Valley Boy

 The temps finally came up Sunday but the winds were wicked. Charlie had been bugging me, so we got out for a walk along the neighbor's field. We could walk along the forest edge and get some protection from the wind.

Charlie stops to inspect the Log Skidder. There is a lot of waste with this logging operation. The wood they leave behind could warm thousands of homes. 
The Skidder was quiet and Charlie decided to go up and give the tire a bit of his doggy business. 

We dropped down into a very steep 'ravine' or what we call a dry run. It is like a narrow ravine shaped from years of run off. This particular one has a spring have way down its 1/2 mile length. In the winter the water seeps from the spring and freezes in layers over the boulders and mosses.

Charlie knows where I want to go and he keeps an eye out for anything and everything.

The ice from the tiny spring appears to be blue green. It could be from the 'gumbo clay' that it passes through.
I seriously don't know what gumbo clay is, but it is greyish green and can be molded when wet and falls apart when dried.

We explore, we take some cellphone shots and we head up the steep side of the hill. The climb out is 248 feet of elevation change. I do it each winter a few times because I find the blue/green ice so fascinating to see.

We did it once more. Into PeeWee's Valley to the blue/green ice and out. Below is a mini video looking back at what we climbed out of.

This is a shot from 10 years ago when Morris [my Jack Russell] and I explored it for the first time. Yes, the shot is terrible, it was from my old point and shoot camera and it is what it is.
However it shows how much this ravine fills with ice over the winter.

The ice is easily 4 feet deep.

Our tradition continues.

Interesting start to the new year

Essentials in life.
Quiet time.
Puzzles.
Reflection on self.
Movement.

Nature's healing atmosphere.

Play.

I have a lot on my plate to get done now that it is the first of the year. But a friend of mine suggested I come over to her house Friday. 
We chatted and worked on a puzzle. Well, she worked on it, I watched. 

She invited Charlie over too. He was a complete gentleman with their toy dogs and her kids. He even went downstairs to visit with Kristi's elderly mom.

I have taxes to sort you know, paperwork to file. Calls to try and straighten out an auto deposit, and things to gather for our income taxes and changes for the past year. None of that sounds even remotely fun.

But it is the first days of the new year. And it is the weekend. So I decided to work on my Speed Champions set I'd picked up for when I had company who enjoyed building Legos.

I don't normally like working on Lego vehicles. The last cool one Rich and I built together was a mess and not designed well. 

This set has a great design and is challenging. The box says it is for 10+ years old. Parts of the build really took amazing brain power.

I found it peaceful to work on in the evenings. AND I really dig the sports car. It seems my Monsters do too.

Let's go get pizza!!!!!

Kristi asked what I was doing Saturday. I said that Charlie and I were probably going to take a hike. The weather looked better for the afternoon.

She said she'd like to go too. I cocked an eye and said "It's a 5 mile hike, you in?" 

"Sure." 

Aside from friend Bill, I've not really had any of my gym or other friends actually want to go with me on long hikes. 

I am super blessed to have young and adventurous friend[s]. 

I packed my YakTraks [the trails would be icy and packed] and brought a pair for her. 

Of course, the Master Hiker led the way and kept us on track.

We stopped at 'his' stump so he could pose for us.

The weather was perfect about 18 degrees F [-7.7 C] with a whisper of a breeze. 

The conversation was all over the place and quiet while we climbed hills and navigated tree roots buried under snow and ice.

We both felt very peaceful hiking together. I don't have to worry about Kristi's keeping up. She is more than 20 yrs younger than I am and is an exceptional athlete. She is getting ready to do a competition next month and she felt that some difficult hikes with me would be good for her stamina. 

That made me chuckle. Her friendship has opened up social activities for me that are fun. We even discussed plans to go Kayaking this summer on the Kickapoo River together with her family.

Maybe the new year may not be as bad as I thought.

...and I am almost ready for Monday and all the crappy paperwork I have to do.

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.

Trail Challenge, KVR

Text to Bill: You still on for today?

Yes! Give me 3 minutes.

I was at Bill's house waiting for him. We had planned at an 11AM meet time at his house. Bill is consistent, I have to give him that. He is consistent in not being quite on time. 

