Parfrey's Glen - Wisconsin Trails

Another not-so-hidden treasure of a hike in Wisconsin is Parfrey's Glen. This hike has been floating around the world of Pinterest the past few months as well.  It is located in a similar area to Pewits Nest ... just on the other end of Devil's Lake State Park.

This is another fantastically beautiful hike to take that is totally worth the two hours we spent in the car to get there. It is another family friendly hike that we took with a baby as young as 4 months old to a very young grandma!

Parfrey's Glen is Wisconsin's very first State Natural Area and is located right outside of Devil's Lake State Park and right next to the Ice Age Trail. At most, the glen reaches a height of 100 feet and has a mountain like (chilly) creek flowing through its floor.

The trail takes you from the parking lot to the start of the glen. The path is pretty flat until this point and very easy walking. This portion would be pretty stroller friendly but once you reach the entry of the glen ... the stroller would need to be left behind.

From here you can continue to trek through the glen and enjoy the babbling creek and huge sandstone walls. The walls are sandstone embedded with boulders, pebbles and quartzite. Resist the urge to climb the walls of the canyon and protect the variety of flora that surrounds you.

The whole family enjoyed walking through the creek, scrambling over rocks and fallen logs and going on an adventure! My 6 year old niece exclaimed that "this is the best day of my whole life"!


DO:
-Wear shoes that you don't mind getting wet! Due to flooding and destruction of bridges the past twenty years, there are some areas that you must go in the water to get across and your feet will get wet despite your best intentions.
-Bring a towel and dry shoes.
-Try to stay on the trail ...
-Go on a warm day! The water is quite chilly and you may appreciate the warmer temps!
-Clean up after yourself ... don't leave anything behind! Help keep this area beautiful for future generations.

DON'T:
-Bring food or drink into the park other than water.
-Bring your animals.

Pewits Nest - Wisconsin Trails

Floating around in the Pinterest-sphere are pictures of hidden places to visit in Wisconsin. Of course, now that they have been pinned and repinned and shared and sent, they are no longer hidden treasures but public treasures instead.

One that consistently pops up is a place near Devil's Lake State Park called Pewits Nest. Pewits Nest is a State Natural Area located right outside of Baraboo, Wisconsin. The draw to this particular location is a 30-40 foot deep gorge that was formed by glaciers. A creek then cut its way through the sandstone and created a creek with deeper holes, waterfalls and shallow waters that visitors can walk through.

This hike is a great one for families. The terrain is easy with only a few locations that require a helping hand. I took this hike with my sister, her husband, their 3 year old and 4 month old. The baby was strapped into a baby bjorn and was just along with the ride! The 3 year old did great and had no trouble walking the trail and even enjoyed walking/swimming through the gorge.

The distance from the parking area to the water is not very long at all. It is mostly shaded and flat. Once you get to the water, visitors can choose to walk through the water down the canyon or stick to the trail that meanders along the ridge of the canyon. If you choose to walk through the water, be careful and be prepared to get wet. The water can get quite deep in some areas and it will require that you swim for a short distance.

Either way, it is a BEAUTIFUL place and definitely worth the drive to visit.

DO:
-Bring swim clothes and/or an extra pair of clothes and towel.
-Bring water shoes if you have them! The rocks can be slippery and it is a better alternative to drenching your sneakers ... though I did and it worked out okay!
-Bring a camera, this canyon is gorgeous.
-Clean up after yourself. Don't leave trash lying around, keep this area beautiful for future generations.
-Go on a nice day! The water is a bit chilly and you may appreciate warmer temps if you wish to swim.
-Be prepared to wait for parking. Now that this is no longer a hidden treasure, parking can be hard to find in the lot. Visitors are not allowed to park on the street and will be ticketed if found!

DON'T:
-Bring animals. According to the website animals are not allowed.
-Bring snacks or beverages other than water - they would prefer that you eat your snacks outside of the natural area in order to keep it in good condition.
-Jump from rocks - you may see other people doing this, but the DNR would prefer you don't in order to protect the area.

The State of Teaching

Fair warning ... this post will focus on the downward spiral that is the teaching profession. So if you are a republican supporting, Scott Walker loving, hating public education kinda person ... you can stop reading now. Or better yet, please do read on. Read on and open your eyes to the travesty that is happening in what used to be a great, great state.

A statement released today by the Department of Public Instruction said that, "The legislation being rolled into the biennial budget would require the Department of Public Instruction to license anyone with a bachelor’s degree in any subject to teach English, social studies, mathematics, and science. The only requirement is that a public school or school district or a private choice school determines that the individual is proficient and has relevant experience in each subject they teach."

So. Wait. Let me get this straight. In the state of Wisconsin anybody with a bachelor's degree would receive a teaching license? Anybody? It doesn't even matter what their bachelor's degree is in, they would be licensed to teach English, social studies, math and science?

Someone please tell me, how does having a Bachelor's degree in Business Management gives you the appropriate credentials to teach common core mathematics to a bunch of fourth graders? Please, tell me how a Bachelor's in Business Management is going to help you teach the multiplication place value sections area model to a student who comes from a low income family and can't afford to eat breakfast?

By this logic, I am qualified to do all sorts of things with my life. I have a Bachelor's degree in Education so clearly I am qualified to work in other fields as long as I have relevant experience.
I have flown in a plane and therefore I am qualified to fly a plane.
I have cooked food and therefore I am qualified to be a top chef in a fancy restaurant.
I have sung along to the radio and therefore know that millions of people who like to hear me sing.
I have driven a car and therefore can be the Chief Executive of Automobile Safety.

Right?

Now what do they consider 'relevant experience' in the field? If they aren't required to have a degree in teaching and take courses in each of those subject areas ... where do they receive the relevant experience? Is it enough to have sat through math classes during elementary school - does that count as experience? Where is the line drawn?

On the flip side of this ... we are treating our teachers who have a valid, hard earned teaching license as if they are the scum of the earth. Teachers are required to undergo the Educator Effectiveness evaluation system. The system where we look teachers square in the face and say, "You Suck. Now prove you don't."

Even in the justice system we say that people are innocent until proven guilty. We give them the benefit of the doubt and allow them to state their claim. Yet, we don't give educators the benefit of the doubt. I'm not saying that we don't need an evaluation system. We just need a refined one where we differentiate what teachers are asked to prove. We shouldn't tell all educators that they suck and then ask them to spend 20+ hours to prove their worth to 'the man'. 20+ hours where they could be working on activities that they could use with their students.

I don't know if I know the answers to solve these problems. But I do know that we are not doing right by our students. We are not supporting the teachers who work hard and sometimes even give their lives to support their students. We need to keep qualified educators in the classroom.

Something has got to change or the state of our state will continue to burrow deeper into the mud.