“Ice cream!”

Screeeeetch!

I’d never seen a Honda Insight turn so quickly. But then, perhaps one never had a sufficiently compelling reason.

Vince and I pulled into the ice cream shop’s parking lot. We were returning from an extended-weekend backpacking trip on Minnesota’s North Shore, and we had intense cravings for food that wasn’t dehydrated or in bar form.

Over the previous 2 days, we had backpacked over 33 miles: 15 on the first day, 16 on the second day, and 2 on the third day. That might not have been so tiring were it not for the extreme, repeated elevation changes and the unusually warm weather. On the other hand, the high peaks provided excellent vistas, and the lack of rain kept the trails pleasantly dry.

Our path took us from Brighton Peak north to the Cascade River. We passed through cedar, birch, and pine forests, next to beaver ponds and rock cliffs, and over rocky rivers and mellow streams.  At night, the stars shone brightly, accented by flourishes from the beginning of the Perseids. It was tremendously relaxing.

Despite the beauty of nature, it was great to get back to get back to good ol’ civilization, where we nursed our blistered feet and rested our tired legs.  And ate ice cream.  Deliciously cold ice cream.