I don't mind mainly because I have figured out by now, that I must be the odd one out. I'm always early for most everything.

We started at Pott's Corners and head up the West Ridge Trail. West Ridge Trail also serves as a snowmobile trail in the winter time. 

I'm in charge of keeping track of our segments and mileage. Bill is there for the fresh air and the challenge. I told him I'd keep track of what we did. 

Bill said in order for him to keep track of where he was going, he was going to photo every trail marker as we went along. 
I recognize the trails more by landmarks than the signs. I like his method and asked him to share his photos of the markers to add to our story.

West Ridge Trail Segment 22:

When we came to the above spot, I stopped and commented on how similar and different this spot looked since we'd last walked this portion of the trail in November.

Charlie was having a blast, he became our fearless leader. The trail was compacted and groomed so he didn't have to snow-swim.

West Ridge Trail Segment: 20

He ran hard and fast then would stop and turn around as if to see why we were so slow.

Look a those little legs! All of them off the ground!

At marker 3 things can get sort of confusing. Going southwest feels wrong when you know you eventually want to be east of where you are standing. I wanted to connect up with the Ice Cave Trail and order to do that we had to come off the ridge and go down towards the old horse crossing [no longer in use].

Following the map [paper map ~ don't plan on your phone always getting reception] we headed on a serpentine trail towards the valley.

West Ridge Trail Segment 19:

At the bottom of the ridge we found marker #5. The Ice Cave Trail. 

Segment 26

This year was very dry and in much wetter years, this trail does go over more than one spot where ice caves form.

Bill and I spotted this from high up on the ridge.

We had a discussion about climbing down for a closer look. So I made my way part of the way down the side of the gully. 

I yelled up to Bill and said, "Oh MAN, this is a GO!"

What's a trail challenge without the exploration? 

Charlie beat us down into it and ran back and fort in the dry sand.

And the ice viewed from inside the rock shelter was nothing short of amazing.

I think Bill and I just kept saying ... 
WOW over and over again.

Here is Bill as we prepare to find a way back up and out. At this point we wished we had 4 legs like Charlie.

We hit the trail again. It was a beautiful trail, but we were still discussing the ice fall, ice cave, or should it be called the ice curtain of green?

We came to Little Canada Trail and pondered the confusing signs. I headed east knowing that the other direction looked as if it were going the right way, but would lead us back to the West Ridge Trail.

Little Canada twists and turns through a thick forest. 

Little Canada Segment 27

Bill photographs trail markers and the damage done by the December wind storms.

Charlie leads us through the afternoon sun along the trail.

My interpretation of the following sign: Horse sees bicycle and bucks like crazy!

Before we leave Little Canada and get onto old 131 which is segment 9, we stop for a few minutes so Charlie can stand on his stump and get his cookie. Really, this is his stump, each time we hike this trail I set him on this stump so he can have a snack.

June 2nd 2021

We finished segment 9 and ....

Done....

Our mileage for the day was approximately 5 1/2 miles.

We still have plenty of trails to cover!

It was a great day.

Face to Face

Charlie begged me to go as I tossed on my coveralls. I knew I should wear snowshoes but...

I knew Charlie should stay home
but...

I'm not always smart, see? I thought I would just take a short hike and walk in my tracks from last week. Charlie would be fine. Really he would. I pointed at him with a mittened hand. "I am not carrying you! So don't ask. You can do this right?"

He gave me that adorable look that I cannot refuse. 

Of course!

We made it to the creek bank and just as we were going to drop down about 20 feet into the creek, Charlie started to shake like a leaf and he tried to climb my coveralls. I reached down and scooped him up. 

I looked over to the fenceline that marks the end of my land and the start of Gary's land. Both ponds and the tiny falls were frozen solid. I wanted to climb down there and take a look.

Around the huge roots of the old cottonwood tree and rocks came a large coyote. He/she stood and stared at me. 
Well now. I knew it was breeding season and I know coyotes will grab a dog in their territory. They are much more aggressive towards dogs during their mating season. 

