Adventure Day Camp 2018, Week Five
Weather (rain and flooding in particular) strongly influenced our activities this week. Things have been really crazy in southern Wisconsin this month, and the only thing that makes sandbagging our home a little easier is the fact that we are doing it with all our neighbors too. It’s a community event!
Rain in the forecast caused us to call a lot of audibles, but it truly ended up being really fun anyways! We had a bunch of kids I already knew this week, including the kids of my friends Dave Zoeller and Colin Good, as well as my buddy Bill Parsons’ niece. It is a great compliment when friends trust you to take their kids out into the wide, unkept world to find trouble.
Monday: Hiking at Parfreys Glen
Monday morning brought thick, low clouds and an unstable feeling in the air. We decided to head up to Parfrey’s Glen to hike, and we were rewarded with a really nice feeling of mystery and intimacy in the Glen. The enormous boulders at Parfrey’s are pretty irresistible, so we did some exploring and loose bouldering after making our way up through the creek crossings to the Narrows above.
Hiking and Swimming at Devil’s Lake State Park
When the fog finally burned off, the air was sultry and the heat was on. We decided to hike the West Bluff Trail to North Shore Beach, then come back via Tumbled Rocks Trail to catch a good swimming spot on the way. Things worked out just right.
Tuesday: Rock Climbing at Devil’s Lake State Park
We went climbing on Tuesday, but I didn’t get any photographs. Which is too bad, because we had some real crushers in the group.
Wednesday SUP on Lake Mendota
More rain in the forecast, plus strong winds (18 - 20 mph) convinced us to stay close to home Wednesday. We found a sweet little bay to put into on Lake Monona, and paddled SUPs along a protected shore. After an extended game of Deadfish Polo, we headed back and had lunch at a great little pocket park in Shorewood Hills.
Rock Climbing at Boulders Climbing Gym
Thursday: Mountain Biking in Kettle Moraine North
Since the Wisconsin and Kickapoo Rivers were running at record highs, we ditched our default overnight canoeing plan and reconfigured for an adventure camping trip to the Kettle Moraine Northern Unit.
We started with checking out the New Fane Mountain Biking Trails. They were REALLY good!
The forecast had a chance of rain for the afternoon, so after biking we packed up and headed for the campground at Mauthe Lake to set camp. Afterwards, we went down to the Lake for late afternoon swimming.
Friday: More Mountain Biking in the Kettles + SUP on Mauthe Lake
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