The Outpost Experience: A summer of adventures in the outdoors

With summer soon behind us and the outpost room at Upham Woods cleaned and packed for a long season nap, I took a moment in-between folding tents and washing the dishes to reflect on the different outpost experiences that I was able to observe and take part in. Each trip that I went on offered a little something new that the other trips did not have.

During our venture to Devil’s Lake State Park, we were able to explore the many trails that showcased the beautiful lake below us from the cliffs. At Mirror Lake State Park, the group of youth and adults I was apart of were confused seeing these very large waterlogged masses in the water. On our last day we came to learn that they are freshwater sponges that grow there. The last location was Juneau County State Park, where we stargazed and saw the Perseid meteor shower for a bit and then canoed for 7 hours back to Upham Woods’ own Blackhawk Island.

Being a part of the Outpost team and its experiences, has given me some of the greatest memories I could take away from this jam-packed summer. Working to make sure that the groups were adventuring and having fun while on outpost is well worth the journey up in the cliffs or even canoeing on the waters of Wisconsin.