Lake Itasca (Day 2)

I awoke Sunday morning to the sounds of birds and leaves rustling. I had an important decision to make before the end of the day.

I got up and started the coffee. Everyone started crawling out of their tents and we started making breakfast. We had the largest blucy's I've ever seen. I ate the whole damn thing like a pig and I regret nothing. We sat around and chatted about what we were going to do with the rest of the day before we headed back to the cities. I was sad at the prospect of leaving this place. After the rain and the cold that came with it the leaves had started dramatically changing color. Everyone started to pack up, it was then that I decided I was going to stay another night.

Everyone packed up except me and we all headed to the visitor center. We parked and hit some of the hiking trails to go around one of the lakes. Leaves were starting to fall at this point. The red and white pine trees were standing tall and proud. We hiked around Lake Maria, taking in the sights and sounds and capturing the memories with pictures. The colors were super vibrant and the pines across the lake were all in patches, it looks marvelous. Eventually we ended up back at the visitor center where we parted ways. I was in a hurry the day before to get back to the park and forgot some things I had meant to grab so I had to go back to town.

I got back to the campsite and it was early evening. I had a little snack and then outfitted myself for a little sunset hike. I was walking down one of the interpretive trails and it was amazing. I saw a mushroom that looked like a giant chalice, it was about 2 feet tall. I saw a wolf as well, it was way out in the distance and it looked at me. It was alone and I got a little bit too paranoid from all the stupid television and movies I've seen in my lifetime so I started heading back towards camp because it was getting dark and I didn't want to know where the rest of his pack was.

I got settled in for the evening and got the fire going and cooked some dinner. After I had fixed up some food I just sat by the fire relaxing with my eyes closed. The animals were all talking to each other in concert and it was fabulous. I heard owls, red squirrels (which were everywhere), and wolves way off in the distance. As I was relaxing I heard some rustling maybe five feet away from me at the end of the picnic table. I turned on my headlamp and there was a raccoon slowly creeping toward my cooler.

The raccoon looked right at me and it could see that I had seen it. What did it do? It started walking toward my cooler a little slower. I talked to it. "Get out of there." I said. The raccoon just looked at me and slowed down a little more. This time I raised my voice a little "Hey! Get out of there." I commanded. The raccoon maintained its course. This time I yelled at it "GET OUT!" it ran to the cooler and put a hand on it. I stood up with the fire poker and waved it at it and it finally left. It did not run away, no. It waddled away as casual as your please as if to say "I didn't want your stupid food anyway, dick.". The raccoon didn't have any genitalia that was determinable to me, but it had balls never the less. A few moments later I heard more rustling directly behind me, I leapt out of my chair and turned my light on, knife in hand. I couldn't see anything. I thought I was getting paranoid so I laughed at myself and then turned the light off and sat back down. A few moments after I sat down I heard it again, right behind me! I got up and turned the light on high and started looking around. I still couldn't see anything. Then as I was looking back and forth something shiny caught my attention on the ground. It was a Salamander! I scooped him up and he just chilled in my hand for a bit. He was not slimy though he looked it. I named him Rufus, then put him in the woods and sent him off in the direction of a large puddle I remember seeing in the woods.

With that I tossed the cooler in my car, washed my hands, and retired for the night.

Moldy age rings.

Wow.

Fall, for sure.

Lake Maria.

Lake Maria.

I see the pad but no frogs.

Erosion control.

'Merica.

My buddy Rufus.

Giant shroom cup.