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!

The Lost Valley

This valley has several names but the absentee owner likes to refer to it as the Lost Valley. In a way it is. The Valley is cannot be accessed by any road. The only way to get there is by foot or 4 wheeler. A snowmobile trail does run through the area above the valley. There is an old logging road that can be walked down.

In 2005 the cattle that grazed the woods and grasslands were shipped off and the land was basically abandoned to the wild. Over the years the owners have leased out to the land to a few people for hunting purposes. One year a fellow planted 1/2 million dollars worth of marijuana in different areas. Other folks decided that since no one oversaw the land, they'd make trails with their 4 wheelers.

The whole land encompasses two valleys with two streams that flow into what is locally called the Black Bottom. That flows into the Kickapoo River. In those times of flooding, the narrow valleys become rather dangerous.

All that aside, I've hiked the 600+ acres of woods since 1996. Someone once quipped that I must know every tree by now. I almost do.

I have permission from the estate to wander at will on their land. I'm afraid that I know their land more intimately than they do. But that is the wonder of it all.

To get to the Back Valley/Lost Valley/Forgotten Valley -- all names for it -- requires a 1 mile walk through some steep terrain.

Here is a shot looking back towards where I came from on the day I snowshoed this trek. Up until a few years ago, where I am standing was grassland. The estate decided to rent it out as cropland. I have yet to see a good crop come off this land so I can't see how the renter is making any money.

However, the deer love the left over corn. This spring it should be rotated to soy beans. Whoever rented it the last two years put field corn in. The land won't yield much if they farm like that.

In many places the briars, noxious weeds, and thick underbrush has taken over. By midsummer, the land is difficult to walk through. I enjoy winter and spring walks here. 

Here is a nearly 3 minute video of how the riding was in 2010. It is longish, but sort of interesting to see how calm Badger was and how he dealt with obstacles. We did ride to the Back Valley and explore this 3 mile trek that I now take often on foot. I can still ride this with Siera and Sundance, but I rarely do so any more. I stay closer to home now. 

The video is pretty crappy, but in 2010 I only had my little Pink Fugly camera and it did do video. The dog is Morris, my Jack Russel that never missed a ride. When he tired, he jumped on Badger's legs and we'd heft him to ride in the saddle with me.

The valley has changed so much now. But it is still interesting to walk through. I made the trip this weekend back to see the stream and the ice cave.

I probably won't go back until spring arrives because snowshoeing and crossing the stream is just too difficult. I did find evidence of beavers, coyotes, and a lot of deer.

Here is the 30 second video of this snowshoe hike.

That's it. Enjoy getting lost.

Annual hike Gone to the Dogs....

I met Jason and his dog Piper last year on New Year's Eve. We hiked together for the first time during the Kickapoo Winter Festival in 2022. We hiked together a couple of time sense then. Saturday we met up again to hike at the Weister Creek ice cave trail.

Jason had adopted Felix just weeks ago. There is a lot of unknown about Felix as he is an older dog who supposedly lived on the streets. 

Felix is in the red coat. Charlie is trying to help Jason do something or get in his car.

Here Piper is running back towards us on the trail. Piper wears a coat and also has Paw Balm on her feet to help protect her feet.

She seems to have boundless energy.

Both of Jason's dogs are adopted rescues and he absolutely adores his dogs. Charlie adores Jason too because he has the greatest dog treats.

Jason explained that he wanted to see how Felix would do on a hike that was a bit longer than 30 minutes. He planned on taking his dogs with him to Superior next month to visit the Ice Caves along the lake.

Charlie didn't wear his coat, I'm still trying to find something that will allow his tiny legs free movement when negotiating deeper snow and jumping logs. However, the weather didn't bother him one bit.

His orange reflective vest is great for visibility as long as we are on a groomed trail.

Photo by Jason:

Piper, chillin' out:

We got to the Ice Caves fairly quickly.

Piper lead the way and then waited for us.

Ahhhh hah!

We can see who the dogs prefer!

Felix inside the ice cave doing his own thing.

We spent a long time exploring the ice formations and Felix started to get a bit grumpy and began to shake. We figured he was cold and decided to head off the bluff we were on.

