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Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Do You Hear What I Hear?

When you're alone you hear more than when you have a companion along.  When I was at my campsite at Mauthe Lake I heard a nearby drunk couple arguing for awhile...and then I heard them making up quite noisily as well.  Usually what I hear is passing cars, singing campers or sometimes owls, woodpeckers or coyotes.

site 310 was small but farther away from other campers and their fires -
I only found two ticks on my tent when I took it down, but another on my pants!

If you're considering a stay at Mauthe Lake you'll likely hear the whine of mosquitoes in another few weeks.  Loops 1 and 2 are built right on top of marsh with Marsh Marigold and Skunk Cabbage growing between sites.  I'll limit my stays here to early spring and early fall, there are other things I'd rather hear than folks slapping mosquitoes while I hide from them in my tent.  The shower building is fairly new there though and the water was so hot I had a hard time staying underneath it, that sure doesn't happen often.


While getting photographic evidence of the marshy campground I noticed some Toothwort growing there, too.  Hopefully I'll see more over the next week or two when I'm out.

tiny white toothwort hiding in the "cabbage patch"

While out this weekend I also heard the wind as it picked up again on Sunday.  It was sunny and in the 70's so I was grateful for the wind to help keep me cool as I hiked.  I left the forest and headed over to the edge of the nearby town of Kewaskum to hike the 2.1 mile Kewaskum segment.  The village of Kewaskum was named after a local Potawatomi chief.  Growth was spurred by the coming of the railroad in the late 1800's but it's also a farming community and this past week you could hear tractors in the region, mostly applying herbicide for the coming season.

John Deere inspired mailbox on Ridge Road in Kewaskum

Know what else I heard?  I was almost done with my hike when I heard a tree come crashing down not that far behind me.  If I had lingered anywhere in my hike just a minute of two longer it might have come down in front of me instead of behind me!  I'll tell you about what I saw on my hike tomorrow, but for now I'm wondering what you heard this weekend?

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5 comments:

  1. SherryMay 5, 2015 at 7:49 PM

    It's true that you hear a lot more on a solo hike. I have had only one hiking companion who was content not to talk while we hiked. All the others seem to have to fill up the silence either pointing out everything they see or talking about things that have nothing to do with the hike. The latter are clearly not present with their surroundings. Toothwort - very cool! Cut leafed toothwort or another?

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  2. Travels with EmmaMay 5, 2015 at 7:57 PM

    I heard the drone of traffic on I-5. :(

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  3. Billy Blue EyesMay 6, 2015 at 3:27 AM

    Lots of wind and more to come.

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  4. John and Pam (ohtheplacestheygo.wordpress.com)May 6, 2015 at 9:53 AM

    Thank goodness your timing was good and that tree fell away from you:) I am hearing lots of rain and wind here in Torrey, UT. Yesterday, we also heard some sleet hitting the windshield as we crossed the mountains. Does this tell you anything about our weather! When we hike, we like to travel the trail less traveled and do it alone so we can enjoy the quiet and beauty. We rarely talk as we hike instead choosing to be one with nature:)

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  5. BarbaraMay 7, 2015 at 10:43 AM

    Ticks, yikes! I heard you can make a tick repellent with two parts vinegar and one part water. Of course, then you'll smell like a salad.

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