For myself

I gave myself the gift of a hike on Friday when Shay came for her 4 hours of Respite. I could have chosen to go work out, get groceries, shop, run errands, and do all of those proper things.

But I decided to use my time doing my favorite sport. 

Hiking.

I chose this loop trail at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve because I've done it a few times and I know I can finish it and get back home in the time I've been allotted.

It was also a great way to try out the 'hydration' vest I'd gotten on sale last year. These are normally very very pricey but I nailed one at REI for only about $25. The vest fits like a vest and carries water bottles and essentials in several pockets.

Last year on my last distance hike, I wore a back pack with my supplies and towards the end of the 11+ miles, my shoulders and lower back ached like crazy. My son suggested one of these and I am so pleased to have it.

Anyway, here is a selfie of me wearing the pack while on the trail.

 [I used a little bendy tripod that wrapped around a sapling to take this shot.]

Everything I needed fit in the vest. Soft water bottles, snacks, wallet, phone, first aid kit, bug spray, emergency rain poncho, and my mini Joby tripod. Clipped to the vest was my emergency Bivvey Bag and my PLB [Personal Locator Beacon].

I didn't look exactly fashionable, but who cares? 

I was hiking on the Reserve enjoying the morning air and the sounds of birds.

I went up and down hills and walked above the river and then into the valley and along the river. My feet got wet from the rain and dew but I was never uncomfortable ... and the insects were not bad except in one area.

Most of the walk was done with periods of light rain. Perhaps that is why I had the place to myself. I don't mind the rain.

This old oak pictured below has always attracted my attention while hiking through. I think I finally got a decent portrait of this tree. I call it my Megan tree. My daughter in law likes neat trees and I think of her each time I pass by this one.

In my imagination, the tree is reaching out and letting me know that it approves of my activity. Hike and leave no trace.

The sun actually peeked out of the clouds as I was nearing the end of the hike.

I found fungi but not as much as I thought I might. Still, the bright colors caught my eye.

And this Jelly Fungi caught someone else's eye!

I was relaxed and chilled out by the time I got home. I had a good dose of 'forest bathing'. Well, a good dose of Me Time. I wasn't even tired or worn out.

I was happy. The vest worked out so well, by back and shoulders never even got angry with me. My feet trucked along as I enjoyed the surround sound of birds.

I used my Merlin Bird app to figure out what I was hearing deep in the forest. Ever hear of an Ovenbird???

Apparently there was a Veery an Eastern Wood - Peewee, and an Eastern Towhee within earshot. I heard them and saw only a flicker of movement. I had just been enjoying all of the birdsong and forest noises.

I had a very relaxing morning.

Me Time had worked out exceptionally well.

 

Time out

Tuesday morning started off with a Colorful Bang...

Things are going along. Everyone gets into a funk every once in a while.

Life happens. I know that.

I've had my head down and have been grinding through. 

I had an opportunity to get out and take a nice long hike with Charlie.

This is how we tackle trails. 10 seconds long....

But we stop a LOT also. This is not a marathon, it is a mind cleansing experience.

Below are cool Roots that cling to the edge of a small bluff.

I thought of Aurora when I saw this tree...

Of course I love to make fun of the trail signs along here. I don't know if you can see it, but there are two little figures on the tree. A horse and rider and then a bicycle. This is a multi use trail.
My interpretation for these upside down signs are that a horse got spooked by a bike and they both ended up in a crash.

Well, I do know that my mules are very suspicious of bicycles but baby strollers are much more menacing. 😁

I digress.

I wanted to see the Ice Cave on Ice Cave Trail. Normally, this ice 'cave' is pretty spectacular with a normal winter.

I was pleased to see that with all the freezing and thawing we'd had, that it did have a bit of ice. But not enough to climb down into it and explore.

For fun, I used my app to see how this lollipop loop actually is from where I parked the car. I picked this particular trail because it is up and down and all around. Plus it is demanding enough that it keeps the mind on the footing and not on the Mind Gibberish.

I left early in the morning so that I could still walk while the trail was still solid and slightly frozen. I didn't want to walk in muck and mud.

I was rather surprised at how dry the trails were. Obviously, we really do need rain.

I brought along my Infrared camera and stopped for several shots. IR is not that great in the winter time, but I still thought I might get something interesting.

Infrared works best with leaves, sky, clouds, and water. Those elements are generally the best ones to photograph with on a bright sunny day.

I found two spots that fit the bill. The first shot is of a long trail along the river bottom with a frozen puddle in the middle of the trail and pines in the distance.

This was shot at bridge 15 towards the pines on the bluff where I love to go and watch the river go by me 80 feet below.

If the stars, skies, times, and everything else lines up. I'm going to visit those bluffs this weekend.

The weather today is insane. I cannot recall a February where the temps reached 60!

I'm heading outside!

I 'yam a tired hiker!

So The Grandma said that Charlie needed a rest and that she wanted to take me to something called the Reserve to hike trails.
I don't know what a Reserve is, I do know trails though.

