Walk on the Wild Side: Thursday Night Hikes

Interested hikers and walkers are invited to join the Walk on the Wild Side Thursday Night hikers, an aggregation of hiking enthusiasts from the Minnesota Rovers, the North Star Ski Touring Club, the Sierra Club, and others, for an evening of hiking, conversation, and conviviality.

The group schedules hikes every Thursday night throughout the year, rain or shine and cold or hot, except for Thanksgiving. The hikes are open to any interested hiker or walker. Hikes begin at 7:00 P.M. and conclude at approximately 8:30 P.M. There is no cost to participate in a hike. Hikes are moderately paced and typically cover between three and four miles during a 90-minute hike. After each hike, interested hikers are invited to reconvene at a nearby restaurant for dinner/dessert and further conversation.

Questions about the hike schedule can be directed to Larry Martin, at l_a_martin@lycos.com.

Click on the applicable hike name to obtain further information, directions (either driving or transit), and maps to hike locations.

Upcoming Hikes

• July, 2008 Hikes

• July 3, 2008: Russell Sorenson Landing/Nine Mile Creek Raft Hike (Bloomington) +Join the group for a hike along this unique portion of the Minnesota River Valley. The Lyndale Boat Launch was designated the Russell A. Sorenson Landing, in honor of the late Mr. Sorenson's contributions as former manager and chair of the Lower Minnesota River Watershed District. The hike will be along the unsurfaced joint use mountain biking/birding/hiking trail west of the boat landing, along the Minnesota River. As part of the hike, the group will ferry over Nine Mile Creek near its confluence with the Minnesota River on a 12’ by 8’ raft that was built by and is maintained by local mountain bikers. The Minnesota River was initially known as the St. Peters River. The creek got its name from early settlers in Minnesota, because when they traveled west from Fort Snelling, along Old Shakopee Road, the creek crossing was nine miles from the fort. Nine Mile Creek enters the Minnesota River at Mile 12.5. Mdewakanton Chief Pennesha had his village near the mouth of Nine Mile Creek between 1805 and 1852. The Dakota made up of seven tribes, the Mdewakanton, the Wahpeton, the Wahpekute, the Sisseton, the Yanktan, the Yanktyonia, and the Teton, and before various treaty cessions, occupied much of Southern Minnesota from Fort Snelling to Brown’s Valley.

• July 10, 2008: Henry Sibley House Hike (Mendota/Northern Dakota County) +Join the hiking group for a hike along the Mississippi River west from the Henry H. Sibley House Historic Site in historic Mendota, northern Dakota County. Henry Hastings Sibley (1811-1891) was one of the most prominent names in early Minnesota history, working as a fur merchant at Mendota, serving as the first justice of the peace, as a territorial delegate to the federal Congress, assisting in the negotiation of the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux, serving in the territorial legislature from Dakota County, serving as the first governor of the State, commanding the army assigned with putting down the 1862 Dakota Uprising, serving on the National Board of Indian Commissioners, serving as one of the original regents of the University of Minnesota, serving as the president of the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce, serving as the president of the Minnesota Historical Society, serving as the president of the Oakland Cemetery Association, and having been appointed an honorary member of the Ancient Cliosophic Society of Princeton College (New Jersey). Sibley and his wife, Sarah J. Steele Sibley ( -1869), had nine children. His house in Mendota was the office for his fur trading business and Mendota was once planned by Sibley and his nearby friend, Alexander Faribault, to become the capitol of the State. After years of neglect, the house was purchased by the Daughters of the American Revolution, restored by them, and operated as a tourist site for almost 50 years. The site is currently managed by the Minnesota Historical Society.

• July 17, 2008: Summit Avenue East End/East Portland Avenue Architectural/House History Hike (St. Paul) +Join the hiking group for a hike along the east end of historic and quaint Summit Avenue, returning by way of the east end of Portland Avenue. Summit Avenue is one of the best preserved upper-class Victorian promenade boulevards in America. Summit Avenue is a monumental boulevard of houses, churches, synagogues, and schools that stretches four-and-one-half miles from the Cathedral to the Mississippi River. Summit Avenue was the abode of St. Paul's rich and famous, who, in the 1850’s, began ascending Summit Hill and erecting splendid homes as monuments to their success. Of the structures built, an assortment of Queen Ann, Romanesque, Beaux Arts, Georgian Revival, and Italian Villa styles, 85 percent remain intact. Summit Hill's first homes, built on scattered plots of ground, preceded the construction of Summit Avenue. Slowly, from 1856 to 1880, one new house per year dotted the hill. The architecture of Summit Avenue does not lack critics, however. Frank Lloyd Wright, for instance, assailed it for being "the worst collection of architecture in the world." Portland Avenue, paralleling Summit Avenue, also reflects upper class and upper middle class housing built from the 1880’s through World War I.

