Delta Lodge 2014

It was mid-January, time for the Hoofer Outing Club's annual cross-country ski trip in northern Wisconsin. The club has been coming to Delta Lodge each winter for the last thirty years. This was my fourth Delta Lodge trip, and as usual, it was a great time.

We skied at After… Read More »

Fall Colors, Whitewater Edition

Last weekend I went on the Hoofer Outing Club's annual whitewater fall colors trip. We camped at the club's land called “Hooferland” in northern Wisconsin and kayaked different rivers each day. The trees were still mostly green and the water was a bit low, but we managed to… Read More »

Colorado Kayaking, Part II

“A group of twelve, huh?” asked Smokey. He was past retirement age and seemed like a nice enough man to have as a campground host.

“Yes,” Ted said. “Is there enough space for us for two nights?” We were still in his car and had just pulled into the campground when Smokey stopped us.

“Well,… Read More »

Colorado Kayaking, Part I

After coming home from my fishing trip, I traveled with a group of twelve Hoofers to the Arkansas River in southern Colorado for a week of whitewater kayaking. Five people from the group were advanced kayakers who had already run far more challenging rivers. The other seven (including me) were intermediate and hadn't run anything… Read More »

Biking to Blue Mounds

Ever since our bicycle excursion to Devil's Lake last month, my girlfriend Katie and I have been talking about other places we could bike to. We got our chance last weekend when we took a sixty-mile round-trip ride to Blue Mounds State Park with some friends from the Hoofers Outing Club.

We were supposed to… Read More »

Devil's Lake Day of Instruction

A couple of times per year, the Hoofers Outing Club holds a Day of Instruction (DOI), where they teach new members basic skills in canoeing and kayaking. Because of the construction at the Memorial Union, this summer's DOI was moved to Devil's Lake State Park. It's the most scenic park in Wisconsin, so this wasn't… Read More »

Southern Illinois Climbing

I spent a recent weekend with 7 friends climbing at Jackson Falls in the Shawnee National Forest of southern Illinois. I had no idea there was an actual forest with hills and cliffs in Illinois. I always thought the state consisted of Chicago and a bunch… Read More »