The Rawah Writing Project

How to write the first wedding sermon of your life? Hit the mountains, of course.

Rawah Lakes Wilderness
Roosevelt National Forest
25.0 miles, 3 nights

8/29 North Fork of the Larimer
small site for one or two tents 200 feet upstream of the trail crossing.
steady rain, huge thunder not long after i got my tent up.

8/30 Rawah Lake #2
beautiful large campsite across the creek from the trail, on north shore of lake.

8/31 Camp Lake
several areas for one or two tents just uphill of south shore.
read first draft of sermon aloud to a huge bull moose. he didn't seem impressed.

Very pretty scenery. Convenient to Fort Collins, front range. Didn't seem busy. Relatively well-marked trails. Good variety of campsites.

Turtle-Flambeau Flowage

Turtle-Flambeau Scenic Waters Area
Solo Seakayaking

Beautiful islands (195) and shoreline (300+ miles). Many, many great campsites (60) scattered across innumerable lakes and bays (14,000 acres).

Wilderness feel despite some houses on shoreline. Heavy usage by long-term fishermen who use campsites as week-long base. Availability was an issue, even in late Spring.

Great training ground for Apostle Island paddling. Open lakes feel like big open water. Orientation/navigation can be tricky, especially when you're first getting familiar with the flowage.

Put-in and take-out at Springstead Landing, nice developed landing.

5/20/2008 Site C7
paddled through Voluntary Quiet Area
5/21/2008 Site C2



Site Review:

A1 - really nice access, quiet bay, lots of open space
B1 - group site is spacious, secluded private bay, nice fire ring, no beach
C1 - very close to C3
C2 - Beautiful spot above little beach, awesome view of islands
C3 - very close to C1
C4 - really nice island
C7 - great site, but out in the open
D2 - great location, picturesque, secluded
D5 - very small island, looked bumpy
D6 - great fire ring, but lousy tent sites
D7 - nice island, but dinky site
D8 - better situated, 2-way views
D9 - MIA? Site might have suffered from a recent storm?
D11 - nice quiet bay
D26 - fun setting, but no tentpad on isthmus
D30 - nice views with multiple tentpads
D34 - nice bay, but not secluded
D35 - magnificent sand beach all along bay, but smallish site