Hiking Wildcat

Sunday morning we went hiking at Wildcat State Park. 

The State Parks have a rule about leashed dogs which I follow strictly. When I stop to take photos, along a trail, I generally step on the leashes and tell them to sit. Hannah is learning what it is like to be a 'photography' assistant. 

It has taken all of my dogs at least a year to understand that they have to be near me when I stop for photos. Charlie is an expert now and I expect Hannah will be in another year [I hope!]

Anyway.

I was pretty unhappy to have to scramble when a gent with two angry Corgis and one angry mixed breed dog came charging at us growling off leash. 

To his credit, the owner tackled them and struggled to hang on to them while they were snarling and growling.

He grabbed them by their vests in the brush and it was all he could do to hold them. 

I passed without saying a word. But you bet I had a few things I wanted to say.

Hannah is trying out a reflective vest that Charlie has worn for a few years. It fits her perfectly. It never fit Charlie very well but I did find a new vest for him which should arrive some time on Monday.

This is a cool little footbridge over a ravine.

I knew that we'd meet other hikers as this is a well visited trail. When we saw other hikers coming, I'd take my dogs off the trail and work with Hannah on her sit and reactions to other people walking by.

She did pretty good when the other hikers ignored her, she came undone and bouncy when people started to coo to her. 

The Old Settler's Trail at Wildcat is a no hunting/no trapping zone in the park which is why I decided to go there. 

Pheasant season opened this weekend and the Reserve is usually packed with hunters and their pheasant dogs. The hunters I've met there have always been polite and mostly in complete control of their hounds.

Thankfully, we had hiked the coolest part of the trail along the sandstone/limestone/karst bluffs before the trail got busy with other hikers.

I got this beautiful abstract of lichen growing on the side of the sandstone.

Below that was some of my favorite mosses to find.

Snakeskin Liverwort

It grows in high moisture areas along bluffs and near springs. This was evidence of a fairly wet year for our area.

The hike was pleasant, out of the winds, and very unhurried.  We did come across more dogs on our hike and these dogs were so well behaved it made me blush.

Reminder to myself though, on a perfect fall weekend day, don't chose the most popular hiking trail in the area to explore.

Old place revisited

 

Above 👆

Photo of Rich on his beloved mule Fred.

21 years ago in the fall.

It has been a while since I visited the Wildcat Mountain State Park 'horse trails'. A person can hike those trails but I've never done that.

I've avoided taking hikes on the horse trails because of ... well, I thought the memories of us riding our mules there would be too painful.

Hannah and I set out on foot. It felt weird to navigate the trails on my own. Before I always had Rich as the navigator. He never seemed to need a map, he seemed to always know exactly where he was. 

I decided to explore the horse trails by foot since I have a trailer --but no truck to pull it. Nor do I have the skill to be confident in turning our large trailer around.

Even though I haven't been down these trails in a long time certain places just hit me with bittersweet memories. [Those are shown above]

We rarely had to chat when we rode. Rich was quiet, unless he was calling his chosen mule a name. Fred was sure his name was 'Goddamitfred'. We'd laugh about that all of the time. 

We packed a lunch of ring bologna, cheese, and Ritz crackers. We brought water along to wash it down. We often stopped at a spot called Johnny Cake to have our picnics.

Sunshine is the 'butt' on the right.

Today, it was just Hannah and I. 

We ran into a couple of lady riders that were trying to avoid Johnny Cake and get out to the Yellow Trail. I helped them navigate and gave them the second copy of the map I'd taken at the park entrance.

I spent a long time at Johnny Cake. 

I sat on that very same picnic table and let my mind wander into fond memories.

I thought that Memory Lane would make me sad. It didn't, it made me smile with remembering all the good times we had while mounted.

Life in the saddle was always so sweet. After all, that is how we met. 

Hannah and I enjoyed the trails and the deep forest trails we walked through. Everything was new to my 'feet' since I'd never walked any of these trails before. We just walked along and enjoyed everything we were seeing.

The memories were sweet and endearing.

Hannah and I got back to where I'd parked and sat down to have some water and snacks.

We will go back soon.

It is a place of fond memories and a place where we can create new ones.

Not only that...there are still 14 more miles of trails we can explore by foot.

