Provided photo Using a Trackchair after mid-foot fusion surgery was a great way to explore Blue Mounds State Park.

It’s been more than six years since I’ve written a column. Let’s see if I remember how to write one.

So let’s recap what has happened since then. We’ve been through a pandemic. I dealt with some tachycardia issues, fractured my fifth metatarsal in 2021, learned I had cataracts and had surgery, lost both of my parents, had mid-foot fusion surgery that involved a bunion, a bone spur and some osteoarthritis. And that’s just a few things.

Let me tell you about hiking during the first year of COVID-19. It was definitely the summer to get outside. In fact, Ross and I did a lot of things outside, which included eating lunch/dinner. There would be KFC by the water at Robbin’s Island in Willmar or Arby’s on one of the picnic tables at Independence Park. That summer, we found ourselves going north a few times. We explored a couple of state forests, Huntersville and Pillsbury (he-he). There were the tall trees at Crow Wing State Park. Crow Wing has a historic town site, which tells the story of the town in the mid-1800s. It was a nice day trip.

As for the state forests, we didn’t get to Pillsbury until roughly 5:30 p.m. And we didn’t know if we were in the right spot for a hike. We trekked through overgrown greenery that had hidden prickly things that scratched up my legs. It was hot and not very enjoyable. Perhaps if we had planned better. Huntersville had sandy trails. There were also several motorbike riders as there’s 50+miles of trails for them. I ended up having a tachycardia episode, so the hike was cut short. Ugh. I was having a nice time until it hit me.

Fast-forward to spring of 2021. I managed to fracture part of my foot by merely stepping off a curb on Lyon Street. I went 10 days before I took myself to Urgent Care to confirm the fracture. Heck, we even did a hike at Lake Shetek during that time. So I found myself in a walking boot. But that didn’t stop me from hiking. That was when we discovered Victory Park off of Highway 23. It’s become more than a wayside rest. You can walk through a wooded area, along the riverside, even by the train tracks. Not bad for a city park. It was also the first time Ross and I went to Seven Mile Creek County Park in Nicollet County. All the trails have numbers, so we started with 1 and did a loop. It happened to be Memorial Day, so most of the folks there were picnicking, grilling and relaxing by the creek. There weren’t a whole lotta people hiking. When we actually came across people on the trail, a woman noted how dedicated I was while hiking with a walking boot. I was going to have an X-ray the next day in order to give “the boot” to the boot, so I was doing OK. It was a fun hike; a deer even galloped across the trail a few feet in front of me. I had turned back to Ross, mentally saying “Did you see that? Wasn’t that cool?”

My hips and feet have been problematic for most of my life. And as I age, I’ve been noticing it more and more. I had foot surgery in July 2024. I couldn’t put weight on my left foot for a month. Getting around was an adventure in itself — scooting down the stairs to get out the door, crutching it to the Jeep, using a knee scooter. So how does one enjoy the outdoors when you’re not supposed to have your foot touch the ground?

Enter the Action Trackchair. Back in 2024, 13 Minnesota state parks had them available for people with mobility issues but still want to enjoy nature. I used the one at Camden first. There’s only certain trails at parks you can use the Trackchair. At Camden, we went on the Prairie Restoration trail. I like that trail, especially when the wildflowers are in bloom. So I’m going full speed at 5 mph. There were some bumps and jostles as I maneuvered the chair. We got to a point where Ross figured we should probably turn around as the battery power was dwindling. I adjusted the speed to 3 mph and hoped we made it back without the battery completely dying. The battery symbol started flashing. Thankfully we made it back to the park office without a problem.

A few days later, I gave the Trackchair at Blue Mounds a go. From past experience, we knew to set the speed at 3 mph. So off we went on the Mound Loop trail. It was a nice day and a leisurely “roll” through the park. Luckily, the battery stayed strong for the entire loop. Ross had taken a photo both times I was on the Trackchair. I had uploaded the Blue Mounds one to a couple of hiking Facebook pages: Hiking Minnesota and Women Who Hike Minnesota. A person who responded to my post actually saw me as we went through the campground at Blue Mounds. The post on the Women Who Hike Minnesota page caught the attention of a person who does social media for Minnesota State Parks and Trails. She asked if they could use the photo encouraging people to make use of the Trackchairs, including those who had surgery. That was posted on the Minnesota State Parks and Trails Facebook page in September 2024. Now more state parks have Trackchairs, including Lake Shetek State Park. There’s a list on the Minnesota DNR page. It’s free to use a Trackchair; you just have to sign a waiver.