By Seth Stiebinger and Clare Meyer
Trudging up mile high hills with 800 lbs on your back, with freezing rain and snow coming down, eating frozen chocolate and cheese and bagels when you can hardly move your fingertips, blisters on your feet and legs so tired that you can’t take another step, but you do take another step, and another, because that’s what you’re here for, to hike. That’s right, you paid money to do this and you’ll have fun doing it, dammit.
The Grantsburg hike, a physically challenging, and oddly refreshing 2 day, 18 mile stroll through the woods, yeah right. You try strolling through the woods with a pack that weighs 40-70 pounds or more, climbing over fallen trees, and getting soaked with freezing drizzle that won’t stop, and that was just the first day.
I should probably start at the beginning, we met at school at 6:00 am {a big enough challenge for some} and set out before sunrise. We made our planned stop for breakfast at the Grant House in Rush City where Alumni Mike Phelps ate Dusty Mahn’s breakfast. We proceeded to Governor Knowles state trail. One of our trippers, Derek Knowles, was dubbed “The Governor” for the rest of the trip. The Governor and his pal Dustin Olson led the way for most of the trip.
The Women on the trip, Clare Meyer, Kristina Petron, and Jessica Johnson, actually proved tougher than most of the men. John Quaas was bribed into carrying Seth Stiebinger’s tent {we won’t go into what that cost| and Nick Merchant, Tom Miller and Jon Schmidt were just your average trouble makers, but unfortunately we all made it out safe and sound {we were hoping at least one person would get hypothermia and we could turn the hike into a rescue mission but…}
So if you’re a Mini-Schooler of the future reading this and trying to decide if you should go on the infamous Grantsburg hike, Mike Bromme summed it all up with this “I thought I’d never say this, but I’d rather be in school.”
Guess what Scott Johnson never complained once {although he did take it easy with Randy Nelson in the back of the line} and of course Doug Berg was was in front, even with his twisted ankle. Jon Schmidt had plenty of carabiners along in case we had to climb some cliffs, Tom Miller just wouldn’t stop talking, and Nick Merchant actually liked hiking.
Everyone did real well. Doug and Randy were pleased. Another Grantsburg hike {Mini-School’s 16th} is history.