Wildcat Mountain State Park

I used to ride equine at Wildcat Mountain nearly every week with Rich. I started hiking it, snow shoeing it, and cross country skiing the trails about 10 years ago. That's when Rich stopped driving, riding, and doing many things he used to be able to do.

The view above is from the Lookout point not far from the parking lot. I just had my little point and shoot camera with me and cell phone. So this is just a view looking out from the Look out point framed by a tree.

This was taken two years ago on a hike with a fellow blogger Aurora in November. I think this is one of my favorite Autumn photos of all time. But then I have many!

I'd gone to see if I could find an attendant at the Park Office and of course it was closed. I wanted to pay and receive a year's State Park pass. 

Charlie and I decided to hike the Old Settler's Trail which is a 2.2 mile hike. I don't consider it a rough or tough hike but it really can be. The altitude changes on this trail add up to 581 ft. That is pretty interesting as I never had a used a GPS tracker before to figure that out. What a great workout it is!

The footing is pretty good in most places but one has to watch out for roots and rocks that hide on the trail and spring up to grab your foot! 

I came across and elderly man [maybe he wasn't elderly I just perceived it that way] who was hiking with hiking poles. I thought to myself. That is very smart with those attack rocks and roots. I've never used them. 

I tried a walking stick for a while but in true Val Fashion. I see something I want to photograph, drop the stick and then have to backtrack to pick up the stick I forgot.

The sign at the start of the Loop says that the trail takes 1.5 to 2 hours to complete. 

I told Charlie, I thought that was a good challenge. With all of our sniffing and dawdling, we did it in 1 hour and 20 minutes. 

I think these 'stairs' were probably the hardest part. They are on steep hillsides alongside bluffs and are not spaced like a normal person would walk. Charlie handled it fine. I was a bit more careful. These stairs went around a bluff called Taylor Hollow Outlook. I wish they'd cut down the brush at the outlook point so one could see better into the valleys.

Yet, the rock formations remain very impressive.

I will admit to climbing around on those rocks when hiking with my young neighbors a couple of years ago.

I don't do that when hiking solo.

Charlie seemed tireless and kept the pace going except for when he found a good scent or a perfect tree that he could pee on.

Charlie and I have hiked 151 miles since the first of October. My Garmin shows only 148, but one day I didn't have my watch along so I used MapMyWalk. I get too restless if I am stuck at home going through stuff, so I need a break and fresh air often.

I leave things right here as I don't want to charge off on other topics that have been on my mind.

Have a day.

Hiking Wildcat Mountain State Park

I went hiking with Aurora again for our Fall hike at Wildcat Mountain State Park. We were too late for the peak fall colors but we still had almost picture perfect weather for our hike. The Old Settler's Trail drops from the ridge to a valley where we walked in peace and out of the gusts of winds.

We had our 'fearless' leader lead the way. Funny how he seems to know the trails by heart. He has only done this trail three times.

There are a few very steep parts of the trail and one is at the trail head where you descend log and dirt stairs down into a valley. The part we all forget is that this is a lollipop loop which means you have to come back up those stairs. 

The other steep part is coming around the base of the outcropping of rock and following the steep log and dirt steps up to the top of the rock. There is a look out on top with a guard rail to keep the idiots from climbing out on the prepuces and falling. 

I hopped over the railing and stepped to the edge as I have done for years.

In the summer you have to walk through poison ivy to see the tip of the rock.

Really, it isn't that scenic and wild at the end of the rock. The beauty is all around when you look down at the forest and valley below from the proper place behind the barriers. This rock and the scene it looks down on are best viewed in early spring and late fall.

I love the visuals on the trail. My favorite it this long bridge. This trail is also used for snowshoeing in the winter.

Same bridge in August 2020:

How different things look in different seasons. Try the winter! 
December 2016:

The trail through the pine stand was one of the trails I was so looking forward to. In years past, this has always been so incredibly beautiful no matter what the season. However, last years heavy wet snowfall combined with high winds took its toll on this gorgeous part of the trail.

August 2020:

and early morning in 2016:

Much to our surprise we were lucky enough to spot a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers. I was only able to get these two halfway decent shots of one of them working on a tree.

