Happy day

This photo showed up in my cell phone's memories of February 2018. This was one of the last times he was able to use his beloved skid steer. 

His smile was infectious. Plus he was a an awesome plow guy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So Monday my friend Pat said she was ready to go with me on a snowshoe adventure. Off we went. 

 Charlie led on the trail below the caves.

It was quite a feat climbing the steep hill in snowshoes, but it would have been worse without the extra traction.

The warm weather last week did do a number on the ice sheets, but I am always impressed by them. I never fail to think Wow when I see them.

I convinced Pat to climb up into them with me. It took a little coaxing, but she was brave and did it.

Here she is taking a picture of me while I am taking a picture of her. 

Her photo gives one a clue as to how large these formations actually are. You can barely see me behind some of the ice.

We trekked some more in the area and then headed back to the parking area. I then took her to the biggest Ice Cave in the area at Wildcat State Park. It was only a few minutes away.

Again, the warm weather last week didn't make the ice formation look as beautiful, but it was still quite impressive.

I nabbed the following shots from Pat's FB post. I had no idea she was taking shots of me.
Apparently this is my best side. 

Here is Charlie and I going around to the back of the ice at the large ice formation at Wildcat. I look positively tiny!

This is what I found with my camera on the backside. The sunlight coming through the ice gives off oddly beautiful shades of green and blue I assume from the minerals in the ice.

I was hooked on looking for ice in the winter the very first time I saw these strange colors and beautiful shapes.

Multicolored ice is more common than one would think.  Here is a photo from two years ago in another location. Note the colors in the ice. 

I imagine it is from the clay, the limestone, and the dirt the ice absorbed? 

I know there is a lot of crap going on in the world today. But I had to choose nature to go out and find the joy that it brings me. And I got to share it with a friend.

So it was a happy day.

I stayed home sort of

We had some very heavy and wet snow late Thursday through Friday mornings. Enough so that our county actually closed a couple of roads due to accidents. 

I knew it would be a while before our driveway got plowed out. Frank and his red truck showed up and Charlie gave the alarm.

I enjoyed seeing the snow once more as things were getting pretty dull around here. I shoveled a path for the boss dog to get out and do his business without trying to snow swim and did the chores early so the gals had plenty to eat.

They ate, took snow baths, and then slept in the sunlight when it cleared up.

Charlie and I decided to make use of my snowshoes and check out our woods.

When we hit the back pasture, Charlie took off running and bounding through the snow. He literally charged along.

I followed at a slower pace but kept him within eyesight.

 Our planned short walk became a long walk. 

We headed to the valley and the creek to just check things out. I learned to snowshoe on this land with all sorts of obstacles since this wild wood has no groomed trails.

Charlie is relentless and full of energy while we are in the wooded areas. He leads along the routes we've taken all of his life and seems to know exactly where we should be going. Sometimes, I just let him pick the route.

One would think he'd get cold right away with snow up to his chest and walking through the creek. That is rather rare for him. 

The temps have to be below 10 F for his back feet to get cold. He has a water repellent thick hound dog coat which keeps him insulated. 

He'll actually sit in the snow to wait for me when he gets ahead.

We followed the valley and came to the snowmobile trail. It hasn't been groomed or used all year long. But it is an old logging road that is nice and wide. We chose to go up that 1/2 mile climb to get to the ridge and circle around to go back home.

Charlie found deer tracks and gave them a good once over as he headed up the hill.

I followed, very happy that I'd chosen to use my snowshoes.

It was interesting when we got to the ridge. The fields that for years had been corn and soy beans were rotated to hay last year. The fields were snow covered but at one point as we were coming across the field it looked like this.

It was as if the sky and the land were almost one...except for the clouds moving in.

The deer had been out digging for food. We saw coyote tracks along with a trail going down into a sink hole where the racoon den up.

This was probably the hardest leg of our hike. Open fields, snow, sky, clouds moving in, and cold winds in our face.

The valley had protected us from the winds.

We made it to the road and I took off the snowshoes and we went home. I had a cup of hot chocolate and Charlie got a treat.

This past week I purchased a 'dog stroller' for Charlie. Eventually, he won't be able to do long walks with me but he still will want to go just like Morris did in his elder years. 

So I figured we'd eventually use this to walk on the easier paved and graveled roads. He does drag his feet on those trails so ... here it is....

And this is the look I got. If this doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will!

Beeee still my beating heart!

 

It was a balmy 20-ish degree F day or a -5ish C day so my Assistant thought we should go snowshoeing at the Reserve. Last week I slugged through the snow, so I decided to use the snowshoes once more. After all, it went so well the day before.

