Midwest Adventurers

This event is open to everyone. Point Beach State Forest features 3,000 acres of land and 6 miles of sandy beach along the shores of Lake Michigan. Point Beach offers family campsites, two large group cabins and an outdoor group camp. A popular feature within the property is the Rawley Point Lighthouse which has been operated and maintained by the US Coast Guard since 1853. Point Beach offers, biking trails, boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming with a separate beach for dogs, camping, hiking-part of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail comes through here, horseback riding, hunting, cross country ski trails, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing.

Weather
This is a winter trip, please check the weather forecast and come prepared for various temperatures.

Cabin
We will be staying at the indoor group camp Coenen cabin. This cabin sleeps 16 people. A wood walkway leads to the dunes and the lake. The cabin is furnished with a countertop, tables, bunks and benches. There is no electricity. Campers need to bring sleeping bags and lanterns or flashlights for light. All cooking is done outside on the outdoor grill. There is a wood-burning stove for heat. Vault toilets, a picnic shelter, picnic tables and an outdoor campfire ring are all located at the cabin. Make sure and bring a camp chair. We will all be sleeping in one big room and if you are sensitive to noises be sure and bring earplugs. 

Friday
Arrive at the cabin anytime after 3 PM. Stroll down to the beach, get settled on your bunk, have dinner, go in town for dinner, chill out by the fire.

Saturday
This is your time to have some fun. Go on a hike, take your bike out, take your kayak out, head into town and check out Two Rivers/Manitowoc shops and area. We can get together as a group and plan some fun activities together.

Sunday
Have breakfast do some more more exploring the activities of the park. We don’t have to check out until 12 PM.

Fees
Your $15 Meetup fee covers $10 in 2 nights of camping costs, $2 in Meetup fees and $3 in firewood. The fee does not cover personal equipment, food or any extra activities you want to do when you arrive at the cabin. You will need a Wisconsin State Pass to enter the state park. Please send your fee through Venmo @Sherri-Lockwood or you can send it through Zelle at 414-759-6317. Payment is due within 48 hours of signing up. Refunds will be issued if notified by Monday, November 11.

Getting to the Cabin
There is a brown sign with white letters that says “Indoor Group Camp”. It does not mention the word cabins, but that is where you need to head to. It’s located on the west side of the road marking a long gravel road heading east to the cabins. This is about a mile south from the park entrance.

This one-night winter camping trip is designed for both beginner and intermediate camper/backpacker trying out winter camping for the first time or maybe you had a horrible fail last time and bought some new stuff to try out. We’ll provide a safe place to put yourself and your gear to the test for cold weather. We can talk about ideas, what others do to keep warm, and the different type of gear for backpacking and for regular camping. Take advantage of this experience and simulate a winter trip. If you want to expand into winter backpacking only bring your backpack and the gear you will use, if you like loading up your car and doing regular camping bring those items. We will have a large, heated tent set up just in case you get cold in the middle of the night and want to move in there. If you want to try out winter hammock camping, we have lots of trees. We will also have flush bathrooms on site.

We have two very friendly dogs and other friendly dogs are more than welcome. We only ask that you clean up after them, and make sure and bring warm jackets/blankets for them. Don’t forget a chair for sitting around the campfire!

Saturday
Head over to our place any time after 9:30am and get your tent/area set up. We have a large area so don’t worry about the size of your tent if you are doing “regular” camping and not “backpack” camping. Hang out and meet everyone, then at around 11am we will head off to get a nice hike in at either Mirror Lake, Devil's Lake or Quincy Bluff and Wetlands State Natural Area which are all close by. We can decide which one as a group and carpool over. State parking passes will be needed. Afterwards we can head back for lunch that you brought or stop on the way to grab something at a local restaurant in town. After we get back, we can go around and look at everyone’s set ups, discuss what they like about it, what they are trying new, what happened wrong last time, why they chose those certain items, offer suggestions and then relax. In the evening we will sit around the fire, socialize more and have the dinner that you brought.

Sunday
Enjoy the breakfast you brought and for those who would like to, we can carpool and go on a after breakfast hike, or you can pack up and head home.

Weather
This is a winter trip, please check the weather forecast and come prepared for cold temperatures, and with warm sleeping gear for inside your tent.

Directions
This will be happening in the Wisconsin Dells at a private residence, the address will be given before the event.

Fees
This is a free event.

This event is open to everyone. At more than 33,000 acres, Horicon Marsh is one of the largest freshwater marshes in the United States and is a critical rest stop for thousands of migrating ducks and Canada geese. It is recognized as a Wetland of International Importance, as both Globally and State Important Bird Areas and is also a unit of the Ice Age Scientific Reserve. Located in Dodge and Fond du Lac counties, Horicon Marsh is fed by the Rock River which flows through the refuge following a course through southern Wisconsin and eventually ending in the Mississippi River at Rock Island, Illinois. The Horicon Marsh is a shallow, peat-filled lake bed scoured out of limestone by the Green Bay lobe of the massive Wisconsin glacier. The marsh itself is approximately 14 miles long and ranges from 3-5 miles in width. National wildlife refuges offer us all a chance to unplug from the stresses of daily life and reconnect with our natural surroundings. Many opportunities exist to enjoy Horicon National Wildlife Refuge including opportunities for wildlife observation, photography, hiking, fishing, educational programs, guided tours, bicycling, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, deer and upland game hunting and trapping.

Directions
Horicon Marsh Redhead Trailhead Parking Lot – Coordinates 43.63024N, 88.66933W
Access from the main parking lot of the refuge auto tour off Hwy 49

Weather
This is a winter outing, please check the weather forecast and come prepared.

Outing
Let’s enjoy a nice late morning winter stroll. This is rated as a easy trail, bring the kids! These are great trails for viewing wildlife and the Rock River. The trails loops thru prairie, marsh and forest habitats, some areas are asphalt, boardwalk and crushed gravel. Inclines and cross slopes of more than 5% with some uneven terrain. You can find the trails we will be doing on AllTrails if you would like to download them or use it for directions. Friendly leashed dogs are welcome. Afterwards we could stop in town for a group lunch if anyone is interested.

Fees
There is no fee for this event