Visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes and Traverse City

In September, I went on a road trip to Michigan with 2 others. We drove from Minnesota through Wisconsin, and into the upper peninsula of Michigan the first night. Then, driving over the Mackinac bridge, we entered lower Michigan. While we didn't spend much time in the U.P., it was a scenic drive, and I may make a trip of just going there sometime ( See http://jonsconquests.blogspot.com/2010/10/timms-hill-and-mount-arvon-highpoints-2.html, for the last time I was in that neck of the woods, well that is unless you're talking about Isle Royale, which is Michigan, but not exactly the same as going to the U.P. ).

So we began our adventure in lower Michigan by getting some fudge in Mackinaw city as soon as we crossed the bridge. Then we made our way to Traverse city, first having lunch at a restaurant on the beautiful (and choppy that day) Torch Lake. Once we arrived in Traverse city, we visited the downtown, which has plenty of touristy shops and restaurants. We then made our way back to the hotel and called it an early night so we could make the most of the next day.

We made our way to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, which was a very beautiful place. We hiked for a couple of miles along a large dune, and we were there early enough that there were no other footprints in the sand as we walked along. It was really cool to be the first people out on the trail, especially as we made our way back from the lake (the trail is an out and back from Lake Michigan), we saw several people.

One of the best views can be found from walking a very short distance from the road, where a large lookout is built. It is from near there that the picture was taken.

After leaving the park, we went back to Traverse city and headed to the Old Mission Peninsula, where we drove to a winery, Chateau Chantal. We enjoyed their wine almost as much as the views. The winery has views of both the east and west side of the peninsula (east and west bay) from their large patio, so pictures were taken once again (see below). Eventually we had dinner at a restaurant on the peninsula as well. It made for a great end to a really fun day.

I would definitely go back to Traverse city and the surrounding area. When we went it was a bit cool, so I think I would probably go in July or August if it was an option, mostly so I could go swimming or lay on the beach in comfort (Not usually my thing, but when you're on a beautiful beach, you can't resist!). We went when we did to attend a wedding, which was a couple hours south of Traverse city. This was also a great time in a beautiful place!

Climbing at Devil's Lake State Park WI

Last year I visited Devils lake state park and did some climbing in an area known as the Railroad ampitheater. It was a great time, and I knew that I would have to come back if I had the opportunity. In August, I got that opportunity, and visited for a weekend. This time the climbing was on sandstone, outside of the busy area of the park.

Arriving at night, we got to our campsite, set up camp, and went to bed for a good night's sleep before what would be a long day of climbing. We woke up early and headed over to the crag (Old Sandstone area) via our cars. The climbing area is away from the popular trails in the park, and the best way to approach is by parking in a small lot near a trailhead.

There were several climbs to set up, and I climbed 5 of them, all of them pretty fun. The easiest climbs were around 5.5, but I only made attempts on 5.7-5.10 rated routes. The area was well shaded, as it is in the woods.

Yeah, I should have done this post earlier, as I would have remembered more specifics, but it was a good place to check out.

Climbing in Red Wing, MN

I recently got the chance to go climbing in Red Wing, MN at a place called Barn Bluff. It is located just outside of downtown Red Wing, making it somewhat unique as far as climbing areas go.

It was a warm day, and many people came out to climb. Despite the crowd, it didn't feel too busy as there are several routes surrounding the bluff. I tried 4 different routes, sport climbing twice and top-roping the other two times. It was a pretty cool experience as this was the first time I did any outdoor sport leading. It appeared that sport climbing was the most popular way up Barn Bluff, which made sense as there are many great bolted routes ranging from 5.7 to 5.12. I don't know exactly the ratings on all of my climbs, but I know they were all in the 5.7 to 5.10 range.

The rock was a bit slippery, and I saw some loose rocks on the top of one of the routes(one small one that I nearly knocked down came down with me in my chalk bag). So wearing a helmet was a good idea as usual.

The view from the bluff was great, though I didn't have a camera with me to take a picture when I was climbing. From where you belay, there is a wooded area that blocks the good view, but as you climb, you go above the trees and can see. There is a trail that goes all the way up, but that would be too easy, right!?

To any climbers who are curious, I would definitely recommend hitting up Barn Bluff. The infrastructure is there to have a really good day of climbing if you've got quickdraws and a rope.

Deciding not to run a marathon

Over three months of training through all conditions since February have recently come to an end, as I decided not to run in the event I signed up for. I made the decision two weeks prior to the event, when I realized my knee pain was more than just a one-time thing.

It was disappointing to not run, but I still supported friends who ran in the races at Grandma's Marathon weekend in Duluth, Minnesota. The conditions were pretty good, as the temps were around 50 degrees and it was foggy. It was raining on and off, but for the most part it was pretty light. It was a good day for many of those who ran.

