Decorah September 2022 or: Camping is for everyone

I have been quite remiss in staying updated with tales of my hiking excursions. Once school starts, it seems like everything else falls to the wayside. However, I'm trying to do a better job of creating quality time for myself ... and it was with that idea in mind that I traversed up to Decorah recently for some hiking and tent camping. Yes, I have bought a tent!

I had joined a Facebook group dedicated to central Iowa "adventure" women, and a camping trip to the Iowan hinterlands was on the docket for September. This was a chance to gain camping experience in a safe group setting. I took it!

Until I started researching the outdoor opportunities, I had no clue the city of Decorah itself was so chock full with hiking/biking trails, kayaking routes, and an 11-mile paved trail around city and nearby countryside (Trout Run Trail). All of my previous knowledge of Decorah could be summed up with "Mabe's Pizza," "Vesterheim Museum," and "Luther sucks!" You see, I am a proud Wartburg Knight (U RAH RAH RAH), so it pains me to the core of my little orange-and-black heart to say this, but  ... Decorah is freaking amazing.

(Now I must pray to the dancin' Saint Francis statue for forgiveness).

Our group stayed at the Pulpit Rock Campground on the western edge of Decorah. We had a scenic view of the Upper Iowa River mere feet from our tents, and the allotted spaces felt spacious for all of our gear. Since I couldn't get to Decorah until early afternoon, I embarked on a solo hike since the rest of the ladies were already kayaking. It took maybe 7 minutes to set up my tent under a tree for extra protection, and then I was on my way.

My (poorly-edited) trail route.

I began my route just outside of the campground, following the Trout Run Trail for just under a mile. This portion of the trail hugs the Upper Iowa River and makes for peaceful surroundings. Even though there were plenty of bikers, they were courteous and always alerted me of their whereabouts. At the College Drive intersection, I left Trout Run Trail and made my way to Ice Cave Road. The beginning portion of the road has a dedicated bike lane for hikers, and just past Dunning's Spring Park the road is closed off completely to cars. Dunning's Spring is serenity personified--the dense foliage and rushing water cooled the surrounding area and provided a refreshing respite from my sweaty hike.

From Dunning's Spring I got back on Ice Cave Road and contemplated doing Huldra's Trail, which is a 1.2 mile loop along the river. However, I really wanted to see the Ice Cave and hike in Van Peenen Park; I kept trudging.

Continuing to walk along Ice Cave Road, I came across a trail sign that led up into the hills. I thought that maybe I could get some good aeriel views of Decorah, so I paid no heed to the name of the trail and scampered up.

The name of the trail? Stairway to Heaven.

Maybe I should have rethought that trail. Although I didn't use any actual stairs, there was a lot of climbing involved. I leaned a lot on little trees, use roots to gain footholds, and cursed my crappy knee joints. These trails--Stairway to Heaven and the nearby Upper/Lower Mother's Day--aren't marked nearly as well as the previous trails. I didn't have any maps for these trails and had to rely solely on my keen sense of direction to navigate. Heck, even my AllTrails app was confused.

The trail views were enjoyable, but I wasn't getting a good view of the town and I didn't want to injure my good ankle. I had left my walking stick (that I think I'm going to name Stick Stickly) in the car. That meant I needed to tread carefully to wend my way back down to the main Ice Cave Road.

Looking at the map, I realized I was incredibly close Ice Cave Park. However, my legs were starting to feel a bit like jelly, and I still had to get back to camp. With a bit of regret, I decided to save my Ice Cave and Van Peenen trail plans for another trip. It was time to hotfoot it back. I had a cold pop waiting for me in the cooler, and I was pretty stinky and needed a shower.

After my shower and meeting the rest of the group, we had an enjoyable time putting together foil packets for supper. It took quite awhile to cook them in the coals of the fire pit and was dark by the time I finally ate supper. It was worth the wait though. I threw a bunch of fresh veggies and some ham/pineapple patties together, and it was all delicious. By 9:30, most of us were ready to fall alseep. I zipped myself into my tent and prayed that the forecasted rain would amount to nothing.

One of the main reasons I was concerned was that I saw everybody else put a tarp underneath their tent. For some reason, I thought a shower curtain would be okay, so that's what I brought. Would it hold? Or would I wake up in a wet, muddy mess? It worried me a bit, but I was honestly too tired to give it much more thought as I nodded off to sleep. At least all of my stuff was in plastic bags or trash bags for water protection.

I slept well throughout the night, waking only a few times to check the inside of my tent. It stayed dry the entire night! It rained pretty consistently, but my tent was up to the challenge. That'll do, tent. That'll do.

I didn't get any pictures, but our group had two two-burner  Coleman camping stoves we put to use. Everyone brought ingredients for egg burritos--my contributions were black beans and gluten-free wraps. It made for tight quarters under the kitchen tent while we tried to stay out of the rain and prepare a breakfast for eight people. The burritos were delicious!

Since our Saturday outdoor plans were a bust, we decided to head into town. Hot coffee awaited us at Magpie Cafe and Coffee House, I tried to spend my life's savings at Dragonfly Books, and I got to experience a cider house  for the first time at Convergence on Washington Street. A four-pack of the Wandering Harvest brew definitely made the trip back to Iowa Falls.

Even though I ended up not staying Saturday night (dang rain!) I really enjoyed my trip to Decorah. I would love to come back to explore the ice cave and many more of the paved and dirt trails.

This is only a small section of the heaven that is Dragonfly Books on Water Street.

Total miles covered: 6.8 miles (My new record!)
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes of moving time
Temperature: 79 degrees Fahrenheit
Water consumed: 32 oz (This was my entire Nalgene bottle. I should have filled up the other bottle that was in my bag as well.)
Food consumed: I snacked on a little packet of almonds while hiking, then I scarfed down some jerky as soon as I got back to the campground.

ALSO: Why would I name my stick Stick Stickly? I still have memories of watching Nickelodeon in the mid-90s with the Popsicle stick host of the same name. I still remember the jingle, too!
"Write to me, Stick Stickly
P.O. box 963
New York City, New York state,
10108!"