My wife, Jen, and I have roamed many of Minnesota’s parks and trails and every trip has brought new experiences and new lessons. Here are a few of the do’s and don’ts we’ve learned the hard way.

   The June sky turned an angry thunderstorm blue bringing rain down on John A. Latsch, canoeing near Camp Glory, now Bass Camp, on the Mississippi River above his hometown of Winona.

     Latsch, a wealthy, 47-year-old grocer, loved to fish, hunt and explore the byzantine backwaters of the Mississippi River in his little boat. Back in 1907, the Mississippi River bottomland was privately owned yet used by the public. Usually, landowners allowed boaters brief refuge along the shore.

Long time Eagle Scout and scoutmaster Todd McMahon (a.k.a. T-man) has hiked five hundred miles over the last three years. In the process, he’s trekked the Superior Hiking Trail from north to south, seeing eighty of its 93 backpack sites. With an eye out for the “coolest” sites, he offers veteran advice for an overnighter on the trail.

      Eight years of planning, fund raising and construction came to an end this week as the ribbon was cut officially opening the 24-mile Shingobee Connection Trail connecting Walker with the Paul Bunyan Trail from the south.

Birch Lake State Forest north of Melrose is an emerald island in the midst of a bountiful sea of farmland.

            That is the way James Kubow, a summer campground host at the forest, describes his home from May to September.