The aim of Forest Wandering is to introduce parks, trails, hikes, and ambles in nature, primarily around the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, in an effort to inspire you to try them out for yourself. Minnesota, located in the Upper Midwest of the United States, is known for it’s many parks and urban green spaces, so there will be plenty of sites to choose from! We’ll also do some traveling on occasion, to check out other parts of the country, and even other parts of the world.
Reflections on these experiences and sights along the way will make up a significant part of the dialog. Nature journaling is a wonderful way to make noticing what’s around you, well, second nature! It helps in becoming adept at noticing details, such as the intricate designs in a spider’s web, the little eddies along the edges of a stream, or the quick, sporadic movements of a fingernail-sized toadlet crossing the trail at your feet. Recording the often amazing sights you see can bring the peace and wonderment back to you in future reflections. Often, rather than getting lost (as J.R.R. Tolkien suggested), wandering in nature is one of the best ways to “find”… find what is extraordinary and beautiful in nature, find ways in which wildlife survive and what makes one species different from another, what makes each unique, and sometimes even find yourself!
I hope you enjoy this blog and the pages that accompany it!
Happy Wandering!
NOTE: I’ve found I am referring quite often to the outside temperatures during my wanderings. Just to be clear: I will be referring to temperatures in Fahrenheit. If you’d like to convert these temps to Celsius, you can use this handy online conversion table: RapidTables.
ANOTHER NOTE: The photo gallery is now up and running! It can be found under the Trail Markers tab. Enjoy!