Willard Munger heads to pretty river bridge

Bike path/hiking trail runs 63 miles
from Duluth to Hinckley, Minn.

Day hikers can walk to a bridge over a scenic river on a segment of the Willard Munger State Trail in Barnum, Minn.

The Willard Munger ranks as among Northeast Minnesota’s premier recreational trails. The paved bike path stretches across three counties, running 63 miles from Duluth south to Hinckley. It’s the fifth longest paved trail in the United States.

This segment of the trail, located west of Barnum, goes 0.78-miles round trip. It’s best done in late spring through early autumn when temps are the most clement, though July and August can be hot and humid.

Former rail line
To reach the trailhead, from downtown Barnum, head west on County Road 6/Main Street. A paved lot is on the road’s south side. The trail runs north-south of the lot’s east side. Head north on the trail, and be careful when crossing County Road 6.

The trail heads through an outwash plains. The soil is sandy and loamy with stones.

Tracks for the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad used to sit on what is now the Willard Munger. The line originally was built as the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad and later became part of the Northern Pacific Railway.

The trail is named for a Minnesota state legislator who sponsored bills advancing environmental protection and trail development. Munger's earliest efforts, which date to 1954, make him among the first lawmakers to advocate outdoor recreation and preservation. He passed away in 1999, and his family runs an inn at the trail’s northern end.

Crossing the Moose Horn
About a third of a mile into the hike, the trail reaches the bridge over the Moose Horn River. The 36.4-mile-long tributary of the Kettle River rises as the outlet of Wild River Lake, about seven miles southwest of Cloquet. It meanders south, flowing into the Kettle southwest of Sturgeon Lake.

The bridge marks a good spot to turn around. Of course, the hike can be extended by continuing north, but the trail heads through a more built-up area for a couple of miles beyond the bridge. After that, the trail roughly parallels the Moose Horn River to Mahtowa, a six-mile trek one way from the Barnum parking lot.

As the trail is paved, it’s handicap accessible. However, because it’s wide for bicyclists, you will be exposed to the sun, so don sunscreen, wear a brimmed hat, and bring extra water on hot days.

Read more about day hiking Northeast Minnesota in my Headin’ to the Cabin: Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.

How to survive a tornado when day hiking with children

Photo courtesy of NOAA.

Sometime weather can change quite dramatically within a few minutes, and if day hiking, this can catch you by surprise, especially if you are deep into the trail. With spring’s arrival, one such weather phenomena that can strike with deadly force is a tornado.

Should you see bad weather approaching, skip the hike and head for home. If already on the hike, forget reaching the destination and instead return to your vehicle.

But what if you are driving for home or still heading for the vehicle and you spot a tornado?

You generally can tell which direction the tornado is heading so that you don’t drive toward it. Always go in the opposite direction of it at a right angle – that is, if it’s moving to your left, you should go to the right. Don’t turn around and try to outrun it. That just keeps you in the line of danger, and the tornado probably is moving faster than you will be able to.

If a tornado appears to be standing still, that means you’re in its path. If driving, get out of your vehicle and seek cover.

If still on the hiking trail, regardless of which way the tornado is going, always seek cover.

When outdoors, the best way to protect yourself from a tornado includes:
g Lay in a depression – Rather than hike to the lowest elevation, look for dips, ditches, and ravines you can lay face down in. If a building can be reached within a few seconds, enter it and go into it basement, a bathtub that’s firmly affixed to the floor, or an interior closet. In the absence of this, crouching behind a large boulder on the side protecting you from the wind is better than being out in the open.
g Cover your eyes and head – Don’t try to watch or take pictures of the tornado. That only exposes you and the most vulnerable parts of your body. Instead, lock your fingers around your head. If you have some kind of padding, place it over your head.
g Lock arms – This increases the “weight” of you individually, decreasing the chances of you being blown away or turned over.
g Stay together – If you separate, you can’t control any children should they panic and make bad decisions. You also face the anxiety of searching for one another once the storm passes.

Some shelter actually is quite dangerous to be in during a tornado:
g Highway or bridge underpasses – These areas act as wind tunnels. There also is the chance of them collapsing on you.
g Tents – Tornadoes easily will knock down these makeshift structures, which provide little protection against wind-blown objects. Should the tornado pick up a tent, you’ll go with it.
g Vehicles – Tornadic winds can tip over and pick up a vehicle. Flying debris can shatter the glass, spraying it across those inside.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Lost in the wilds? How to purify water with your pants

Never drink water directly from a stream. Instead, purify it first.
Photo courtesy of David Niblack, Imagebase.net

If lost in the wilds, you may run out of canteen water and need to drink from local sources. Hopefully, you’ve brought along purification tablets or filters. That isn’t likely on a day hike, however, so you may need to improvise. The simple solution: Use your pants leg.

