There Goes The Bench…

On Monday, while out hiking on Steinke Basin, I discovered that this little old bench at the trailhead was losing its sunshade.. and its seats. When I thought about it a moment, I realized that losing the bench could be pretty inconvenient. I sure hope it’s replaced!

Put this under the category of “little things mean a lot”.

You wouldn’t think it was a big deal to tear down a beat-up little bench. (Albeit at a busy outer parking lot.) Well, not if you didn’t use the area much. And that’s because you wouldn’t realize that everyone uses it! It’s where you put on snowshoes and adjust your skis. It’s where you sit your crap down and get organized to hit the trail. It’s where to sit to wait for your slow friends or simply to get your wind back after a run. (Well, maybe you should walk it off!) It’s where you get the rock out of your sandal or re-tie your shoes before doing the second half of the loop. It’s where you scrape the mud off your shoes before you get back in your car! It’s where you get out of the sun and try to figure out how you got so lost when you started out hiking from the park’s South Shore! It’s where you put your picnic lunch. It’s where your kids sit when you run over to the bathroom. (Parent’s voice… “Now stay right here!”) – It’s where you use the shade to check your cellphone… You get the picture. It was a VERY useful and often busy… bench. ;)

So, my hope is that whoever wanted it gone, is really just going to replace it with something better. It was on its last leg! Maybe the Friends of Devil’s Lake State Park could sponsor a new place to sit and organize or sit and ponder? Maybe a local business would sponsor a replacement? After all, that beat-up little bench as unassuming as it was, was all about making the Devil’s Lake State Park experience just a little better.