Family Time

Recently the boys, Lynn and myself all found ourselves with a day free of any obligations. I put together an idea for some rappelling , lunch in the woods, and general exploring and playing. The rappel was short but I want to get my kids used to it and teach them a thing or two for when we go do some big stuff one day, and keep them relatively safe at the same time. Although the vertical drop was only about 25 feet, once they were free hanging it was all up to them. After two raps each we moved on to lunch and playtime in the woods. Overall an excellent day with the family.

The boys wait as I untangle a snarled mess of rope

Super Y is the first kid on the rope....I went first just to make sure it was all good

Big D...first run

This looks tall for a little kid

Super Y....all good

where are we anyway ? 

G Man...looking like a true outdoors man 

Lunch

Training Day

A few weeks ago on an average weeknight, the boys and I went out to learn and practice rappelling. By no means are they ready to do anything big, but they need to start somewhere. The site I choose was close to home , not very tall, and sees very few visitors. It wasn't truly vertical, but it was steep enough that they were actually hanging on the rope.

bikes better than walking

goof ball

G man was first....Looks like about six feet to the bottom here, it's a lot taller, maybe 25 feet. 

Super Y

Big D

  Just over the edge of the outcropping was a small landing in which I was able to stand on so I could get them over the lip and on their way down. After that it was all on them. They did well and all completed three runs each before I took my turn, and we packed up and headed home.

Y,  walking along the spine

looking pro-

G Man ,more interested in rocks than rappelling

Ropes Course

As the weather has started to warm around here and my lack of a job has afforded me a little free time, I have been venturing out mid week with anyone who will join me. About a week ago I was accompanied by Best in Schow for a fun day dangling form a rope, riding fat-bikes, and also some snowshoeing.

Rap one of a two part descent  

  The route I cooked up served no other purpose but to ride around to different places do a rappel and continue on. I'm not a fan of backtracking.... ever.....If i can, I always like to do a loop. This meant the bikes were along for the rappel as well. It may seem silly to lower the bikes, but keeping with the idea of forward movement meant they came with on a couple of the drops.

Mouth of a cave ?

His leg is supposed to be on the other side of that rope

  We did five raps total, two of which we lowered our bikes down. The first rap was the same one AF and I did last summer on our bike, boat, rope adventure, only now the route is solid ice, which meant we didn't get wet.

I knew this ladder would come in handy when I built it

On the road again

Derailer side up ^

  Two of the raps were a short down and back with our bikes locked up at the top. It was a two part rap in which we dropped down an ice fall, pulled the rope, walked about a hundred feet, dropped into a storm drain and set up for another rap. This one was unique in that we had the feeling of rappelling out of the mouth of a cave. The out and back also created a need for the ladder I built for the Fat-Bike Adventure Ride on our climb back out.

What happened to derailer side up ?

Lunch in the White House

This tree will do

 The third rap was also one AF and I did last summer and the same one Best in Schow and I visited only days before. Why go back to the same place? Because it's fun and if you use your imagination there are different ways to experience the same place.

Easy does it

Slippery Pete

    

 The last of the drops was done via a short hike on the snowshoes and included a visit to The White House. The last one was also new to me... I have decided to name it Slippery Pete in continuation of Minnesota Canyoneering routes that no one really cares about anyway. After the last rap we hustled back to our bikes and back to our vehicles......I made it home minutes before my kids got off the bus........whew    

Man Trip 2013, Day 2

Breakfast in the back of the van

 Day two of the man trip started a bit on the chilly side, well below zero as we climbed out of our sleeping bags. The sun was shining brightly so it wouldn't be long before it was a balmy 20deg F. At this point in the winter everyone's blood has thickened and we've all become accustomed to the cold, 20 is warm and the sun is a welcome bonus.

Gladed  x-c run

nice tracks for the last guy

 

Yours truly, at the impasse. Rappel is on river right about a 200 feet down stream 

 On tap for the day's adventure is an X-C ski and snowshoe trip down the $#@^&*! River. It comes complete with a two stage rappel down a very steep side wall/cliff of the river. This is The Legend's first time on rope, so A.F. and I don't want it to be too daunting. We pass up a  100' + couloir in favor of a nearby route through the trees. It's still really steep and will give Mr Legend a taste of rappelling so he can complete the real rap were doing the next day. He makes it though with flying colors and is ready for the next day.

JJ on rope

tied up, ready for second rap

You have sharp things on your feet don't step on the rope , your life will be hanging by it tomorrow.

 Once we are all through with the rappel, we travel further down river and trade skis for snowshoes on the final stretch. AF, JJ and myself did the same route the day before but figured out a better way down the big water fall, a hand line. I've become a big fan of hand lines while canyoneering and urban exploring, it worked great here, you just can't let go! It's also way faster than having everyone put on a harness a clip in. Our turn around point is at one last waterfall that plunges just shy of Lake Superior. There is no way down this unless we want to go swimming, and we don't have the gear with us to make it back up. A.F. and I ponder the idea of coming back in the summer and either rap this waterfall or paddle the lake to the alcove below us and camp-out on the beach.

Mr Legend gives a salute

I took my kids swimming in this very spot last summer.

Most of the time we were riding, this spot was particularly steep and required feet

Vandy

 The ski trip burned up most of the day, but as I said before, our adventures for the weekend usually go into the night. We had so much fun riding the perfect conditions of the *^%$# River the day before we went back and rode it again. This time we started a little earlier so we had more daylight on our side. When we turned around the previous day we left behind a perfectly good track that seemed to just keep going, I had to see how far. As a result I rode at least twice as much as the day before. Several miles up river, when I came to a newly installed bridge with an immaculately groomed ski trail running over the top, the trail started to diminish. At this point only the Legend and I were still riding upstream, we could have kept going but it was getting dark and our appetites were taking over so we headed back.

AF and The Legend heading upstream through the best part of the ride, steep walls

fat-bike at sunset

We saw these guys the day before, they invited us to stay and have some drinks. The fire was very temping but I don't drink and I needed food 

 After the ride, Vandy and I had a quick dip in the hot tub, a sauna, and a shower (separately of course) at the municipal pool in Grand Marias before meeting the rest of the crew for dinner at Sven and Ole's. It was the best four bucks I spent the whole weekend, er, the best four bucks AF lent me the whole weekend. After dinner we went to another small river and set up camp, and had fire with some pre-gathered firewood before going to sleep around 11pm. Some other guys, unknown to us, showed up about an hour later to camp out and have a fire as well. After talking with them in the morning, I think we burned all of their wood they had pilled up earlier in the day when they were ice climbing in the area. Sorry dudes. I thought the woodland gnomes were doing us a solid.

We've had fires before in the little alcove, but camping out here was a first.