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Backpacking Stephens State Forest - Woodburn Unit West Loop

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This is my second installment of my experience backpacking the Woodburn Unit at Stephens State Forest near Chariton, IA.  This post will be focused on the West Loop.  My thoughts on the East Loop are here . The West Loop is three miles and has two campsites, Bottom Oak and Buck Stop Camps.  If you have not read my post on the East Loop here is a little review of the Woodburn Unit.  It consists of two loops between 2.5 and 3 miles in length each.  There is parking and water where the two loops meet in the middle.  So, after refilling my water and visiting with a college student from Iowa State who was heading out after one night I was back on the trail. When you start the West loop there is a straight path until you get to the fork in the road.  You can go north on the North Slope Trail, you can go south on the Shagbark Trail, but don't go straight on the DNR access path.  I chose to go north and was greeted by some slow rolling hills and beaut...
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Backpacking Stephens State Forest - Woodburn Unit East Loop

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It was an early spring outing and I was itching to use some new equipment and learning I had obtained over the winter.  I had never been to Stephens State Forest before so I was welcoming a new experience.  I live in the Des Moines Metropolitan area and Stephens Forest is about an hour south of Des Moines so it is easy to get to for a quick weekend.  I was planning on a two night trip and had to get down there after work so somewhere close was kind of imperative. Some good to know information for you if you choose take some time and explore the Woodburn Unit. 1. There is a nice parking area at the trail head.  It has box of maps and a faucet for fresh water is available.  It was my only water source for the trip, other than what I brought from home. 2.  The trail is broke up into an east loop and a west loop.  The east loop is 3.25 miles and the west loop is 3 miles. The parking lot sits between each loop. 3.  There are three campsites on...
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Location: 2343-2395 330th Ave, Woodburn, IA 50275, USA
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Compelled to Take the Unfamiliar Path

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My name is Craig and lately I have felt as if I have something to share.  This is definitely an unfamiliar path for me.  Unfamiliar Paths is taken from Isaiah 42:16  and I think it applies to many peoples' need to take the unfamiliar path and how God is always there to guide them.  He even promises to make the rough parts of the path smooth.  I wish he was talking about the last hike I was on, because there were some not so smooth parts.  Hopefully my blogging experience will be a little smoother. Many of my blogs will be about hiking, backpacking, or ice fishing in the state of Iowa.  Either technical details on a particular set of trails, or reflection upon my experience on that trail.  I think those should be kept separate.  Some people are looking for information on a particular set of trails and some people might want to know that some of the shenanigans they encounter on the trail are the same as everybody else. Full disclosure....
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Location: Iowa, USA
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