Category: Camping

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BWCA – Day One

We had pop tarts for breakfast before leaving Sawbill campground. We had to watch part three of the BWCA video. The video discusses how to be a good steward in the wilderness. After that, the outfitter issued our permit. We rented the canoe, two portage packs and the mat for Annabelle.

The outfitter showed me how to pick up the canoe for portaging. We loaded our packs and headed to EP 38 on Sawbill Lake. I carried the canoe. We looked at the map and oriented ourselves with our compass. We canoed from Sawbill to the portage to Alton. We weren’t sure what we were looking for the first time we stumbled upon a portage. But you can figure it out once you find one. Once we got to Alton we headed to the northeastern most camp site which the outfitter had marked.

Unfortunately we found someone was setting up camp. We felt pretty good about our chances at our next option on Kelso. The portage wasn’t too bad and we were up for another one. Our first attempt at a portage took two trips. From there we figured we could get everything in one trip.

I take a pack on my back and the canoe on my shoulders. Linda takes a pack and the water bottles. Annabelle takes the paddles and life jackets. We were a well oiled machine. Kelso is a much smaller lake than Alton. It’s also fairly narrow. Our preferred campsite is the first one on the eastern shore after the portage. We lucked out – it was available.

The campfire is surrounded by logs you can sit on. The seating overlooks the lake from atop a hill. And you’re facing west, which was perfect for catching a sunset. We had potatoes and teriyaki noodles with chicken for dinner.

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Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness – Day Zero

Linda, Annabelle and I took our first backcountry camping trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. We planned to enter at Entry Point 38 – Sawbill Lake. They have a campground run by the outfitter for car camping. The campground takes reservations for half the sites but the others are first come, first served. The outfitter assured me that the campground almost never fills up.

We camped in site 34 which was one of only three sites left. We did one night of car camping. Sunday we would pick up a canoe, two portage packs and a sleeping mat for AB, and enter BWCA. I asked the outfitter for suggestions for camp sites. They marked two on my map. I initially planned to do one portage from Sawbill to Alton, then base camp on Alton. The outfitter’s first suggested camp site was on Alton.

They also suggested an additional portage to Kelso where another of his favorite options was available. On our way out, they suggested we canoe down Kelso River to make a portage to Sawbill. So we could make a loop rather than going out the way we came in.

We intended to eat on the road that night. The campground was a ways down a dirt road. So we didn’t want to leave camp in search of food. Our food sack for the backcountry was a little heavy, so we took some entres out for dinner while car camping. We had spam with ramen and mashed potatoes for dinner.

Most of our food for this trip came from Woodman’s. We had one leftover freeze dried meal from another backpacking trip. We also picked up two deserts from REI. The Woodman’s food was all stuff that would be easily rehydrated. I think our food bill was about $120 for the trip. Pretty good considering the outfitter charges $50 per person per day.

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Wyalusing State Park

We took our family camping at Wyalusing State Park. The park is where the Mississippi River and Wisconsin River meet in the Southwest corner of the state. We camped at site 236 in the Homestead campground. It was a nice site at the end of the cul-de-sac. We also drove through the Wisconsin Ridge campground. Those sites were more exposed generally. Some had steep drop-offs from the campsites. That always makes me a bit nervous due to my fear of heights.

While we there, we saw some CCC era infomration in a small building. There were photos and paragraphs of text describing what the experience was like during that time. We did the interpretive hike on the Sugar Maple Trail. It was a bit strenuous. We should have brought water and snacks for Annabelle. We saw Pictured Rock Cave.

Another hike we did was Sand Cave Trail. There were two caves. The first cave we saw was bigger than the second. The larger one we could walk underneath. The smaller one we viewed from afar from a higher vantage point.

Nearby one of the overlooks in the park is the Bluff Trail. We walked down this trail where there was another cave. I didn’t go all the way to this cave however. There were steep steps and we were concerned that our dog Buster couldn’t make it down. Linda and Annabelle saw this cave. It turned out to be the best one, you could actually crawl inside. Basically what you’d think a cave would look like.

Wyalusing is a Dark Sky Park. They have astronomy talks there. We didn’t get to check it out but it would be fun to do that sometime. We learned a lot about the glacial activity that altered the landscape. The Mississippi River was originally the Wyalusing River. It flowed east until glaciers changed the flow.

We did a short hike to see Indian Mounds on Sentinel Ridge Trail. The mounds had beautiful wild flowers growing on them. Mounds were also marked behind our campsite on the map. We might not have known they were there without an obvious marker though.

Poison Ivy was at the park along with a couple other poisonous plants. We were cautious to avoid them.

The park had a playground area with a concessions stand. We stopped there both Saturday and Sunday. Annabelle got to play with other kids and we treated ourselves to dippin’ dots after hiking both days. We bought ice there too. The store supports the Friends of Wyalusing.

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Nelson Dewey State Park

Linda and I took our daughter Annabelle and our golden retriever, Buster, to Nelson Dewey State Park over Labor Day weekend. The park is near Cassville by the Mississippi River. We booked a site for Friday night through Monday afternoon. We worked a full day. Picked up AB from daycare and headed to the park. You take 151 southwest from Madison to get there. Once you get off of 151 there is still a ways to go. I was cautious driving at night through the country. We got there late and set up in the dark.

