Fall Beckons.....................

After fighting a gnarly cold from Sunday morning through Wednesday morning, I decided to go kick some stuffy head a$$. When I was in my 20's and 30's I was a distance runner. I'd get a head cold and wait until I could 'just' breath and then go running. Stupid, you know? But I always felt better after getting the 'juices' flowing.

So Wednesday morning after chores I grabbed a backpack and my two cohorts [dogs] ran to sit by my car. The vote was in. I could clean house, make the bed, and dust ----> or take off and do something fun. The weather was perfect in every single way that fall can produce.

The drive to the Reserve seemed to hold the promise of something beautiful.

But since I was still not recovered from the cold [think stuffy nose and stuffy head]. I decided we'd just take it slow when we hit the trails.

And we did. I took nearly an hour for our first mile. I strolled slowly letting the dogs trot ahead looking for interesting scents.

I took a maintenance trail that is almost never used. No bikes or equines are allowed there, but foot traffic is okay.

I know that last year I stopped and photographed this wild grape vine. I've always intended to come back and see it in the winter. Maybe this year.

It almost looks like some sort of alien creature!

The shot last year was much better, but I'll have to wait until later in the year to try it again!

Last year:

The bare branches of some of the young maples under the pines held my attention as the needles have been dropping from the winds decorating the bare branches.

For fun I tried a double exposure in camera. I pointed the camera at the bright part of the forest and took a shot of my hand, then pointed at the dogs for a second exposure. The effect is rather interesting.

I swapped the camera over to B&W and serendipity gave me this view of Hannah. I liked it.

I turned and spotted this highlighted maple branch that looked like it had spikes. It is just pine needles.

We lollygagged along in no hurry, so Hannah ran off in front to be called back to me. Charlie was smart and just walked alongside me unless a smell was too overpowering.

We did greet two horse back riders. But otherwise we saw no other human. In the distant ponds in the valley we could hear Canada Geese and other waterfowl calls. 

Over the years, I usually stop at this stump on the Little Canada Trail. I ask the dogs to sit on the stump for a portrait. I think these two portraits tell a tale at the different characteristics of these two dogs.

Hannah -- a goofy face.

Charlie, so stoic.

The Dragon Tree. Or.

Whatever you might see in it!

This tree has seen so much I can tell by its expression:

It took us a long time to get this trail done, but it didn't feel like it. I'm still learning to try to NOT hurry through each of my hikes but to slow down and take it all in.

Fall:

The smells of fall, 

the dropping leaves, 

the whispers of the wind in the pine trees,

The air carried a kind of quiet promise,

the kind you only hear when the season shifts.

Every trail felt like a story half‑told,

begging to be explored.

Fall didn’t just arrive — it beckoned.

it appealed to our sense of wildness,

of adventure,

and of awe.

Chilly Tuesday

Apparently chairs are much better than the nice doggy bed on the floor.

Or ...

the dogs have taken over and I am their servant. 

Hannah still has to be lifted onto the chair, she hasn't gotten the jump down quite yet.

They keep me safe and busy.

Charlie is the watchdog and Hannah runs to hide if she hears a loud or unfamiliar noise.

After the scrapper dudes left, we headed out for some exploring. [More about them another time.]

We explored a new area.

 

A sunny bluff that ran north and south.

On the eastern side of the bluff spring flowers were pushing up. 

Spring Beauties
[they should carpet the forests in
about two weeks]

Spring Beauties and
the sprouts of Dutchman's Breeches

Blood Root a very unique
spring flower.

On the west side, there were icicles dripping off from cold bluff. This side of the bluff rarely gets much sunshine as it faces a steep and heavily forested valley.

The cracks in the bluff had frigid air coming out of them.

If it is really hot while hiking this summer, I know where I can go to cool off. All I have to do is stand at this crack in the bluff and feel the cold air venting out.

Natural air conditioning!

Hannah loved the cold so much she had super zoomies.

The bluff has such unique shapes, forms, and colors.

Looking up.

Here is the view of the Kickapoo River retreating from its flood stage. I was standing on a bridge about 10 feet above the river. The bridge still had mud and debris on it.

