Kayaking the Brule River (WI)

I haven't done a lot of kayaking, and absolutely none on an actual river until last weekend, when I went on a trip on the Brule river in Northern Wisconsin.

The Bois Brule river flows into Lake Superior, and my friends and I did a section that starts at "Pine Tree Landing", which is just off Dead end road, and ends at highway 13, which is a few miles down the river.

I got off to a slow start as I was right behind a few of my friends in a canoe that lost control and then I ran into them, filling up my kayak with water in seconds. So I hopped out of the kayak and with the help of a friend, drained it. After that, i was careful not to follow anyone too closely. The river was quite low, and my friends who were in canoes ended up abandoning the trip due to their slow progress and a hole that appeared in their old boat.

The meandering river offered many highlights, including several sections with rapids that kept everyone alert. There were a few ledges that i rode over with caution, but i still got a decent amount of water in my kayak. It was an adrenaline rush. My favorite part, though, was when there was a slow current and I could just relax and enjoy nature while still making some progress down the river.

The trip took us quite a long time as there were 6 of us in kayaks and we tried to stay together as best as we could, so there was a lot of waiting around. Even so, it was worth going. If I go again, though, I'll try to get a skirt for the kayak so i don't have to empty the water out so often!

The highest Point in Iowa, Hawkeye Point

I know I left the readers for a real cliffhanger in my last post http://jonsconquests.blogspot.com/2012/07/climbing-at-blue-mounds-state-park-mn.html , so I've decided to tell everyone where we were off to after visiting Palisades State Park in South Dakota. We went to the highest point in Iowa, Hawkeye Point.

We were pretty tired by the time we actually hit the road to go to Hawkeye Point, as we had been climbing and it was really hot outside. Fortunately it wasn't too far of a drive from eastern South Dakota.

When we arrived at Hawkeye Point, we were pleasantly surprised. Despite being the easiest highpoint I've been to as far as sheer effort from where I parked my car (yes, this was easier than Rhode Island), this was actually a pretty neat place. No, there wasn't an incredible view of anything other than fields, but the spot is well taken care of. I enjoyed looking at some pictures in a barn and liked seeing the arrows pointing in the directions of the other highpoints. I also liked the mosaic compass (pictured above). People really put some work into this place!

While I don't think I'll be returning to Hawkeye Point anytime soon, it was a great example of why I like highpointing- going places you normally never would can turn out to be interesting.

Climbing at Blue Mounds State Park (MN) and Palisades State Park (SD)

On a recent weekend, I made the trek to southwestern Minnesota to go camping and climbing at Blue Mounds State Park, near Luverne. It was around a 4 hour drive, so  we were hoping for a great experience. We were not disappointed.

On Friday night it was raining as we set up our tents (it was also dark out as we got there around 10 pm), so we had to be quick. It rained overnight, and I woke up somewhere around 4:30. A little too early for me, but  I tried and couldn't fall back asleep, so eventually got up. It wasn't really raining too late into the morning, but we knew it would be too wet to climb until later in the day. So we went to a local diner and had breakfast to kill some time and avoid eating oatmeal packets.

After a few hours, the rock dried out and the climbs were set up. It was really fun and we had a couple of very challenging routes to try. I wasn't able to complete the 5.12, but I did get the 5.10, a route with a great heel hook to get over a small roof. There were several other routes, and I think they were in the 5.7-5.9 range. After several hours, we were tired, and took a break by swimming in the lake at the park. Afterwards, we ate and eventually sat next to a campfire and stared at the stars. It was a clear night and the stars were really shining.



The next day we woke up a bit sore from the long day of climbing, but we ended up going again, only this time we made our way to Palisades State Park in South Dakota, something like 20 miles west of Blue Mounds state park. There were some really cool rock features along a river there. We set up the climbs, and began climbing, although not nearly as hard or as long as the previous day as we had a long drive home (and had some other plans, which I'll mention in a later post). It was also very hot, so we got pretty tired. With that said, this was definitely a really cool place. I had no idea that eastern South Dakota had such cool landscapes. I definitely want to go back.


Visiting the two state parks was really a great time, and I definitely recommend visiting either of them if you have the chance. They aren't too far from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, so if you are ever in that area, keep these places in mind!

Camping at Lake Wissota State Park (WI)

Recently I spent a weekend camping in Lake Wissota State Park, located just outside of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It was a fun weekend, as we enjoyed our time in the park and in town.

We had a nice wooded campsite, and set up two tents for six of us. The campsite had the usual, a fire ring and a picnic table, but also had plenty of firewood-enough, in fact, that we didn't need to purchase any at the park.