We had parked in a lot near the maintenance shed for the Kickapoo Valley Reserve to get on the trail head.

Charlie and I were trucking along, he was fresh and bouncy and stuck to the tracks someone made while x-country skiing. I broke trail off to the side. 

I heard machinery behind us and looked back. There was a 4 wheeler coming our way. I was a bit confused. In the winter the trail we were on is part of a snowmobile trail and in the summer, they mow through the prairie grasses. However, there is no motorized vehicles allowed at all on these trails.

The 4 wheeler had tracks on it instead of wheels and as the 4 wheeled gizmo pulled up to a stop, I recognized the smile on the dude. This time he wasn't in the Police Truck nor was he in uniform. 

"Hello Jesse," I said when Charlie ran up to him and tried to jump up on the 4 wheeler to hitch a ride. "How are you today?" 

"I'm good! How are you?" He motioned to the 4 wheeler and said, "I just finished putting snow tracks on this 4 wheeler for the winter and thought I'd try them out."

For a moment I was dumbstruck. 

"Wow, that looks like a fun transformation. I'll trade you for my 17 year old 4 wheeler at home." 

He laughed. And then we both stood quietly listening to the light breeze in the trees. 

"Gosh I love that sound," he said.

"Nothing like it," I agreed. "If I could be out in this 24 hrs a day, I would."

He nodded and then gestured towards my snowshoes. "I didn't think we had deep enough snow for those yet."

"Ahhh, we do. I have over 6 inches at home and had a blast yesterday snowshoeing through my woods. I thought the ice crust and the heavy snow would be perfect for snowshoeing along the trails today."

"So it is going good then?" 

[Oh that grin and smile. AND no, I couldn't see the color of his eyes because he had some rather cool shades on and I regretted not having cool shades on myself]

"Yes it is, I'm going to take a peek at the ice caves over the hill today. I intend to cover about 4 miles of hiking. It's a good day for it. Saturday will be awful."

He nodded and we both fell silent and watched Charlie who was trying to figure out how to climb up on the 4 wheeler for a ride. I walked over and picked him up. 

"Okay then. Have a great hike, " he said and started up his snow machine. 

I waved and turned to go with Charlie under my arm. 

I heard him head back down the trail and I started grinning like an idiot. "Charlie, Charlie, was that a coincidence? It had to be. Dang, he is still quite handsome." 

I laughed out loud and thought of how I'd have told Rich about this. Rich would just laugh and remind me that HE was the absolute best-est handsome-ist man I'd ever met. And I would agree with all my heart.

I did note on the card that he'd given me last Friday that he was a Land Manager and Police Officer for the Reserve. That made sense. Still. I felt a bit girlish and atwitter. 
Maybe it was just nice that he recognized me from last week and that he thought he'd better check on that crazy -a$$ed old lady and her dog that liked to wander the Reserve in the winter.

I tossed tall dark and handsome out of my head and continued on my trek.

I walked for a mile into the woods looking for the blue tags that used to mark the 'winter trail' to The Valley of Ice. But those are no longer in existence. The previous management had markers on trees to guide people to find the ice caves aka rock shelters.

I'd been there often enough that I knew how to come through the forest right on top of cave #1. So we backtracked to the old Cedar tree and headed down the steep hill. I paused for a bit as I watched a coyote run out of the shelter and head towards the river.

I'm always mindful that I am hiking in wild animal habitat. I wasn't afraid. I just carefully picked my way down to where I could peer into Number One. This is the same cave/shelter that I met my good friend Jason the Geologist on a New Years Eve of 2021.

I didn't see any evidence of the coyote making a den in there, but there was an ice curtain forming.

I went back up to the very old equine trail above the cave and followed it around to cave #2. I peered down and decided not to climb over all the downed trees this trip. I skipped cave #3. It isn't well known and isn't on the map. 

We weren't worn out or even cold at this point so we went past the maintenance shed and hiked down to Bridge 18 which is a covered bridge over the river.

I'd wanted to get a 'snow' shot of the hand-hewn bench with the covered bridge behind it. 

It is now the cover of my blogger header.

We went up on the bridge and checked the views of the river. 

I am just a curious person. I love to watch the river as it changes through the winter months. I like to see how different the forest looks in the stark landscape compared to the lush greens of summer.

I probably take shots of this area every time I hike or bike through it.

Charlie and I found a nice dry spot out of the light breeze to sit and have snacks. He had dog treats, I had an energy bar.

The temps were dropping as we hiked back up to the ridge and to the parking area. It was a good day. 