• July 24, 2008: Luce Line State Trail Hike (Plymouth) +Join the group for a hike along the Luce Line Trail, a "rails to trails" trail developed and maintained by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, in Plymouth. The trail stretches 63 miles from the western metro suburb of Plymouth to the small town of Cosmos in west-central Minnesota. The Luce Line Trail was originally built as the Electric Short Line Railway from downtown Minneapolis to west central Minnesota by Colonel William Luce. The original intent of the line was to capture the farm to market traffic originating in central Minnesota and to provide transportation for people to downtown Minneapolis via electrically propelled trains. The Luce Line was bought by Minnesota Western RailRoad in 1924. In 1927, it reached its western most point at Gluek, Minnesota. Passenger service on the railroad ended in 1947. In 1956, the Minnesota Western RailRoad was purchased by the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway. In 1960, the Minneapolis & St. Louis RailRoad was purchased by the Chicago Northwestern RailRoad. The track was officially abandoned by the railroad in 1972 and was taken over by the State for a recreational trail in 1976. On the first mile of the trail is the trestle bridge crossing Gleason Lake.

• July 31, 2008: Snail Lake Hike (Shoreview) +Join the hiking group for a hike through the varied parkland bordering Snail Lake Park in northern Ramsey County. Snail Lake was also known as Maryland Lake. In February 1850, Socrates A. Thompson, accompanied by an Indian friend, left St. Paul in search of a good location for farming. He eventually filed a claim for the northwest quarter of Section 13 near the Eastern Shore of Turtle Lake (which he so-named for a large turtle he had captured in its waters). Thompson was the first person to settle on land that is now within the boundaries of the City of Shoreview. Soon people from Switzerland, England, Ireland, Germany, Vermont, Virginia, Illinois, and New York began farming here. Mounds View Township, which was named for the range of hills running through the center of the township, was organized May 11, 1858, the day that Minnesota became a state. The new township included all of what are now the cities of Shoreview, Arden Hills, New Brighton, Mounds View, and parts of North Oaks and St. Anthony.

  Tentative Schedule of Future Hikes

  For planning purposes and to allow interested hikers an opportunity to suggest alternative hiking locations, here is the tentative schedule of future hikes:

  August, 2008 (to be finalized on July 27, 2008)

  8/7 Bass Ponds Hike (Bloomington)(39)

  8/14 Lake Phalen Hike (St. Paul)(59)

  8/21 Cedar Lake Trail (Minneapolis/St. Louis Park)(8)

  8/28 Thomas Lake Hike (Eagan)(96)

  September, 2008 (to be finalized on August 24, 2008)

  9/4 North Mississippi River Park Hike (Mpls)(35)

  9/11 Tamarack Nature Center Hike (White Bear Twp)(46)

  9/18 Gideon Pond House/Oak Grove Dakota Mission Hike (Bloomington)(80)

  9/25 South St. Paul Riverfront Trail Hike (South St. Paul)(78)

  If any hiker wants to suggest a different hike than the tentatively scheduled hike, please e-mail Larry Martin at l_a_martin@lycos.com.

  Local Weather and Related Information

  Twin City weather conditions
  Twin City weather camera
  Twin City weather radar
  Twin City weather satelite photos
  

  Traffic Condition Links

  Twin City Traffic Cameras

  Twin City Traffic Flow Maps

  Additional Hiking Opportunities

  The Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission is offering a series of Summer Walking Tours again in 2008. The schedule of the free (except July 9) tours is:

  July 16: Minneapolis City Hall & Courthouse, Noon – 1:00 p.m., City Hall Father of Waters Atrium, 315 S. 4th St.

  July 16: 125th Anniversary of Cottage City, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Thomas Ave. S. at Lake Calhoun Parkway

  July 26: Tangletown, 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Washburn Library basement meeting room, 5244 Lyndale Ave. S.

  July 30: Grain Belt Brewery, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., 1220 Marshall Street N.E.

  August 2: Red Cedar Lane & Purcell and Elmslie Homes, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m., 2606 Cromwell Court

  August 13: Warehouse District, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Lobby of Butler Square, 518 1st Ave. North

  August 16: Elliot Park, 11:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m., Elliot Park Recreation Center, 1000 E. 14th St.

  August 20: Minneapolis City Hall & Courthouse, Noon – 1:00 p.m., City Hall Father of Waters Atrium, 315 S. 4th St.

  September 13: Hennepin Avenue Theaters, 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., State Theater, 805 Hennepin Avenue

  September 17: Minneapolis City Hall & Courthouse, Noon – 1:00 p.m., City Hall Father of Waters Atrium, 315 S. 4th St.

  See the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission website for more information on the hikes or call (612) 673-2996.