We left our campsite on one of the days to do some hiking around the park. One of the trails followed the lake and took us to a beach and playground. The playground was pretty nice, as it included a mini climbing wall! We took another trail back to the other end of the park, which led us through the woods, and eventually to a lookout over the lake. It was a good view on a beautiful day.


Later, we headed into Chippewa Falls to check out Irvine Park & zoo. The highlights were seeing a tiger, seeing Glen Loch dam, and going inside a small cave. Pretty cool park for a small town! Next stop was the Leinenkugel brewery, where we went on a brewery tour and sampled some of the brew-a great way to cool down!

We had a great time at the State park and in Chippewa Falls that weekend, and I'm sure we will keep the area on the radar for future trips. 

Climbing and hiking in Devil's Lake state park (WI)

Devil's Lake State park is located in Southern Wisconsin (Baraboo), not too far from Wisconsin Dells. It is a very popular park, and it is easy to see why when you go there. I had the opportunity to go there recently and did some hiking and climbing while there.

 The Park has several miles of trails, and I took what was certainly one of the most popular in the "East Bluff" trail. There were several named rock features along the way as the trail followed the top of a bluff, offering many great views of the lake. Two of the coolest rock features were called "Balanced Rock" and "Devil's doorway". I definitely recommend this trail to anyone who is thinking about hiking in the park.

Hiking through the park wasn't enough for my friends and I, though, so we went rock climbing early the next day. There is an area along the railroad tracks called "Birthday Rocks" which we climbed. We set up two ropes and had some fun. After a little while, more climbers showed up and one group set up a rope close to us. They were pretty friendly, but it just goes to show that it pays to be early when setting up your climbs at this park. There are hundreds of different routes in the park, though, so I'm guessing that if you look hard enough you will find something.

In addition to climbing and hiking, there are several other activities that make Devil's lake state park a great place to visit. We played some volleyball, had a picnic, and went to the beach to cool off for a while during our time at the park. One thing we didn't do that I would like to next time I'm there is rent a canoe or kayak and paddle around the lake. To anyone looking for a cool park to visit this summer, I recommend Devil's Lake State Park. I had a great time.

Climbing at Interstate State Park (MN)

I have visited Interstate State park more than any other state park in the over the past few years. I've enjoyed hiking and camping there, but until recently, I hadn't gotten the opportunity to go climbing there. I was excited at this opportunity and ended up really enjoying the experience.

 My friend and I got to the park early in order to watch a more experienced climber set up some anchors for top rope climbs. It was interesting to learn about some of the different types of equipment that are used in order to have a safe anchor for climbing. For the routes we were climbing, there were 3 anchors for each rope.

 After watching the anchors get set up, we got some climbing in. Two of the three routes that I did that day were pretty easy, probably around 5.6-5.7 (but I'm no real expert here). They were both right alongside a paved trail that many park goers walk down. I think the hardest part of those climbs was that there were a lot of people watching and that it wasn't obvious where to put your feet vs in the gym when holds are taped. The final route that I did was significantly more difficult, and I found out afterwards that it is rated a 5.10a. I had a lot of fun climbing this route, which featured a long crack. I was able to finish the route, which made me feel pretty good.

 By the time I left, there were a lot of people climbing at the park. So getting there early was a good move on our part. It was really a great day for a lot of outdoor activities, but I couldn't have been happier with the climbing experience. I definitely recommend going there, for the reasons I've listed before, and now because it I learned first hand that it is a great place to climb.

Camping in Lake Maria State Park (MN)

About a month ago I had the opportunity to go camping in Lake Maria State Park, located just outside of Monticello, MN. It is another great park to go to if you live in the twin cities and want to get out of town, but don't want to travel too far. The site we stayed in was a backpack-in site, making it a bit more of an adventure. The trip to the park began with some significant rainfall on our drive to the park, enough so that had we not been planning to meet some friends there (who we confirmed were already there), we wouldn't have bothered to go. This set a bit of a negative tone for a while, as I was camping with someone who was a bit uneasy with getting wet. Fortunately, after about 15 minutes of waiting in the car at the park, the weather began to clear and we hiked to our campsite. There are several miles of trails going through the park, some of which are used for horses. The trail to the backpack-in sites went into the woods and came close to two small lakes. The lakes looked like they would have been excellent places to go canoeing, which maybe we'll have to do in the future. We didn't explore the park too much, though, as the trails were a bit muddy and it felt good to sit by the campfire. Our campsite was in a scenic spot, and I felt like we had the park to ourselves. I don't think I'll have this feeling at a state park for a while now, as the parks are much more popular now and will be into the fall. Lake Maria was a great getaway and I hope to go back someday.