hiking, I remembered the first time I hiked up Mt. Pisgah. It was 4 years prior and one of the first things I realized was that as you hike up the mountain, you reach a point where you stand right beside the treetops. I recognized this and it made me happy. You never see that in Minnesota; you just never seem to get steep enough. By mid afternoon, we reached the top and could see all of Eugene. What a wonderful way to see the town before I left for my next chapter in my Oregon trip.
Oh, how I missed the Oregon trails!
I have a bit more to share about my experiences in Oregon, but I’ll leave that to my next post. The next time you hear from me, I’ll talk about my time at Camp Millennium.
Till then,
-Molly
Hello friends,
Summer is in full swing and you know why? Because Movie-in-the-Park is back and there are 122 outdoor movies to go to! THRILLIST compiled a convenient list of all the showings; here’s the link. There is also Music-in-the-park happening all over the city and it feels like its happening everyday. Just two days ago, I was bicycling with my roommate and we found a concert near the Stone Arch Bridge. From past experiences, I have learned that sitting in warm grass and listening to free tunes is always a great way to spend an evening. So, we sat down, ate our post bicycle snacks, and stayed till the music stopped. Also, this last weekend, I went kayaking down the St. Croix river with a friend. I didn’t take any pictures, but maybe I’ll still write a post about it in the near future.
A couple weeks ago, i went hiking at Afton State Park with my friend, Daniel. He had done some research and heard it had good trails and lucky for us, it was only 40 minutes away from Minneapolis. That morning, we entered the park, paid the $5 fee, and parked in a lot that was near the Visitor Center. We quickly found a trail and followed it until we reached a bluff bordering the St. Croix. It was the first (of many) beautiful vistas of the St. Croix River Valley that we’d see that day.
After enjoying the view, we continued on another trail that ran parallel to the St. Croix River. It was a nice-and-easy walk that had pretty views of the river. At about a mile, the trail dead-ends, so you have to take a left onto a Prairie Restoration Trail. Almost right away, there are short, but steep hills shrouded in forest that you have to climb to reach the prairie. Daniel and I were a little out of breath near the end of our climb, but the view of the Saint Croix River Valley from the top was well worth it.
The St. Croix River Valley
After lunch, Daniel and I walked through more restored prairies. I even introduced Daniel to the amazing world of birding. We used my Peterson Bird App and through deductive reasoning, we identified several song sparrows and one meadowlark. I was impressed by the size of their prairie land because it seemed to go on into the far distance. We followed the prairie trail until we found ourselves hiking down into a woody area known as Trout Brook Loop. I noticed while walking along the trail that there was an old creek bed and many wildflowers littered around the trail. I think Trout Brook Loop was my favorite part because it was so peaceful and full of lush plant-life.
A trail covered in trees
It was mid-late afternoon by the time Daniel and I made it back to the car and, man, were we beat. I know Minnesota is pretty flat, compared to other places, but hills ares still hills and they can tire you out! Overall, I’m very happy to have finally hiked Afton State Park and would recommend it to any hiker, camper, or backpacker.
Well, friends, you won’t hear from me for a while. I’ll be out of town in Oregon for 2.5 weeks visiting friends and working at a camp called Camp Millennium. I’ll tell you guys/gals all about it when I get back.
Much Love,
-Molly
Playing Mario Kart N64 at a buddies house
Molly's Journey to the West 
