Birthday Hike

As always, we celebrated Elizabeth's sixth birthday with a family hike. This year, we chose to climb Barn Bluff in Red Wing, with a rise of more than 350 feet above the town. From my favorite book (Hiking Minnesota with Kids by Mary M. Bauer) we learned that there are two trails up and down the bluff: a really hard one and an easy one. I feel so sorry for the people who didn't have that knowledge ahead of time, because the trails were not well-marked.

We took my mother along since my dad was out of town, and we decided to try the hard North trail. It was exactly as the guide described it: steep and winding, about 14-18 inches of mud with the bluff on one side and a drop-off straight to the bottom on the other. Isaac confidently carried Amelie in the backpack. Elizabeth nimbly skipped along behind. I nervously tried to invisibly support Elizabeth, praying back panic almost the whole time. My mom followed along with no troubles at all. I took no pictures of the trail. I was too scared.

I was so relieved when we left the narrow trail for the final staircases to the top! The view from the top was gorgeous, and well worth the trip. Hint: Take mosquito spray! Most of our usual side explorations were cut short because we were trying to avoid being eaten alive.

After cutting across a meadow trail on top of the bluff, we explored briefly and then took the easy South trail down. It was like a completely different hike - gently sloping, wide, and paved with gravel. Aaah! Still buggy, though.

We picnicked at the bottom of the bluff, then explored the old lime kiln behind it. The climbing there was very fun, and much safer since the drop was so much less and there was no river at the bottom! If you look closely in the next picture, you'll see Isaac and Elizabeth halfway up the brush to the right of the kiln. Later, we all climbed to the top of it.

All in all, it was a great hike. I wonder if I'd be as nervous if I did it again, with mosquito spray and the knowledge that we all made it safely. We explored Red Wing afterward and got to see the World's Largest Boot in the free shoe museum. Amelie and Elizabeth enjoyed a gorgeous city fountain, and we got to see lots of moving trains close up.

Now it's time to start thinking about where to hike next year!