They have a handful of different trails to hike. We hiked all of them. Each of them are less than a mile long. It was very doable for Annabelle who is four years old. We saw nice views of the Mississippi River. The trails took us through woods and some prairie on top of a ridge. Parts were paved while others were not. While we were on the ridge, we saw a train coming past below us.

On Saturday we went canoeing through Y’Allbee Tubin on the Grant River. We met at Raisebeck Bridge (County U- Beetown).  Linda, Annabelle and Buster waited while Y’Allbee followed me to the end at Udelhoven Bridge (Camel Ridge Rd.)  Then they shuttled me back to the start. It was our first time with Buster in a canoe.  He was nervous.  Buster jumped out of the canoe into the river. He was startled when we went over a rock where the river picked up.  In hindsight we should have introduced Buster to boating in a more controlled environment.

Part of the reason Buster was nervous was because he was in the back of the canoe with me. He is more comfortable around Linda. During the workday he lays by her desk at home. Later he crawled up by Linda and relaxed more.  We stopped so Linda could have a beer on a small island in the river. 

At the first bridge we came to, we got stuck on a rapid.  A guy at the river helped move our canoe from the rock.  Linda and I debated whether we wanted to stop. There was a beach with a bunch of boats and people. We pulled the canoe on shore. I hopped out and found that our car was actually parked there. It was a good thing we stopped when we did.

We caught the tail end of the sunset on Saturday and Sunday night overlooking the Mississippi River. While we were hiking we came across a couple logs full of mushrooms. I sent my friend AJ a picture of them. He said they were golden oysters. I picked a grocery bag full of them before we left.

On Labor Day, we packed up to leave. On our way out, we stopped for lunch at the entrance to the park. We saw under a tree. While we ate, we watched trains come along the tracks. Annabelle liked seeing the trains come through.

A slight detour on the way home took us to the UW Platteville campus, my alma mater. Linda and I walked the campus with Buster while Annabelle rode her bicycle. I was hoping to walk through a couple buildings. Unfortunately this wasn’t possible as they all required IDs to badge into them now. One thing that really struck me was how young the college students seem to me now. I did that math on it though. I am twice as old as they are.

Before we left, we stopped by the Platteville Mound. The mound is also known as the M. There is a large letter M in the side of the hill made out of rocks. It is 241 feet high, 214 feet wide, with legs 25 feet wide. Stairs lead up the side of it. We hiked up the stairs and spent some time enjoying the view from the top before heading home.

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Porkies or Bust!

We took the family to the Porcupine Mountains over Memorial Day weekend. We packed somewhat light, although we had both Annabelle and Buster in tow. Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park is the largest park in Michigan. It’s in the Upper Peninsula.

We planned on camping Friday night through Sunday morning. Our plans changed a bit due to the weather. The forecast was below freezing on Friday. We spent that night at my brother’s cabin in Presque Isle Wisconsin, which was about 45 minutes away. We stayed in site 66 at Union Bay campground. The campground is very open. It’s basically a field with a few trees scattered throughout the campground. The sites aren’t private at all. They did have running water and showers.

At the Porkies you’re able to go back country camping if you want. There are a lot of trails to hike. From what I can tell, you could hike everything from a day hike if you didn’t want to base camp instead. Annabelle is only four. So the hikes we did were generally short, maybe a mile or two. We would pick out an attraction to go see, like a waterfall. Linda had a better bearing on the names of the waterfalls and trails on the map. I wanted to get some notes down before I forget too much. She can always go back and update.

While we were there, we saw some interesting wildlife. When we first got to the park, we saw a coyote walking down the road. It was a ways away from us. I think there was a chance we could see a wolf up there. But this K9 was too small to be a wolf. The day before we left, we hiked the interpretive trail nearest the headquarters. While we were on that trail, we saw a fisher. We had a lot of distance between us but the fisher was timid and quick. I snapped a picture of him before we scared him off.

One of the things I wanted to see at the Porcupine Mountains was the ghost town. There is an abandoned mining village with a lot of history behind it. We saw the brick shell remnants from buildings. One of the trails went past a part of the river where they used to have a water wheel. You could see where the rock in in the river was cut for the wheel. We also saw a number of mining shafts, some of which were collapsed.

The park runs alongside Lake Superior. The river flows into the great lake. There is also an inland lake called Lake of the Clouds. We took in a beautiful view of it. It was a short hike. The landscape makes a sort of a bowl, with the Lake of the Clouds at the bottom of it. Tons of beautiful trees surround it.

The day we left, Annabelle had a ton of fun climbing on the rocks alongside Lake Superior right next to the campground. She had a ton of energy. We figured it would be good to let her romp around and get some energy out.

The Porkies has a number of cabins and yurts out in the woods. You can reserve them. So even in the winter, you could hike to them and stay over night. I thought that would be fun to try sometime. Perhaps when Belle is older.