day hike!
❄️ sherburne national wildlife refuge!
on the way home from our lake mille lacs trip, southern minnesota guy & i stopped to visit the sherburne national wildlife refuge in sherburne county, minnesota — traditional territory of the Wahpekute, Anishinabewaki ᐊᓂᔑᓈᐯᐗᑭ, Bdewakantuwan (Mdewakanton), and Očhéthi Šakówiŋ nations.
a highlight for me was the outdoor amphitheater near the oak savanna learning center, which honors the area’s Indigenous peoples with native language and artwork embedded in the concrete structure. check out this Minnesota Native News story to learn more: https://bit.ly/4uGTQr1
it was a brutally cold morning, with wind gusts dropping the “feels like” temp to -10°F, so we didn’t hike long. but we saw enough to know this was a must-return-in-warmer-times spot. sherburne nat’l wildlife refuge offers lots of great outdoor opportunities such as hiking, birding, kayaking, and much more. we can’t wait to come back when our faces aren’t freezing!
this was the 5th of 6 mini-adventures during a super-fun, late-february, winter weekend getaway for me and southern minnesota guy. it was chock full of micro-spike hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, state park cabin sleeping, basic camp cooking, and amazing restaurant food. stay tuned for part 6, coming soon!
my trail name’s mythic and in 2026 i’m continuing my multi-year thru-hike (m.y.t.h.) of the pacific crest trail. as i prepare to return to the pct (and hopefully tackle other section- and thru-hikes in the future), i'm going on day hikes to help keep in trail shape!
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