The Black Hawk Unit - 2nd hike

I don't have pictures of the Black Hawk trail.  It was one of those hot days of the summer of 2012 (there were many hot ones!).  I didn't know where I was going for this one.  This was new territory for me.  The trail is a total of 9.5 miles and I decided on this day that I would just do a scouting mission - see where the trail was located, what it was like and what sort of planning I should do for a possibly 4+ hour hike in the future. 

This was one of those hikes where I was very much alone.  I did not see a car parked in the lot and not a soul on the trail.  It was very much me and nature.  When I am isolated on a hike, I make sure a friend knows where I am and when I plan to be done.  I set my alarm on my phone which I carry with me and make sure to let her know when I am safely on my way home.

The heat and lack of breeze often made the trail feel like it was closing in on me.  Because the trail is named after a massacred tribe of Sauk and their leader Black Hawk, I sometimes felt the sadness of the place and the history of our government's treatment of the native people of this land.  I visited the mounds and the memorial stone along the highway.  It was good to think of and be aware of, yet again, the aspects of our history we should not repeat.

The trail was challenging and on this particular day after some strong winds, there were trees down in a handful of places.  At one point, I was forced to walk some ways off the trail and found myself in a field of cacti!  Not the tall desert cacti of the south, but small, low to the ground plants, I had to tip toe through, as if in a mine field! 

The trail is near the Wisconsin River and I would have loved to dip my toes in and cool off on this hot day, but I did not see or hear water.  However, after 2 hours, I looped my way back to the car.  This is a trail that will have a future repeat, so I can get all 9.5 miles in and hopefully see the river!

Directions:  The trail head I used is on WI 78.  There is a marker for Wachter Rd. there and this is where you begin - hiking up an old, blocked off road- which is all up hill!