The pussy willows along the trail that runs alongside the river were bright with their catkins.

On the hike back I saw a pair of swans and a pair of Sandhill Cranes in the wetlands. 

Both dogs slept on the way home.

It was a cold but good day.

Earlier this week

The nice weather on Wednesday prompted Charlie and I to take another long hike on a familiar trails called Little Canada and Ice Cave Trail. It is a 'lollipop' loop. Meaning
one circles like a lollipop at the far

end of the trail and comes back 

on the same trail.

Charlie took his time. He slowed way down and did more investigating of the sides of the trails. We saw deer, heard some birds, but mostly the hike was quiet and subdued.

I'd taken the first leg on a maintenance/hike trail which cut off about a 1/2 mile of the beginning of the trail. When I got into the huge pine stands which were planted by the previous land owners about 60 years ago I saw this cool vine.

There are quite a few stands of white pines in this area as the farmers who owned these lands had planted them in the hopes of harvesting them for lumber and profit. Alas, the state moved in and they moved out. But that is another history lesson for this area.

Walking through some of these stands makes me wonder what those who are care for the Reserve plan to do as the pines age out and fall over.

I came to several spots where that has occurred over the past winter and just was curious.

We stopped at Charlie's stump where I've placed him often over the years when we've hiked this trail together. I don't know how much longer this stump will survive too.

The winds were pretty cold but when we dropped into valleys we stayed rather warm and when we walked on the ridges we were cooled.

We walked through the endless pines, the wind played music in the top branches. I stood and watching the boughs sway back and forth.

Below is one of the double ice caves or in geologist terms, rock shelters that are below the trail in a deep dry run. Actually a bit of water trickles through the rocks creating an ice curtain in front of 'cave' and thus earns its name as an Ice Cave.

Here is my neighbor Bill in the cave on the right in the winter of 2022. That was probably our last winter hike together.

It is a tough climb down into the shelters and tougher coming out!

Still, it is worth it!

Below are a couple of trail signs indicating that these trails are horse and bike trails. When I see the signs upside down like this I always think about a horse meeting a bike and freaking out. You can make up the rest of the story.

However, the rule is, pedestrians AND bikes stop and step aside for horses. Bikes are to pause for hikers also but rarely does that occur. I won't go into that now. 

This is the view that looks toward the river towards the end of the lollipop loop. I just like the combination of colors.

When I reach this spot in the trail, I nearly always pause to see if I can get a 'good' shot of these trees, roots, and rocks.

The weekend was planned with new areas to explore that most people don't even seem to know about! 

Jason the Geologist was coming to visit and had a plan....

Stay tuned....

I Dun Did It!

What did I dun do?

I am a person who needs a challenge each year or some sort of goal to achieve. Sometimes my goal was learning something brand new like Infrared Photography, Still Photography, or things related to activities.

One year it was the KVR trail challenge. The challenge was to hike all of the trails in the Reserve and do it within a calendar year.

It took me 3 tries over a 3 years before I actually finished and completed all 69+ miles of marked trails at the Reserve. I'd had many many side trips while hiking with others during those years. 

One can't complete just the 69+ miles. You have to mix and match the trails to get them all in.

Anyway, I checked my 'yearly' hiking miles this year in November. I hadn't much thought of adding up how many miles I did. But my smarty-watch helped me keep track. 

I had a distance in mind but wasn't sure about how it would work out or if it was even possible. 

My hiking/walking was simply for looking for things and enjoying fresh air along with movement.

I missed many days due to heat, rain, BUGS, and of course the 9 days of gun season. So I was surprised that when I checked things again a week ago, I realized I could reach a goal of 1,000 miles. I mean, I was good with anything that I had. I thought I'd just establishing a baseline for future years if I decided to keep track. 

[Dang, that is a baseline? What should I set for another goal???]

I did the math and distances are an  accumulation of about 2.7 miles a day.

To get those last 5 miles in...

I decided to head to Weister Creek to check on my favorite Ice Formations. Rock Shelters with ice curtains.

Everyone calls them Ice Caves.

Over the years, visiting as many ice caves as I can is always to do in the winter. Let's face it, the land is unique and so are the 'caves'. They are just plain cool to see.