Denim makes for a great bag to create a filter, but really any material will work, whether it be the leg of rain pants or a canvas bag.

The steps for making a water filter with your pants include:
g Cut off a pants leg where it meets the seam for your other pants leg.
g Tie off the end of the pants leg bottom. This will need to be strong enough to hold weight.
g Gather small stones (gravel works fine) and sand, or at least have them near where you’re working.
g Hang the pants legs from a tree. Rope or a belt can be used; poke holes 180 degrees from one another bear the tip of the pants leg for the rope or belt to be tied. The branch and tie-job will have to be strong enough to bear weight.
g Visually divide the tied-off pants leg into six equal horizontal sections.
g Place the small stones in the first horizontal section at the pants leg’s bottom.
g Place sand in the second horizontal section above the stones.
g Place a layer of small stones in the third section.
g Place sand in the fourth section.
g Place stones in the fifth section.
g Slowly pour water into the sixth section of the pants leg.
g Place a cup below the pants legs where water drips from it; you may need to hold the cup in place with rocks so that it doesn’t fall over in the wind.

This filter only removes large contaminants from the water. To kill bacteria and viruses that may be in the water, boil the water in the cup to have drinkable water.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Lost hiking in a desert? Here’s how to find water to stay alive

El Mirage Recreation Area, Mojave Desert, Calif.

If lost when hiking in a desert, your most valuable asset – water – likely will soon be in short supply. Your priority then becomes finding a safe supply until you can be rescued. Other than air, water is the most important element you need to survive, and without it in a desert, you will dehydrate and potentially die within a day or two.

While an arid environment, water does exist in the desert. If not, none of the plants or animals around you could survive. The trick them is to find it in the same way that animals or plant roots do.

Here’s a few ways where you can find drinking water in a desert:
g Follow livestock – If you see cattle or sheep grazing on desert grass, follow them when they move. They need even more water than you do and likely will head to a pond or a trough provided by a rancher.
g Locate water pockets – Depressions atop boulders and beneath ledges all can hold water. Before drinking it, however, soak it up with a cloth and purify if possible. If you can’t reach the water, use a hollow reed or other straw to suck in the water and place it in your canteen.
g Dig a seep hole – If there’s no water in a depression but you notice that the ground is damp, dig a hole there. Gradually water will drain and collect in the hole. Patches of green are neon arrows pointing to where such depressions likely exist.
g Find a spring – The lowest levels of a canyon mark the best places to locate a spring. This will be at the mouth of a canyon. From there, work your way upstream, looking for water pockets and damp ground to dig seep holes.

You stand a good chance of becoming sick from drinking any unpurified water in a desert. That can prove even deadlier as any such illness will quickly dehydrate you. Still, sometimes you must gamble that you’ll be rescued before the illness sets in and can suffer through it in the safety of a hospital room.

One last note: Never drink water from a pool in which a dead animal is nearby. The water may have poisoned the animal or the animal before dying may have infected the water puddle.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Enjoy hike to little known Yosemite shoreline

Brown trout - nonative to Yosemite National Park
- are common on the Tuolumne River in the
Poopenaut Valley. Photo courtesy Yosemite NPS.

Trail includes 1,229-foot descent
in Hetch Hetchy section

Yosemite National Park day hikers can head to a secluded and utterly peaceful section of the Tuolumne River on the Poopenaut Valley Trail.

The 2.6-mile round-trip trail in the park’s Hetch Hetchy section isn’t for slouches, though. It involves a 1,299-foot descent – which has to be hiked back up – and so only families with older teenagers or college-aged kids should tackle it.

Summer marks the best time to hike the trail, as the river valley is pleasantly comfortable. Of course, the ascent will be made all that more difficult by the increasingly warm air as one gains elevation, so make sure you plenty of drinking water.

Shade trees and boulders
To reach the trailhead, from Yosemite Valley, drive Big Oak Flat road north to Calif. Hwy. 120. Turn left onto Hwy. 120. Past Hodgdon Meadow Campground, turn right onto Evergreen Road. In about eight miles is a T-intersection at Camp Mather; turn right at this intersection onto Hetch Hetchy Road. After passing the Hetch Hetchy Entrance Station, in four miles you’ll see a sign for the trail on the road’s left side. Park on the turnout on the road’s right side.

