In the middle of a very busy September (one which I may have over-committed and over-scheduled myself), I was able to escape for a fun-filled weekend at my bestie Melinda’s lake home in the heart of the lakes area of Minnesota. It was just what I needed to unwind and reset, and we decided to make the most of our time together by embarking on a troll hunt! Not your typical trolls, though—these were part of the incredible scrap art sculptures by Thomas Dambo scattered around the Detroit Lakes area. Our mission was to find as many as we could, and we had a blast doing it!

We kicked off our adventure with a morning walk right near Melinda’s place and didn’t have to go far to spot our first troll. We found Ronny Funny Face near Dunton Locks Park, and it was the perfect way to start the day. As we admired the sculpture, we met Holly, who was full of fun facts and information about the trolls, making our morning even more special. After finishing our walk, we headed back for a delicious breakfast and got ready for the rest of the day’s adventures.

Next, we drove into Detroit Lakes to continue the hunt. Our first stop was the park, where we read the story of Alexa’s Elixir and found the beginning of the Troll Trail. With two trolls down, we celebrated with a lunch break and couldn’t resist a little retail therapy at our favorite boutique, The Nines. Naturally, we each found a few things we loved. Now we’ll have to figure out who gets to wear them to work first—unless we decide to go full #Twinning!

Fueled by our successful morning, we continued our troll search and found Barefoot Frida in a beautiful meadow. The trail leading to her was so much fun, with rocks to hop on along the way. Watching monarch butterflies flutter through the meadow added a magical touch to the experience.

Our next stop was the Detroit Mountain Ski Park, where we discovered Long Leif. This towering sculpture reminded me so much of the BFG from Roald Dahl’s book, which Cody absolutely loved when he was in elementary school. Of course, I had to snap a photo and send it to him!

The final leg of our troll hunt took us down a ski trail, through a thicket of sumac, and up and down a few more hills. The reward at the end? The Golden Rabbit, marking the end of the story. It was such a fun adventure exploring these trails and seeing the amazing sculptures made entirely from recycled and reclaimed materials. Each troll came with its own story, and we loved reading the storyboards along the way.

After we left the Golden Rabbit, we trekked up and down the hills until we made our way to the Day Tripper. Melinda treated herself to an ice cream cone while I grabbed a cold Topo Chico to cool off. Mandy, who was working there, was such a delight to chat with! As we sat and enjoyed the break, I couldn’t help but reminisce about the last time I was at Detroit Mountain—back in 1985 when my high school bestie, Patty, took me skiing for the first (and last) time. I had a good laugh thinking about my uncoordinated attempts on the Chipmunk ski hill!

Spending the day back in “my old stomping grounds” brought back so many memories. The troll hunt led us to parts of Detroit Lakes we had never explored before, making it even more special. And while we didn’t find all the trolls today,, there’s still one more waiting for us in a neighboring community. It’s safe to say we’ve already got our next adventure planned! Good think the weekend isn’t over yet!

If you’re ever in the area, I highly recommend embarking on your own troll hunt—there’s nothing quite like it! I’m so grateful for the time spent with Melinda and the memories we made together.