Charles Mound is open to the public during the summer on the first weekend of the month. So I made the short drive from Madison one Saturday afternoon, joining a large number of other crazy people willing to spend a day off driving large distances (one fellow highpointer was from Kansas) in order to take pictures of a hill.
And a very lovely hill it is. I parked along the road, and hiked about a mile and a half along the lane to the summit. The lane passes directly by the front yard of the owners, who undoubtedly have a gracious sense of humor about their geographical claim to fame.
The hike -- really more of an walk, or perhaps an amble -- is very nice. Oak trees spread their leaves over the lane, and cows graze absent-mindedly in the green meadows. A light rain was falling while I was there, and a slight wind made for a pleasantly cool day, definitely not the norm for a Midwestern August.
The summit itself is crowned with a home-made sign on a tripod, a few lawn chairs, and a USGS survey marker. The northern view from the crest of the hill is very nice, as rolling fields and meadows, separated by dark groves of trees, stretch away into Wisconsin.