  Listing of Hikes

  Thursday Night Hikes hike directory (alphabetic)
  Thursday Night Hikes hike directory (geographical)
  
  Thursday Night Hikes hike directory (seasonal)
  

  Table of Past Thursday Night Hikes
  

  Architectural Hikes House Information and Histories

  Capitol Hill/Cathedral Hill Architectural Hike

  Capitol Hill/Cathedral Hill Architectural Hike Details and Route
  

  Capitol Hill/Cathedral Hill Architectural and House History Information, Part 1

  Capitol Hill/Cathedral Hill Architectural and House History Information, Part 2

  Dayton's Bluff Architectural Hike

  Daytons Bluff Hike Directions and Route
  

  Dayton's Bluff Architectural and House History Information, Part 1

  Dayton's Bluff Architectural and House History Information, Part 2

  Fair Oaks Architectural Hike

  Fair Oaks Architectural and House History Information

  Irvine Park Architectural Hike

  Irvine Park Architectural and House Hike Route and Details

  Irvine Park Architectural and House History Information, Part 1

  Irvine Park Architectural and House History Information, Part 2

  Irvine Park Architectural and House History Information, Part 3

  Lake of the Isles Architectural Hike

  Lake of the Isles Architectural and House History Information, Part 1

  Lake of the Isles Architectural and House History Information, Part 2

  Linwood Avenue/St. Clair Avenue Architectural Hike

  St. Clair Avenue Architectural and House History Information

  Linwood Avenue Architectural and House History Information

  NorthEast Minneapolis Architectural Hike

  NorthEast Minneapolis Architectural and House History Information

  Portland Avenue East Architectural Hike

  Portland Avenue East Architectural and House History Information, Part 1

  Portland Avenue East Architectural and House History Information, Part 2

  Portland Avenue West Architectural Hike

  Portland Avenue West Architectural and House History Information

  St. Albans/Lower Crocus Hill Architectural Hike

  St. Albans/Lower Crocus Hill Architectural and House History Information, Part 1

  St. Albans/Lower Crocus Hill Architectural and House History Information, Part 2

  St. Albans/Lower Crocus Hill Architectural and House History Information, Part 3

  Summit Avenue East Architectural Hike

  Summit Avenue East Architectural and House History Information, Part 1

  Summit Avenue East Architectural and House History Information, Part 2

  Summit Avenue West Architectural Hike

  Summit Avenue West Architectural and House History Information

  West Side St. Paul Architectural Hike

  West Side St. Paul Architectural and House History Information, Part 1

  West Side St. Paul Architectural and House History Information, Part 2

  West Side St. Paul Architectural and House History Information, Part 3

  Pictures of the Hiking Group and Hikes

  (Photos courtesy of William Clark Photography)

  Picture of the hiking group from the Boom Island Hike

  Picture of the hiking group from the Minnehaha Creek West Hike

  Picture of the hiking group from the Thomas Lake/High Line Hike

  Picture of the hiking group after the Richfield Wood Lake Hike, Part I

  Picture of the hiking group after the Richfield Wood Lake Hike, Part II

  Picture of the hiking group from the Lake of the Isles Hike

  Links to Other Outdoor Activities

  Minnesota Rovers
  St. Paul Hiking Club
  Superior Hiking Trail Association
  Hiking Primer
  Twin City Bike Club
  Twin City mountain bike trails
  North Country Trail Organization
  Kekekabic Trail Organization
  Collection of Twin City Architecture and Walking Tour Sites
  Anoka County Regional Parks
  Carver County Parks
  Dakota County Parks
  Suburban Hennepin County (Three Rivers Park District) Parks
  Ramsey County Parks
  Scott County (Three Rivers Park District) Parks
  Washington County Parks
  

  Links to Special Hiking/Backpacking Locations

  Hiking in Auyuittuq National Park, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada
  **Additional information on hiking in Auyuittuq National Park**
  Hiking at Lapa Rios, Peninsula de Osa, Costa Rica
  Hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT)
  Hiking along the East Coast Trail, Avalon Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada;
  ** Pictures of Larry and his son, Andrew, hiking the East Coast Trail in August, 2006**
  Hiking in Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland, Canada
  Hiking in the Lake Louise/Plain of the Six Glaciers Area of Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada
  Hiking in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta, Canada
  Hiking in the Grand Canyon National Park
  Hiking in Isle Royale National Park
  Hiking in Chaco Canyon National Historic Park
  Hiking in Fundy National Park, New Brunswick, Canada
  Hiking in Hecla Island/Grindstone Provincial Park, Interlake Region, Gull Harbour, Manitoba
  

  

  University of Minnesota Golden Gophers: 2002 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Champions

  University of Minnesota Golden Gophers: 2003 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Champions

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  Webpage Design by A. A. Martin.

  Webmaster: Larry Martin

  Email the Webmaster: l_a_martin@lycos.com

  Last Updated: July 10, 2008.