Where better to go rock climbing than Minnesota's Rock County?
LUVERNE, Minn. -- How about rock climbing in Rock County of all places? In this week's Finding Minnesota, see why people come from across the country to scale the cliffs at Blue Mounds State Park.
In the most southwestern part of the state, you'll find plants and animals of all shapes and sizes.
"This is kind of the gateway to the west," Chris Ingebretsen, park manager, said.
There's prickly pear cactus on the ground, turkey vultures overhead, and even a herd of bison that roams more than 500 acres of land.
"We actually have a very large snake population. Nothing poisonous, but fox snakes, garter snakes," Ingebretsen said.
Visitors say it's a place for both the nature-seeker and the thrill-seeker.
"In general, climbing is just a challenging, fun sport. Physically taxing, mental challenging," Austin Roemling, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said.
"It's definitely worth the drive. The rocks are good. They're special," Kristin Aanenson, of De Smet, South Dakota, said.
"If it's 75 degrees down here it'll feel like it's probably 85 degrees up on the rock," Craig Laisbegan said. "It's my favorite thing to do."
Laisbegan climbing Blue Mounds State Park 28 years ago and never looked back. Not bad for a guy who used to be afraid of heights. Laisbegan is with his friends Tom Dickey and Evan Wilke, who made a daytrip from Nebraska just to climb Blue Mounds.
"We'll spend our seven hours on the road to get four or five here," Dickey said.
"We don't have any rocks at all where I live," Wilke said.
Before they climb the 70-foot cliff, they anchor down up top, triple-checking to make sure everything is secure.
"The chances of an accident here are small but very real," Laisbegan said.
Once it's safe, then it's time to get down so you can go back up. The trio is equipped with carabiners, climbing shoes, harness and rope. One man is the belay, the other is the climber.
There are several different routes to the summit and this group will try them all before the day is done. For first-timers, finding your footing and getting a feel for the rock is key.
One of the challenges is that Sioux Quartzite is a slippery rock making it hard to get a grip, but the views make it all worthwhile.
"Look at this, you know. Look out here. And it's just such a cool area," Laisbegan said from the top of the cliff.
It's a chance to see Minnesota from a different point of view.
"It's just one of the most beautiful places I've been. But then you throw climbing into it and it makes it even better," Dickey said.
Blue Mounds State Park is just a couple miles from the city of Luverne.
