Northern Highlands American Legion State Forest Backpacking Trip

Our daughter's school day off for teachers in-service training provided a perfect October Friday to head out for a family backpacking trip. We headed to the Northern Highlands American Legion State Forest, stopping near in Boulder Junction for lunch at the Outdoorsman before heading into the woods. The Outdoorsman appeals to my daughter with its chickens, goats and rabbit out back. The restaurant features home baked pies and farm fresh eggs. They sell homemade goods and other artsy finds. A cute place to stop.

Hiking the Hartman Creek Segment of the IAT and Canoeing the Waupaca Chain O' Lakes while Camping at Hartman Creek State Park

Hartman Creek State Park is the perfect launch point for hiking the Hartman Creek Segment of the Ice Age Trail and canoeing on the Waupaca Chain O' Lakes. The park is located west of Waupaca on Hartman Creek Road, south of State Highway 54 and north of State Highway 22. Arriving just after dark on a Friday evening, we set up camp looking forward to a weekend of outdoor fun.

Sylvania Wilderness Canoe Trip to Whitefish Lake

As the loons prepared to gather, and the leaves began to turn, Labor Day brought our last canoe tripping adventure of the summer to a close. Sure, we'll get a few chances to dip our paddles out day tripping. But there is nothing like canoe camping on a motor-free lake to make our plastic and concrete world go away, if only for a few short, relaxing days.

Boundary Waters 2015 - Kawishiwi Lake EP #37 to Amber Lake

We drove north with Jerry Van Diver's True and Deep - Songs for the Heart of the Paddler playing and our 7 year old singing along. I looked at my husband and smiled. With the mad dash of a long work week behind us, we found ourselves doing the very thing which seemed infinitely out of reach just a few days earlier. We were headed to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Northeastern Minnesota.

2015 Boundary Waters Backcountry Menu Plan

Fire up the dehydrator Honey, we're going for a paddle! Nothing tops delicious, home-cooked meals in the outdoors. My biggest trip preparations these days revolve around camp eats. Demands include compact, lightweight, temperature resistant foods. Adding to the challenge, my husband likes spicy foods. He also needs protein. Our daughter still loves sweet, carby foods. I don’t eat sweets and prefer not to eat too many carbs. Given palates and constraints, for our August 2015 Boundary Waters Canoe Area trip, I planned and prepped our Boundary Waters menu.

Camping at Roche-A-Cri State Park

In the mood for someplace we'd never visited before, we packed up the car and headed out to camp at Roche-A-Cri state park. The name Roche-A-Cri derives from French words meaning crevice in the rock. The park contains about 5 miles (8 km) of hiking trails, campgrounds, an observation deck atop the 300 foot outcropping at the center of the park, and a creek that can be fished. The campground contains vault toilets only and no showers. This park is small, and entirely accessible by foot from the campground. The campsites are wooded but fairly close together, and our walk-in campsite appeared to be the best in the park, number 34. This walk-in site put us further off the road offering a tad more privacy, although the neighbors on all sides were easily visible and well heard, particularly their music.

Camping, Hiking, and Paddling at Wyalusing State Park

After enjoying a work-free, blog-free July 4th hiatus from life complete with hotel rooms, a parade, fireworks, a water ski show, a stroll on the Bearskin Trail, restaurants, and a day paddle in the National Highland American Legion State Forest we felt ready to escape the crowds and get back into the outdoors. We decided to check out the little canoe trail at Wyalusing State Park. After a quick web search we learned walk-in campsites were available. We loaded up the car and off we went, with the Mississippi River on our minds and Subway sandwiches in our bellies.