A day with Gracie

   About a month ago Gracie and her sister Tori came to visit me at our place. They got to ride my mules Sunshine and Siera.

Since then Gracie has been asking to come back. Her birthday was October 1st and one of her birthday wishes was a visit with me. I was pretty honored.

She asked to go hiking which is one of my favorite things to do. So I packed a picnic lunch of PB&J, dehydrated apple chips, and some chocolate chip cookies. 

On the drive to Duck Egg County Park she asked over and over. How much further? When do we get there? As a Grandmother, I can smile and just give an answer. There is an advantage to being my age and one of them is more patience than I had as a mom.

This was my typical view for many parts of our hike:

We stopped and had a picnic lunch on a footbridge that goes over the stream. Charlie kept and eye out in case any good stuff fell on the bridge. 

We had to hike up a very steep hillside with switchbacks in the trail. The elevation from valley floor to the bluff is 702 feet. The bluff we were hiking to is in the top of the photo pictured below.

As we started up the steep switchback Gracie kept asking 'How far to the top?' Sort of like ... are we there yet? I asked if she was tired and she said her legs were so we rested often.

A bit of 'drama' is always enjoyed...

Kids are so great and it gives me a lot of joy to be around them. 

We did eventually make it to the look out. I looks down on the valley we'd just trekked through.

When I got back to the house Gracie visited with Rich and told him about the hike. We then visited with the mules for a bit before it was time to take her back to her mom.

The mules recognized her and came right to her.

She wants to be immersed in horses and equine. I can recall wanting the same thing at that age. 

I mean, what little girl doesn't want that?

I grew up and had my dream. I surely hope she can do it also.

When I got ready to head back to town to drop her off she ran inside the house and wrapped her arms around Rich and gave him a huge hug. His and her smiles made my day. I am blessed to have made friends with her mom and family. They bring joy into our world.

Cut Off Trail

Sometimes wandering from the path is a good thing.

Yesterday on a whim, I texted to my neighbor that I'd be off to the Kickapoo Valley Reserve later on, just in case anyone would be interested.

Lauren and I often text each other on a whim for activities 'just in case' it works out for either her or me.
Yesterday it worked out for her and the kids...and the dogs too.

I guided them to the Cut Off Trail which I had hiked last February with Charlie. We'd only gone along below the bluffs that day as I wasn't sure just how long or where exactly the other end of the trail came out on County P.
After the hike last year, I drove over to where it came out and decided that I'd do that leg of the trail and walk the road back to where I'd park next time out.

I always carry a map and have a compass [yes a real live compass] attached to my back pack. In the back pack, I have snacks, water, hot chocolate, dog treats, emergency blanket [the space age kind], a lighter and a Fire starter log.

Hiking in KVR is pretty remote. So I always feel the need to be prepared. Hiking near home is the same way.

Well there I go, sidetracked!

We walked along the lower edges of the bluff and the kids kept exclaiming *Wow!* Each time we found ice formations or cool roots...or something interesting.

I can assure you, that the little frozen 'dry run' that had water seeping down through the rocks was so much more interesting than the trail was.

The day was pretty dark and gloomy, but there was a whole lot of laughter and exploration happening.

We eventually headed up the trail and along the ridge tops, following a trail that used to be equine only, but is now a multi use trail for hikers and equine. In the winter it is used by those brave folks with fat tire bikes and others with snowshoes.

By the time we got back to the vehicle, it was getting dark and the little dogs were tired. I'm pretty sure that Basil had run twice the distance that we had walked. Charlie was a bit more conservative in his distance running.

We got home after dark.

It was a perfect afternoon.

Insect hunting

Miss Allie, I call her.
The Insect Girl.

It isn't a bad thing or even an insult. How many young girls do you know that adore insects? Enough love for the insect to have 'pet' Madagascar Hissing Beetles in her room?
She has an insect display board in her room also.

Kudos to the parents for letting her pursue an unusual interest.

Here she is!
Allie and I made a date to go looking for 'Bugs' last night towards evening. We thought the stands of Milkweeds in the meadow would be a good place to start.

I have a LOT to learn about finding insects. I thought they'd be easier to find towards evening. Not.

Anyway off we went in the late evening heat to find bugs.

Allie the fearless, led the way. I loved her spiderweb dress, just perfect for insect hunting.  I know she really had her heart set on some Orb Spiders. But those insects will be in the meadow in a few weeks.
Last night we were looking for butterflies or anything I guess.

No bug too small!
Here Allie turns this tiny insect over to show me its legs and explain that she thinks it will grow up to be some sort of 'Leaf Insect'. Leaf hopper? I don't know!