She said it was a good day to go because it had rained and the trails were closed to horses and bikes where we were going and that meant I didn't have to deal with MONSTERS!

 I was so alert and so full of it that The Grandma put on a long line and my chain leash. I was pulling and charging a lot because every time an acorn dropped I was sure it was a squirrel. I kept staring up into the trees and watching for other Wild-ed Animals. 

The Grandma was afraid I'd bolt and get away on the little leash so she had her long cord on me too. I never did bolt, but I sure did a lot of pulling in certain parts of the trail. I even tracked deer, coyote, and raccoon tracks!

The Grandma said she I gave her arms a good workout with my pulling.

I didn't care, I was having a good time. She also said that I was useful going up steep hills and if I stayed with her in the winter I could be her sled dog. 
Neat. What is a sled dog? Charlie wasn't around to ask.

The trails went on and on and on! The Grandma said she knew where we were going even though I was the one leading. Several times I would have just gone off through the woods because I smelled very interesting things in the distance.

On one section of the trail the Grandma kept stopping because there were so many interesting tiny things.

I was really good about that. I sat next to her or tried to stand on top of her to see what she was looking at.

She had strange names for these things. 

Bear's Head Tooth Fungi

Gem Studded Puffball

Oh oh oh! And there was so much more! But these little things really didn't interest me at all. I liked smelling much more. I took the time to watch the trees for squirrels.

I figured since the Grandma and I were out all by ourselves, I would need to protect her from the squirrels in case they attacked. 

She probably needs protection from all the forest things! Which made me think which I can sometimes do...... 

How does Charlie protect her? 

We finally made it back to the car.

...and before we left the parking area....

I hiked with the Grandma and survived the big scary wonderful woods! 

I 'yam a Hiker too!

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%!

Trail Challenge, KVR

Text to Bill: You still on for today?

Yes! Give me 3 minutes.

I was at Bill's house waiting for him. We had planned at an 11AM meet time at his house. Bill is consistent, I have to give him that. He is consistent in not being quite on time. 

I don't mind mainly because I have figured out by now, that I must be the odd one out. I'm always early for most everything.

We started at Pott's Corners and head up the West Ridge Trail. West Ridge Trail also serves as a snowmobile trail in the winter time. 

I'm in charge of keeping track of our segments and mileage. Bill is there for the fresh air and the challenge. I told him I'd keep track of what we did. 

Bill said in order for him to keep track of where he was going, he was going to photo every trail marker as we went along. 
I recognize the trails more by landmarks than the signs. I like his method and asked him to share his photos of the markers to add to our story.

West Ridge Trail Segment 22:

When we came to the above spot, I stopped and commented on how similar and different this spot looked since we'd last walked this portion of the trail in November.

Charlie was having a blast, he became our fearless leader. The trail was compacted and groomed so he didn't have to snow-swim.

West Ridge Trail Segment: 20

He ran hard and fast then would stop and turn around as if to see why we were so slow.

Look a those little legs! All of them off the ground!

At marker 3 things can get sort of confusing. Going southwest feels wrong when you know you eventually want to be east of where you are standing. I wanted to connect up with the Ice Cave Trail and order to do that we had to come off the ridge and go down towards the old horse crossing [no longer in use].

Following the map [paper map ~ don't plan on your phone always getting reception] we headed on a serpentine trail towards the valley.

West Ridge Trail Segment 19:

At the bottom of the ridge we found marker #5. The Ice Cave Trail. 

Segment 26

This year was very dry and in much wetter years, this trail does go over more than one spot where ice caves form.

Bill and I spotted this from high up on the ridge.

We had a discussion about climbing down for a closer look. So I made my way part of the way down the side of the gully. 

I yelled up to Bill and said, "Oh MAN, this is a GO!"

What's a trail challenge without the exploration? 

Charlie beat us down into it and ran back and fort in the dry sand.

And the ice viewed from inside the rock shelter was nothing short of amazing.

I think Bill and I just kept saying ... 
WOW over and over again.

Here is Bill as we prepare to find a way back up and out. At this point we wished we had 4 legs like Charlie.

We hit the trail again. It was a beautiful trail, but we were still discussing the ice fall, ice cave, or should it be called the ice curtain of green?

We came to Little Canada Trail and pondered the confusing signs. I headed east knowing that the other direction looked as if it were going the right way, but would lead us back to the West Ridge Trail.

Little Canada twists and turns through a thick forest. 

Little Canada Segment 27

Bill photographs trail markers and the damage done by the December wind storms.

Charlie leads us through the afternoon sun along the trail.

My interpretation of the following sign: Horse sees bicycle and bucks like crazy!

Before we leave Little Canada and get onto old 131 which is segment 9, we stop for a few minutes so Charlie can stand on his stump and get his cookie. Really, this is his stump, each time we hike this trail I set him on this stump so he can have a snack.

June 2nd 2021

We finished segment 9 and ....

Done....

Our mileage for the day was approximately 5 1/2 miles.

We still have plenty of trails to cover!

It was a great day.