Today’s hike to Walcott was pretty enjoyable. First, trail angel Colleen shuttled me back to Kent. What a lovely person! One thing I love about hiking, especially in this divisive era, is that it makes you realize the vast majority of people are so very kind.
Oh, backtracking to last night. I spent a great night in Abercrombie Park. The grass was well mowed, there were picnic tables and fire rings, and Lenny left the museum open until about 9 p.m. so we could tour it. The bathrooms were open all night.
Heading Out from Kent
So today I had a shorter day (phew!) of just 17 miles (27.4 km). The day was once again sunny, although a little cooler than the last few days. There was still a pretty strong wind through the morning.
The trek from Kent (Minnesota) to Abercrombie (North Dakota) was a very short road walk, which then segued into a saunter through Fort Abercrombie State Historic Site, which was North Dakota’s first permanent U.S. military fort. It also guarded oxcart and stagecoach routes, steamboat traffic on the famous Red River, and was a supply base for two major gold-seeking expeditions.
Once through the historic site, the trail winds through the town and then out via a small trail. From there you’re on gravel 
roads for quite a while.
Looking for Walcott
Once past the small town of Colfax, you’re on trail until Walcott. Here, the trail mostly follows the railroad tracks. It was fairly grassy here, although I did not find any ticks on me when I finished. All in all, an enjoyable hike.
I’d planned to camp in town at Walcott City Park. But unlike Abercrombie Park, this one was somewhat unmaintained (longer grass) and only had one or two picnic tables. It looked like a kids’ park much more than a place to camp.
When I got there, some little kids were playing. An aggressive dog kept charging me; one of the kids said it was her protection dog, but it wouldn’t hurt me. Hmm. My husband got bit by a dog last year, resulting in +40 stitches to his face. I did not like this.
Pivoting, a Necessary Hiking Skill
So I decided to pivot, booking a spot at Sheyenne Oaks Campground, which is close to my ending spot tomorrow. I was 
able to gas up my car en route (I was almost out), thank goodness. Good choice to pivot – this campground is just lovely. The sites are well maintained, there are showers (score!) and even laundry. Wow.
I’m also the only one here. So I set up camp, showered, did a load of laundry and enjoyed supper. Then I started to rebook all of the remaining campsites and motels on my itinerary, since I’ll be heading home soon for Dad’s funeral.
Snowshoe
MN NCT miles today: 1.6 (2.6 km)
MN NCT miles to date: 883.5 (1,421.9 km)
ND NCT miles to date: 15.7 (25.3 km)
Total NCT miles to date: 2,917.7 (4,695.6 km)
Total NCT miles to go: 1,682.3 (2,77.4 km)
