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.