The trail starts in open country and parallels the road for a few dozen feet and then enters woodland where it quickly begins the long descent into the Poopenaut Valley. There are some steep sections, so watch your footing.

Upon reaching the river valley, you’ll find yourself in a pleasant meadow with lots of large boulders perfect for relaxing upon. This section of the river is about four miles below the O’Shaughnessy Dam, which holds back the river to form the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir.

Black cottonwood, red willow and shiny willow dominate the valley floor with sedge grasses covering the marshy section. You’ll also find cottonwood, ponderosa pine, white alder, and white fir here. Brown and rainbow trout, with brown dominating in this section of the valley, are common in the river.

Polar plunge
Though the calm river water looks like the perfect swimming hole, be prepared for it to be ice cold. The river flows off the High Sierra snowmelt and won’t warm up for many more miles downstream.

After taking in the scenes and resting for a while, make the long trek back up. Be sure to pace yourself and remember that an ascent takes much longer than the descent. Leave in plenty of time before darkness falls; during summer the road gates at Camp Mather close no later than 9 p.m. and sometimes earlier (The Yosemite road conditions line at 209-372-0200 – enter 1 after the first two voice prompts – lists the current closing time.).

A couple of other safety notes: Be careful of poison oak along the way. Also, some hikers have reported rattlesnakes on the trail, so remain alert.

Find out about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Prepare your feet to avoid injuries on hike

Most hikers will agree that the most important piece of gear and equipment they have for the trail is their own feet. There’s good reason for such an attitude: If your feet are sore, the hike will become a death march rather than a pleasurable activity. This is even truer for children, who lack an adult’s ability to resist physical pain to achieve a goal.

Fortunately, you can take some simple steps with your feet and those of your children to ensure the hike remains enjoyable.

Before the hike:
g Trim toenails – Long toenails will place pressure on the toe as they push against the boot. Toenails shouldn’t catch on socks, either, or they’ll wear a hole in them, which can lead to blisters. Trim straight across the nail rather than round the corners.
g Smooth calluses with a file – Blisters can form under large calluses, resulting in an infection. Calluses usually occur because of ill-fitting shoes.
g Rid inside of hiking boots of lint and small stones – This debris only will rub against your feet as they eliminate the spacing between your sock and hiking boot.
g Replace frayed shoelaces – Ripped laces won’t tie properly, creating pressure points on the top of your feet and preventing the boot from fitting snugly, which can lead to twists and falls.
g Replace the insole – Use a thinner pad if the boot fits too tightly or a thicker pad if the boot fits too loosely.
g Apply baby powder to inside of boot – This helps absorb moisture and keep the foot dry. Excessive moisture from sweat can lead to cold, wet feet.

When putting on boots:
g Wear wool socks – Cotton socks don’t absorb moisture as well. Wool socks also tend to be thicker, providing more cushion.
g Smooth socks around feet – Socks that are bunched up lead to friction and blisters. They also may expose part of the bare foot or leg to the boot, which definitely will be uncomfortable and lead to skin burns.
g Tie laces properly – The laces should ensure that the boot is snug but not tight. If laces dig into the foot, they will be uncomfortable.

Also be sure you know how to treat blisters and have the materials for doing so in your first-aid kit. While the above tips should prevent any problems, being able to address any foot issues during the hike will help tremendously.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Try these exercises to prepare for upcoming hiking season

With spring’s arrival, the time finally has arrived for hitting some great day hiking trails. If living in a northern or a mountainous climate, though, you may have just spent the long winter indoors. So while you’re itchin’ to get out, you may be a little out of shape, even for a short day hike. Go hiking without being in shape, though, and you’ll fatigue quickly – and for the next few days your sore muscles will remind you just how out of shape you were.

Good exercises for hiking focus on strengthening these four areas of the body:
g Heart – Hiking essentially is a cardio workout. To prepare for it, begin by walking short distances on a flat surface. Increase the distance and add a little more uphill terrain each day.
g Legs – You’ll feel the greatest burn in your thighs and calves. Exercises such as lunges and stepping on/off a small step will help.
g Back – Often your back will be strained by carrying a daypack or child carrier with your little one in it. You can do basic stretches such as hip bridges, side planks and side planks to toughen up your muscles.
g Shoulders – The pressure points for anything you carry on your back will be your shoulders. Adding a little muscle to them helps provide a cushion. You might try a floor press, a dumbbell row, and scaptions.

