Be Lucky. You’ll feel like the luckiest woman on earth as you snowshoe through a blanket of sparkling snow (fingers crossed!) along the Straight Lake Segment in Polk County. Photo by Cheryl Whitman.
Be Community. Warm your heart and bring your tribe. Come ready to meet new friends and deepen friendship with those you’ve known a long time. Winter hiking keeps you connected to the simple things in life: health and vigor; home and tribe.
Be Curious. Local botanist and Ice Age Trail enthusiast, Barbara Delaney, will highlight the intricacies of winter ecology. Discover more about the world below the layer of snow. Photo by Rachel Roberts.
Be Delighted. You’ll be enchanted by the gregarious beauty old-growth oak trees with their gnarled and elegant limbs stretched wide, welcoming. The Straight Lake State Park is an absolute Wisconsin gem, you won’t want to miss seeing it in winter, too!
Be Awed. You’ll appreciate the hush of frozen Straight Lake. You’ll marvel at the inviting curve of a boardwalk as it winds through the woods. Photo by Rachel Roberts.
Be Resilient. A winter’s day hike encourages health and resilience as you take care of your body with fresh-air time outdoors, even during the cold days of the year.
Be Inspired. A guided hike (snowshoes if weather accommodates) will be led by Stephanie Lundeen, owner of Café Wren, and members of the Indianhead Chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance.
Be Lucky Schedule:
Saturday, February 3, 2018, Polk County, Straight Lake Segment
10:00 a.m. Meet at the Straight Lake State Park parking lot at 120th St./270th Ave. (adjacent Rainbow Lake).
10:15 a.m. Board bus to the start of the hike (280th Ave.) for a 2-mile hike. (The opportunity to extend this distance exists at the end of the hike.) Hike at a leisurely pace and enjoy the wisdom of a local botanist, Barbara Delaney.
11:30 a.m. Arrive back to parking lot at Rainbow Lake. (You may extend your hike at this point.) Enjoy a bonfire, warm yourself from your heart to your toes with Swedish Glogg, a strong mulled wine best enjoyed outdoors, and refuel with homemade soup and bread.
1:00 p.m. Depart.
Snowshoes provided for anyone who needs a pair. The hike will happen with or without sufficient snow for snowshoeing.
Dress for the weather. Coats, hats, gloves, hiking boots, hiking poles, water bottle, etc.
Limit: 40 women ages 15 and above.
Investment: $10.00 non-refundable fee
Resources:
Straight Lake State Park, 2017-2019 Ice Age Trail Guidebook description
Straight Lake State Park, 2017-2019 Ice Age Trail Atlas Map
We APPRECIATE the support of our GENEROUS sponsor for this Be LUCKY event – Thank You!
Outdoor co-op REI today launched a comprehensive effort to advance gender equity in the outdoors, encouraging millions of its members to embrace the outdoors as “the world’s largest level playing field.