We come to Lake Wilderness often for our hiking adventures, but I liked the late spring morning sun as it filtered through the trees on this day. I love the tall pines here, and the lush forest floor with its cozy trails to hug you as you approach unseen bends. When I was a kid walking through the “deep deep woods” on my grandpa’s 40 acres of land in Northern Minnesota, this is what it was like, and I think that’s mostly why I love bringing my kids here so much.
The park is not that big, and all the trails intertwine. It’s pretty impossible to get lost here so I let my kids lead the way, choosing which path to take at each intersection. Also? It’s dog friendly, so we get to bring Scout! We’ve never actually crossed paths with other people on these trails, which I don’t totally understand, but that just means I let Scout go off leash. She’s such a good dog, still always walking by my side or just in front of me.
At one point during this hike Ruthie gasped and grabbed my leg. “WHAT’S THAT SOUND?!” she asked, worried. I stopped to listen, and the only thing I heard was wind in the pines high above our heads. Have you ever heard such a sound? It’s more muffled than the sound of wind blowing through leaves – it’s not as crisp, so I could understand why Ruthie wouldn’t recognize it.
I never knew a tree could make a person cry, but I teared up a little at that sound, remembering my childhood in the pine grove next to our cabin in Northern Minnesota. I would sweep all the dried pine needles on the forest floor into a cushy pile and lay on my back, looking up at the sky through the trees and dozing off to the sound of the wind in the pines.
And as it just so happens, you can find anything on The Internet. So here, for your listening pleasure, is Wind in the Pines:
I’m a little embarrassed to say this as I am a full-bred Washingtonian, heck, an Eastsider at that, and I have no clue where the heck Lake Wilderness is, but I sure want to know as your adventures there sound fantastic and I am in need of summertime activities with my kids to make sure I make it through the summer. Could you be so kind as to let me know where it is…I suppose I could mapquest it, but what city is it even in? So sad that I have no idea where it is. 🙂
I think how cool it is that you have such warm memories of life in the woods at the cabin. By the way, you can come to that cabin anytime this summer during the week without interferring with those there on the week-ends. Set some dates!! MOM