Adventure Reports
Lake Farm Kayaking
A group of Hoofers paddled from Memorial Union, through the lakes, to Lake Farm County park, camped for the night and then paddled back the next day!
Raymer's Cove Sea Kayaking
4 Hoofers paddled from Memorial Union to Raymer's Cove where they relaxed on the beach before paddling back.
Governor Dodge State Park Hike
A group of Hoofers hiked the Lost Canyon Trail (and saw Stephen’s falls) and the Pine Cliff Trail. They also made s’mores when stopping for lunch on Cox Hollow Lake.
Kettle Moraine Hike
A group of Hoofers hiked the Moraine Ridge Trail in Kettle Moraine State Forest- Lapham Peak Unit. Parts of the trail were on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.
Lion's Den Gorge Day Hike
A group of Hoofers went on a day hike at Lions Den Gorge, a state natural area in Grafton, WI (just north of Wisconsin). They saw some awesome cliff swallows and got to dip their toes in Lake Michigan.
Suwannee River Spring Break 2023
A group of Hoofers explored the stunning Suwannee River of northern Florida. They paddled about 45 miles of the river and explored the other scenery that Florida has to offer.
📍Timucua Land
Nantahala National Forest Spring Break 2023
These Hoofers hiked in North Carolina with a major portion of their trip following the Appalachian Trail. Along the way, they had the pleasure of meeting many thru-hikers who started their journey in Georgia and are making their way to Maine! This trip was a LIT trip that focused on teaching the elements and steps required in leading a successful trip.
📍Cherokee Land
Gila National Forest Spring Break 2023
Soaking up the sun, sand, and scenery of New Mexico! This group explored the amazing views of the Gila Wilderness for spring break!
They spent four days hiking and exploring the grand valleys, stunning mesas, and immense sand dunes of the region. Everyone on this trip experienced amazing opportunities, including sand sledding!
📍Chiricahua Apache Land
Weekly Fat Tire Biking Trips to Quarry Park!
Outing club members have been taking weekly trips to Quarry Park here in Madison to enjoy some all-weather biking on fat tire bikes!
WFR Certification Course
Members of our clubs worked to earn their Wilderness First Responder certification, learning how to perform emergency medicine and how to best take care of their fellow outing members when out in the wilderness!
Backpacking South Carolina
Scenic views, blue skies, and great times abounded on this 4-day trek in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains!
Everglades Spring Break Trip
An adventurous, sun-seeking group of 11 Hoofers drove down to the southernmost tip of Florida for a week of canoeing through the Everglades National Park! We paddled two canoe trails: Hell's Bay, a winding path through dense mangroves slightly inland, and Clubhouse Beach, a shallow paddle in the Florida Bay along the coast. We saw dolphins, many cool birds, and a crocodile. We did morning yoga on the chickee, acquired a real coconut from a real coconut tree, observed exciting low-tide critters, and made lots of memories. We indeed got our fair share of sun, including the prettiest sunrises and sunsets. It was a very exciting trip and nobody got eaten by an alligator... that's what I would call a success!
Tenney Park
We are excited to partner with Badger Branch Out for some weekly outing recommendations!
Whether you are looking for a place to have a picnic, play volleyball, watch birds, take a stroll, or kayak, Tenney Park is the place to go. When it's too cold for many of these activities, ice skaters delight in the frozen lagoon during the winter months. Tenney Park has a unique location in Madison. Not only is it on the shore of Lake Mendota, but there you will also find the Yahara River that connects Lake Mendota to Lake Monona. Tenney Park rests between Sherman Avenue and E. Johnson Street and takes about 45 minutes by foot or 15-minutes by bike to get there from the Memorial Union.
Ice Climbing in Winona, MN
Hoofer Outing teamed up with Hoofer Mountaineering to climb the 200 foot ice park in Winona, MN!
Cross-Country Skiing in Winona, MN
Hoofers journeyed to Winona, MN for some gorgeous late winter XC skiing featuring a hard-packed ski jump!
Hoofers against Climate Change!
Don Faith took a nice climate photo on the Lake Columbia trip of member and instructor Carl holding a climate protest sign on a freakishly warm solstice day.
Pheasant Branch Conservancy Hike
A couple of Hoofers headed over to Pheasant Branch Conservancy last week for an early winter hike!
Washington AORE-AEE Conference
Our Club Advisor, Adam, and members of the exec board, Evan, Laura, and Ansley, flew out to Washington just over a week ago to attend the AORE-AEE conference. They learned about leadership, equity in the outdoors, risk management, and a variety of other things that they will bring back to the club in the coming months!
Chequamegon-Nicolet Backpacking
"Last weekend, we had 16 Hoofer backpackers ready to drive down to the Shawnee National Forest in Illinois. An hour before departure, we decided a weekend forecast of rain and storms didn't sound so fun. So we changed plans and headed up to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest to hike the Hidden Lakes loop! There was night-hiking, pancakes, sunshine, old-growth hemlock, missing tents, swamp crossings, a fabulous dog and lots of pretty lakes! On the drive back, we were looking forward to home-made donuts from Paul Bunyan's Cook Shanty, but they were closed for the season, so we settled for a very dog-enthusiastic cafe."- Jacob Ng, Trip Leader
Sylvania Wilderness Canoe Trip
"Our crew went up to Sylvania Wilderness for the weekend and were just in time to see some gorgeous fall colors! We experimented with some new food, saw tons of swans, and started a fire in the rain against all odds making this an awesome way to end the paddling season"- Forrest Ahrens, Trip Leader
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Backpacking
Participants drove 5 hours up to Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Munising, MI! They did a key swap hike, enjoying the beautiful colors of the lakeshore in this time of year. The tarps deterred most of the rain, and the backcountry cooking was awesome (the burritos were voted best meal of the trip, closely followed by s'mores for breakfast). Overall it was an awesome weekend for a lake superior hike!
Ice Age Trail Backpacking
Participants drove 3 hours up the Ice Age Trail - Harrison Hills Segment stopping along the way for Belt's Ice Cream (a foot tall of ice cream in a cone!). Total mileage was about 15mi, trekking through spectacular fall colors and around many small, reflective lakes. It was a cold, rainy day on Saturday but an absolutely gorgeous fall morning on Sunday!
First Trail Run!
A beautiful run on a 65-degree fall day in Madison! Participants jogged out to picnic point and back, the first Trail Run of many more!
Day at the Lake
Even though participants got a little wet, the day at Devil's Lake was a blast! With a reserved shelter and miles of beautiful hiking around Devil's Lake State Park, there was a multitude of activities to do including a grill-out and lawn games after the hike. On the way back there was a stop at Ski-Hi Fruit Farm for some fresh apples!
Big Mountains: Aconcagua
Hey Hoofers! Come join Isabel Rojas-Viada and your fellow Hoofers in sparking a dialouge about big mountain climbing. She will be showing photos and telling stories of her climbing experiences on Aconcagua - the highest summit in South America! Bring your most adventurous self!