Jerry Jolly Trail

I went outside the 60 mile zone this past week.  I traveled to the northern edge of Wisconsin and found a trail there.  I was with a companion this time, my niece, who was wary of my leading her into adventures that would, in the end, possibly make her or both of us miserable.  We had already kayaked for 2+ hours earlier in the day, so a long hike was not the plan.

Jerry Jolly trail is just south of Bayfield, WI and near a blueberry field and apple orchard.  We planned on getting some blueberries and whatever else the season might offer when we completed the hike.  Alas, it was not to be!

 

 

 

When we got to the trailhead, we checked over the map and made a plan to do just a few kilometers - maybe an hour long hike.  We hiked into a creek area - Pike's Creek.  Both of us loved this part of the hike.  There were hills, the sound of running water and a nice hard packed trail.  The rest of the trail was mostly spikey mowed grass and other plants, which was not ideal for walking. 

Pike's Creek

The bridge over the creek

It was difficult to judge where exactly we were on the trail.  There were signs with the map, but no other indicators of direction.  So, at one point when we had a choice of 3 paths, we went the wrong way.  I thought I had a great strategy.  Looking at the map, I placed my back to the area that had no trails and decided we needed to go left when it should have been right.  I forgot to do the opposite in being the mirror image of looking at the map.  Big sigggghhhhhh.  The trail went on and on and soon we realized we were on the Jolly Long trail.  Not so Jolly at this point.

Nothing to do but hike on!  The woods were surprisingly quiet.  At one point we scared up a flock of quail or pheasant.  Otherwise, there was little to indicate bird or wildlife of any sort.  We heard almost nothing.  Near the creek, however, we did see some deer tracks. 

And, speaking of deer, we both later found wood ticks crawling on our clothing.  No problem, neither had dug in.  We made sure to check ourselves over well.  While wood ticks can be a problem, they are not the disease spreading threat brought by deer ticks which are tiny.  Deer ticks spread Lyme's disease, a debilitating, painful, and oftentimes, life threatening virus.  For more information on what to look for, go to the Center for Disease Control.

We did eventually sort out our maps and our directions and found our way back to the car.  Getting back to the blueberry field, however, was less successful.  The clock said 5:04 and they closed at 5:00!  All said and done, we'd hiked 8km and it took over 2 hours. I will check out this trail in the winter for skiing or snow shoeing.

Natural Bridge State Park

There are many hikes to choose from in the area just before Wisconsin Dells.  On this particular day, I first visited Devil's Lake State Park.  It was cold and chilly - not even 60 degrees and cloudy.  The lake wind was an additional discomfort.  I decided to have my lunch at the park and then decide if I was going to do one of the 3 hikes offered from this park.  In the end, the number of people at Devil's Lake decided it for me. 

Funny thing, I had been listening to a book on introverts in the car.  I am an introvert and today, my wanting to hike alone seemed justified by author Susan Cain's (the book is Quiet, The Power of Introverts...) words.  I left and found Natural Bridge State Park instead.  While I was not alone on this hike, the viewing of the bridge was what most visitors were there to do.  The bridge is a sandstone arch and is known to be one of the oldest settlements in North America.  It has been excavated and some of the archaeological finds go back to 9000-8000 BC.

The natural bridge

I had a terrible time following the directions outlined in the book 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Madison.  While the bridge side of the park is not very complicated and involves just a mile or so of hiking, the park crosses over the county road on which the park entrance is located.  This is where I got confused.  Very small signs with a single arrow, barely noticeable, point the way.  I crossed the road to what looked to me to be a cornfield.  A tractor was out there mowing.  Was I meant to follow the mowed trail?  Easier said than done, he seemed to be wandering all over the place in no discernible trail-like pattern.

