Nature trails are a lot of work to maintain. Even when they are closed during the off season, there is still much work to be done. Minna kept copious notes of her yearly work in her Rock Ridges Trail Journal. Minna ran the Rock Ridges Trail before the time of modern conveniences and it occupied her time all year. Springtime was spent repairing damages from the winter, vandalism, and planting gardens. Her trail journal tells us that vandals ripped down and rearranged signs and plants every year. Minna

During summer Minna and her children led groups through the trail. Her journal says that year after year, many states and even Canada were represented in the trail book. Here is a link to a short video of this section of her Rock Ridges Trail Journal.

During the fall it was time to take the larger signs from the trail and prepare the plants for winter. She also prepared an annual report for the TI Park Garden club, who funded the Rock Ridges Nature Trail.

When it was finally winter, the real work began. New signs were made, plans for spring improvements were mapped out and supplies were purchased. All of this work costs money.

So I have a unique #GetOutsideLikeMinna for November.

If you love nature trails and look forward to spending time on them when the weather gets warmer, take a minute during these cold months and donate some money. All of the improvements that are done during the winter and spring months are mostly funded by grants, donations and the goodwill of neighbors and volunteers. So send your favorite nature center a donation during this month of Thanksgiving. If you don’t have one, then send it to the nature center named in Minna’s honor! https://www.macnaturecenter.com/

If you are still hiking in November, post your pictures in the comments below! We would love to see them!