By the time we got down into the valley, Felix was himself again and walked sedately behind me or Jason. Charlie often walked shoulder to shoulder with Felix. [Hey! A new friend for Charlie that doesn't try to roll him over like a ball!]

Piper kept bounding around us and trying to get Charlie to play. Charlie decided that Felix was more his speed. All was good in the doggy hiking world.

We met up with two large groups of people. Felix just walked by them and ignored them with no more than a sniff. Piper sat out of their reach and waited for them to pass. She is good with one or two people, but shy of crowds.

I had leashed up Charlie because he is a greeter and adores humans of all kinds. They asked if they could pet Charlie and I said sure. I let him off leash and he did his Charlie thing. He squeaked and grunted with pleasure, his tail doing wild wags.

One lady asked how did Charlie get through all this snow? Charlie showed off by jumping a log and diving through the snow to circle around her with glee.

My answer: He Loves Snow!

We got to the end of the ice formations near where the old Beaver Dam used to be. Jason climbed out on a boulder next the the very cold and very swift Weister Creek where he wanted his photo taken.

It was pretty funny that Charlie whined and fussed all the time Jason was up there. I kept him with me as I am sure the little stinker wanted to try and jump over the water to get out there.

Our hike back was rather quiet and unexciting. We talked about meeting up again this winter for another outing. I think I'll take him to an off the map place to see some bluffs and ice.

Hopefully, it will all work out. And...Felix did fine on a 2 hour hike! We didn't hike fast but kept it to his pace.

Charlie was exhausted from his outing.

Another good hike in the books for the start of 2023!

Fresh air recharge

We finally got our schedules to mesh up and go view the ice caves. I met with my ex neighbor and her kids at Weister Creek. 

Charlie was beyond happy. 

The view of the first of the two ice caves?

Let's just say there where a lot of ... Wow's!

The upper two iced areas are the ice caves that a person can get into.

Comparison photos....

Just a little over 4 weeks ago:

Yesterday in the same spot with me holding Charlie:

We did a lot of exploring and when some other folks appeared we let them have the cave to themselves.

The lower half of the ice formations were incredible with different hues of colors.

I would like to go back and climb down in there to get a closer look at the icicles. 

Briar was our comedian. He too, loves snow.

 

The second ice cave wasn't so exciting and two groups of people were already there so we hiked out to Weister Creek to enjoy the ice falls.

4 weeks ago:

Briar asked if he could explore the ice and I cautioned him to be very careful as the water under the ice is deep.

He stood on it. I wouldn't let him go out more than a foot on it.

When we turned to leave, he took a large step and his foot broke through the ice. 

Thankfully, it was just his boot that went through.

We hiked down to another ice fall area to explore the colors of the ice.

As we were admiring the ice falls and discussing the colors of the ice, we turned to see a woman walk out alongside the dead tree that lays across the stream.

We collectively held our breath.

I wanted to shout out to her to stay off river/stream ice unless she wanted to take a cold dunk.

She got back to the bank without breaking through and we all sighed. Too often people from not around here assume that the ice that forms over streams/creeks/rivers are the same as the ice that forms on lakes.

 

It is a very dangerous assumption.

This is the current under that ice.

We had to hold Charlie to keep him from exploring the edge and falling under the ice.

Exploring the area is beautiful. But one needs to use their head!

This photo was done with my infrared camera. Who says IR is only for summer?

We explored up one of the dry runs until we got to a spot where it split in three directions.

There was a huge log laying down that would have been a perfect spot for a picnic.

We enjoyed the warm sun and listened to the breeze rustle the leaves above our heads.

Charlie was worn out from 'snow swimming'. Everyone had picked him up at some point and given him a small lift. Being a tough little guy, he wiggled and was put back down. He was the trail leader after all.

We really had to laugh when we got back to the parking area.

Subaru owners do this on purpose. If there is another Subaru around, they will make every effort to park near the others. There were two more Outbacks just out of frame and an Impreza pulled in as we got ready to leave.

Mine is the dirtiest one!

Charlie was all ready for a cuddly nap when we got home.

As much as I didn't want the adventure to end, I felt relaxed and recharged.

Hike with Distancing

Teri used to be my neighbor. When they moved in and had their little boy, I babysat for them on my time off from being a Security Guard. Teri and I made a community veggie garden together and they helped out while I was running Rich back and forth for cancer treatments.

