Hiking a well used trail

I think the most well used trail by bicyclers and equine riders is the Little Canada and Ice Cave trail loops at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. Generally I can usually hike a trail and almost never run into others.

I met 2 sets of bicyclists and 2 groups of horses on my hike Friday. 

I've almost always met someone on these trails except in the dead of winter.

Even in the winter, it is a well used trail for snowshoers. It winds up and down and around the ridge and dry runs. It passes through a couple of pine plantations and a mixed forest.

The hike was around 5 miles, I took the hiking only trail that runs north of the first leg of Little Canada. It is a little used trail. It doubles as a maintenance trail for work and for events at KVR.

I'm going to just toss up some shots here and let you enjoy. These were with a cell phone.

While on the maintenance trail I walked down to the old trail we used to ride above the river. The old trail is still there and it was closed off years ago due to the fact that an equine and rider walk within a few feet of an 80 foot drop off.

Photo of my youngest son standing on the trail in 1996

I enjoyed the hike and mostly took my time just looking around at all of the light and shadows in the forest.

I took my infrared camera and enjoyed some shooting too.

What a beautiful day to be out in those woods. No bugs and no humidity.

However I sure do hope we get some rain tomorrow. 

The weather service upped our chance to 50%!

Fun Trail Mishaps

 2 hrs and 46 minutes....

NO Way! Really? NO!

WAY!

MapMyHike shows approximately 8 miles done. Yeah. However the mile I did between 3 and 4 was a Whoopsie--I took a wrong turn. I won't make excuses other than perhaps I didn't pay full attention until I was going up the Steep Hill. I've walked all of these trails before and I should have known better. However, it is

what

it

is.

So what did I do? I was trying to get Sections #18 West Ridge Trail from Campsite F to intersection 5. I also needed to  knock off Section #23 from Hanson Rock Trail from Campsite F to Intersection 4.

Because the trails and sections are not set up in a neat and tidy order for hiking, I also needed to complete Section #28. Little Canada Trail from Intersection 6 to Intersection 3 on the West Ridge Trail.

ARE you confused yet? Don't be. That top map shows the sections that are broken up and there is absolutely no tidy way to get them all done without repeating other sections.

Besides, I hadn't done some of these trail sections since February. Today I got to admire them in all of their November glory.

And yes. I did a power walk. A huge power walk. The stats from the MapMyWalk average my hike at 21 minutes per mile with a changes in elevations of 1,140 feet more or less. It is hilly terrain with trails often going from the valley to the ridge with a change of 200 feet. 

This is the terrain I have lived in for 25 years so it isn't that difficult for me. The first 5 miles averaged 17 minutes per mile. 

Lordy, I was just bookin' along.

I wanted to finish it as quickly as possible today. Even more so when I realized that I'd added an extra mile by making a Whoopsie.

These were taken heading up the West Ridge Trail just to get to the first section I had yet to complete. The shadows from the trees were just too awesome.

The West Ridge Trail is also a snowmobile trail in the winter time. It is wider than most of the one track trails like Little Canada or the Ice Cave Trails.

A cool tree on Little Canada Trail Section # 28. 

November's leafless landscape allows a person to see the land in clear detail.

This is one of the rock 'shelters' on the Ice Cave Trail.

Bill in the Ice Cave Rock Shelter in February:

A picture of my shadow as I approached the turn off for Section # 23. 

Across from Campsite F is the the trail head I was looking for. There is also a foundation of what could have been someone's Spring House just off the side of the trail.

Campsite F  was occupied. This would be one of the most remote campsites as everything for this camp has to be walked in from at least 2 miles away.

I was surprised by the various rock formations I could see while hiking up towards Hanson's Rock. It had been over 20 years since I'd last seen  this trail.

Yessir. I will be back to explore the base of this rock ridge someday. I snapped a couple of shots and ate snacks as I walked.

Oh.

That's right! What about the Trail Mishaps? Wrong Way Val was one of them. The second one was filling my water bladder for my backpack. About 2 miles from where I parked I discovered that it leaked. It was a slow leak.

I had a water bottle in the car but elected not to walk back to retrieve it. Eventually the water leaked through the sweatshirt I'd tied around my waist. I had a WET BUTT. I did keep hydrated but I stopped about a mile from the end of the trail and dumped the rest of the water out. 

Thank goodness I didn't have to explain the wet pants to anyone.

My tush was so soaked that I had to put one of Charlie's towels on the car seat not to get it wet!

Hmm. Next time? I'll carry my water bottles, I guess.

In conclusion. 

I goofed and added an extra mile or so to my hike.

BUT

I also enjoyed every second of it.

2 Trails left...both out and back.