I came, I saw, I Blewit

Starting in late August through October if we are not in a drought, it is prime time for mushrooms and a celebration of strange and colorful fungi.

Someone asked me what got me so interested in mushrooms. My simple answer was that I'd seen them and decided I'd like to photograph them.

I like being curious. When I'd find wildflowers, I'd photograph them and take them home to compare to an ID book. Mushrooms and slime molds became fun to find and fascinating to photo. It is like an alien world.

I took these with my cellphone as it seems to adjust to the light better than the camera. They are small. The one below was just emerging from the mix of dirt and sand below it. 

 

I also found what seems to be a hard plant to find. I've only found 6 in all the years I've been hiking. They are not generally seen right next to a trail. I just love their leaves and design. I've seen one in flower one time.

Rattlesnake Plantain:

I also brought along a couple of minifigs. They like to travel and hike with me of course. I found a perfect spot to place the Monkey King.

Last but not least.

I thought I found a Blewit Mushroom

Such a beautiful blue color! So different! I've found them once before in this general area and am always amazed by their color and beauty.

4 years ago in the same general area I found these. 

They are so startling. Another time I found remnants of them as someone else had walked along and kicked all of them to smithereens. 

I do wish people would just admire these beautiful mushrooms and leave them alone.

I looked into the Blewit mushroom and found that these really didn't quite fit the description. Perhaps they could be a fungi known as Indigo Inky.

So I may have blown the ID years ago, but that doesn't stop me for looking for these each year along this section of trail.

Chasing ice

 

Thursday after lunch I took off to go look for ice along the bluffs of the Kickapoo River. I waited until after noon to head out as I was hoping for it to warm up above 10 F. It did, but the windchill was still at something like 9 F, if you were facing the winds.

I knew that hiking along the bluffs would keep me on the east side of the river with the forest and the bluff blocking part of the cool breeze. However, since the sun never shines on this section of the bluffs ... except on late summer evenings, it would be chilly next to the rocks.

That is perfect for the formation of little ice falls. Last year there was almost no ice or water in this area due to the drought we'd been having. This was promising sign to see. There is a small 'pond' under the rock that was frozen solid.

Light reflects strangely on ice and water which is why I took my Infrared Camera again.

I'm not sure why the mosses don't turn out with the same amount of colors. I suppose it is just how the light reached the moss and the ice in these two areas.

What the ice looks like in camera:

I channel swap, which means I swap the colors and blue can become pinkish, reddish, or with this filter more orange colored. The ice will almost turn blue with most filters [except the 850nm range which is a B&W filter...very useful for white fluffy clouds against a black sky]

Here was another unpredictable shot. I thought this would just turn out yuck with nothing fun. I wanted to see if I could differentiate the ice hidden inside this fern and moss covered area. It turned out to be my favorite shot of the day.

Some IR photographers call this 'Candy Colored' and I think it is! But the detail in the ferns turned out pretty neat. 

I did take some normal shots, but not many.

Hiking down Willow Trail.

Long Tall Shadows on old 131 Trail.

Charlie, the Explorer. 

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.

It can be a solo sport....

I watched the weather and saw that it wasn't supposed to rain Saturday morning. I was excited about that and mentioned at the gym that I was planned to go on a sunrise hike. Another lady said she wanted to go. She knew where to park and when I said...."Um, Okay. I will be there around 5AM."

She blinked and said, "Great! Sounds perfect!"

She lives 15 minutes from that parking spot. I live 30-40 minutes from there...it depends on how fast I can drive on a twisted highway with jumping and running hordes of deer. 

Friday evening I got a text: Sorry, but I need to rest up in the morning.

I wasn't surprised, a gaggle of gym folks were meeting at another coach's house for a campfire, singing, and some fireworks.

I texted back: No problem.

Because, really, it wasn't. I'm often surprised if anyone wants to meet me and go hiking. I'm generally a bit skeptical. Mainly because I am perceived as a hard core hiker. But I am not. I hike to anyone else's ability because it is fun to have company.

Except when it isn't.

When I am going solo, I can hike hard and fast as if I were in a race with myself. I know I do. One can't cover the miles going slow and get back home in time to make lunch for hubby. The things that slow me down considerably are amazing views and cool things I see. I always stop for that.

---

I had packed up my camera and backpack the night before so all I had to do in the morning was grab a cuppa decafe and head out.

The fog was intense so my drive took longer.

On the trip there, I counted deer just for fun. Too many.

From the parking spot to the top of the bluff is an elevation of nearly 300 feet. Over the years this has been considered a tough hike. I've taken a few folks here and I have to admit, it is a tough one.

