Morning Hike

So this week we had our first 80+ degree day of the year and seeing as a dear friend was in town for a short while, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to go for a morning hike.  We took off around 8am for Devil’s Lake State Park which for this night owl, was a bit of challenge but one well worth the interruption in sleep schedule.  Most folks around these parts are well aware of this parks existence since it’s one of the best in the state for hiking, camping, kayaking, biking and more.  For this reason, it tends to be fairly busy but when you visit mid-week during the day, you have a little more privacy which we took full advantage of. 

Devil's Lake State Park, Baraboo, Wisconsin

If you are up for the challenge of hiking what I like to refer to as the “stairs from hell” on the West Bluff Trail, you will be rewarded with spectacular views of the lake and surrounding area.  On this particular visit, with such calm winds, the lake mirrored the trees beautifully.  We hiked to the far east end of the trail so we could lounge on a clearing of rock with an unobstructed view of the lake.  While I took photos and Cole explored every crack and crevice, my friend broke out her ukulele and sang some songs.   It was a pretty spectacular start to our day. 

Mourning Dove enchants us with a song

When we reached our fill of serenity, we headed back the way we came and departed to a nearby state natural area known as Pewits Nest.  I had meant to bring my friend here many times in the past but the universe never aligned for that until this day.  Pewits Nest is a special little place where you can wade into a creek and swim by a waterfall surrounded on both sides with tall rocks.  Even with the warm weather on this day, the water was still too cold for swimming but this didn’t stop us from taking off our shoes and walking around the creek for a bit.  Once our feet were thoroughly frozen, we headed to the top of the rocks to take in the view from above.  We found a nice little spot to rest and take in all the beauty of the sights and sounds of the rushing washing.  Had it not been for having a job to get to, I could have sat there all day. 

Pewits Nest State Natural Area, Baraboo, Wisconsin

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