Sixty degrees insisted on a walk.
There were no human-made sounds, only the wind in the trees, Red-Winged Blackbird’s trill, the chatter of running water, the knocking of a woodpecker, and Cardinal’s birdie-birdie-birdie.
A seldom-seen Pileated Woodpecker swooped from tree to tree. Deer and racoon tracks were everywhere. Only small, isolated piles of snow remained; the ice completely out of the creek and marshes.
Sixty degrees insisted on a walk.
The floating path on the creek near the Red Jacket Trail sloshed and swayed and the one in the marshes sat above several feet of clear water. Melt-off in the marsh rushed to find the lowest place.
Finally thawed, the musty-smelling wood-chipped paths crunched underfoot.
Nature-lover’s delight! Wear boots if you go any time soon. It’s really muddy.
~~~
Hundreds or thousands of unsuspecting folks drive by one of Mankato’s hidden gems every day.
Rasmussen Woods Park sits nestled between residential neighborhoods and busy city streets at the foot of Stadium Road hill.
With a walk of less than a mile you can explore habitats including woodlands, meadows, limestone cliffs, ponds, marshes and creeks. Four-footed, aquatic, and winged wildlife is abundant and easy to observe.
