Exploring...

 

The photos above are some of what is left from the farms that used to exist on the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. In some dry runs you find car parts, tractor parts and things that the previous farmers tossed out on their farms. I have yet to find an old vehicle that still has an engine in it. I imagine recycling wasn't a thing in the 1960's and early 1970's.

149 farms were purchased to make way for a flood control project. What is not mentioned are the farms that were condemned for the project. I've heard from those whose families who were left with almost nothing for their land and homes. They are quite bitter still. The flood control project was halted in 1973.

That said, Kickapoo Valley Reserve has become a popular place for hiking, bicycling [no E-bikes allowed], trout fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and equine riding. 

In a way, it has actually benefitted the region more than the flood control project would have done. It took time, but local businesses are flourishing with the draw of the Reserve and Wildcat Mountain State Park not far away.

My reason for going was twofold. I needed some 'quiet' mental time, I wanted to look for Morels, and I had one more set of steep valleys to explore before the undergrowth got too thick.

I knocked off the Mule Trail Section 15 while I was at it. The Mule Trail joins Mule Camp also known as camp J [Mule Camp to the old timers] to old 131. From old 131 you can head off north, south or west towards Little Canada and the Ice Cave Trail.

I wanted to stay on the east side of the river. 

So I searched along the south side of the valley and enjoyed meandering along a stream that flowed into the Kickapoo.

The land varies. Pines dotted a section of the hillside, no doubt planted for harvest at some point by the original owners of the land.

The stream had a variety of trees in it. It was tangled with fallen trees and very wet.

I eventually came to this place of rocks and boulders. The north side of the valley was full of river birches and fallen boulders. 

Then I started the climb to the top.

...
I feel my boots
trying to leave the ground
I feel my heart
pumping hard.
I want to think
again of dangerous
and 
noble things.
I want to be 

frivolous and frolicsome.
I want to be improbable beautiful

and
afraid of 
nothing,

as though

I had

wings.

~Mary Oliver

I sat here and rested. It was a great place to watch the cliff swallows flying low over the wet lands and the river.

Views from the bluff.

Watching swallows.

I climbed back down and took a shot from the base of the bluff. I was standing in a wetland.

The red arrow points to where I think the 'hole in the rock is'. I guess I may have to get wet to actually walk up to it!

The bottom of the bluff where I was sitting and had lunch.

The rest of the hike was just not very interesting. I mean it was...but not like the feeling of sitting on the bluff eating an apple and having an orange.

I drove home feeling complete once again and vowing to go back to watch the river flow and the swallows fly.

What IS that????

 

I am a solo hiker most of the time. One of the places I go is into a mile square of uninhabited land with two valleys, a few caves and two streams. One of the hikes to my favorite rock shelter and ice cave is a 3 mile round trip from my back door. 

The valleys typically do not have cell service. This is my neighbor's land held in a family trust. The only time there are humans on it now is during deer hunting season and perhaps turkey season.

The one brother who farmed the land died in an accident involving an old John Deere 5 wheel UTV. The guy that was with him survived and tried to call 911. He couldn't get reception. Of course that was 2005, however my phone dings often and tells me a message "No Voice Service Available" when I am in the valleys.
I've been riding solo or exploring this land by foot since 1997. 

With my last check up and some tests done, I was dx'd with severe osteoporosis [I don't feel it!] and there was a question about an anxiety attack I'd had. Was it anxiety or A-Fib or something else. I was required to wear a heart monitor for two weeks. 

The monitor showed that I had a normal heart with no issues. 

So my doctor asked me if I was still hiking solo in isolated areas. I told her yes. She asked that I not go anywhere without cell phone coverage and always lay out a path and let someone know by calling them when I leave and when I get back.

I rolled my eyes at her and sighed. 

I read the book last year called When You Find My Body: The Disappearance of Geraldine LarGay on the Appalachian Trail. She had a locator device that she never activated because needed to be synced with her cell phone and her husband said it was complicated, so she left it with him. In short, had Geraldine had her PLB activated, she wouldn't have died.

So I had been considering a PLB for a while and had been doing comparisons and reading reviews. I didn't want a fancy gadget so I settled on PLB1 rescueME. Just flip up the antennae and push the button.

I admit it. I won't likely change my hiking habits in the near future. I am a wanderer and explorer. I'm comfortable out there. I'm at ease. 

This is just a safety device that would help me in case I got into a scenario where I needed to be rescued. It won't protect me and it won't save me from an injury. 

I do generally write down my intentions on a pad of paper and leave it in the vehicle when I am at the Reserve or other places. I practice safety when I hike. But things can happen. And I don't always stick with my plans. 

When I opened the box and held it up for hubby to see he asked me:

What IS that?

I replied in the simplest terms I could.

"Honey, it is my Help Me I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up! device!"

This may sound a bit like overkill to some folks but think about it. I don't have someone to go with me 95% of the time. I admit it, I am older and perhaps no wiser. But if I really get into a situation, I don't have to depend on cell service. And that is worth it to me.

Totally Unexpected

 

I was having a very hard morning. The end of the year blehs. The things I couldn't to do because I am the sole caregiver to a person with frail health were weighing on me. Maybe it was just the culmination of so much sameness in the past year. Or...perhaps even deeper yet was the question I'd asked myself the night before.

 ~ Who am I?~  [Deep thought is not for the faint hearted in the middle of the night!]

Today I asked Rich if he'd mind if I hike the Valley of Ice. That is what some folks call it. I hadn't really explored it yet. 
I set off. The day was dreary. Dreary.
It fit my mood.

I hiked the trail and noted fresh human and dog tracks. 

I started exploring and found my way to the first ice cave. I wondered if the tracks weren't from someone who had tied the blue ribbons up. But as I climbed around a snowy hillside and over downed trees, I heard a woof. And a "Hello there!"

I met a younger than ME fellow. He used to be a Geology teacher in Madison. Eventually we ended up in a larger Ice Cave where we sat down and talked about rocks and rock formations. He told me about his dog, who doesn't love talking about their loyal pets? He explained to me the history and make up of the  different layers in the rock that were were sitting in.

There was an area at the bottom of the ice where other older icicles had formed and dropped because of warm weather.

And as we admired the rock formations and the ice, I set up my camera to take a quick time lapse of the water seepage over the ice. The video is at the top of the blog and is 12 seconds long. I shot that just in front of where he was sitting.

I enjoyed his conversation and it was pretty fascinating. He explained the geology of this place in a way I could grasp it. Although, truth be told, I won't recall all the terminology he used.

We both joked about liking Lichen. He knew Lichen too! He didn't mind me taking his photo while he sat in the cave just enjoying nature. He said it would provide good perspective for the cave. He was right.

He is exploring all the Wisconsin State Natural areas and noting their specific and interesting formations his intent is to map them out so others can enjoy their natural beauty.

Eventually we parted and I went on to explore more of this valley. It is steep and rugged. 

I found the third formation.

There is a 4th but I didn't have enough time to climb around the deadfalls  to take any photos. I found an old equine trail and followed that on the ridge while stopping to peer down on the Kickapoo River.

By the time I reached my Subaru, I was the only vehicle around. My phone went off with weather alerts for our area. 

Just in time then.

By the time I got home, I was UN-bleh. I'd met another nature lover and interesting person.

I still hadn't answered that nagging question from the middle of the night.

But I figured I'd get to that ... next year.