Wading in the Mississippi River by Gabriella

While we were at Itasca Park we went to the Mississippi Headwaters. We put on our mud boots so we could walk in the water. We walked across a log bridge and also rocks. It was absolutely fun!

Everyone except Mom got water in their boots, because they went in too deep for their boots to protect them! So, on the walk back to the van, we had to dump the water out of our boots and wring out our socks... then wear our shoes with no socks!

Building a Fort at Itasca by Elliot

Last weekend we went to a camping ground at Itasca. When we got there it was dark and late. We set up our tent in the dark and it was challenging to do it right. We had to have people hold flashlights so we could see. After that we sang some Bible songs at the campfire and then went to bed.

The next morning we woke up and had oatmeal and biscuits for breakfast. After that we followed Mr. Wicklund to a giant pit in the forest that had two logs across it. So we started walking across the logs trying not to fall in, some of us pretending to be hungry crocodiles down in the hole waiting for someone to fall in for us to eat!

Then we started finding more logs to put across the pit. Next we found a large dead tree that we took the bark off of and used it to make shingles over the pit, covering poles we had laid over it. After doing some digging in the hole, we made a fun fort to play in.

All the kids in our group enjoyed playing in the pit and hope it's there next time we visit Itasca!

Climbing The Tower at Itasca by Christopher

We were in Itasca State Park last weekend and climbed the fire tower. There were 209 steps that we counted as Gabriella, Elliot, Dad, Justin, MJ, and myself climbed them, when we reached the top we discovered we were high above the trees and the winds were blowing madly...

I thought my hat was going to blow away so I grasped it tightly! The view was spectacular! The trees were changing colors and you could see trees and trees and more trees for miles, with lakes scattered in the forest too.

MJ and I are afraid of heights, so none of us stayed at the top for long. Going down was easier than up, and I was the first one down.