Afternoon off

There it was. An afternoon without phone calls or appointments.

I scooped Charlie up and we headed out the door for some free time. 

I took my little pocket camera. It is an Olympus Tough camera which is 'weather proof' and waterproof. 

We started at the south end of Hay Valley and worked north. The trails are not groomed trails but mostly a one track trail. That means that horses, mules, and people have to give way to each other when we meet.

I met two sets of horseback riders. I could hear first riders as they were talking while coming my way. I scooped up Charlie and stuck him under my arm and called out "Hiker with a dog!".  I kept talking to them until they and their horses could see me.

This is called Trail Etiquette, especially in a dense forest. I don't think some hikers understand that even though it just makes sense. The riders were seasoned people and locals. We chatted a bit. They really appreciated my call out. I used to ride these trails and we rarely ran across hikers which is still fairly true. 

The trail section I was on is 8 miles of hard hiking from one end to the other. However, to make a loop I needed to take a secondary trail out to the highway and go back to where I parked.

The following shots are those I took along the trail. Just shots I took along the way to remind me of what this trail looks like as it changes colors. I've hiked this in the spring and once in mid summer. I recommend fall or spring.

I want to do it in the winter also so I can appreciate the bluffs and 'caves' I was able to see.

Near the Bailout Trail and Washout Trail turnoffs from Hay Valley I came upon two women who were sitting on their horses with a map discussing which way they wanted to go.

The signs at this juncture are pretty confusing. IF you are not familiar with which direction the trails actually take, you could very well take the wrong turn.

This was the second time in a year that I've helped horse riders figure out where they need to go. 

There is an advantage to having navigated each and every one of the trails. Having a compass and a map are essential things to have.

I told them to take the south trail.

"You mean turn left, right?" 

In the deep woods you cannot always tell which direction you are headed. "Correct, turn left." 

When we made it back to the 'Ru, I met an fella who was loading up some nice kayaks. I noted the kayaks, he noted Charlie and asked to pet him. The gent was in his 70's and was doin the Dam Challenge Race on Saturday. He was doing the kayak/canoe portion of the race.

I learned so much more about kayaking in such a short time. I also learned that the trail along the Pine River in Richland Center was more scenic than where we were at. 

What a vibrant 75 yr old. He hikes every Sunday with others, kayaks, and is an adventurer. Ever meet someone and immediately like that person?

What a wonderful afternoon. I not only got some great hiking in. I got to meet some really nice folks.

Charlie? He slept all the way home and cuddled up in the evening.

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%!