Climbing Bluffs

Thursday was awesome. Most days on the road are good, but few are awesome. Thursday, April 1, it hit 80° in southwest Wisconsin! 80! This totally ruined my plans to sequester myself in a library.

After a morning visiting a few accommodation providers—freeing me of the guilt I would feel if I bailed on the entire agenda for the day—I changed clothes and hit the bluffs. My first stop was Bergen Bluffs State Natural Area between Stoddard and Genoa, Wisconsin. Based upon what I saw from the road, I thought this was going to be a quick hike up and back down. Ninety minutes later, my legs were shaky and my arms looked like I’d been scraping them with a razor.

Normally, the best approach to climbing bluffs along the Upper Mississippi is to look for a path up the side and around the back. At Bergen Bluffs, I decided to try the full frontal assault, because it didn’t look too intimidating. It didn’t work, but I came close. The soil was loose and covered with debris (mostly fallen leaves), so the footing was very slippery. As I neared the top and stared down the reality of the slick footing and steep climb ahead of me, I changed my plan of attack and circled around instead of continuing straight up.

It was still a tough climb, but I made it the rest of the way. I wish I could say it was worth the effort, but, honestly, it wasn’t (except for working off the roast beef sandwich and fries from lunch). The views at the top were mostly obstructed by trees, so I’m sure there is no view of the river at all in summer. By the time I got back to my car, I was soaked, scratched, and sore; Bergen Bluffs kicked my ass.

I almost ditched the second hike, but, what else was I going to do on a warm, sunny day when I was already soaked in sweat and covered with blood-encrusted scratches? I drove a few miles south to Battle Bluff Prairie State Natural Area. After a lethargic start, I got a second wind and reached the top of Battle Bluff after 25 minutes (and climbing about 500 feet in elevation). This was a much easier hike—the footing was not as bad and there were fewer brambles to contend with. At the top, I was rewarded with unobstructed views of the river. Sweet. Inspired by the sun in my face and a gentle breeze (and tired legs), I sat atop the bluff and watched the world do its thing for about 45 minutes.

I was joined by a group of over a dozen raptors floating along the thermals. They would rise up the bluff face and appear from below about 20 feet in front of me, then rise and circle and rise until they were specks in the sky, disappear, then magically rise up in front of me again. Two of the birds were bald eagles. I’m not entirely sure what the others were, but I’m guessing red-tail hawks and a couple of kestrels. You should come here.

I didn’t see a lot of wildlife on these hikes, just a few deer, three turkeys, the above mentioned raptors, and my first tick of the season. After I finished the second hike, I drove to Lansing (Iowa) and washed up in the bathroom of a Quik Trip. I found a little ice cream shop near the river and, even though I hadn’t had dinner, yet (it was about 5pm), I thought it seemed like the perfect moment for ice cream, so I got two scoops of butter pecan in a homemade waffle cone and slurped my way out of town.

Bad Decision of the Day: Not wearing long sleeves or just not being more careful of sharp stuff. As I mentioned above, my arms took some damage during these hikes, especially at Bergen Bluffs. It was a warm day, so I wasn’t about to wear long sleeves, but, geez, I could have been a little more careful.