I didn't start to feel the knee pain until after my second 20+ mile run, which was also after visiting Isle Royale. I don't know if it was something that happened on the trip, something during the long run, or something during the next run, which was a fast, but ultimately painful run. On the run following my last 20 miler, I set out to run 45 minutes fast, but I made it about 20 and felt a pretty sharp pain in my knee. This happened again the next two times I ran, so I knew that attempting the marathon would be foolish at that point. Could I finish? Sure, but I would have finished in a walking pace, not a PR like I was aiming for. Since I've already completed a marathon, just finishing didn't mean much to me at all, not nearly as much as protecting myself from further injury.

Fortunately, I did have some good moments during training. One significant PR that I broke a couple times was my treadmill 5k PR. This was shortly after my first 20 miler, which went quite well, as I ran the last 4 miles faster than any other segment of the race. That week gave me a lot of confidence for the marathon. Prior to that, I had some long runs in cold weather that just made me question what I was doing, but also built some toughness. I don't think I ran in comfortable conditions during any of my long runs prior to the month of May.

I intend to work on rehabilitating my knee, starting with taking it easy and seeking professional help. It might not be cheap, but I don't run to save money (though in general running does cost much less money than many other hobbies). If the knee problem isn't too serious, I intend to continue running in events in the fall.

Visiting Isle Royale National Park

Some friends and I recently went on a trip to Isle Royale National Park. It was a good time, and provided a challenging hike for all of us.

We arrived via a ferry named "Voyageur II" from Grand Portage, MN. The ferry first stopped in Windigo, a harbor on the West side of the island. Everyone got off the boat and some of us re-boarded to go to different destinations on the island. The next stop was McCargoe Cove, located at the end of a scenic channel on the north side of the island.  We got off the boat at the final stop, Rock Harbor. On the southeast side of the island, Rock Harbor has a lodge, a store, and a ranger station, but only the ranger station was open for our arrival. It turns out most people don't visit the island until the summer, and we were about to learn why.

It was around 4 pm by the time we arrived in Rock Harbor, so we didn't have too much time to make it to our campsite for the night, which ended up being about 3.5 miles down the shore at a place called "Three mile". On our hike over there, there was light rain and plenty of slippery rocks. We arrived and set up our tent inside a shelter that was available. This made for a very clean camp.

The next morning we set off on what would be our longest trek- about 13 miles. We hiked up a tough trail to the top of Mt. Franklin, encountering multiple patches of snow. Then we caught the Greenstone ridge trail, which we stayed on for the remainder of our trip. Along the way we visited Mt. Ojibway, where a weather station/lookout tower is located. Much of the trail was wet from both the snowmelt and from the rain, and in trying to keep our feet dry, we often navigated around puddles.

We continued hiking until we reached our campsite at West Chickenbone Lake. Our campsite was quite windy and with the rain coming and going all day, it was a relief to enjoy some hot cocoa and eventually getting into the tent.

We were a little slow to leave camp at West Chickenbone Lake, as the weather wasn't any better in the morning. We eventually did move on, and we hiked about 8 miles to Hatchet Lake. Along our way we saw a bull Moose about 50 feet away. It got startled by us, but we slowly backed away and when he went back to his business, we continued our hike. The rain came on stronger, as we navigated around large puddles all day once again. In addition to the puddles, there were many down trees all along the trail, as the "trail crew" hadn't gotten out to the park yet. This was certainly a nuisance, but it was all part of the experience. That night we cooked a very easy meal and hopped in the tent, our shoes soaking wet from the 8 mile slog. We were happy to get out of the rain and wind, and didn't bother to make hot cocoa.

With temperatures in the 30s every night, it wasn't a warm trip by any stretch, and as the rain continued to fall at Hatchet lake, we were quite certain nothing of ours would get dry. We stored some of our items in the nearest outhouse, which sounds nasty, but since very few people had been to the island yet this year, the outhouses around the island (located in campsites) didn't stink. It probably smelled better than the tent!

The next morning we got up and started our hike to South Lake Desor. This was again a very sloppy day, avoiding trees and puddles while making our way along the muddy trail. We were all quite wet and tried our best to make it an efficient 8 mile day. This night our campsite's location was a little better, and the weather improved, with the wind not being as big of a factor as it was at the last two campsites. 

The next day we hiked about 11 miles to the Washington Creek campsite, located within the Windigo Area. The weather dramatically improved, and while there were still puddles and trees to navigate around, we were much more comfortable overall. Once we got to the campsite, we set up the tent in a shelter that was available and relaxed. In the distance we saw 3 moose, so it was a rewarding and stress free night.

