Where Should I Go Hiking Next?
A story about how hiking can change your framing of life and elicit happiness.
BY GABRIEL MATIAS CASTILHO
Earlier this semester, I decided to embark on a journey to visit as many parks and reserves around the twin cities as I could. Since this is going to be one of my last semesters in Minnesota, I chose to avoid the post-travel regret by putting myself out there and visiting all of those sites. The following are my main takeaways from six parks, rivers, lakes and reserves that I’ve visited this fall.
1. Theodore Wirth Regional Park
The Theodore Wirth Regional Park is one of those parks where you can easily get lost inside and feel part of nature. Even in early fall some sections of the forest were already covered in red leaves, and it was magical to wander through the tight pathways with multicolored trees all around you for the first time. This 7000-acre park revolves around the Wirth lake, and tucked away inside the forested section of the park is Eloise Butler’s Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary, a walled garden with a center shelter where you can gaze at the garden’s history, as well as inspect samples of critters through microscopes. The park has so many hills and hidden features that it feels like you are inside of a scavenger hunt game.
2. Lake Nokomis and Minnehaha Creek and Falls
It was a rainy fall Sunday, right before the first thunders could be heard. Debating about whether I should go out or not, I decided to commit to it. I arrived in lake Nokomis under a light rain that progressively grew chunkier the more I stayed. The more I walked along the Minnehaha Creek, the more the orange trees started to detach themselves from their green counterparts. In the midway point between the Creek and the Falls are the Longfellow Gardens, where I was able to see even more colors other than green. The trip culminated in a mesmerizing view of the Minnehaha Falls in their full splendor. Right before the first thunders arrived, I noticed I had spent a total of two hours on this trip.
3. Hyland Lake Park Reserve
The Hyland Lake Park on Halloween is nothing less than magical. The reserve is in east Bloomington, boasts a total trail distance of 5.3 miles and an insanely colorful tree foliage throughout. You can (and you will) get lost inside of the reserve if you do not pay enough attention—but honestly, every view is mesmerizing. I recall following a breathtaking path where multicolored trees stood atop while the ground had been filled with fallen leaves. At that moment, a deer saw me at the end of the trail and almost immediately hid inside of the forest. Incredible. After walking past the ski area located within the park, I managed to gather enough energy to finish the trip by walking along the Normandale lake, where dozens of stands from different childcare organizations were gathered while families were passing by, dressed for Halloween.
4. Lebanon Hills Regional Park
Overall, there are 13 lakes in the park, but the ones which I believe deserve the most attention are the Jensen and Schultz. Jensen lake has perhaps one of the most distinct features of all of the lakes reviewed here: the charming wooden uneven pathways that lead hikers along the lakeshore. They are truly distinct as they do not follow a straight path, instead choosing to meander just like the lakeshore. Schultz lake is where all the movement is at, with food trucks, camping grounds, and the beach can be found.
In the last magazine issue, I wrote a story about how important Mondays were. Sundays, even though being the days when you notice the weekend is ending, deserve some meaning too. By attributing meaning to my Sunday—the “local park day”—I managed to feel excited instead of unhappy that the weekend was ending. Happiness pretty much depends on how you frame things, so why don’t we try to look at the things that give us anxiety from a different perspective?