Friday Night at Pike

In what might very well become a family tradition, the Dargatz family once again headed out after a long work week to rejuvenate through nature at one of our favorite spots: Pike Lake. Though the trees aren't yet budding, the trails had some muddy spots, and some of the water was still iced over, the sounds of spring were evident. It was a joy to hear our daughter announce that "they're singing" every time a bird was heard. We also heard the distant blare of trains and were quite impressed when the toddler spotted the train in the far distance once atop the tower on Powder Hill.

Our trek started on the Ice Age Trail before venturing off onto the picturesque Black Forest nature trail. While traveling through the continual changes in elevation while carrying a toddler was good for my cardio, being able to experience the views before the sea of green takes over was even better. We even stopped at one of our favorite trees, something we have done pretty much every time.

After finishing off the Black Forest rail, we ventured to the aforementioned tower, burning calories (and quite possible both quads). From the top deck, we saw the beginning of a beautiful sunset and used our binoculars to see a large herd of white-tailed deer in a clearing past the lake. Coming down the tower and the winding hill that you must take to get there provided much needed relief for my legs, while then giving our daughter a chance to trample the leaves and mud gave my shoulders a break.

We reconnected with the Ice Age Trail and proceeded to finishing off the final stretch with the chirp of birds, the chatter of some squirrels, and the wails of a young daughter ready for dinner.