Perfect ~ A lesson in a spring fed creek

Andrew Wyeth says it quite beautifully, but I do have to disagree with him on one aspect. Winter doesn't give me a Dead Feeling. Winter in the woods is not dead.
Winter gives me a feeling of wonder and awe.

Nature can throw blizzards at us whipping up beautiful windswept carvings called drifts. The snow can adorn trees and they bow their branches to nature. Winter creates frost on windows in exquisite patterns that no human can replicate.

Winter can literally take your breath away when you step outside. Things freeze. Cars won't start. 

In all its brutal behavior, it also creates infinite beauty.

Under the dark looking waters, creatures still stir. Tiny pouch snails are feeding on algae. Caddisflies are in their tiny stone houses are waiting for spring. Trout are eating nymphs and aquatic sow bugs that are hidden under pebbles and mud.

Any trail left in the valley is usually not human. The trails are a mixture of  deer, coyote, and raccoon, plus the occasional bobcat. Once in a while I come across a deer carcass or another carcass. The woodpeckers, blue jays, crows, and other birds are surprising visitors. They too, assist in the clean up of the land. Mice also benefit from chewing on the bones to add calcium to their diets.

Life goes on. It just seems to be so much quieter than in the warmer months. Or perhaps it just isn't as noticeable because rarely anyone sees these things.

These streams or creeks in our valleys are spring fed which means the water coming up out of the ground is about 45 F or 7 C. The water is warmer than the air which creates a moisture that freezes on anything just above the water.

That is why all of the grasses and rocks have beautifully formed frost on them.

Below is a stick that fell from the trees above and landed across some rocks. Frost built up on the stick to decorate it. This is why I go out in the cold and explore. These things fascinate me.

How can it be -7 F and the water still runs? How come the frost decorates the rocks, sticks, and grasses?

It sure took me a long time to figure these things out.

But years of observation have helped.

Perhaps winter is boring to many. Fortunately, I have access to a unique landscape.

The Lost Valley

This valley has several names but the absentee owner likes to refer to it as the Lost Valley. In a way it is. The Valley is cannot be accessed by any road. The only way to get there is by foot or 4 wheeler. A snowmobile trail does run through the area above the valley. There is an old logging road that can be walked down.

In 2005 the cattle that grazed the woods and grasslands were shipped off and the land was basically abandoned to the wild. Over the years the owners have leased out to the land to a few people for hunting purposes. One year a fellow planted 1/2 million dollars worth of marijuana in different areas. Other folks decided that since no one oversaw the land, they'd make trails with their 4 wheelers.

The whole land encompasses two valleys with two streams that flow into what is locally called the Black Bottom. That flows into the Kickapoo River. In those times of flooding, the narrow valleys become rather dangerous.

All that aside, I've hiked the 600+ acres of woods since 1996. Someone once quipped that I must know every tree by now. I almost do.

I have permission from the estate to wander at will on their land. I'm afraid that I know their land more intimately than they do. But that is the wonder of it all.

To get to the Back Valley/Lost Valley/Forgotten Valley -- all names for it -- requires a 1 mile walk through some steep terrain.

Here is a shot looking back towards where I came from on the day I snowshoed this trek. Up until a few years ago, where I am standing was grassland. The estate decided to rent it out as cropland. I have yet to see a good crop come off this land so I can't see how the renter is making any money.

However, the deer love the left over corn. This spring it should be rotated to soy beans. Whoever rented it the last two years put field corn in. The land won't yield much if they farm like that.

In many places the briars, noxious weeds, and thick underbrush has taken over. By midsummer, the land is difficult to walk through. I enjoy winter and spring walks here. 

Here is a nearly 3 minute video of how the riding was in 2010. It is longish, but sort of interesting to see how calm Badger was and how he dealt with obstacles. We did ride to the Back Valley and explore this 3 mile trek that I now take often on foot. I can still ride this with Siera and Sundance, but I rarely do so any more. I stay closer to home now. 

The video is pretty crappy, but in 2010 I only had my little Pink Fugly camera and it did do video. The dog is Morris, my Jack Russel that never missed a ride. When he tired, he jumped on Badger's legs and we'd heft him to ride in the saddle with me.

The valley has changed so much now. But it is still interesting to walk through. I made the trip this weekend back to see the stream and the ice cave.

I probably won't go back until spring arrives because snowshoeing and crossing the stream is just too difficult. I did find evidence of beavers, coyotes, and a lot of deer.

Here is the 30 second video of this snowshoe hike.

That's it. Enjoy getting lost.

Surprises!

 After days of brutal cold, the temperature on Sunday was up to -4 when I got the itch to take a walk after chores.

