Woodsy Waupaca

After reading some reviews of the Turtle Rock segment that described it as rough and incredibly buggy I decided to pack up my tent and head down to Hartman Creek State Park in Waupaca.

I really loved it last time I was here in the fall, and have been looking for an excuse to come back again and hike some more of the IAT.  The campground is under towering pines and the sites are well spaced, at least 40 paces between each one! Non electric sites are only $18 (with your state park pass) but most of the electric sites are not for really large RVs so keep that in my mind and check the Reserve America website for site length details.  The last time I was here I found out they have great showers too, so I'm looking forward to that after hitting the trail.

Next site so far down I can't see it!  Should be a smoke free night.

The Ice Age trail rolls through Hartman Creek State Park and then on into the Emmons Creek Fishery Area.  The Waupaca River segment is mostly road miles so I have no plans to try that one.

Last time I was here I did a portion of the Hartman Creek segment and then a portion of the Emmons Creek segment.  So today I picked up where I left off at  Emmons Creek Road.  There is a place to park there just past the segment opening that was full of flowers.  The GPS coordinates for the parking area are N44 18.298, W89 13.981.

Right from the road the trail climbs through a hilly oak savanna with a sandy soil that was mosquito and tick free.

It was home to lots of berry bushes including strawberry, black raspberry, red raspberry and even some early blueberries!  I decimated all the ones I could find, but there will be more later as most plants weren't sprouting them yet.

After about a mile I crossed Stratton Lake Road and came to another parking area, this one probably easier to access. Those coordinates were on the back of the sign, wish they all were!  They were N44 18.092, W8914.562.

The highlight of this segment is a prairie full of grasses and wildflowers that was putting on a windy welcome for me that was a very pleasant way to keep cool as I kept my eyes open - but even I was surprised to spot a few Karner Blue butterflies since when I asked at the ranger station they said I was probably too late.

It turns out the reason why I saw them is because they have two hatches a year, and July is when the adults appear for the second time.  The butterfly is only about an inch wide and is an endangered species, so it was quite a treat to spend some time observing a few of them.

I didn't get any shots of them with their wings down which is how you can tell if they are male or female.  The topside of the male is silvery or dark blue with narrow black margins. The female is grayish brown, especially on the outer portions of the wings, to blue on the topside, with irregular bands of orange crescents inside the narrow black border.  Maybe someone with quick eyes will be able to figure it out in the little video I made?

It's never long before you are back in the woods on the IAT though, where I kept my eyes peeled for poison ivy and bear scat, both I was content to not encounter.

I did find a stump full of British Soldiers.

I also found some Goat's-rue which was a new plant for me!

Tephrosia virginiana

I wasn't quite as thrilled when I spotted a tick on my sock, but since he's the only one I've seen all year I didn't let it spoil my afternoon.

Grandfather Falls Segment of the IAT

After consulting my Ice Age Guide I decided to take Hwy 107 right out of the campground.  It was a lovely scenic 10 mile drive, complete with a frog princess.

The Grandfather Falls segment is on the right side of the river pictured below.  I'll try the other segment tomorrow.

I also found a complete overview map of the trail at the end of the hike.  In case you are curious about why it is taking me so long to get anywhere on this trail this should help clear up the mystery.  Wisconsin is big and the trail is curvy!  The red dashes are proposed areas, solid red is existing trail but almost half of that is road miles that I refuse to hike.  Blacktop?  No thank you!

The little blue arrow in the bottom right corner is about where I live, and the red arrow near the center of the map is where I am now.  As I mentioned it I drove about 240 miles to get here yesterday.

The trailhead for Grandfather Falls is easy to find, just pull in at the large sign right on the side of the highway.  From the parking lot I heard the sirens go off signaling that the gates were open on the dam and to be careful of rising water levels on the river.  The total drop is 89 feet spread out in a series of cascades over about one mile. The upper third of the falls and most of the flow, except in the spring, is diverted through a canal and a series of penstocks to feed hydroelectric generators.