In the blink of an eye the 'yote turned and disappeared upstream. Of course, it made sense. The snow is less deep along the creek the frozen water makes for a great trail.

I fired a warning shot with my pistol and saw the 'yote bound eastward and up through the woods.

I set Charlie down and he had none of it. Nope. He was going to climb up my leg no matter what. 

Coyotes and Gunshots! Are You Kidding Me?

"Charlie, you chose to come along. I told you that you would be snow swimming." 

I watched for a bit and then we dropped into the creek. I hobbled along with a long dog clutched in my arms and trudged through the snow. I berated myself a bit in not wearing snowshoes and bringing Charlie. However the poor guy hadn't gone on a walk for nearly a week. 

I put him down again so he could follow my tracks over the ice and snow while I negotiated some tricky footing.

"No Charlie, you said you'd be good. Oh poor Charlie, you are shaking!"

Well, at least this time he wasn't off and running trying to find every smell and dig out any suspect voles under the snow. He was a cling-on. 

Our hike was extremely slow with me picking him up whenever the footing was good. 

I sat for a bit on a boulder and pulled dog treats out of my pocket. Poor fella was still pretty nervous. Dog treats always make things better. 

We made the trek to the other end of the creek and headed up the forest trail. I kept carrying Charlie and plunging through the deep snow. Each step reminded me of why I should have put on my snowshoes and why I should have left my dog at home.

"Cardio work out Charlie!" I said as we climbed the steep hill. "This is a good one!" It was hard. 

We got to the meadow and Charlie found a well trodden deer trail. He raced ahead while I admired the wispy clouds in the sky.

We approached the house and Charlie raced like the dickens to the porch and sat at the door until I arrived. I cracked open the door. Charlie sped through without a backward glance leapt onto the couch, and promptly laid down with a sigh.

Dismissed, human.

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?

The Hunt for Blue Ice

In 2015, Mr. Morris and I found an amazing place where spring seeped water out between rocks in a deep dry run.
In the summer this area stays shadowed because of its position and the heavy forest canopy.

In the winter the trees are bare and the winter sun barely breaks over the edge of the ridge. The water seeps and freezes, seeps and freezes. 

I used to think that certain minerals caused the ice to look a certain color. I may be a little right when water seeps over red clay and gives the ice a reddish orange color. But blue ice has a different explanation. It has to do with the the light refraction and what part of the light spectrum is absorbed and which color is reflected.

All that aside. 

In 2015, the ice looked blue.

I wanted to take Charlie to the East end of the valley and see if the ice was forming with the sudden freeze we'd had.

The land I hike on is nearly one square mile of uninhabited land with two valleys and two streams. It has been referred to as one of the more remote pieces of land in the county. And this is my neighbor's family owned land. 
Charlie and I got no more than halfway down the valley when someone in the far distance started shooting. It was far off, but it echoed down the valley. It sounded as like an assault rifle.

Poor Charlie became a Pekenhund Puddle of nerves. Or if you like a PekenPuddle. Anytime I knelt down to peer at something interesting or try to photograph it, Charlie pawed his way into my lap, my leg, or tried to get on my back if I was low enough.
Poor thing. I picked him up and carefully continued down the valley carrying him over icy rocks and negotiating stream crossings.

The Big Spring

When we got to the Big Spring, Charlie could barely be consoled. I had to photograph this while sitting on a root with my feet planted in the spring water and Charlie in my lap. 

This spot is always interesting. This huge spring bubbles up at the base of this steep hill. In cold snaps anything sticking out of the spring is covered in beautiful frost.

The gunfire stopped and we headed around the bend towards the steep dry run.

And it was a beautiful sight.
Charlie and I made our way up the dry run to the tiny spring.

Here is what happens when Charlie 'helps'. I was trying to photograph the tiny spring seeping out of the rocks...

You guessed it, whoever got the assault rifle had reloaded and was popping off again in the far distance. That was too close for Charlie.

We were done. We found the Blue [ish] Ice and visited the Big Spring. The little dog was ready to go home and dive into his blankets on the couch for a long nap.

...and I felt good deep inside.

Nature always seems to do that for me.