Even if you’re in fairly good shape, these exercises can be helpful in keeping you limber for your hikes. Consider doing them on the days you’re not on the trail.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Fun game for kids on hike: Trail Handles

His trail handle is "Pointer." Photo courtesy of George Hodan.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Trail Handles.

Backcountry hikers who take long multi-month journeys along the Pacific Crest, the Appalachian and other trails often use “trail handles” to identify themselves. Usually these handles are based on experiences they’ve had or interesting animals they’ve seen while hiking.

During your day hike, have children come up with trail handles for themselves. They might base their handle on any of the following:
g Bird or other wild animal they’ve seen (Eagle, Falcon, Bear)
g Something they like to do on the trail (Skip, Trailblazer, Point Man)
g Special hiking skill they possess (Navigator, Weatherman, Hawkeye)

Trail handles shouldn’t be negative are derogatory but positive and uplifting, to encourage the child’s interest in and love for hiking.

Materials: None needed

Ages: 3 and up

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Gear needed for hunting rocks, gems w/ kids

Among the great pleasures of day hiking is finding interesting rocks and even gems. When collecting them (and only collect on approved trails), you’ll want to make sure you bring along the right gear and equipment to capture the prey during your mineral hunt.

Among the items to pack include:
g Geologist’s hammer – A rock hammer is a necessity to dislodge rocks and gems from the surrounding stone. Gently chisel around the rock so that you don’t accidentally crack it.
g Goggles – As you chisel away, rock chips will fly about. To prevent one from hitting your eye, wear safety goggles, even if you wear glasses (which don’t entirely cover your eyes).
g Brush – A small paint brush or old toothbrush can be used to remove the dust from your dislodged rock or gem, or to remove grit and small debris from where you’re digging out the stone.
g Collection bag – Once you find a rock, you’ll need a bag to carry it in. Also bring several smaller re-sealable plastic bags that that you can place each rock into before putting them into a collection bag.
g Newspaper – You’ll likely want to wrap the rock in paper before placing it in a re-sealable bag and then the collection bag. This prevents the rock from being scratched or from scratching others in the bag. Newspaper works fine, but magazine pages also will suffice.
g Notepad and pen – If you wish to collect rocks and gems as a hobby, you’ll want to note where and on what a date the mineral was found. Write that info on a piece of a note paper that you stick with the corresponding rock in a re-sealable bag.
g Rock field guide – A book about the different types of rocks and gems will help you determine what you’ve just found. You may want to first understand the traits used to categorize minerals.
g Magnifying glass – While not necessary, sometimes you’ll want to get a close look at your stone and gem to help you more easily identify it. A glass with 10x magnification works well.

Two other items you might consider bringing along are a copper penny and a nail. These will help you gauge the mineral’s hardness should you wish to determine the kind of rock you have.

Sturdy clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty also can be useful. Often jeans or kneepads are needed as you kneel on the hard ground. Study boots with good traction also are beneficial as you walk across rocky terrain.

Find out about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

How to identify wildflowers on a day hike with children

Sunset over spring rhododendrons in the Blue Ridge
Parkway Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina.

Among the great pleasures of day hiking during summer and spring is spotting the splashes of color on the trail from flowers that you likely usually don’t see in a landscaped setting. Oftentimes, you’ll want to know the name of a particularly beautiful wildflower that you’ve spotted or enjoy the scent of.

You can bring field guides on the hike, but spending a long time looking through them to find a flower can be frustrating and for children with you quite dull. To quickly identify wildflowers in a field guide, you’ll want to note several characteristics of the wildflower in question.

Begin by focusing on the flower itself, as many field guides arrange plants by the blossom’s color. Note these traits:
g Flower’s color
g Flower’s width
g Number of petals
g Number of flowers per stem

Next, look at the entire plant itself, noting:
g Plant’s height
g If the plant’s stem creeps/twines, if it’s hairy/spiny, or if it’s square

Then examine the plant’s leaves, noting:
g How leaves are arranged (for example, are the opposite one another or alternating)
g If the leaf’s edge is smooth, toothed or irregular
g If the leaves’ veins are parallel or branched
g If the leaves are simple (one leaf per stem) or compound (two or more leaves per stem)
g If a simple leaf, the ratio of its length to its width
g If compound leaves, if they are trifoliate, pinnate or palmate
g If the leaf has a stalk connecting it to the plant’s stem

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Reducing impact on a desert environment when hiking

Nightmare Gulch, Red Rock Canyon State Park, California.

