Hike to Blackhawk Rock

Monday morning, after taking down the campground and hauling everything back to the house, I asked the pups what they felt like doing for the morning.

Well, they were not helpful at all so I decided we'd take a midday trip to Blackhawk Rock. The sun was bright and glaring but that makes for fun Infrared Photography.

I stop and look at this old tree along the trail every single time I hike the Blackhawk Trail. The tree is an ancient old maple that keeps losing parts.

At one time there was a plaque on it giving it a name and a number.

The trail gets steep once you head up towards the rock outcropping. One of the things I like to warn folks about is that the trail is narrow, steep, and full of poison ivy on both sides of the trail with plants that are as tall as my hip.

I always wear long pants while hiking through there and am careful not to crush any leaves as I go through.

Then you step into an opening of the forest and look up.

The feeling of just looking up at it, is a bit overwhelming. There is a legend that says that Blackhawk the chief of the Sauk tribe rode his horse to the top of the rock. 
The soldiers thought they had him captured, but he and his horse leapt from the rock and escaped.

That didn't happen, but it is a cool legend. 

I purchased a book on the Blackhawk War for my grandson as a gift. It is a pretty interesting book.

Our county has quite a few Historical Markers that a person can follow to read about the travels of the tribe and Blackhawk.

The post office of our town has a mural of Blackhawk. 

When we got to the top of the rock, Hannah slowly walked to the edge with Charlie and then backed quickly away. She didn't go near the edge again while we were there. Charlie took a nap in the sun while we simply enjoyed the view.

The edge of the rock is the same rock as seen from below. Yes, you can look down if you are brave. I usually kneel and then lay down to look.

I wanted to say that this was Hannah's reaction to the top of the rock...it wasn't, she was yawning when I took the shot. 

It was a nice day so we decided to do the whole loop which ended up being 4.99 miles according to the GPS thingy.

Hannah has made great strides in her leash work. We did run into a large group of horseback riders. Hannah was sure they were marauders of some sort. I think that the more often we encounter others on the trails, the less barking she will do. 

Once they passed, she ignored them. But she is part terrier and everything needs to be barked at when she first is surprised by it.

Both dogs were tired and slept on the drive home.

I'm pleased that Hannah and Charlie are doing well with hiking together now on leashes the double leash works but I didn't want two dogs pulling me around on the very difficult climb to the top of the rock.

We have continued our early morning 15 minute workout on a line learning to heel and sit when I stop walking. She is doing the sit now most of the time in the proper spot without me telling her and repositioning her now.

Charlie watches from the house. He believes that he is the overlord of the house and will refuse to join in our foolishness.

 

Hiking with Charlie

This has been a tough week in a few ways but I won't go into those details. I was able to eek out a couple of hours to grab Charlie and take him with me to KVR [Kickapoo Valley Reserve].

I was surprised that I was the only vehicle in the parking area. In fact I'd passed several parking spots and hadn't seen anyone. Imagine my glee when I shared this information with Charlie. Poor Charlie wasn't exactly being gleeful. Sometimes he gets a wee bit worked up and a little car sick.

I needed a short quick Nature Fix so I chose Weister Creek.

We were not disappointed.

Pano of an ice 'cave'

Charlie and I climbed up into the cave on the top right and set up the camera and stood inside. I have wanted to do this for a long time. Photos rarely give anyone the true perspective of what we are seeing.

If you are wondering what is on my head. Well, it is my Skunk Hat. It has a face and a tail. It is definitely my most prized hat of all time. My regret is that it I can only wear it in cold weather.

By February, depending on the temperatures, I would be standing behind a wall of ice and the sandstone behind me would be slick with dripping ice. The Reserve actually offers tours on their website but cautions that a person should be in pretty good shape as the hike is demanding.

Climbing into these areas can be a bit tricky.

Charlie and I had some snacks here before moving on to the second formation.

This set of caves produces some of the most interesting ice colors I've ever seen. The ice reflects tones of blue, green, and yellow. The cave at the top generally becomes a wall of ice. This is only a small portion of this rather large area.

Charlie and I had another destination in mind. We wanted to walk the old equine trail and gaze at the Weister Creek ice.

The water is low this year, but thank goodness there is still seepage from the hillsides.

Yet we were still not at our destination. We had to take the 'super' secret old equine trail to one more place.

We spent a while here listening to the water run over the rocks and investigating the animals prints in the sand.

Charlie saw me pick up my backpack and he scurried up the next leg of the faint trail. I called him back, laughing. He knows these trails as well as he knows his own yard.

He trotted over and looked up at me with his soulful eyes. If it had been up to me, we'd have gone on exploring until dark.

The short days with all the shadows and light were amazing. I explained this to Charlie as we headed home.

He was disappointed and explained to me that the smells he found were simply amazing. 

And it was Friday...the 13th...

I went to my regular CrossFit time and was able to write up a warm up for anyone else who happened to show up.

So myself and my friend Bill were the only ones to show up. My membership ends on Monday so I figured this would be my last day in the Wellness Center.

The COVID-19 was splashed in the news everywhere. The amount of people on the other side of the gym was diminished greatly.

Our coach was in the process of renting a place for us. Everyone was excited. Me? Not so much. I told Bill that after this, I was not going to be around 'crowds'. Not so much for myself but I need to keep my husband safe.

I hit Walmart afterward and picked up some fresh lettuce and fruits and some pepper. I saw people with gallons of milk in their carts and signs up with limits on certain goods. The isle for hand sanitizers was barren. I know you can make that stuff fairly easily and I had everything at home in my bag of vet/human first aid things.

I picked up veggie seeds and an extra bag of food for Charlie.

Then I headed for the Kickapoo Valley Reserve.

And we hiked the Wintergreen Trail.

There I am a rare photo thanks to Bill of me after climbing a hillside to 

show Bill one of the ice caves.

Pictures from our hike.

Bottom of fern leaf on the bluff

Infrared shot from the lookout

And of course our pace setter...Charlie...

When I got home I opened my emails.

Banking should be on line or the drive up.
Master Naturalist Class was now cancelled.
All WI schools were cancelled as of Wednesday.
The VA had procedures for appts. Line up to get in the parking lot to get screened. Telehealth.
The nursing homes instituted more severe restrictions.
Local restaurants asked patrons to 'order out' and not eat in.

I spent most of the night awake even though I was tired.

How was our life going to change?
I didn't have to really wonder very much. Things were going to be a crapshoot.

I felt pretty lucky. Spring was coming.
Foraging in the woods would be a wonderful way to get exercise and fresh wild veggies.

~~~~~
And as always. Things are rapidly changing again today, Sunday.
The schools are closed now and won't extend until Wednesday.
A tent is being set up to triage people in the hospital parking lot.

I am done being a part of the madness. I am going to actively become isolated for my husband's sake.