The wind was from the NW, so I thought I'd put on the snowshoes and head along the tree line through the summer meadow and walk down the ridge trail and retrieve one of the trail cams so I could see if it still had any battery power after The Big Chill.

The wind chill was still pretty cold so I put on my balaclava mask and some clip on sunglasses to protect my eyes from the bright snow. I took only my little pocket camera which I could keep inside my breast pocket so it wouldn't freeze.

Once I got down into the forest, I got rather warm. The green jacket I am wearing is awesome. If I was going for a long snowshoe trek, I'd have to wear lighter clothing under the coat to keep from sweating.

These are my old Cabela's Snowshoes. I purchased these ...gosh...maybe 20 years ago? I've replaced the back straps but these snowshoes just keep on giving even with all the abuse I give them.

I've walked over rocks and jumped creeks with these. I've used them to brush bust through the woods and climb over logs. It is pretty fun considering a person has to approach each obstacle a bit differently than if wearing boots only.

These are my tracks along with deer and other creatures looking back towards the summer pasture.

Mother Nature's fierce winds create amazing sculptures. She makes the most interesting patterns in the snow.

Snow that looks like a sand dune! It was surprisingly hard packed and not soft at all.

Then there were leaves scattered across an area where no oaks were. I imagine the powerful winds blew leaves to all sorts of places.

I just liked the leaf and shadow against the all white.

I didn't spend too long out in the meadow, the light breeze was a bit cold. 

Towards evening I got a text from Olive. Would we like a home made pizza? She would be down to deliver it after the Packers game.

Gosh, who would refuse something like that? 

She was supposed to make pizzas for her family get together but all of them ended up sick. So she and her little boy came down for a little visit with us and dropped off a freshly made pizza.

Aiden entertained Rich by admiring his Lego Tractor and his red truck which they both played with for a little bit.

Funny how such a kind act can make a whole day bright.

Her visit was short, but so well loved. I walked most of the way back up the road with her and we made a date to snowshoe together on Tuesday.

Wednesday I have a 'date' with the little girl who gave me the little bell attached to yarn when she was 9 years old. She is now 18 and set up a time we could go hiking at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve together. She is now a part time reporter for a local paper and I've given her my old Nikon to use. We'll do some easy photography lessons tomorrow.

I'll meet her at her mom's place and she will do the driving. MY goodness, how time flies!

I won't drive with other passengers in the car at this time. I feel I can get around okay, however with distance being fuzzy, if I can get a young sharp eyed person to do the driving why not?

I'm have a fulfilling week scheduled. 

What wonderful surprises I have. 

[By the way...Hubby is busy working on his latest Lego puzzle and is doing all the work except the stickers on his own!]

friluftsliv

 Norwegian

~~ Literal Translation : Free Air Life
or the connection with the outdoors.

Hygge:
~~Quality of cozy and well being.

I've never put names to it, I just know that being outside and in the surrounding woods are essential to my well being. Daily trips through my woods and along the creek let me observe the changes of nature around me. I always find something to make the trip worthwhile.
Sometimes it is only Caddisfly larvae 'homes' in the creek. Sometimes it is the ice that glitters or the way the creek flash freezes in subzero temperatures.
Or in spring, I note the first signs of Jewel Weed coming up in the creek. Later in the summer I am pulling the Jewel Weed because it chokes the creek!

I decided that it was warm enough yesterday afternoon to go for a stroll. I guess my intentions were to put on the snowshoes and take a slow walk back to the creek since I hadn't been there. Yeah, those muscles were not happy, however it had been quite a day already.
I won't bore you with details. 

The temperature reached 4 degrees so I put on my cold weather gear and snowshoes and headed out. 

I needed some Friluftliv or some fresh air and outdoors to keep me from going bonkers.

Imagine my surprise when I heard robins in the creek! What on earth were they doing?

I had to sit on a log for about 30 minutes and remain nearly perfectly still for them to land in the creek area. I was as surprised as all get out. 

I turned and decided to walk up the creek and take a look around. I was using my snowshoes as the snow in the valley was still pretty deep. I walked over 'submerged' rocks and logs. Stepping over logs with snowshoes takes a bit of practice.

Frost on roots near a little spring that was flowing.

The upper portion 

of the creek was frozen

solid.

I love the way the snow covers the boulders and makes everything appear soft. Under the ice the water is still moving along.

I eventually made it to the fenceline and then climbed up the hillside and through the electric fence to the summer woods. [It is disconnected]

I was happy to see the end of the trail in sight. I was tired and sore. But I was also warm.
Most of all, I felt happy and calm inside.

Or was it Friluftsliv?