With so little rainfall, deserts are a delicate, fragile environment. The limited number of plants and animals residing in them can be deeply affected by even minor changes. Even when day hiking, such small changes are easy to inadvertently make to a desert.

To limit the impact of your hike upon a desert environment, stick to these simple practices:
g Leave what’s natural in its place – Uprooting plants and moving rocks actually disturbs food and shelter sources for desert animals.
g Walk single file – Doing so restricts the impact of your footsteps to a single narrow path. Stepping off a path can dislodge plant roots, compress soil, or shift rocks about.
g Carry out your leftovers – Rather than decompose, food tossed to the ground often will mummify. Since human foods (such as oranges and bananas) usually aren’t native to deserts, seeing a mummified pealing looks out of place. All other garbage, such as wrappers, should be carried out as well.
g Keep noise down – Our shouts carry farther in the open desert and echoes off rock canyon walls, stressing animals and diminishing the experience for other hikers.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Fun game for kids on hike: Stone Walls

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Stone Walls.

During the hike, have children collect various rocks; the flatter or more square/rectangular the rock, the better. At the next rest stop, have them attempt to build stone walls by stacking the rocks atop one another, about three stones high. See how long the wall can go before it collapses. Discuss what ensures a stone wall remains stable.

Materials: Stones collected on the trail

Ages: 6-16

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Help preserve historical and archeological sites when day hiking

Resist the urge to touch petroglyphs when hiking,
as skin oils destroy the paint pigments. 

Excitement and mystery always surrounds coming across old sites – whether it be a pioneer cabin from the 1800s or a petroglyph left on a desert cliff thousands of years ago – during a day hike. Unfortunately, the urge to engage in behaviors that diminish and even destroy these sites is strong, especially among children.

To preserve a historical or ancient site that you come across on a hike, follow these five commandments:
g Don’t remove artifacts – Doing so reduces the experience of future hikers (Would you have wanted a hiker before you to have taken away artifacts so you couldn’t enjoy them?). It’s also illegal. Instead, take pictures or make sketches of them.
g Don’t climb on sites – Though they’ve survived decades or even centuries, many of these sites are fragile structures that crumble easily and often will collapse if weight is added to it.
g Don’t touch items at a site – Skin oils actually destroy paint pigments (especially on petroglyphs) and alter the chemical composition of walls. Just brushing a finger against adobe will flake off bits of the wall.
g Don’t move items at a site – Doing so reduces archeologists’ and historians’ ability to understand the purpose and use of the items as their positions gives them context. Such items might range from potsherd to corn kernels, from bones to glass bottle fragments.
g Don’t write on site’s walls – Graffiti destroys the site and amounts to nothing less than vandalism. Such graffiti can range from spray painting to etching initials with a knife…or even writing on wood with a pencil.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Fun game for kids on hike: Pebble Rainbow

Can you order these pebbles from bright to dark?
Photo courtesy of Petr Kratochvil.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Pebble Rainbow.

During the hike, have children collect four or five pebbles or small rocks. At the next rest stop, have the children place the rocks in order of bright to dark. Point out how many different shades of black, gray, blue (or whatever other color is collected) there are.

Materials: Pebbles or small rocks collected on the trail

Ages: 3-5

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Desert dangers to watch for on a day hike with children

Opal Canyon, California

As a dry, often inhospitable environment, deserts offer both incredible scenic wonders and grave dangers. Because of the former, they make for great hiking terrain…because of the latter, you should be aware of the variety of dangers that you could encounter during a day hike there. Foreknowledge is power.

Among the many dangers a desert environment can present are:
g Sun- and heat-related illnesses – Sun stroke, sunburn, heat stroke, and dehydration are serious, life-threatening ailments that often affect hikers who don’t respect the desert. Hiking during more temperate seasons and hours of the day, drinking plenty of water, dressing properly, using sunscreen, and pacing oneself all can go a long way to avoiding these problems.
g Flashfloods – Often trails head down canyons and arroyos, which are perfect spots to get caught in a flashflood. When hiking in such locations, always keep an eye out for an escape route to higher ground. Also keep an ear out for a roar rising in volume up canyon, even on sunny days, as thunderstorms several miles away can quickly send floodwater roiling down a canyon or a dry run. If you hear such a sound, immediately head to higher ground.
g Creepy crawlies – Spiders, scorpions and snakes all can sting or bite, and some are poisonous. To avoid meeting one, don’t place your hand in holes or pick up rocks where these creatures like to hide and don’t place your feet in grass or brush where you can’t see your toes. Should you encounter one, keep your distance and slowly back away.
g Getting overadventurous – Exploring side canyons you don’t have maps for or climbing up rocks and cliff sides that have no easy way down are all no-no’s in the desert. You don’t want to get lost or become trapped so that your water supplies run out before you be rescued.