We took the Voyageur II back to Grand Portage the next day, which (of course) was a gorgeous day. There were a handful of other folks on the boat heading back, some of them seemed pretty beat up from their hikes, some happy from the experience, some happy to leaving the island.

I would definitely recommend visiting Isle Royale to anyone interested. Going in May might not be the best time unless you are looking for an adventure. Even though I didn't come away with any bug bites, the rain, snowmelt, and downed trees made the trip a little less easy-going than it could have been.

half way through marathon training

I decided to get on an 18-week program to train for a marathon in June. The original program had me running 6 days a week, but I decided to modify it so that I am running 4 days a week and doing other activities, such as weightlifting, riding a bike, or using an elliptical machine for those other two days.

So far the training has gone fairly well. I missed the best of one week do to a vacation, but I was somewhat active (see previous post about the Grand Canyon), so I felt strong when I needed to run again. For the most part, here is the routine:

Monday: Rest or cross train
Tuesday: Speed training (200s, 400s, 800s, 5k tests, intervals)
Wednesday: Cross train
Thursday: Speed training (200s, 400s, 800s, 5k tests, intervals)
Friday: Rest or cross train
Saturday: mid-distance run (increasing from 5-10 miles over course of training), every other week being at race pace
Sunday: Long run

Two highlights of my training so far: hitting a PR 5k time on a treadmill and running 16 miles on a day with miserable conditions (rain/sleet/snow/wind).

The long run started at 10 miles and has slowly creeped up from there. I don't plan on running more than 22, but do plan on going 20 at least twice prior to the marathon.
   

South Rim of the Grand Canyon in March

I recently traveled to the Grand Canyon, and yes, it is appropriately named, if you haven't been there. It has always been a place I have wanted to see ever since hearing about kids who went there with their families when I was in grade school.

I camped in Mather Campground, located in the south rim area of the park. It was a decent campsite, though being in higher elevation (around 7000 feet) and in mid-march, the temps did get into the upper teens over night, which wasn't a big problem as I had come prepared from Minnesota with warm clothing. Staying two nights, it gave me a chance to see a couple of trails.

The first night I saw the rim trail, which is extremely popular as it is all blacktop and provides for epic views. It is accessible in a variety of shuttle bus stops, but I walked from the campground to it, as it still wasn't too far.

The next day I headed out early (with a partner) as we shuttled over to the South Kaibab trailhead. We began a hike into the canyon, which started out with some switchbacks (even a little bit of ice), and the tone was set. We made our way down to a place called Skeleton Point and decided to turn around and head back up. This made for roughly six miles round trip. The trail was heavily used, by both people and mules.

What a special place the Grand Canyon is. I'm glad I got to go, and would I go back? You bet! The place is huge and I only saw a sliver of it.

 

 

 

Visiting Santa Fe, New Mexico

I recently got the opportunity to visit Santa Fe, New Mexico. I spent about a day and a half there, which I felt was sufficient time to explore. Here are some of the activities I did.

Hiking just outside of town. There is a free place to park and go on a hike through the woods, I believed it was called Sierra del Norte. It wasn't too busy and provided for some nice views of the landscape.

Checking out the art galleries and shops downtown. I spent several hours downtown Santa Fe, browsing churches, art galleries, shops, the State Capitol, and just downtown in general. It was a pleasant downtown catered to visitors.

Eating Mexican food. I ate at 3 Mexican restaurants while in Santa Fe, and I was never disappointed. I honestly don't remember the names, but each had a different appeal. One was a Fast food-esque Mexican place (not like Taco bell, though), where I enjoyed a beer and some chips with guacamole. The next was a nice sit down place where I remember having a couple of margaritas along with my meal. The final was a place downtown known for being good, where whatever I ordered was just one notch spicier than I'm used to, which led me to drinking a lot of water. Conclusion: this is a good area for Mexican food!

It was a joy to visit Santa Fe, and I would definitely go back.

Cross country skiing

I have wanted to get into cross country skiing for a while, but never paid for a lesson or asked a friend who knew what they were doing to take me out until very recently. We took to the trails of Theodore Wirth park in Minneapolis, and I had a pretty good time.

Knowing how good of a workout skiing can be, and with how long it stays cold enough to keep snow on the ground in Minnesota, its sort of surprising that I haven't done more skiing in my life. I've only gone a few times, and just the other day was the first time that I really got a lesson.

It is hard. Technique is extremely important, as different techniques are needed depending on if you are going up a hill, on flat ground or down a hill. Balance was also really important, as the feeling of balancing on skis isn't exactly natural to me. I'm sure endurance is important as well, though we didn't go far enough to test my endurance. As with anything, having the patience to learn will be important if I want to continue skiing.

We ended up skiing for about an hour, and with  all of the stop and go of falling and fixing technique, I think we only traveled something like 3 kilometers.