Below is a wide angle shot of the first set of caves. This spot is unusual in that it has several rock shelters and a lot of water seepage. By February, if the weather cooperates, these will become ice caves.

You can slip behind the sheet of ice and look out at a curtain of ice.

In this shot, Charlie and I are in the top right corner 'cave' in the photo above.
 

I'm about 5' 3' so that can give you an idea as to how tall that ice really is.

The trail [cough cough] -- not really a trail, a faint deer path... isn't marked. It is demanding, steep, and requires one to walk on a steep incline over obstacles. 

Climbing down to the caves is another adventure entirely. 

But when the ice sheets are full its so beautiful. 

It is worth the trouble of putting on ice cleats and trudging up into the caves.

What it can look like on a good winter from behind the ice.

There, I got in one pre Christmas Hike to visit the Ice Caves and accomplished something.

Let's see what happens next year. I have a couple of long distance challenges I've been thinking off.

The shot below is at the area where I generally stop in the winter and turn around.

This is what makes the hike so special ... so much cool ice!

It's hard to get to and find, but worth the difficulty. 

Generally in February there are guided tours given by staff of the Reserve to visit this area.

Wintergreen Trail in November

Sunday morning came and the rains had stopped. I looked at the weather and it appeared that it would be decent for most of the day.

I put some things together in my little backpack which included mini snacks for Charlie and my camera. We took off at 8am. I like to hike the Wintergreen Trail early in the day if I go on a weekend. It is a short trail that is beautiful and has many views of the Kickapoo River. The trail head is right off the parking lot to the Visitor's Center so it gets a lot of midday traffic.

I always take my time while walking this trail. I am very familiar with it. I hike it in the winter and fall because I can view the river more clearly.

I always stop at what is called the 'Look Out'. It is a bluff with a view. 

To get out on the edge takes a bit of maneuvering. It isn't the sort of thing you hop over and down onto the small ledge. Most people don't do it.
I carefully climb down to the spot where I can sit and just gaze south.

I never tire of the view in any season. Below is a shot with my feet in the frame along with the edge of the bluff.

Here is the bluff taken from across the river on a x-country ski trail. I think I took this in 2018. I was on the lower ledge where you can see snow in the photo. The river's edge below the bluff was frozen.

Charlie knows the trail by heart now. He has done it so many times. He knows that he has to sit and wait while I monkey around or pause to look at something. He also knows that I will take advantage of exploring. 

I went below the bluff on the north side. I couldn't get down next to the bluff and the river as it was too muddy and sandy. I had to stand on a little hilly formation to get this side.

I found it interesting with all the different kinds of lichen and ferns growing on it. Obviously there are geological layers showing also. I can't ID them, so I will just admire their beauty.

I can't help but photograph this odd tree formation every time we come through this part of the trail. I am afraid that one year, the tree will fall and I won't get to see it...

This August:

Over the years, I've gotten to know the best spots to look for spring flowers, the best spots to observe the river, and where unexpected rock shelters are. I look forward to seeing them in the winter as the water drips over the rock and forms an 'ice sheet' that can convert the shelter into an ice cave.

Once we hit the Wintergreen rock bluff, the path goes straight along the 'hogback'. The trail is lined on each side with pines and Hemlocks. It never ceases to stun me.

I always stop and the end of the trail and take time to sit on a log and just listen to the river and the sounds of the wind through the trees. It sighs just like I do.

Though, this Sunday we didn't get much quiet. In areas around the Reserve, it sounded like a firing range with all the different farms and at least two shooting ranges I know of that where sighting in their guns for next week's deer season.

Charlie turned himself inside out with anxiety. I had to carry him for a while as he literally shook and vibrated.

We still managed to have a great hike. We traveled only 2 1/2 miles total but took at least 2 hours to do it. There still is so much to see and observe even in November.

Yep. Not sure why there were pencils stuck in a log!

I could have spent most of the day just exploring....

And so now the new week is ongoing...

Rain rain rain...and flurries tomorrow? 
Looks like a good few days to do laundry, cleaning, dusting, washing, and a bit of crafty stuff!