Of all of these dangers, sun- and heat-related illnesses by far are the most common followed by injuries from climbing where one shouldn’t or letting lost by going off the trail. I’ve spent several years hiking the Mojave, Colorado, Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, and during all of that time have encountered one rattlesnake, one scorpion, and zero flashfloods. What’s even better is you can control sun- and heat-related illnesses and being overadventurous simply by using common sense. In short, a desert hike can be fun and safe!

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Warning signs of an approaching tornado during a day hike

Photo courtesy of NOAA

With spring’s arrival, wind storms and tornadoes become more frequent. Unfortunately what may have started as an exceptionally warm spring morning that was perfect for a day hike can quickly turn into a dangerous afternoon of violent storms.

Knowing how to identify the signs of an impending tornado will help you determine if you should either immediately quit the hike or head for cover. Even if a tornado never appears, similar conditions can lead to high winds that also are dangerous.

When on a day hike, look for these tornado warning signs:
g Bad clouds – Two types of clouds suggest a tornado: a supercell and a wall cloud. A supercell is a type of a thunderhead that looks like cauliflower as opposed to an anvil; the winds inside a supercell can reach up to 170 mph. A wall cloud looks like a dense wall with clearly defined edges.
g Green sky – Often the color of the sky will turn a sickly green hue before a tornado strikes.
g Conical-shaped clouds – If a needle-like cloud descends from a cloud’s base, this suggests that air is moving as if around a funnel. You should immediately seek cover.
g Your ears pop – If you haven’t changed altitude, this indicates a sudden drop in air pressure, which usually accompanies a twister.
g Roaring sound – Should you hear what sounds like a waterfall or a lot of wings flapping all at once but there’s no waterfall or birds around, a tornado may be heading your direction.

Related article:
g What to do if a tornado occurs during a day hike

Find out about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Watch sharp-tailed grouse mating dances

Sharp-tailed grouse

Day hikers can see the elaborate dances of sharp-tailed grouse on the Reed Lake Meadow State Natural Area Trail in Wisconsin’s Crex Meadows Wildlife Area.

Late March through May provide ample opportunities to spot the birds during their morning mating displays.

Largest sedge meadow
To reach the trail, from the visitor center take County Road D east. Turn left/north onto Rylander Road then right/east onto North Fork Dike Road. North Fork Dike becomes Kylingstad Road. At the next junction, turn left/north onto Hildas Road, which becomes James Road. A jeep trail is about 0.4 miles north of Klotts Road on the left/east.

Take the jeep trail to the parking lot, which overlooks the largest sedge meadow in the wildlife area. Reed Lake is to the north with North Fork Flowage to the south. Much of the sedge meadow, including Reed Lake, is protected as part of the Reed Lake Meadow State Natural Area.

From the parking lot, hike to and from James Road for a 0.46-mile round trip.

As walking, watch the trail’s south side for sharp-tailed grouse. They like the mowed, brush-free areas, which allows females to more easily spot males and for both genders to more easily spot predators.

Courtship dance
Before sunrise, male grouse make their way to the mowed area, where each selects a small area in which other males are not allowed to enter. Then each male begins a mating dance with the aim of attracting a female. This mating arena is known as a lek.

Their courtship dance includes stamping feet 20 times a second, rattling tail feathers, and turning in circles or strutting forward while cooing. The males’ purple neck sacs also puff up and deflate.

The grouse live in the brush-prairie surrounding the mowed area. State environmental efforts restored much of this prairie ecosystem – which dominated the higher ground of Crex Meadows more than 150 years ago – during the past quarter century.

Learn about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Fun game for kids on day hike: Rock Toss

Will the rock land in the hole?
Photo courtesy of  Rostislav Kralik.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Rock Toss.

During the hike, have children collect three or four pebbles or small rocks that they find. At the next rest stop, with a stick dig a small hole that’s a couple of inches deep by three or four inches wide (the younger the children, the wider you might wish to make the hole). Have children toss (underhand is preferred) their pebbles/rocks one-by-one at the hole to see if they can hit the target. You can make it a competition by having children keep track of how many times their pebble/rock makes lands in the hole. When all done, be sure to fill in and cover up the hole.

