Trail Challenge Sections #4 and #1

We were so lucky to have a break in the cold weather. 

Bill and I hit the Wintergreen Trail which is Trail #4. Distance? .93 miles. It is an out and back trail so I'd call it 1.86 miles. 

This is always one of my favorite trails and this time there were some cool things added. Nature Discovery Markers!

I'm going to pause here for a moment and make mention of the Kickapoo Valley Forest School. Check it out. I know it has made news lately. I would have loved to have gone to school this way. I would have loved to be a teacher here too!

I imagine these markers were put up for those hikers who visited on January 8th for the Winter Festival.

Bill and I enjoyed finding the markers and reading them. EXTRA bonus for us!

The trail was compacted and slick, so Bill and I donned our YakTraks. I keep a set in my back pack. I think I should do a fund raiser for a new pair of boots for Bill.

Charlie, our trail master led the way as usual.

There are some incredible sights to see along the trail. In the winter you can see down to the Kickapoo River for most of the hike. 

I always stop and take a photo of the river from the bluff look out.

This time I took it in Infrared. 

There is a rock shelter along the way and later in the winter, it usually has a good bit of ice in it.

A few years ago I discovered what I call Layered Cake Ice. I'm positive this IS not a technical name but just what I made up.

Water seeps slowly over this rock formation and creates multiple layers of Ice Falls.

There is another section of the trail where water seeps across the path. This is another spot where ice cleats or YakTraks prove very useful. One can just walk around this ice patch by stepping up and walking through the woods. 

There was a mini ice formation just under the trail which we didn't bother exploring.

The ice didn't concern Charlie at all.

The trail dead ends at the edge of a bluff. I've taken 100's of photos of this part of the trail through the pines and it never has looked the same way twice.

We reach the end of the trail and spend some time gazing at the river which was frozen over. Underneath the ice we know the Kickapoo still flows. Bill and I discussed the ice and the dangers of stepping out on it.

I busied myself with looking through the camera lens. The way the pines cling to the rock never ceases to amaze me.

We headed back towards the Visitor Center.

Since it is such an nice day, we decided to knock of the .4 mile loop and Trail #1 on our list that circles the Visitor Center but allows us more views of the river.

Below us we could see the waters rushing over the ice where the bright sun has melted it.

I am pretty lucky to have a hiking partner that doesn't mind how often I stop to take photos. 

I'm always looking for that perfect shot. 

We are having fun and I think that may be the most important thing. Fresh air, socializing, exercising, and exploring nature. What could be more perfect?

Bill and I took our first steps on hiking the Reserve together on February 05, 2020. 

That day I took a wrong turn and we ended up laughing about it. Bill has continued going with me despite that.

3 segments down! 

51 to go.

I'll end with a Mary Oliver quote from one of her poems...

Instructions for living a life:

Pay attention

Be astonished

Tell about it...