Archive for March, 2009

Yesterday we climbed up to the top of East Bluff to enjoy a sunny but chilly hike after the snowstorm the day before.  Through the trees you can see that the last of the winter ice remains clinging to the south shoreline where it can hide in the shade of the South bluffs.  Even that isn’t working so well any longer as each day the sun climbs a bit higher into the sky. Read the rest of this entry »

Spring is certainly here.  The trails on Steinke basin are muddy at best, swampy at worst.. The streams are running madly and best of all about a third of Devil’s Lake is now open water.  In the next few days I hope to get my kayak out there to enjoy the sounds of the ice jingling away before it completely melts away for another year.

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Hikers on the bluffs at Devil’s Lake pass by signs for many popular climbs & formations including Devil’s Doorway and the Eagle’s Nest. Our personal favorite name is Moldy Buttress. Climbs in the Moldy Buttress area range in the 5.2 to the 5.12b range.

As you can see there is still ice on the lake at Devil’s Lake State Park despite the recent warm weather. Still it is getting to be a bit thin. Chances are that if the warmer weather continues to hold it won’t be long before we see waves again.

One can’t talk about the history of Devil’s Lake State Park without mentioning Kenneth I. Lange who was the Park Naturalist from 1966-1996.  I was lucky enough to work at the park during his “reign” in the late 90s.  Ken wrote some of the most indepth books about the park and the area including; Ancient Rocks and Vanished Glaciers, A Lake Where Spirits Live and more.  His books are available at the park or  through Amazon.com.  Certainly anyone wanting to learn more about the nature and the history of Devil’s Lake State Park should start with Ken’s books.