Fall \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Harvest Moon<\/p>\n
A guy trudged along the same trail I was on, dressed in full camo but with the jacket open and t-shirt spread wide by a belly yearning to be free. “Nice day for a walk,” he said. \u00a0“Yeah.” \u00a0He was a bow-hunter with six yellow feathered arrows and a compound bow. \u00a0When I got back to the parking lot, I saw his truck with a large sticker, Life Begins At Full Draw. \u00a0A bow hunter with his bow-string fully extended. \u00a0He had another large sticker, “Born to Fish, Forced to Work.”<\/p>\n
A bit further along a Hmong man in blaze orange vest with a rifle slung on right shoulder. \u00a0“Hi.” \u00a0“Hi.” \u00a0Only a moment before meeting the bow hunter I had decided to turn back. \u00a0I had no orange vest and wanted to be safe.<\/p>\n
When I drove up here, only 3 maybe 4 miles from home, I’d discovered that this new state owned land was a conservation area, not a scientific and natural area as I had remembered. \u00a0The difference is that you can ride snowmobiles at Cedar Creek Conservation Area. \u00a0You can hunt. \u00a0You can also hike of course, but…<\/p>\n
Armed with my smart phone I looked up Minnesota hunting seasons and found that it was bow season for deer and hunting for small animals and certain birds. \u00a0Didn’t seem I’d be confused for any of these since bow hunters have to be fairly close and have a good sight line, but out of, as the politicians say, “an abundance of caution,” I had begun my exit.<\/p>\n
It was a spectacular day. \u00a064 degrees. \u00a0Clear skies. \u00a0A light breeze. \u00a0Just right. \u00a0As often happens in northern Anoka county, it felt like up north with woods and meadows. \u00a0Imagining myself on a trail outside of Ely was easy.<\/p>\n
Here are a few things I saw:<\/p>\n
Fall \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Harvest Moon A guy trudged along the same trail I was on, dressed in full camo but with … Continue reading Nice Day For A Walk<\/span> ![\"IMAG0966\"](\"http:\/\/www.ancientrails.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/IMAG0966.jpg\")
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