Enjoy a wonderous weekend at one of Minnesota's finest state parks while enjoying an intro to backpack camping! Enjoy camping, tasty campfire meals, campfire stories, and sleeping under the stars! You can experience the thrill of backpack camping but with a much simpler version! It's just a short 1.25 mile hike to camp but you still get to learn some of the finer details of what it takes to do backpack camping! There is also great hiking available and the possibility of some fishing and, if weather permits, swimming in the St. Croix River. This will be great fun along with some great adventure!
We plan to leave the Twin Cities area on Friday at around 3pm and return approximately 4pm on Sunday. Transportation is provided from the Twin Cities to Afton State Park and back. The drive is about 35 minutes.
Wild Hearts will provide all of the equipment, food and guides.
You are responsible for:
Afton State Park offers a great camping experience:
Your guides will prepare meals and you will be tasked with set up and clean up. The food will be plentiful and delicious! We also provide snacks for your enjoyment throughout the day. For water, the park has easily accessible drinking water.
During the mornings and in the evenings after sundown we will have a campfire for warmth, ambience, and conversations.
Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Participation packets will be available approximately two weeks prior to the trip. We may also schedule a group Zoom meeting with participants prior to the trip.
Important stuff will show up here when needed and when available! Check back often if you are going on an adventure with us because there could be some really, super-important stuff here. No, really, it could be the kind of stuff that decides whether you have a great trip or not like... oh, a list of things to pack, for example. That could be crucial. Actually, there's no "could" in that... it's definitely crucial.
I started Wild Hearts because of a longing to reach out to those who have struggled with substance abuse and other destructive life choices to help them rebuild relationships with their families and with God. My desire to do this through wilderness experiences comes from a life-long love of the outdoors nurtured by my parents’ many family camping and canoeing trips. I now share this passion with my wife of 40 years, Pam and our four children, Diana, Andy, Jake and Nikki. I am also blessed with 10 grandchildren that I can share the beauty of God’s creation with!
I am an experienced outdoorsman and have led numerous trips to the Rocky Mountains, the BWCA, St. Croix River, the Appalachian Trail and many of our state parks and forests. Along with wilderness adventures, I love kayaking, backpacking, hiking, mountain biking, CrossFit workouts, watching movies and playing the occasional video game. I am also a commissioned pastor with The River Fellowship.