I have to say it was the most interesting start to a hike on the Ice Age Trail that I've yet experienced!  The trail itself started just to the left of where I stood below the dam.

The woods up here have seen much more rain than we have in the southern part of the state and things were lush and green, with fungi and lichen evident everywhere as well.

A little further along there was a spot to leave the trail and get a good look at the mighty Wisconsin River.  I've got video at the end of the post so you'll get to hear that rushing water!

The beginning of the trail was quite rocky, both underfoot and in the form of big boulders on either side of me.  It soon transitioned to a spongy forest floor where I switched from navigating rocks to trying not to get tangled up in roots.  The trail is level, but definitely not flat so hiking boots for ankle support are still a good idea.

Soon enough I was making my way out of the woods and up to the canal and penstocks area.  I found a great link on all the details of the dam and how everything works here, if you're interested in that kind of thing it was brief but informative.

The tubular penstocks that carry the diverted water down to the plant have sprung quite a few leaks.  Not the best maintenance plan going on, but very fun to look at.

I had the choice to continue on at this point, turn around, or take the driveway by the canal out to Hwy 107 and walk the road back to my car.  I chose the easier road hike and then drove down to Camp New Wood County Park to pick the trail up again.  The mile and a half that I skipped in the middle of the segment was nothing special, and it turned out that the other mile and a half at the far end was overgrown and buggy so my advice is to just hike it as far as the red brick hydro building unless you're collecting every IAT mile which I am not.  Roundtrip for that portion is just under two miles and was a very pleasant hike.

Here's the video, some nice stuff in that one mile!

Moments in Merrill

I don't have to work for the rest of this week so I loaded up my car and headed north to try to escape the heat.

I made it as far as Merrill Wisconsin today, a town that has seen better days but still makes for a pleasant drive.

We live right down on the Wisconsin Illinois border so it took me a little over four hours to get this far. And unfortunately the temperature only dropped about 3°.

Merrill is home to Council Grounds State Park which in turn is home to many mosquitoes.

The campground is fairly small but almost full which is surprising on a Tuesday in such an out-of-the-way park. Wayne and I stayed here once before and enjoyed it but it is not a destination park.

There are some trails but they are more the hands in your pocket type of strolls and not for the serious hiker.

I put my hands in my pockets and went for a mile walk but even with the natural mosquito repellent it wasn't easy to stay ahead of the whining pests.   And it is still just too hot to even think about going for a run.

That's OK, I will just crawl into my tent with my Kindle and get a good nights sleep. I wonder how much farther north I will have to go to get some cool weather?

Change in Plans - New Destinations Ahead

I have big travel news, but you'll have to wait until the end to find out what our plans are...

After Wayne dropped the camper at Ottawa Lake for me on July 4th I spent the next 4 days driving back and forth to the camper and home or work.

Wouldn't you love to see me try to tow this with my little Vibe?

It was a sweet idea on his part, and to be honest I wouldn't have probably taken walks in the humidity we've been experiencing otherwise.  But....

Clover and Birdsfoot Trefoil dominate the prairie

However, $28 a day site fees + two hours of driving and the cost of gas just to nudge me into taking my daily walk is a bit steep.  And I confess it was weird to sleep in the camper 3 nights in a row without my hubby.  The tent is my domain and I enjoy the solitude, but the camper is for the both of us and it just made me feel lonely to be there without him.

As for the walks, I skipped the more popular trails at first and actually took to the horse/snowmobile trails.  The trail is wider than the Ice Age Trail and therefore I was less likely to encounter mosquitoes or ticks.

Kettle Moraine State Forest is well signed, no matter what trail you are on it's hard to get lost.  And you might even pick up some political opinions on the blazes as well.

Personally I've been turning a blind eye to the political realm these days.  It's such a circus who knows how things may evolve.  Truthfully I'm a little frightened to find out.

I'll just stick my head in the sand, or in the berry bushes, whatever.

