Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Afton camping

Afton State Park, August 2008

The backpacking area at Afton State Park is one of the greatest places to camp in the state, certainly the best near the Twin Cities. A mile and a half is all you have to hike to get to this gorgeous area with its restored prairie and wide, open campsites. The only catch is THE HILL. The hill is the final obstacle to overcome before you can claim a campsite here, and while you're climbing it you wonder if maybe you should have hired some Sherpas to carry your gear. You wonder if you need to be more concerned with altitude sickness, or at least the heart attack that seems imminent. I've seen a man reach the summit, only to vomit up the port wine he drank for breakfast.

It's well worth the climb, however. In late July/August all the prairie flowers are in bloom, like the yellow coneflowers seen here

2 comments:

  1. I don't know what's more disturbing, the thought of loosing one's breakfast at the summit, or starting the day with port wine. :)

    Thanks for stopping by Mitchster.com
    - Mitch

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  2. great picture love the way you've used the colours in the shot...great work, keep it up.

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