I'd like to ...

Go hiking with you sometime she said...

Generally coordinating schedules for my hiking is nearly impossible as I often just take off on a whim and don't 'schedule' a hike.

I thought I'd give it a try. Deb is recently retired and we've talked a lot at the gym all summer long. She is about my age and is a very active person. 

We settled on a date and a spot to meet. I chose the Blackhawk Rock trail as it is a good first hike to see the multitude of wonderful things at the Reserve.

We found interesting things alongside and in the trails we took. At one point we were confronted with a long part of the trail that was covered in about 4 inches of water. I assume that the creek that flowed nearby had made its way over the trail. I offered Deb the choice of going on through and getting our feet wet or turning around.

It was a warm day and she said she didn't care. I led the way splashing like a kid through 30 feet of ankle deep water. I was loving it. 

We made it to the bluff top after very careful trekking on the trail that led up to it. The dry ground that was covered in leaves made it slippery. Not to mention the tree roots and rocks that hid under the leaves.

It is fun meeting new people and taking a walk/hike with them. It is a great way to learn about their stories and their lives. 

By the time we got back to my loaner car [mine was in the shop having the concrete debacle fixed!] Deb was all smiles and said that this had made her day.

Looks like there'll be some more hiking with her in the future.

When I got to the gym and worked out the next day, my little friend Gracie asked when she could go with me! She just turned 10. Well, why not? Company is generally good and fun.

Though often, on some hikes, I prefer to go alone so I can stop and wonder at things and not have to explain anything. Just me...and the forest.

Maybe one day I'll grow up to be a Wood Elf?

[Apparently, my nick name that others call me at the gym is The Elf, how fun is that?]

[All photos taken with my cell phone. Deb said that was her goal, to hike and take beautiful photos with her cell phone and so I decided to try it myself!]

Shinrin-yoku

 ....

I have a standing 'date' so to speak with a young mom who also works full time. We meet on Tuesdays and go for a walk. 

This time we went back to the Mason Land. I'm not sure why it is called that, perhaps because someone named Mason may have owned it. The land was passed down through family ties. Anyway, it is there and we went back to it today.

We just walk and brush bust and look for interesting things. We wander in the woods, collecting burrs on our clothes and ducking branches. 

We were searching for fungi after the rain we had yesterday. And we found some. Mostly it was either dried up stuff or tiny little fungi blooming in the moisture from the rain.

There was an old chair we found tipped upside down at the base of an old towering oak tree. I flipped it over and proclaimed it to be Olive's new Remote Work Office.

She gave me a look and then laughed and sat in the chair and posed like this:

I told her that I loved to find old chairs that hunters have left in the woods for selfies. Why not? 

[Years before those fancy fold up hunting chairs were invented, hunters brought out old metal chairs and set them in the woods. Heck, that may have even been before tree stands were invented! Tree Stands? I have my own opinion on them...but I won't write about it here. I wrote about THAT in 2010 A Hateful Woman or Stupid Man Invented Tree Stands.]

Here I am in my New Office:

Yeah, in case you are wondering, we don't wear our good clothes while rummaging through the wild woods. 

Good conversation and laughter are things we both need. She as a young mom and a hard worker, me? Well,... you know me.

We take this time once a week to goof off for about an hour or so. 

We explore. Laugh. Point out strange and odd things.

We found Yellow Fairy Cup Fungi:

Witch's butter:

Woods Ear or Amber Jelly Roll:

Shaggy Scaly Caps:

The little Lego dude says -- don't eat this!

We found lots of these mainly on Boxelder Trees.

Fungi we found that was neat but I couldn't ID it at all. 

Not Chicken of the Woods:

We did find Hen of the Woods.

I cannot believe I didn't photograph it, but I was distracted by the amazing scene and took photos of the oak that had Hen of the Woods at its base. Maybe because the fungi was old and dried up and...well, looked just nasty!

This rock formation looks like a granite pile of huge rocks. Almost like the earth below thrusted it up in the middle of the woods.

Olive and I want to come back and explore the rocks one day. 

Both of us have to admit that a little bit of outdoor play time or forest time is essential for a good state of mind.

A little shinrin-yoku goes a long way.

Shinrin-yoku is the Japanese saying for Forest Bathing or simply immersing yourself in nature for your health.

Teaching Bill to Orienteer...