I found a link that helps ID insects called Bug Finder. It is actually very helpful.

We found this red beetle on a milkweed. I was able to look it up and discover that it is a Red Milkweed Beetle with a long difficult scientific name. It is just fine to call it the Red Milkweed Beetle.

The milkweed had many bees on the flowers, but alas no Monarch eggs that we could find.

However, we did find some insect drama:

A Daddy Longlegs eating a bee?
We watched, fascinated.

The ants were very busy on some of the milkweed and not others.

I kept looking for 'good' shots of bees. I liked this one with the bees wings in motion!

Allie thought it would be good to go into my woods and hunt around.

Bonus!
She found a pile of deer bones...

Some went into her pink bag to go home with her.

Here Allie poses with some of the insects she caught. We headed home towards dusk.

My favorite shot of the whole outing? Aside from all the cool things we observed...

Here is Allie explaining to me what we might find on Milkweed plants and what we should be looking for.

I can only say this. I do know I was surprised by how much fun I really had. I was intrigued by the drama in the miniature world of insects.

My guide may have been young, but her enthusiasm rubs off on you.

We are going to try and do this again soon.
Thank you Miss Allie!

I'll take it

Boots. Wet from hiking in the creek with the neighbor lady and her children.

I had a pretty full day that started with a Partner WOD. [work out of the day] My partner was amazing and IS an amazing lady. Mom of 5 who works two jobs and has a husband who is going to school. The more we visit at CrossFit, the more I am impressed!

So the boots were drying on the porch. Walking IN the creek was the obvious way to stay cool yesterday. My hike had started out strictly in the woods looking for fungi and ended up in the creek with my neighbor and her kids.

Allie takes a rest. She got stuck in that Mule Soul Sucking Mud spot that Siera refused to get near the other day. One thing about mucky mud. It keeps the bugs from biting you.

The rocking chair came from a church bizarre along with the lady's scarves. I absolutely adore rocking chairs. LOVE them. This one is small and perfect for me. The scarves served as adornment to the 'crate' table I have on the porch. I have no idea why I chose those scarves. Colors? Backdrops for still life photos? Don't know. They just said 'Take me!'.

Part of my hike yesterday was to find interesting spots of sunlight and try some Infrared shots.

My favorite one so far is the stump. I won't even say how hard of a trek it was to get here, but it was worth it.

Evening found Charlie and I on the porch where we watched the sky for colors as the sun began to go down.
We were rewarded.

This is the view from the driveway looking across to the west.

This morning I woke up at 4:11. Yes I checked it twice. I got up anyway and decided to take a very early walk.
The gnats were nasty but the scenery was worth the walk.

Mother Nature decided to paint the sky briefly just before 5am.

I'll take it.
The rest of the day still awaits....

6th Graders

Once upon a time I considered becoming a teacher for a living. I got through two years of college and went on to doing a month as a Pre-Student Teacher.

It was a smart move by the college program to see if young students really had the calling to become a full fledged teacher.

I walked into the classroom to meet the students on that first day. 20 sets of eyes turned to look at me curiously. I felt fear trickle down my spine. I observed the class for one day and suddenly was sure that I would never survive a day in front of students. They would eat me alive.

I changed my major then next day to something completely safe and boring. Those 2nd Graders had terrified me. I was about 20 when that happened. I was positive that if I stuck with Teaching, kids would literally eat me alive.

The second thing that used to bother me to no end was public speaking. I had to give a speech while in college and I recall it was one of the worst moments of my life. My hands got slick and sweaty, my breath kept escaping me, and I knew I'd die of a heart attack any moment. Somehow I got through that experience without expiring and vowed never to speak again in front of more than two or three people.

I've had 40 years since that happened. I've done a lot of things since then. Maybe I'm just comfortable with who I am now.

I received a text from a teacher at the local school wondering if I'd like to come and do a presentation at Camp for the 6th grade. She was looking for something involving nature, something different.

I didn't really think too hard about it. I didn't even think about that day that those 2nd Graders shook my soul. I texted back yes. We made the arrangements and my presentation was going to be billed as "Nature Hike and Wild Food."

When I arrived at 'Camp', I spoke with the teacher and told her that I was going to have to 'Wing' it as I'd never been in this valley before and didn't know what plants were growing along our proposed hike route. She was fine with that.

I went to the meet up spot and watched curiously as a mixed bag of 11 and 12 year old girls and boys showed up. They pretty much ignored my presence under the tree and talked about their cabins and whatnot.