Teri's door was always open and I leaned on her often. I used to take her children on hikes with me and we foraged for food in the woods together. Don't get me wrong,....I love the neighbors I have now too! How could I be so lucky to get 12 yrs of fantastic young neighbors!

Her daughter is now 16 and driving. Imagine my surprise at seeing her driving Teri's Subaru. Kids. Stop getting older...it makes me feel older.

 Spring Beauties

Wintergreen with leftover

berries

Pine Moss

or Club Moss

Hepatica

found just above 

one of the ice caves.

Powder Lichen

growing on Moss

We found 100's

of Skunk Cabbage!

And of course a superhero. I always carry tiny toys and when the kids said..."Oh this would be a great spot for some toys!" 

I whipped out some toys and tossed them to the kids. The toys ended up in skunk cabbage, in moss, in a tiny iced waterfall ... and other places.

Here is a sample of what happens when we get a touch of rain and then have warm days and very cold nights that are in the teens.

January....

We had a blast and climbed around in the ice caves which are pretty much melted, but the kids are explorers.  We were surprised at the amount of spring beauties we saw coming up through the leaves. 
Indeed this route was going to become explosive with colors in a few weeks.

Everyone was very good about keeping their distance. One of us would find something and point to it, then back off for the other party to look at it.

Our hike was successful! We all enjoyed a long afternoon in the cold fresh air and made plans to hike again. Hopefully. Teri's schedule is busy.

Hiking and new stuff

 

After 4 months, my friend Bill was able to feel up to hiking again. So I took him to the Ice Caves. The ice isn't well developed but I though it would be fun just to show him where they were in case he wanted to take his wife or grand kids there.

Covid raged through his house. His one son lives in the lower level and was sick for 4 weeks but finally was able to get back to work after testing negative. Bill said he went in because he couldn't breath and his test was a negative and the diagnosis was acute asthma attack. Phew. His wife is a nurse at our local hospital, she was home for 10 days with exposure and tested negative. She is back working long hours with our little overloaded hospital.

Bill also got a double whammy with Sciatica. He is just now getting back to walking. So we took it easy.

The 'cave' formation he is standing in will have 3 foot thick wall of ice formations this winter, depending on the weather. He will actually be able to get behind the ice...thus the name Ice Cave.

The photo above is his reaction to seeing 'the bowl' of ice for the very first time. There were all sorts of WOWs.

I explained how the ice formations developed. North hillside, no sun, sandstone caves...and seeping water...and very steep hills! 

The ice will continue to develop in areas like this all over the Reserve so I have routed short enough walks to many spots where Bill can enjoy the ice too. I generally time those hikes and walks to be about 3 hours which include driving there and back.

Another short jaunt took us to Weister Creek and the mini ice wall.

I led Bill on an old equine trail that we used to ride on 30 years ago. Bill keeps telling me he'd get lost out there and many people would unless they understand how the land lays. 

He commented that he'd need another few trips to the caves before he'd dare take the wife or grands. He wasn't comfortable to try and explore on his own. Smart fella to admit that. 

I've hiked all the horse/bike/foot trails this place offers with the exception of one trail. That is almost 50 miles of trails and about 50 miles of ones that are not official trails [ones I hiked and rode before it became the Reserve].

On another note!

~~~~~~
I got weary of the winter shower curtain that I just put up. It is pretty but just looks cold. I've had it for a few years. I have a few of them. I have a summer one of a photo I took and made into a curtain. I have one for fall with pretty leaves on it, and the winter one...plus a white lace one.

I told Rich that I wanted to spruce up the colors in the bathroom after Christmas to a bright and cheery curtain. I wanted something to remind us of things to look forward to in the bleaker parts of winter.

This will be the mat to step out on:

This will be the curtain:

That should brighten things up for sure. I think this will be our Christmas gift to ourselves as it is slated to arrive after Christmas.

Sunday afternoon Charlie and I went out back for a check on the neighbor and his camera. Since he had pointed the camera to view my side of the fence, I'd attached silver garlands to branches to wiggle in the wind and set off his motion detector.

The camera was moved to view only his side of the fence.
Hmmm, I wonder if he enjoyed the thousands of photos of the garlands waving in the breezes?