The above photo is from the steep rise on the West Ridge Trail. We started at Pott's Corners and came up the steep hill. In the winter, this is a snowmobile trail and multi use trail. In the summer, it is used by hikers, equine, and bicyclists.

On a whim I texted Bill late on Sunday and told him I was going to take advantage of the unusual weather to hike on Monday. He texted back "I'm IN!"

The light was amazing and the Autumnal Haze was pretty thick. It created a surreal scene as we walked up through the shadows of the trees.

I gave Bill a running commentary about where I thought we would end up on the West Ridge Trail. I told him we'd probably come right up to those incredible rocks we found in the spring of 2020. He was skeptical.

I wasn't. I'd seen the West Ridge Trail from the top of the rocks and knew it was there. Plus I study the maps from the reserve.

We found the rock formation.

I asked Bill if he wanted a closer look and he asked if we could get up on top. 

And yes, we did.

View from the top looking east.

Bill told me we were looking in another direction by his reckoning. I got out the map of the KVR and dropped my really nice compass on it. I oriented it for him and he was mildly surprised. 

In my backpack, I carry an updated map of the reserve, a compass, and a topographical map.

This way I can be fairly confident when cutting across the land to find my way and not get lost in all of the hills and valleys.

Believe me, directions can get confusing. All it took is one time of going down the wrong trail to convince me that I had to be much more aware.
I include a firestarter cube along with waterproof matches and a lighter. Also included it an emergency blanket in my backpack.

We did get up on top of the rock ridge and that put us on Hanson Rock Trail. There, Bill wanted to head south and I told him we had parked at Pott's Corners to the north. 

I told him if we followed the rock ridge we'd cut off distance back to the vehicles and end up back on the trail we wanted. This time, I had him figure out the direction and carry the compass for a bit.

With no trail to follow, the land looks very intimating. 

Bill said he'd just follow me. But I had him stop and read the compass a few more times.

 

Within a few minutes of walking, we stood on a rock out crop and peered down on the Hanson Rock Trail. Bill recognized the spot. 
Here is Bill, happy that we were not lost in the Wild.

The detour was well worth it.

This is a rock outcrop that cannot be seen from the trail. It is worth meandering about to see these formations.

We descended off the small bluff and Bill handed me the compass. I asked him if he'd like one for Christmas. He said he'd get his wife one. He wants her to enjoy hiking too. She retires from her nursing career in December and he is hoping to get her to enjoy discovering the outdoors. She already is an amazing wild flower gardener.

We walked along enjoying Charlie's fearless leading along with the amazing warm weather.

We stopped to admire some Shining Firmoss Plants. Okay, I didn't know what they were when we found them, but after hours of searching, I did find a name. I believe it is a vascular plant and not truly a moss?

I need to do some more research.

And the rest of the trip was downhill. As .. well, we were walking off a steep ridge.

The shadows were getting long but left incredible patterns across the trail.

And that...

was

my Monday

adventure.

The Wintergreen Trail

When the weather is crappy or I just need a nice trail that goes out and back, I like to hike the Wintergreen Trail. In every season it has something to offer that is interesting.

Summer provides cool fungi and hoardes of skeeters if it is damp. Winter can provide hidden Ice Falls and a frozen river along with colored ice from places where water seeps across the trail.

Fall can provide stunning views of the river before the green grasses turn brown. The oak and maples leaves cover the trail in a reddish hue which makes you gasp as you walk along.

Red and green. Nature's own way of decorating! Friend Bill and our fearless leader, Charlie took us on this hike. Charlie hangs out with Bill on a bench because when Bill eats an apple, Charlie always gets more than one piece of apple.

We had a conversation about this hiking sign. I told Bill that it was a warning to hikers that there were Carnivorous Trees in the area. 

I always make up some silly story regarding trail markers in the KVR. I can't help it. Bill kept trying to figure out what I meant. But that is Bill. 

He had a laugh when we reached the end of the bluff and I said "This is where the Little Ponies wanted to stop and look around!"
I dumped some My Little Ponies out of my back pack and started to arrange them in the unique ferns.

Bill just smiles and shakes his head when I do the toy thing.

Hey, MLP like to go on adventures too!

I climbed down to the prepiece of the bluff and studied the variety of moss and lichen I found there. There were so many colors and kinds.

I guess I'll need to get my Moss and Lichen books out to see if I can even find something that look similar.

We ambled back to the parking area and parted ways. Charlie was more than ready to take a nap in his car seat. 