Blue Spring Lake segment of the Ice Age Trail

On my last morning at the campground I headed over to the Emma Carlin trails parking lot on Cty Hwy Z to attempt to finish up the Blue Spring Lake segment.

The spur trail from the parking lot was open and sunny and I enjoyed the blooms and the sound of some distant cicadas.

Queen Anne's Lace - Daucus carota

The bees were loving the Mullein - Verbascum

Once into the woods on the narrow trail it was a different story and I ended up mostly jogging for a mile and a half to try to stay ahead of the angry mosquitoes.  Then I had to turn around and jog back, making sure to mark where I left off.  As for ticks, haven't seen a single one yet this season, must be because it has been so dry.

Deptford Pink - Dianthus armeria

Wayne returned to the camper on Thursday when he finally got a day off, and it was good timing because Katrina and her boyfriend Charlie swung by to join us since they live only about half an hour from Ottawa Lake.  Who doesn't love a cookout that includes kitten cuddling and playing a round of Cards Against Humanity?

If you've made it this far I will now reveal the big news.  We were supposed to do a Lake Superior tour next month through Canada but had trouble making the reservations so now we are heading to Rocky Mountain National Park instead!  We will arrive at Estes Park on the 22nd of August and are staying for 6 nights.  On our way back home we are going to swing a little bit north and be in Custer the week before Labor Day.  Anybody going to be in either of those places at those times?  We'd love to meet up with other travelers if the opportunity arises!

Long Weekend at Long Lake

At the last minute Wayne got the long weekend off so I went in search of a campsite.  After a huge disappointment at Hilly Haven Campground (all seasonal, cramped and a long dusty road to get there - always a reason when the website doesn't feature photos of the sites) I ended up with a site at Benson's Campground in Dundee just a few minutes from the Ice Age Visitor Center.

Though still not our usual kind of place with mostly seasonal campers set up and a party atmosphere, we lucked out and got a quiet site at the top of the hill with the sites on either side of us empty.  The bathrooms are a disaster with toilets that don't flush properly and just a handful of pay showers, and the dump station next to impossible to access so keep that in mind if you consider the place.  On the other hand the staff was friendly and the sites not too badly sized for a private campground.

 There was a handful of kids a few sites down busy making "castles" in the dusty road, but they were good kids and no rowdy golf cart drivers at this campground.  

The kittens were glad to be on the road again, especially when the drive was less than 3 hours, just the right length for a good nap.  We were the talk of the loops when we took little Miss Jewel out for her evening leashed walk. Celia tends to lay down in the grass and watch all the goings-on instead of walking so she got left at home.

Folks were so enamored of our little darling that they offered us heaping plates of King Salmon from Lake Michigan.

It was delicious!  And for hiking options I was just a few miles from the Parnell Segment of the IAT which is a daunting 13.9 miles long in esker territory, but now I'm over halfway through it.

As you can see from the Kettle Moraine Forest map Dundee and Long Lake are well situated for a variety of outdoor activities including trails for biking, horses and snowmobiles.  But the Ice Age Trail is for foot traffic only!

Next time I'm out this way I'll have Katrina meet me and do a shuttle hike so I can finish off the Parnell segment.  Scooting around those back roads trying to find the IAT access points always reaps a surprise or two, after all.

As I mentioned last time things are a little less dry up toward central Wisconsin so a few flowers are hanging in there including these darling pea blossoms in the shade at the campground.

We only enjoyed Long Lake from afar, but our pontoon boat is finally docked on Lake Elizabeth back at home so we'll be able to put-put around soon enough.

Long Lake at dusk

We had such a good time just relaxing that Wayne suggested stopping and dropping the camper off at Kettle Moraine's Ottawa Lake on our way home for a few more days.  He took the kitties the rest of the way home but will join me in a few days...I don't know who enjoys it more, Wayne, the kitties, or me because I get to laugh at Wayne's antics with the kitties!