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Minnesota Was Made for Long, Unhurried Nature Walks
I walked more trails than I hiked while traveling through Minnesota, and I consider those two different experiences. For me, a hike usually involves more elevation, technical movement, or enough cardio to feel like a workout. These Minnesota trails offered something easier: long nature walks across mostly flat ground, with only a few gentle…
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Staying Safer While Car Camping in the City
Car camping in the city requires a different kind of awareness than camping somewhere remote. Someone recently talked about a person walking up to their parked vehicle and peeking through the window, which made me think about the habits I use whenever I bring the 4Runner into a populated area. I cannot control every…
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I Car Camped Arizona for a Full Year. It Never Felt Like One Climate.
Arizona can change dramatically without ever crossing a state line. Low desert gives way to mountain country, pine forests, and high plateau. Temperatures shift with the landscape, sometimes enough that a few hours of driving can completely change what a campsite requires. After spending a full year car camping across Arizona, that range became…
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A Week in Minnesota Gave Us Time We Never Had
My reason for spending more than a week in Minnesota had very little to do with sightseeing. I went there to spend time with my aunty. Life shifted for me in July when my biological father passed away. She is his sister, but because I grew up in foster care, she and I never…