The King of Inertia at Gooseberry Falls

"If there's one thing I don't like...it's excessive walking."

Thus spake my own darling son, the Zen master of the North Shore, exalted in his Inertia. When we took off on the Falls Loop at Gooseberry Falls State Park this afternoon, he was reluctant to cross the bridge over the river because, after all, every step across that bridge he'd just have to turn around and walk back.

But that is why we love loop hikes. As in the Falls LOOP. No sooner have you headed OUT than you're coming BACK.

The falls were raging, spring melt-off underway. The trails were full of people on the sunny day. It was too noisy and there was not much room for the King of Inertia to work his ways.

The gorgeous views and the stream of smiling faces kept him off his guard until we were actually more than halfway around the loop. Then it was too late.

I even got a smile out of him at the bottom of the loop. As generally happens, the endorphins had kicked in and he was all goofy.



How much walking is "excessive?" To my son, "excessive" is one step more than necessary. On a beautiful day at Gooseberry Falls, I felt like I could not get enough walking. In the end, we compromised at a one-mile loop and a picnic down on the Lake Superior shore.

If there's one thing I don't like, it's excessive whining.