Materials: Pebbles/small stones found on hike, small stick for digging hole

Ages: 4-12

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Swinging bridge, swimming holes, natural waterslide await Yosemite NP day hikers

Swinging Bridge Trail marked in yellow

Old-time fun
just a short hike
in Wawona

Day hikers can enjoy an old-fashion afternoon of fun at the swimming hole on the Swinging Bridge Trail in Yosemite National Park’s Wawona area.

The 1.5-mile round trip out-and-back trail described here is a segment of the Swinging Bridge Loop suggested by the National Park Service. That longer loop, however, largely sends hikers on paved roads for much of its 4.5-mile length.

Your kids (and you) will much more enjoy the shorter hike and the time it allows for the trail’s swinging bridge, swimming hole, and natural waterslide. Pack a picnic lunch as well to make a day of it.

Swinging bridge
To reach the trailhead, from Wawona Road (Calif. Hwy. 41), turn north onto Chilnualna Road (Watch the road signs as this street makes lots of turns and becomes Chilnualna Falls Road along the way) Shortly after you cross a bridge over Chilnualna Creek, the road angles through rental cabins. At its end is a small, dirt parking lot for a half-dozen or so cars.

Fairly flat and easy, the trail briefly heads east then swerves southeast toward the river as angling through a forest with some open space between the tree clumps. In spring through early summer, wildflowers abound.

In 0.75 miles, you’ll reach the river and the swinging bridge. You can have lots of fun trying to keep your balance on the bridge. It’s quite sturdy, though, so don’t worry about it falling into the slow-moving South Fork Merced River below.

After crossing the bridge, follow the trail northwest along the river to granite slabs and perfectly placid swimming holes (except during years following a winter of high snowfall). While the granite slabs nicely radiate heat on a sunny day, be prepared for the water to be cold no matter the time of year, as it flows from snowmelt out of mountains to the east.

Natural waterslide
The granite slabs here also are a great spot to sunbathe or to enjoy a picnic lunch. For the latter, you’ll have to bring your own picnic blanket as there are no tables here. Remember to pack out all trash.

A natural waterslide into another pool is upriver southwest of the bridge. Be sure to wet your swimsuit before heading down the slide, however, as the granite can rip holes in the material. In fact, you may not want to bring your best, most expensive swimsuit for this outing.

When ready to head home, cross the swinging bridge and backtrack the trail to your vehicle.

Learn more about national park day hiking trails in my Best Sights to See at America’s National Parks guidebook.

Consider bringing along specific gear for desert hikes with children

Mojave Desert, Calfornia

As a dry, severe environment, deserts offer both incredible scenic wonders and grave dangers. Because of the former, they make for great hiking terrain…because of the latter, specific hiking gear and equipment is essential for a day hike there.

Whenever on a desert hike, be sure to have the following equipment or items:
g Boots – You’ll want footgear with ankle support, that breathes, and that has a soft, flexible sole to ensure traction. To that end, wear lightweight, breathable hiking boots. Sandals will expose your skin to sunburn, thorns and sharp rocks while running shoes lack the ankle support needed for crossing rocky terrain.
g Sun hat – A brim provides the extra protection needed to shade your face, not just to avoid sunburn but to prevent being blinded by the sun. Consider getting a sun hat that includes a flap to keep the sunlight off your neck.
g Lighter colored clothing – White and other light colors will better reflect the sunlight than black and dark clothing, which absorb it, resulting in more heat upon the body.
g Sunscreen – An SPF 50 is essential as the sand reflects sunlight back onto the body, resulting in a burn. Sweat will wash away sunscreen, so you likely will need to reapply it during rest breaks.
g Lip balm – The lips also can be burned or chapped by sunlight as well a wind. An SPF 30 balm will protect them. Reapply the balm after drinking water.
g Extra water – Any arid environment requires that you take in more water than usual. Consider carrying it in collapsible canteens to lessen the weight or in a hydration pack, which kids are more likely to regularly use as they can more easily sip water as walking.
g Insect repellent – Usually dry areas are low on bug count, but don’t be surprised to run into sand flies and midges or when near a wet area into mosquitoes.

Read more about day hiking with children in my Hikes with Tykes guidebooks.

Fun game for hiking kids: Sticks in Order

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Sticks in Order.

During a hike with preschoolers, have them each collect a couple of sticks. During a rest stop, have the children take turns placing the sticks in order from shortest to tallest. You may want to bring along a piece of cloth that you can place the sticks upon so that the latter stands out from the ground.

Materials: Sticks found on the hike

Ages: 3-5 years old

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.

Hike historical lumber baron site in Minn.

St. Croix Boom Site view of St. Croix River.