I am definitely looking forward to spring, but I think I'll be back on skis again in about 9 months.

Exploring Brickyards area of Lilydale regional park

I've recently visited the Brickyards area of Lilydale regional park a couple of times, and thought it was worth a blog post. Located just down the road from Harriet Island park in St. Paul, it is a great place to get away from town without ever really leaving town.

The Brickyard trail is named after the Twin Cities Brick Company, which used to be located on the property. You can still see remnants of this, for more info on the history, check out the NPS website.


Located on a hill, waterfalls are formed from small streams of water flowing in places where cliffs (due to the brick quarry) are located. In the winter they form large walls, which are great for climbing. I got the chance to go ice climbing there, and had a great time.

As I was snowshoeing along the trail, I noticed a couple of groups sledding down the trail, which is something I didn't do, but clearly would be a fun activity if you've got a sled sitting around. For one, it sure would speed up your trip down to the car if you parked on the bottom!

I definitely recommend visiting this trail to anyone interested in a nice hike through the woods.

Crashed Ice 2013

Its been a while since I last posted, but as I've explained before, that means I've been busy going on adventures! The one I'll be talking about today wasn't adventurous for me (I was a spectator), but for the competitors, it certainly was.

I wrote about crashed ice last year, and it was similarly a very busy weekend in St. Paul. In addition to Crashed Ice, there was a parade and some winter carnival festivities going on downtown. I was happy to hear that Red Bull would be putting the event on again, as it is really a unique event drawing many people to visit the twin cities.

The course was a little longer this year, but the idea was still the same: try to stay up on your skates, and if you fall, don't give up as someone else may fall ahead of you. That is probably over simplifying it, but if you ask any of the daredevil participants, they would likely give you a pretty similar take. The fact that falling could happen to anyone at anytime added to the excitement, and suspense of watching the racers fly by along the track.

If you want a taste of what Crashed Ice is all about, check out the youtube video below.

It was definitely a fun event to watch and I hope to see it back in Minnesota again next year!

   

2012 in review

2013 has come and it is time now to reflect on what a year 2012 has been! I haven't been too active in blogging, but I've been very busy going on adventures.

In the beginning of the year, there wasn't much of any snow in the twin cities, making it a uniquely non-wintery winter (if that makes any sense). It was nice for running, but I didn't feel right not using  my snowshoes all winter. I did get to go ice climbing in Sandstone, MN in February, which was really fun, and also attended the Red Bull Crashed Ice event in St. Paul in January, making for two solid "Winter" activities. I also traveled to Hawaii in February, where I did some hiking, some surfing (this one was a big goal of mine), made it to the state high point, and enjoyed the weather.

In March I left town again, heading out east to Connecticut for work. I used this trip to visit a friend in Boston and go to the highest point in Rhode Island. It has been my only "solo" highpoint to date. In April, I went camping a couple times, once at Willow River state park, and the other time at Lake Maria State Park. Both were fun experiences.

In May, I climbed outside a couple of times. Once at Interstate state park, and another time at Devil's Lake State Park. Both were great experiences. I also camped near Devil's Lake State Park, so my friends and I spent a couple days in the area. I also ran in a 1 mile race, finishing in pain from a really dry throat. It was getting warmer out, so I used my bike a few times as well. In June, I did some more camping, this time at Lake Wissota State Park. It was a great chance to visit Chippewa Falls, WI. I also did some more climbing, visiting Blue Mounds State Park and Palisades State Park (both good places to climb). I also checked out a Twins game on a beautiful afternoon.

In July I did some hiking and canoeing at Lebanon hills regional park in Eagan (a St. Paul suburb), and some kayaking in Northern WI. The kayaking trip was fun as it was a group of a dozen or so friends from high school. In August I went on a road trip to Glacier National Park and Banff National Park, and then back through Canada. It was a great trip with many highlights. This trip consumed about 10 days of the month, so I was pretty busy for the rest of the month, but did attend a Saint Paul Saints game and climb at Interstate in August as well.

In September, one of the adventures was camping and kayaking in Wild River State Park, which being about an hour away from the twin cities, made for a quick getaway. I continued running and ran a 5k race with a time of 18:06, within 20 seconds of my PR. In October I went on a trip to Great river bluffs state park, a park near Winona with great views. I also cheered on participants of the Monster Dash, a popular 10 mile and half-marathon race.

In November, I went on a much-anticipated trip to Haiti. It was a great experience. I was happy to learn about their culture and help some kids. It was definitely one of the highlights of the year. I also ran a thanksgiving day 5k to keep November an active month! December seemed to go so fast with all of the parties, but I still made some time to run, climb, and even went camping at Afton State Park!

2012 was a great year filled with many adventures. I can only hope to continue the trend in 2013!