Fall camping trip 2011

We started off our annual fall camping trip by staying in Beaver Dam, WI.  Chad wanted to meet with a supplier in the area and the supplier put us up at a hotel.  The children and I took advantage of the swimming pool for the morning while we waited for Chad to return from his meeting.  I didn’t take many pictures on this trip so I don’t have a lot to share. 

Jonas can’t walk very far yet and Johanna is just too big for me to carry long distances, so Chad chose a place where our activity could be rock climbing.  We really enjoyed Devils Lake State Park in Baraboo, WI; I’m sure we will visit there again.

I don’t remember being around to see Jonas climb and don’t know how far he got but he had fun.

Getting chalk on his hands to help him grasp the wall better!

I believe the wall straight ahead is part of the wall we were climbing.

Jared most of the way up and Chad on the ground to give you a little idea of the distance to the top.

Remember those shots I DIDN”T get in the spring because I didn’t want to “fry” waiting for the children?

I got a few this time though maybe not the perfect shot! There’s only so much you can do from a lateral position without any ropes to secure you!

Determination!

Anticipation!

Success!

The goal is to touch the carabiner at the top of the rock.

Coming down!

If you look closely you can see Chad handling his end of the safety rope at the bottom.

Reaching

Concentration

Success!

 

Looking out from the top of the rock over Devil’s Lake beyond.

Not sure why Jolene chose this spot to read her book.

The trees at the campground were beautiful.  It must have been a different variety of trees around the lake because there wasn’t much fall color.

I did not make it to the top on this trip.  There was an area I just couldn’t get through.  My arms weren’t strong enough to pull without the help of my feet and there wasn’t a place close enough to take another step.  It would probably help significantly if I had climbing shoes, regular tennis shoes just slide on the wall instead of gripping the wall.  Maybe someday I’ll get some if we keep at it!

We are hoping to try Whipps Ledges in the spring on a visit to my family in Ohio!  It will be a fun activity to do with my brother and his family; my sister and her husband too if they can be there the same time as us!