Hiking the Kickapoo Valley Reserve is something I do often. My plans this year were to extend my hiking experience by hiking in more distant places with some overnight stays.
I may still do that, but with the current situation with gas prices, I am facing a decision on my budget. Higher prices of fuel will cut into the travel.
The Reserve is 17 miles from my place and has incredible trails that I have hiked for years. For two years in a row, Charlie and I have hiked all of the 69+ miles of trails in one year just to say we did it back to back. We have hiked this area and used to ride mules in it since 1996. I understand this land.
When I hike, I carry a backpack with a map, compass, First Aid kit, a Bivey Bag, water, rations, and means to start a fire. This all sounds like overkill but it isn't.
I've known people to get lost at the Reserve. Once was before it was called the Reserve. Two ladies went morel hunting and got turned around as daylight faded. They were old experienced ladies, they set up a campfire and hiked out the next day with about 7 pounds of morels.
Recently there was a big search for a woman who got lost on the trails. She texted her sister just before dark when her phone was dying saying she was lost.
That brought out the Fire Department and the Sheriff Department. The Fire Dept used a Drone that had Infrared and Thermal ability. They located the woman unharmed but rather shaken.
The Kickapoo Valley Reserve warns people to take a map and don't rely on cellphones to get you around all the trails or to call for help. Some of the valleys are so steep and narrow that cellphones won't get reception. Other areas are dead zones.
I'm always amazed by the amount of people that I've run across that are either on horseback or hiking that don't know where they are and ask me directions.
Four times in the past two years, I've had to take people to the next trail section and explain to them how to get back to wherever they parked or left their horse trailer. None of them had a map and kept trying to figure it out with a tiny downloaded map.
The land is unforgiving if you get turned around.
My very first time I was there, it happened to me. I was working on a crew that was repairing trails and led our mule Fred to a sight where I had to spread seed. It was hot and humid. When I finished doing my chore I became confused as to where in the heck I was supposed to go to get back to the others.
I sat down and held Fred's reins and cried. I basically panicked but decided not to move or try and find my way back.
Rich found me about 20 minutes later. He was worried. He pointed out that I could have just gotten on Fred and let him take me back to camp. He also showed me the water and supplies that were in Fred's saddlebags.
Rich taught me 'wood smarts'. He took me hunting at night [coon hounds] and taught me how to find my way around. This from a man who was a country boy and had survived jungle missions in Vietnam.
I listened and learned from the master.
So, yesterday, as the dogs and I were hiking along the Ice Cave trail, we came upon a lady who had a bottle of water she was carrying in one hand and her cellphone and a map in the other.
After greeting the dogs, she asked if I knew where the ice caves were. I did. There was one just a half mile or so from where we were standing.
"This trail just goes on forever and ever and I am looking at the map to see where the next marker is. I was beginning to wonder if I should just turn around."
I shrugged, I told her I'd show her the big cave. I backtracked and showed her the large one.
She looked at me and said, "Gosh, I thought the caves would be above the trails. Not down below like that."
I explained that with the steep valleys, caves or rock shelters were usually located in a draw where the water would run over and seep through the rocks.
"I didn't know that," she commented. Then she looked at her map and said, "I think I'll continue on. I doubt it will be shorter to go back to the car now."
I did some mental math and told her if she turned around it would only be 2 miles back to where she parked but if she continued she'd travel about 6+ miles to do the whole loop.
"Oh I don't think so," she said, "it doesn't look that far on the map." She fluttered the map up and down so I could see it.
"It is," I replied. "I've been doing this trail for 30 years." I did not add that I have been doing this trail for 30 years and it never got any shorter. I thought that would be sarcastic.
I shrugged. 6+ miles or 4 miles, it still could be a long way at 5pm with only 2 1/2 hours or so of daylight left.
On my way back I kept thinking about her and how I felt she wasn't really well prepared. She had a light shirt on over a t-shirt and the temperatures were starting to fall.
I kept wanting to turn back and make sure she was okay. But I had two dogs to think of and chores waiting for me at home.
Here is a photo of Charlie and then Hannah on the stump I've always stopped at to take photos over the years.
The photos are a bit misleading as to their sizes. Here is another one. Charlie is 7 inches tall at his shoulder. She is just about as tall and long as him, but she is dainty compared to Charlie's muscular build.
When playing, she backs into him with her butt to push him and he returns by pushing her back with his chest.
We all slept well last night.
I hope that lady found her way back to her car. I'm sure she did. It is wild out there.
6.85 miles. 😀😁
The ephemerals we found were just beginning to come up! More on that later!
So much happening here on Friday that it is crazy!
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