Time until departure: 6 weeks
Location: Devil's Lake State ParkDistance: 14 miles
Weather: Rainy morning into a sunny afternoon
Mood: Feeling good!
I had the chance to get out this weekend for a training hike with my trusty 25 pound Costco bag of flour. I chose this hike up and down the steep rocky bluffs to have about the average elevation gain and distance we'll be tackling at the start of our SHT trek. Today was my second time hiking this route and thankfully it's already feeling easier than the first time.
Devil's Lake is best in the rain - nobody is there! But it also means slippery and treacherous rock stairs down the bluffs. I slipped once, luckily on relatively flat ground. No damage to me or my pack! As the drizzly morning gave way into sunny weather the trails became livelier and I tackled my last climbs of the day.
When another hiker jokingly offered to take my pack on the last set of stairs, I told him it was full of flour. "Are you baking bread up there?" he asked, to which I joked back, "No, cookies!" He suddenly seemed unsure if I was serious. When I finally explained what I was training for, I got the sense that he found the truth even stranger than the joke.
Devil's doorway in the mist. Even in the rain there were people climbing on it out of frame!
The view opened up on the way back as the rain rolled out.
Prairie flowers in full bloom as the sun came out again.