Mucking Through Blackdog

Today, my wife and I went hiking in the Black Dog Preserve of the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. I took a 45-minute side trip by myself, through some pretty wet and sinking mud.


The red arrow shows my approximate location. It is where a natural gas line runs through the preserve.





This is some of the terrain I was going through. The photo is deceiving as to how unstable the ground is in places.





If possible, I try to walk where trees or woody plants grow. These areas are less likely to sink when you walk on them.



The large gas pipe runs beneath the water filled trench visible in this photo. Along here, it can be stable in one area, and deep mud and water a few feet away.

I always find it interesting to walk into those places few people are willing (or dumb enough) to go into. Eventually, I had to backtrack and find my way out. Luckily I have a patient wife who waited for me to finish "mucking through" the slop...