I have two nesting pairs of these in our surrounding forest. They are shy birds that generally are hard to see unless you are deep in the forest. This was one of the rare times that I/we got to watch them work while seemingly undisturbed by our presence.

Another look at the trails that run through the woods in the summer.
August 2020:

Meanwhile we headed back towards the parking lot with the late afternoon sun shining down into the trees below us just before having to climb back up the steep stairway.

I really think these trails are stunning in any light and any season.

Last but not least...there is the overlook next to the parking lot. The view is downright stunning.

Our view on Wednesday:

and just below the overlook a view of the river taken at the same outlook at a different angle in October 2018:

This view looks down on the Kickapoo River.

Aurora and I had fun walking, talking, moving slippery leaves out of our way so we wouldn't slip and fall. The fun part of hiking with Aurora is that she has taught me to look at things differently with my eyes and camera.

Last note.
There are also up to 15 to 20 miles that are for equine and hikers. That may be my next challenge. 

Morning Jaunt

I went to Wildcat Mountain State Park earlier this summer in the middle of the week and found the place crowded with campers.

Fortunately not a lot of hearty souls were out on the the furthest part of the trails. I took side trails to keep from running into the mini hoards of people. This time was different.

There was one other vehicle there with a motorhome. They were bow hunters taking advantage of the open section of the park. The hiking trails are closed to trapping and hunting which is part of the reason I chose to take Charlie and enjoy a nice long walk in nature on nice trails.

My goal was to figure out how to hike to all the lookouts. I parked near the Ampitheatre area and took the shortcut to Taylor Hollow Lookout. From there I decided I'd just hike the Old Settler's Trail.

I brought along my little pocket camera that shoots infrared, this 'brown' season is great for black and white. Charlie and I are at the trailhead to Taylor Hollow Lookout.

Below, view of the stairs that lead down and around the rock. I am standing on top of the rock. Charlie is peering over the edge and surveying the landscape.

Next shot...See Charlie leading the way down the 'stairs'?

He loves trails, he loves hiking and like most dogs, he loves to be in the lead.

And there is always a rock to explore and pee on.

We hiked the first half of the trail down through the old pine plantation. We didn't run across anyone but saw a lot of tracks from weekend hikers. It was cold and breezy so I didn't expect to find many people out.

Charlie is wearing his long piece of rope which I can step on when I want him to stop or I use it as a leash when we see other people.

We did run across some Foresters working on some trees. There was a sign on the trail to 'forgive the mess' as the foresters cleaned out the diseased trees. 

There were six guys with chainsaws. We had to walk right past them so of course I had hold of Charlie and we stopped to say hello.

The Foreman asked if they could pet Charlie. Of course. 

I let him go so we could keep our distance and Charlie was surrounded by big burly guys in hard hats and chainsaws who all knelt on the ground to pet him. Oh Charlie was in heaven! His whole body vibrated with happiness and the tail circled and slapped overtime.

They thanked me and we were on our way again.

I had a notion as we went around a rocky formation that if I climbed up to the top I could shortcut or see out over the forest at least. 

The trail is built to do a serpentine through a valley and around a rocky ridge top.

We scrambled to the top and I was surprised to find that the parking lot to the other trailhead to Old Settler's Trail was right in front of us.

We could scramble back down to the trail we just left...or....

Explore.

My Trail Boss voted for Explore.

By some wicked chance, we found the Hiking/Cross Country Ski trail. I'd skied it in the winter, but it wasn't really on the hiking trail map. The confusion is this...the trail is for hiking and skiing but is only shown on the winter ski ridge map. 

I'm one of those people who like to walk/hike a trail and study the topo map to figure out exactly where I am and where I want to go.

IF I'd paid attention to the signs where I had parked, I would have had a clearer picture of how to 'find' the ski trail. 

Start. Hmmm. I'm not exactly sure what the red and white sign is on top of the post.

But I do recall that every year they have a cross country ski challenge on this section of Wildcat and this must be the start!

Well. Let's just say I figured out exactly where I will park next time and enjoy the 6 mile jaunt to the lookouts. 

Charlie and I ended our outing with a picnic in the back of the Subaru, out of the wind and in the warm sun. Dog cookies, PB&J, water, and an apple.