However.
This time it didn't feel hard or even difficult. Charlie knows the way so he led.

I took the next 2 shots with my cell phone which has Nightsite. It was predawn and light enough that I didn't need my headlamp. Even most of the forest was fogged in.

When we reached the trail on the top, Charlie trotted out to the end of the bluff. He knew where we were going and I didn't even have to say anything to him. He is a good hiker.

The view is stunning even if when it is obscured by heavy fog. It literally takes your breath away [that is, if you weren't breathing hard from the climb itself].

And the first views of the sun were glorious. In the shot below you can see the shadow of the bluff I'm on in the fog.
I've never witnessed that before.

Charlie and I sat on the rock for a while and listened to the sounds of a Hoot Owl along with Sandhill Cranes somewhere down in the valley.

I settled down and watched the sunlight reflect off the fog. The fog moved slowly as if it had its own intentions.

I felt an inner peace that is hard to describe. I was only there in the moment. Breathing, watching, and listening. That was the only important thing on my mind.

I didn't want to be anywhere else.

Solo worked for me on this day.

Sometimes the smallest things can take up the most room in your heart.
~Winnie the Pooh

Birds and roots

 I wanted to go see if any Swans, ducks, or other birds had shown up near the KVR Ponds so Charlie and I took a little trip to walk the trails around the ponds.

We saw geese. A lot of geese! 

The water in the foreground is still frozen on this pond. 

On the large pond though, the geese were lined up on the shore where the winds weren't blowing. At first glance it looked like they were turtles all lined up.

I wished that the viewing blind that the Reserve put up wasn't facing the sun. However, it is fun to sit there with binoculars and watch these characters chatter and flap their wings. After all, I felt good getting out and enjoying the sunshine. 

The ponds were a bit of a dud but that didn't matter much. We wanted the fresh air and anytime getting off the farm feels like a bit of a vacation.

We wondered around Harrison Trail and down a little known footpath that encircles one of the smaller ponds. On a good year it is really quite wet and muddy. Only a few places required some leaping from log to log and grass clump to keep from getting my feet wet.

We found cool tree roots...of course...

Now that tree grew sideways and UP!

Charlie had the best time, he chased a family of red squirrels around and around on the base of this bluff before they took off and climbed a pine tree.

Ahhhh! We did find some birds!

I found 3 little ones hiding alongside a bluff out of the wind. I didn't know that Cardinals, Bluebirds, and Sparrows hung out together.

My Happy Place

 Weister Creek that is.

I had a 'date' with another hiker who cancelled early Friday morning. I didn't mind, I decided to head out and take Charlie to Weister Creek. The 'Ice' Caves probably were not spectacular with the drought we've had along with the strangely mild winter.

But I knew there would be some ice for me to enjoy. I felt that I should go even though the day was heavily overcast again and fairly cold.

I knew that once we got into the forest we'd be out of the cold and damp wind. Then things would get fun. Besides, I'd rather walk on frozen snow, ice, and mud than walk on slippery sloppy stuff.

I wore my YakTraks. It only took us about 7 minutes to get to the bottom of the first big gully with the rock shelters that turn into exotic ice caves most winters.

The 'caves' at the very top of these formations are over 6 foot tall inside.

This is a shot from 2 years ago to give you an idea at how large the 'cave' in the upper right corner is:

How was the ice this time? It was 

cool....

And for a view from end to end... Enjoy the drip drip drip noises. I found them so comforting. 14 seconds long. 

Normally by this time of the year, the Ice Curtain is huge and covers almost the whole rock shelter. The interior of the shelter or cave is also covered in ice. Ice cleats are a must for moving around this area.

Inside the 'cave' a few years ago:

Charlie and I walked over the top of the ridge and looked down on the second ice cave area. There was almost no ice but we could hear the dripping from the top of the rock shelter. We moved on and went further down to where most of the 'tours' end at another ice wall on Weister Creek.

Closer with a long lens.

In winter last year when we had subzero temperatures:

We headed over these ice formations and went down the stream to look at one of the last easy to get to formations of ice.

Charlie knows these trails by heart as he has been with me so many times.

During a good cold winter, this particular spot fills with layers of ice. The water around the large rock becomes thick enough to walk on and a person cannot see the sandstone behind the ice. the colors of ice will be various with the particulates it picks up. 

Curiously there is a cable that be seen when the ice is small. It has been there ever since I can recall. I see it in the spring usually when I hike here looking for Skunk Cabbage, Trillium, and all sorts of spring flowers.

This my Happy Place.