Aerial photo of St. Croix Boom Site.

Families can day hike a historical remnant from the St. Croix River’s lumber baron days north of Stillwater, Minn.

The St. Croix Boom Site Trail runs a mere 0.4 miles round trip but makes for a scenic afternoon diversion. A century-and-a-half-ago ago, the site was a bustling center of activity where men pulled logs from the St. Croix River and sent them on their way to sawmills.

To reach the trail, from downtown Stillwater drive north on Minn. Hwy. 95. Watch for the signs; after Pawnee Avenue North, there’s a turnoff for the Boom Site on the right/east. Park in the looping access road. The trailhead is south of the lot’s access road. The Boom Site is merely a 50-foot walk down a staircase to a beach.

Throughout the mid- and late-1800s, lumberjacks downed whole forests across northern Minnesota and Wisconsin, branded each log with the sawmill it was to go to, and floated the timber down the St. Croix River on its way to sawmills.

When the St. Croix Boom Company went bust upstream near Marine on St. Croix, several Stillwater lumber barons bought the business and moved it here. The boom company drew the timber from the river then sorted and delivered it to the correct sawmill in Stillwater. All through the 1870s, logs would back up some 15 miles on the river during midsummer as awaiting for the boom company to pull them out.

By the early 20th century, most Northwoods forests were gone, and the boom site ceased operation in 1914. As the economy changed and generations passed, the site was largely forgotten.

The National Park Service discovered it during a 1975 survey while identifying historical sites along the St. Croix. Today, it’s a National Historic Landmark in the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

At the bottom of the stairs, hikers can head up and down the pleasant beach below the sandstone bluff. The beach peters out about 600 feet downstream and heads roughly 400 feet upstream to a nice point overlooking a river island.

Learn more about nearby day hiking trails in my Day Hiking Trails of Northeast Minnesota guidebook.

Traits to look for when identifying birds on a day hike

White-breasted-Nuthatch

For many children, spotting and watching birds – especially raptors, those that are courting, and rare species – is a great element of a day hike. Besides being entertaining, birdwatching offers many opportunities for learning while ensuring a memorable rest break.

Except for experienced birdwatchers, however, identifying the array of birds you see on a hike will be difficult. Because the time you have to observe a bird often is flitting is best, flipping through a birding field guide won’t be useful. Instead, jot down notes about the bird’s various traits or sketch its appearance so you later can look it up in a field guide.

When taking those notes or drawing the bird, look for the following traits, which will make identifying the bird easier in a field guide:
g Vocalizations – Almost every bird species sings a unique song or makes a unique sound. Often recordings of their vocalizations are available online.
g Size – Estimate in inches how tall and how long (from head to tail) the bird is.
g Shape – Note a general class that the bird appears to fit in. For example, is it shaped like a songbird, a pigeon, a turkey or a raptor?
g Beak/bill – Often all that sets apart one bird species from another is the length and shape of its beak or bill. That’s because this is a vital body part for eating a specific food that the bird species has adapted to.
g Facial markings – Often birds have stripes or special colorations on their face. Others have head feathers.
g Wing markings – List if patches or stripes appear on the bird’s wing as well as its coloring.
g Tail – The shape and length of a bird’s tail feathers often are specific to a species.
g Legs – Bird legs come in different lengths and colors. If possible, also note the number of toes and the direction they point.
g Food – If the bird is eating, try to determine what it’s dining on. Some birds eat only a few specific foods.

If you’re able to list or draw a number of these features, identifying the bird in a field guide once you return from your hike should be easy. It will make a great after hike activity for children.

Find out about trail guidebooks available in the Hittin’ the Trail series.

Fun game for kids on hike: Bird and Seed

You'll need some small rocks to play Bird and Seed.
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Bird and Seed.

If with a group of at least five children, this is a great game for them to enjoy during a rest stop.

Have them sit in a circle with one child in the middle. The child in the middle is the bird. Give three of the children sitting in the circle a rock; each rock is a “seed” and is held behind their backs. The bird gets to know who you gave the seeds to.

On the word “Go,” the children pass the seeds around to one another behind their backs. After you count to 10, say “Stop.” The children must stop passing around the seeds.

The bird now guesses who has the seeds. If the bird gets at least two right, he can choose to remain the bird or can exchange spots with the child of his choice.

Of course, if you only have four children, as an adult you can be one of those passing the seeds.

Materials: Three rocks

Ages: 4-12

Learn about more than a hundred other hiking diversions for kids in Hikes with Tykes: Games and Activities.