We started the hike in a well groomed area. I asked the kids if they'd ever hunted Morel Mushrooms, many hands went up. I asked about Wild Ramps or Leeks, less hands but still a few.

I asked if they knew what Garlic Mustard was. They knew. Did they know what it looked like? Curious faces. No not many did.

I found a plant and held it up.

There was a bit of curiosity in their eyes but not much.

I explained that this was a plant brought overseas by Europeans years ago. They used it apparently to spice things up and it may have had some medicinal purposes also.

There was sort of a shrug with the attention. I could hear their minds working. Big Deal.

So I grabbed a leaf and chewed on it. There was the hint of taste of garlic with another flavor. I made a face and said, "Oh this does indeed taste like garlic a bit!" Suddenly I had their attention. I picked another plant and held it up.

Hands reached out and they asked, "Can be try it?" Suddenly the group was passing the plants around, sniffing it, some grabbing a leaf and cautiously tasting it.

I spit mine out and took a drink of water.

"I could use that to flavor a salad or piece of chicken, but I won't be eating it plain!"

The kids started looking for Garlic Mustard as we walked. They would point to it and ask to pick it.

I found some Wild Parsnip and pulled out my gardening blade. I pulled it up and explained that this too was a plant that was brought over from Europe and was closely related to the Parsnip that was planted in normal gardens. However, one could safely dig them up in the spring and eat the roots. I cautioned that it takes a lot of work to make a meal, but I thought it was delicious as a treat.

Old photo of gathering wild parsnips

I asked them if they knew how nasty this plant was in the summer. They did and they told me how the plant could burn you and hurt you. I spoke about foraging and the best way to do it would be with someone who had a lot of experience so they wouldn't get the wrong plant.

We moved on after everyone got to smell the parsnip roots. They told me it smelled like carrots or parsnips or turnips.

The hit of the day was golden rod. We were looking at Jack in the Pulpits when one youngster brought me a dried out stem with a gall in it. They asked me what made it.

I pointed to the new golden rod coming up on the ground and then took the stem with the 'gall' in it.

I told them that insects burrow into the golden rod and then there is an egg laid. I thought a 'bug' should be inside the 'gall'.

I related a story of how my Grandmother and us kids would walk the fields in the fall to find these along with milk weed pods for a dried 'flower' bouquet. My Grandmother would sometimes paint the golden rod stems and the milk weed pods.

I asked if anyone knew the real technical name of these 'galls'.

I received blank looks and shaking heads.

I reached over and boinked the nearest student on the head gently. "There's your nobbin...there's your Nobbin' Knocker!"

There was lots of laughter and suddenly everyone was looking for Nobbin' Knockers. Some were going to keep them and some were going to take the gall apart to find the bug inside.

One of the girls had come up to me at the start of the hike and asked how long was the hike? I'd answered about 45 minutes. The look on her face was horrified.

On the way back to camp she was disappointed that the hike was so short. She had been having fun.

It struck me on the drive home that I'd been with groups of students all day long and had not once been struck by fear, dread, sweaty hands, or anguish. I hadn't worried about what I'd say or do. By the third hike out I'd figured out what might peak the students' interests.

And believe me. Holding a 11-12 yr old group of kids' interest is not an easy thing to do.

I had a blast.

Just add imagination

"Do you want to go for a walk with the kids? We can go to the Reserve and do an nice easy trail...bring snacks?" I sent the question in an email to my neighbor.

We often went to my little creek for adventures, but the weather was supposed to be chilly. I wanted an excuse to get out of the house and visit with another female. And I wanted to go to my new favorite place. The Kickapoo Valley Reserve.

Off we went.

We took Harris Road Trail to the ponds. We detoured around the ponds which was good. 
That meant that I was knocking off one more trail that I had to complete for that Dam Trail Challenge. 
It is actually just called The Trail Challenge, I just like including the 'Dam' in it. 
This was one of those small intersecting trails that I'd missed the other times while hiking the south part of KVR.

The kids ran ahead while 'we' adults walked along behind just enjoying each other's company and conversation. 

The trail led around more than one frozen pond and of course the kids wanted to explore the ice. 

However with the recent warm days and melt downs I was super cautious and said emphatically NO! Lauren and I discussed our fears of falling through the ice and being trapped under it. 

Of course, I did something silly on the walk as we negotiated the path around the one pond. 
I blathered on to the kids about how in another month or so they could see Canada Geese, Mallards, a variety of ducks, and other birds. Did they want to keep an eye out for eagles?

