Day 13: A Shiver in Devil's Lake/ Where's Aldo?

It was a dark and stormy night... Literally. Tents were flooded. It was in-tents... On the bright side, at least, in the morning we all were afforded an extra hour or two of sleep due to the loss that the downpour had caused. Although many of us woke up damp, our spirits were not so! We forged on to the first activity of the day, The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center.

In front of the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center.

 Here we had our first plant test on the road, which unanimously proved easier than the previous two we took this semester. Our conclusion was that we all are having an easier time getting a grip on Latin as a class. After the quiz we all positioned ourselves for the two short videos that were shown; the first covering Aldo Leopold's mission and his life, and the second explaining the Aldo Leopold Foundation. We then ventured back to the vans. After a short ride we found ourselves at the famous Aldo Leopold Shack. The shack was purchased in 1935 by Aldo Leopold, a well noted conservationist, writer, philosopher, and outdoor enthusiast. The shack was originally an abandoned chicken coop, surrounded by scarce vegetation. Within the first year there Leopold and his family began their transformation of the grounds by planting around 3,000 native plants. Over the next several decades the family continued to restore the land and live by his philosophy of living in harmony with the land. This experience was special for all of us after acquainting ourselves with Leopold's writings in his book, A Sand County Almanac.

Aldo Leopold's family shack.

We're improving our quick sketch techniques!

Outside the dwelling we were able to gather and read aloud from the book, learn more about the site and the man who built it, and reflect and discuss our opinions. After completing a short, ten minute sketch, we all did a lay down, critiqued, and left. We returned to the campsite for lunch and prepared for our hike on Devil's Lake.

Afternoon view of Devil's Lake.

     That afternoon we went on a hike on the Eastern side of Devil's Lake. The hike was beautiful and exhibited special features such as Balance Rock and Devil's Doorway, both of which rested on steep, rocky, cliff faces. This made the assigned water color at Devil's Doorway a wee bit more adventurous.

Some of us had more precarious places to paint than others, but we all made it back to camp!

After a lay down and critique we turned around and headed back to the campsite. We returned around six and finished the day with dinner, s'mores, and stories by the campfire. What a great way to end our last night of camping! That night we all fell asleep abuzz with excitement and filled with dreams of Chicago style deep dish. YUM!