In to the Archive: Barns Bluff, Red Wing Mn (Dpnt try and look at this one on your Phone LOL)

Today was going to be an easy day, a walk around the city taking pics of small town life, I went to the rail depot took a few pics.

The building turned out to be the tourist office, I went in and had a chat with a very nice lady who told me all about the place.

She noticed my camera and I told her what, I had been doing.

She asked if I had climbed Barn Bluff!
Now those who know me well know you never say "climb", its like saying Harley Davidson to a biker lol.

soooooooooooooo out came the map and she marked the best places to park and start the hike in, telling me to take the south route as the Bluff had only just been opened after winter.
So here I am at the base of the bluff, trails look sweet, I am excited, its been a while since I got up high.
I get to the fork in the trail, South and North, Hmmmmmmmmm, I look North, well? How hard can it be? LMAO.

Everybody goes south, (well I am a road less travelled man lol), North it is.
Thinking this is great this is easy, then I turn a bend in the trail and am confronted with a 18inch wide track on a 60 degree slope, wet and muddy.
Well, I have come to far to go back so its onwards and up.

I have to admit to being a little nervous, no support buddies and nobody actually knowing where I am.

I have to admit at this point I have broken just about evey personal rule I have about trail safty, so I am not exactly proud of that, but it was really way past the point of no return.

So I pushed on slowly and carefully to the top and I have to admit that a little nervousness was probably good for me.
The views from the top were spectacular, Im not even sure the pictures do it justice.
After a short rest and some pic of Gentians that I did not expect to see, I made my way back down, this time by the south trail lol.
The track down offers great views of the city and riverOh! And finally, just to show you should read all the information and warnings before you set out, I noticed this when I got back down! Today I spent a little more time down on the river looking at the old building and the Steam Boat.I climbed another bluff to get views back over Barn Bluff, should have been a drive up and an easy day, but the road was closed.
 
It was a nice hike up and I sapped a few pics on the way and just as I git to the top the red light on the back of the camera flashed twice and the camera shut down.
That little voice in the back of my head said "LOL see your all, don't do what I do do what I say" and I always say be prepared lol, ...........yep I had left all my kit in the car, no spare batteries.

Soooooooooooooooo down I went got out my back pack and walked all the way up again lol, still.........the exercise did me good. But I did miss shots of two Bald Eagles on the way down to get my kit, so close I could almost touch them!

Again the views from the top were spectacular, and again I am not sure the pics do the views justice.