You know that feeling you get when you go on your first big adventure after winter? The sunshine feels especially welcoming and any challenges in front of you feel more like opportunities than difficulties. Physically and mentally you feel so good. Spending the weekend at Devil's Lake this past weekend felt that way. I was stoked beyond belief to get an adventure under my belt in pristine Spring weather.
A couple weeks back, one of my friends sent out a text about heading to Wisconsin for a weekend. Three of us jumped at the opportunity and the four of us were set to make it happen. Right when everyone got off work on Friday, we packed into the car and headed for Wisconsin. It was a 4.5 hour drive and unfortunately, we didn't hit the winding roads until after dark - which made it all a little more exciting. We pulled into the state park at 10:30 and found our way to the Visitor Center to get a campsite. Fortunately, the Visitor Center is open until 11:00 pm - and good thing, too! There were a handful of other people also rolling in around the same time.
We headed to our campsite - just to find out that someone was already in it. Confused, we called the visitor center and they were equally confused but advised us to move to a different spot for the night. Ready to relax, the tents got set up and we hung out around the fire while chatting, admiring the stars and enjoying a little whiskey.
Saturday morning, we all got up, had some breakfast, gathered our gear and headed toward South Shore to climb on the East side of the lake. Luckily we got there around the same time as another group of people were getting ready to start hiking the same direction. They gave us some advise about routes and directions of how to get there. We decided to hike up with them and found the place to set up. We set up a couple ropes, and there were a few other people in the area set up as well that were more than willing to let us climb their routes. (Click through any of the galleries below to see the full images).
I want to pause right here really quick to show you the view. It hardly even felt like you were in the midwest. Anyway, back to it.
Midway through the morning, we were chatting with a group about the campgrounds and they mentioned they accidentally camped in the wrong spot the night before. Lo-and-behold, these Minnesotans were the ones in our spot the night before! We spent the rest of the midmorning/early afternoon climbing the quartzite rock with this crew and some other Iowa climbers we had met up with. Eventually, thirst and hunger got the best of us and it was decided it was time to move on.
As the guys were taking down our ropes, a couple hikers stopped to talk about climbing. "Aren't you scared?", they asked. "At first I feel a little nervous, but once you have that first fall and can feel that the rope is totally secure, you don't really think about the fear anymore," I tried explaining. They looked at us like we were nuts, and I get it. Climbing doesn't really make sense, but once you figure out a route, repel for the first time, or hang out with the incredible and goofy climbing community - you'll see that it still doesn't really make sense. But man, if you get the chance to try it, you should. I wish I could describe it properly, but the feeling you get while climbing is something really spectacular.
After wandering the trails to Devils Doorway then hiking back to the car, I was starting to feel a little less than stellar. Dehydration, hunger and sunburn were all starting to get the best of me, so one of the guys and I opted to head back to the campground while the other two decided they'd like try out the West side. The four of us rolled up to camp before parting ways - and quickly got stopped by a park ranger. Someone had booked the campsite we were in (remember we had booked a different site, but it was occupied when we arrived so we were told to move to this one) and we had to move. So we loaded up the car with all our gear then carried our tents to our official site. Once we were finally settled back in, two of the guys headed out to get a little more climbing in before sunset and we started dinner and rehydrating.
The goal for Sunday morning was to get up extra early to pack up and watch the sunrise from the West side of the lake. Unfortunately a storm rolled in Saturday night, so we opted to have a later start to let the rocks dry out. We still got to the crag around 8 or 8:30 in the morning and man, what a view. It was absolutely beautiful and I took in the sights as the guys set up the top ropes. We repelled down and spent the morning climbing.
In this particular area, the only way out is up. That meant if we wanted to get back to Iowa at a decent time, we had to start climbing out around 11. One of our guys climbed up then set up a top belay for the rest of us. I climbed out next, followed by the other two guys. They opted to climb on one rope to save time and add an additional challenge. Once we were all up and got everything packed up, we hiked back to the car and headed home.
We had an amazing weekend in Wisconsin and I'm already looking forward to the next time I get to visit. If you're still wondering why you should head to Devil's Lake, let me break a few more things down for you. According to The Mountain Project, there are over 1600 routes listed in the most recent guidebook from 5.1 all the way up to 5.11d. Any level of climber can find a route they'll enjoy. To put that in a little perspective, the three guys that I climbed with were all more advanced than me. We set up just a couple ropes on the first day and we all had routes that were challenging and fun. It's also in a really central location. Devil's Lake is about 5 hours from Des Moines, 3-3.5 hours from Chicago, and 4 hours from Minneapolis. That's what makes it such a great place for weekend warriors.
Not a climber? No worries. Devil's Lake has a lot to offer for everyone. Whether you're into hiking, biking, paddling, fishing or camping, you'll feel at home in this Wisconsin state park. So be sure to add this adventure to your list of places to visit.
Live big.