climbers

well before we had kids, we loved devil's lake state park. just a short drive from madison, but an entirely different landscape of rocks and cliffs, it is a beautiful place. we used to camp and hike there, back when we had time to camp and hike. nearly 5 years after starting our parenting adventure, we finally got back there, this time with kids. they LOVED it. once i got over my fear of them slipping and bashing their heads on a rock, or falling to their death (which happens every year: about halfway down this page is a pretty detailed list of deaths and injuries in the late 2000s at the park), it was pretty fun watching them discover the joy of scrambling over big boulders and climbing stone stairs up to the sky.

 who needs a play ground when you can find a slide on the side of a boulder?

 little scramblers

james kept his pink-hat-wearing sherpa close by

 

eco-conscious ramona remembers to scrub her shoes at the trail head to prevent the introduction of invasive species, and you should too!