I realized as I chattered on that Lauren was probably the only one hearing me. The kids were concentrated on the ice chunks in their path, the rocks, the stumps, and the pure adventure of the hike...and not the coming spring or birds.

I laughed to myself then. I thought, just enjoy the chatter of the children and the fresh but chilly air.

We came around a bend and there was a corn crib type structure. 
It was a blind set up with boards that you could open to watch those birds who would be coming to nest.
The kids ate snacks and enjoyed opening the little windows.

Sure, I tried to explain that this was a bird blind. That really did't impress my audience. Then I may have said that it was a way to spy on birds. Now that peaked their interest!

The only Eagle we saw at KVR was the finger puppet I added to my collection. 

I generally have a toy in my pocket of some kind even when I am hiking without children. 

Off we went again along the Old 131 Trail. The trail is flat and fairly straight. I think it was pretty boring to the kids. Up ahead near Star Valley there is a magnificent old pine that had been damaged by a storm. This pine became the place for the kids.

First we went to the benches and markers on Star Valley Trail. I wanted to show the kids the memorial. They were interested in the small pond created by the melt down. 
They were not being rude, they were exploring. A small pond with a mostly frozen surface is far more exciting than the little memorial. They could break ice up and throw it onto the surface of the flooded area and watch the ice splinter.

We had snacks and before the kids got wet, we moved away from the alluring little pond of ice and water.
The kids saw a trail that led across the field.

"Can we go this way?"
Of course! 
Off they ran, pausing at every area that had ice. 

Surely Mother Nature had put those little frozen places there just for them.

How can you compete with Mother Nature?

We went off trail as the kids wanted to see the river. They liked the huge chunks of ice that seemed stuck in it. I called them ice shoves, but they are actually ice floes. 

That did get some "cools!" from the kids.

I told them to lead on!
And they did.

I felt that the little trail would lead us back to the old damaged pine tree.
And it did.

However now the kids were busy. 
The adults merely stood back and let them play.

Play is the work of children.
It is very serious stuff.
~~ Bob Keeshan [Cpt. Kangaroo]

The tree and part of the branch that had broken off became something different that could only be seen through a child's imaginative eyes.
They played.

Lauren and I stood back and watched. 

I am always amazed at how quickly children can find something to play with. They don't need toys. Sticks, pieces of bark, or even a rock can become toys. A field of grass and a stump can become a fort or house.

Just let it go and let the children play, they will bring their own imagination.

Water and Ice

I really don't know why water and ice is so attractive to some photographers.

If I go somewhere, I am always hoping to see a pond or a stream. I love them.
Big lakes are incredible too. But I don't live near any. However, I think a few trips along Lake Michigan or Lake Superior in the winter would be great fun.

That is if one could take the cold weather.

Mirror Lake was interesting and I will definitely want to go back in the spring and visit one little known place. In fact I am not even going to mention the name of the place or how to find it.

Pewitt's Nest used to be a pleasure to go to. Now you have to visit it during a time that normal people wouldn't show up. In the summer people crowd to it.

This place did not disappoint.  And now that we've found it, we'll leave it to local knowledge to keep it somewhat quiet.
It isn't easy to get to, it is pretty much unmarked, and if you are resourceful, you could figure out where it is.

In the shot below can you see the person? She is one of the avid hikers and part of our 'gang'. She is in the lower left portion of the pano shot.

We were just...Wowed.

A natural gorge where none seemed to be. Hidden in a forest.
Naturally with the sandstone and limestone formations, the water drips off the sides of the gorge and forms fantastic ice flows.

Last week we had days of warm weather and we were pretty sure that no ice formations would be left.
However.
Looking at these indeed they must have been massive, monstrous!

It seems the mostly melted and then were frozen when the next storm moved in, so there was new and old ice formations mixed in together.

We'd found an 'ultimate' ice gorge full of formations.

And because it would be nice to get an idea of the size of the ice, here is my friend climbing along the icy precipice to get a different view.
I was not that brave.

Here are my friends exploring also.

One might wonder about the camouflage colored clothes. If you want outdoor gear that is warm and will stand up to hard hiking you seek the sales rack for hunting clothing. It is pretty simple. Besides it is fun to 'hide' from each other!

We found open water and the ones with tripods split up each of us hunting for a neater spot to grab some shots of the icy waters.

We haven't all yet traded our shots with each other so here are the ones I took.
Yes, we generally share our photo adventures with each other so we can look at how each of us saw our adventure.

I find that interesting because not everyone has the same perspective on things.

After a snack for the kids we headed back. The sun was breaking from the clouds and we still had to visit Parfrey's Glen.