MINNESOTA

I drove three and a half hours from Minneapolis to stay the night in the Steamboat Bay Resort. The library includes 14 fishing videos, ten specifically on walleye. I didn't watch any of them.

I set out alone at 6:55 under partly cloudy skies, temps about 55°. Pretty little town, Walker. I enjoyed a nice walk on the highway. The first four miles offer lake views to the left.

Into m7 I begin some 12 miles on the North Country Trail, about six to eight feet wide, constantly rolling. Sock adjustments slowed me down and annoyed me. During m11 or so I passed a hunter with dog Penny, out for grouse. Shortly thereafter I began hearing occasional gunfire in the distance.

Applause from the relay crowd on the road just before halfway gave me a boost. The first runner caught me at about m13.5. I met the bridge troll (above) in m14. After climbing the steep hill to m15, the aid station volunteers tell me the worst is over, but I recall the map showing a peak at m20. Maybe the remaining climb comes very gradually.

After the m16.4 aid station I make a loop on the asphalt Heartland Trail, County Road 12 (dirt), and back via North Country for about 4.5 more miles on Heartland. This brings a steady climb, very gradual, well beyond m20, all the way to m25. At least I see a few creatures I won't see in Miami: two monarch butterflies, a snake, and a wild woolly.

The course weaves into town and finishes on the school track. I get some Allsport and a couple of sandwiches. After I stretch out a bit I drive back to Minneapolis, where I'll stay for my return flight the next day.

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