Outdoor climbing at Devil's Lake

It's been a busy month with tri training, switching jobs, and getting more into rock climbing but we dipped our toe into getting ready for outdoor climbing this weekend at Devil's Lake (Baraboo, WI). This place was about 2-3 hours outside the NW Chicago Suburbs and camped at a private lot near the state park.It was also my first time camping, though this was more like car camping. At night, we played Exploding Kittens and the NSFW deck for that game for the first time. I think that game would have been more fun with more light because part of the fun of the game is the artwork and what's written on the cards.

It was stupid hot but it did cool down at night and during the class when it decided to sprinkle for 10 minutes. A few friends and I took a class on building anchors. We learned the basics to set anchors and tie knots. I've got names of knots and hitches like European Death Knot (EDK), Double Overhand, Speed-Bowline Knot, and my favorite the Alpine Butterfly floating around in my head. Since we had some extra time, the instructor set an anchor at the top of the rock and let us climb.  It's really different climbing outdoors versus climbing indoors (duh!). Most notably, no smearing on the rock. The other is noticeable when it's hot; chalk really doesn't help with the sweat.  The rock is really smooth too. It's strange not having to look for colored holds to move up, you just have to find holds you think you can get to move up.

Before leaving, we did find a really cool diner out there called the Broadway Diner. It's worth checking out. For the carnivores out there, my friends said the hash was really good.