Tonight I may have a chance to see the Northern Lights. I need to brush up on any sort of photo skills I could try to get a picture of them. If not. I will just enjoy the experience.

Weister Creek Ma & Pa's Trail

I had an idea how to do Ma & Pa's Trail and pass by the remnants of the ice caves. I dislike straight out and back hiking.

So I dove deep into my memories of riding this area pre KVR. There now are 50 miles of hiking trails.

30 years ago it was more like 100 miles of back and forth trails.

When KVR took over, they eliminated many of the equine trails due to erosion and safety concerns for the people and their equine.

I knew from ancient memories that it was possible to make a loop from Pott's Corners to Ma & Pa's and back to Pott's corners. It is recommended for hikers to stay on the trails so they don't get lost.

Those old trails still exist and I wouldn't take a horse on them. 

My fellow explorer, Bill, came with me. Bill is an amazing hiking partner. He doesn't mind me pointing out little things. He doesn't mind it when I stop to investigate something I see.
He doesn't mind following me into the unknown.

Bill has no sense of direction, he tells me. But he has a sense of wonder. He is retired from being an IT guy. He can whip up a spread sheet and do financials in two seconds flat. 

He can fix just about anything and rebuild a mower or bicycle. He is curious and loves to fix things.

I find it amusing that he puts his trust in me not to GET lost.

Charlie is my other great partner. He has a knack for finding deer trails which are often old equine trails.

Here we are on the Ma & Pa Trail which eventually crosses Weister Creek.

If memory served me correctly, the bluffs along the creek had an old trail. I can recall riding along the bluffs both above and below. I remember our group stopping so they could point out The Hole in the Rocks. Bill and I found the hole and the early spring sunshine shone right through it. [Can you believe I did NOT take a photo?]

I was more concerned with finding the faint indentations of the old trail.

With cries of delight I climbed a bluff when I spotted some very cool Lichen.
Dragon Horn Lichen. See the pine needle on the left? It is tiny but bluish. Some cool things about this lichen, apparently is glows under UV light. I think the name is just cool. [Taken with my TG6 pocket camera]

Charlie led and we followed the faint trail. Bill asked me if I knew where I was and I said I sure did. I stopped so he could get his bearings. We listened for the road traffic and then I pointed out that if we followed the Creek we'd end up at the Ice Caves.

He gave me a look.

Soon enough, we climbed a steep old trail and crossed an icy ravine. I asked Bill to take the lead up and over. 

And then there we were. He recognized the ice formation from earlier this winter.

We took a break and then headed back to our vehicles.

The icing was probably going to be gone after this weekend of warm weather.

Mission accomplished.
We did a neat hike without backtracking and covered 2.8 miles according to the Map My Hike App.

And

no one got lost.

However. I need to go back and 'shoot' a picture of the Hole in the Rock.

Another time!

Looking for ice

We had sunshine on Wednesday and it was cold as a Well Diggers ____________, you can fill in the blank.

My friend Bill wanted to go and the winds were absolutely wicked so I picked a hike that would get us out of the wind and next to the Kickapoo River.

These first photos are from that hike. We had Yak Traks but should have had snowshoes as we were 'off' trail and the snow was icy crunchy and pretty tough to walk in. Bill was okay with that as he said the effort was a good test to see if his hip and knee were feeling better.

Bill's commentary was constant, telling me about adventures with his grand kids and then he'd stop and wonder where we were and I'd assure him we were not lost. Next he'd stand still and say, "Wow...Oh Wow!"

This one is my favorite from the ice bluffs and the last one I did with my 'normal' camera.

Note the slight colors in the ice. Pretty cool right? Well I also brought my little pocket camera that is a Full Spectrum Infrared camera. That means I can use different filters for different light spectrums. I chose the 665nm filter. 

The first shot is 'channel swapped'. With the 665nm filter blue skies are orange and green is bluish-white while rocks reflect a blue-grey. It all depends on your subject for white balance for the filter and how you want your colors to appear.  

These last two are not color edited. I simply de-saturated the blues. And let the ice reflection that appears orange come through.

Most IR photographers put their cameras away during the winter months, but I think it is fun to see winter in a different light.

Part II is coming.

I went out Friday to clear my head. Wind chills were -15, but I was prepared and I wanted to go visit the Wiester Creek Ice formations and hike up over the ridge on the old horse trail.