Fall Creek Campground, on Fall Lake, is just about the last place you can stay in modern convenience (relatively speaking), before you hit the Boundary Waters, where amenities don't exist. It has everything you need in a campground, and more! Great for the family, or simply an overnight before a bigger adventure. And while I was here, I got a chance to test out my new Lily Trotter Socks!

Campground Review

We've been to this campground before, but this time, "our site" wasn't available. You know, the one you ALWAYS go to because it's "the best one". So, we had a different experience this time. This one was an "electric" spot, for an RV or such, but worked just as well as a tent pad. And yes, they do have "tent only" sites, but they were all booked this time. Very popular camp.

We were at site #8. There isn't a site that is very far from the lake, and this held true for #8 as well. The whole campground is like a big oval that is connected from one side to the other by small cut-across paths. Each cut-across has a bathroom (guarded by a keypad that you receive the code to when you check-in). That makes them just a little bit nicer, since random folks can't just happen through and take showers and such. And yes...there are showers! Rather large stalls that are pretty clean. Not like the old fashioned shower stalls with curtains that pools have in the locker rooms. This is a nice, bigger stall with a door.

Our site was near a watering spot, with potable water. So super easy to "fill up" before bed time or before you head into the BWCA. And something I've never seen before...a fire bucket! They are located at most water sources. How smart! Each site has a very well maintained and fairly large fire ring with a a grate on a pivot that you can swing out of the way. The tent pad was a tiny bit off-kilter, but then again, this was really an RV site, so I'm not complaining. Just a note. And just at the end of the campground was a lovely little playground (truly...very nice play-set rooted on sand) and a little beach with a roped off swimming area. There were even some benches for the adults to rest on. Perfect! Very pleased with this campground, every time we visit.

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At Fall Lake (and at other times during my trip), I tested a pair of awesome compression socks from Lily Trotters. I received two pairs in size S/M, but only tested one at this campground. To be honest, they are so awesome, I didn't want to get the second pair dirty quite yet :) The Totally Solid Black were just that...absolutely, totally solid, in more ways than one! Here are some observations:

1. First, I must note, that my feet are on the small side (size 6.5). Most women's socks are too big. They have excess room in the toes and "stretch" out and bunch up in my shoes. So I have a very hard time finding anything that fits properly. Being compression socks, I knew they would be tighter fitting, so I was very excited to try them on! They fit like a glove, and I loved it! No bunching, no stretching, no falling down. They are the first "tall" sock that I've ever put on my foot that didn't fall down during the day. They truly do compress, but not in a bad way. My legs felt "livelier" and "rested" while I was wearing them.
2. The top band absolutely didn't cut into my leg. I have shorter legs, so sometimes, the bands hit right below my knee and cut in. Although these hit me in the same spot, they caused no problems, at all, during my wear. And they are very stretchy!
3. I also put them on, later in the trip, during portages. I know that's not their intended use, but I can absolutely see these being a great asset to a long sitting session in a canoe, and then on the portages themselves. They seems to dry quickly and didn't really feel wet, even when they were.
4. I'm absolutely certain they'd be fantastic while hiking too. Can't wait to try them out in that fashion! As "compressed" as they are against my feet, I'm guessing they'd be great to help prevent blisters and alleviate friction. (they did prevent the normal rub spot/blister spot I have when wearing my water shoes)
5. I believe that all their socks are identical, except for the color (oh...they do come in two different sizes), so the only difficult thing about ordering them is choosing which fancy pattern you want!

Oh, and one more note. I am a pastry chef, so I'm on my feet about 10 hours a day. I wore these to work, recently, on what was an incredibly demanding day. Up and down the stairs, all over the kitchen and they didn't falter once. My normal socks "shift and twist" inside my Danish clogs, but these never needed adjustment, not even once. Awesome!