The cornfield

I took a chance, followed it to my left and was greeted by deer.  At first just one doe.  Her hide was the color of a red fox.  In the surrounding green, it was quite startling.  She seemed to be moving slowly toward me and I could not figure out what I should do next.  Finally, she ran right and I followed somewhat, seeing a wide road-like path up a hill.  At the top, was a wide circle of green surrounded by a stand of trees and there was the doe with a buck.  The buck was the same color and had 4-6 points.  The pair quickly ran off.  I did a Maria von Trapp circle of the hill and headed back down.

My friend the doe, coming closer......

Again confused, I decided that if something was not made clear to me in the way of a sign, I would cross back over the road and give up.  There it was!  The tiny brown sign with the single arrow.  I followed it.  I was out of the corn and climbing steadily into a wooded area.  This was worth it!  I met 2 sets of hikers on this path going the opposite direction that I was going and I realized, I had taken the direction that was harder to navigate.  Had I been more able to figure out the book's directions or copied them and brought them along, I might have gone into this part of the park where it was much easier to follow the signage. Lesson learned!

The path on the ridge

A bit of a challenge up the ridge and I loved every minute of it.  The chill of the day faded as I began to sweat and work my way up.  The highest point here is almost 1100 feet and from the direction in that I took, it's a pretty steep climb.  The way down was a bit less steep.  Crossing the road, I am again walking among several other visitors.  I am not annoyed by their presence and appreciate the fact that a state park needs visitors and it is great that these few have made the trek here to see the bridge.

While I know others are concerned about my lonely hikes, I find them invigorating!  Me and nature - just doesn't get any better than that.  If I know that I am very much alone on a hike, I make sure to text a friend to let her know where I am and what time I will be done with my hike.  We both set our alarms and I make sure to let her know when I am safe and sound.  I know this doesn't prevent something from happening out there, but it at least could help someone find me, if necessary.  I do enjoy an occasional companion on a hike, but a lone hike is medicine for my mind and my soul when life is busy.

Nine Springs E-Way

Despite having been to the E-way multiple times, after reading the passage about the hike in 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Madison, I decided to check it out again. It seems the author was able to find places to explore previously unnoticed by me.  Since this is such a flat hike, except for one hill on the first loop, I decided to make this a trail run.  Good thing too, because any slow down caused a swarm of bugs to find me within 20 seconds! The E-way is partially wetlands and the ground is often damp in areas of the trail.  I love that this space is available almost right behind a mall and just a couple miles from the beltline highway.  Not only that, but the trail is right next to the Capital City State bike trail.  So, I rode my bike to the trailhead.  Whew!  This was a workout.

It was another one of those days with amazing clouds in the sky.  It was also pretty hot and humid which also made the mosquitoes even more voracious!  I found on the first loop which is a short jaunt to a hill with a lovely view of the area, that next time I could try exploring the area via kayak.  A water trail sign and a boat put in were available right there along Spring Creek.

Prairie from the hill with a view of the clouds and the wetlands beyond the prairie.

There's a lot of great prairie space here and it is getting closer to peak viewing time for prairies, so it was lovely.  I found an apple tree and with my mouth watering for the sour taste of a green apple, I decided to pick one and eat it as I walked to the top of the hill.  When I was a kid, there was a small orchard just past our backyard and I have always loved the sourness of early apples.

I begin my trail run at the base of the hill just in time for the shady, damp beginning of the trail.  The shade comes from trees on the right while the prairie and the creek remain on my left.  A slight decline makes my feet work hard to avoid a sprained ankle.  Once the trail crosses over the creek, it is all sun!  This area is still wetland and I can hear all kinds of birds chattering around me.

I cross yet another bridge and find a paved trail here as part of the Capital City bike trail which was not here before in my previous experiences.  Now, I am headed into a residential area and a park which is part soccer fields, part play equipment and part wood chipped trails through wooded space surrounding the creek.  I get thrown off track here as there are many choices and some things are new since the author's description was written, but I figure things out and am back out to what looks familiar in the e-way - a stand of corn.  The corn is higher than I am tall and I always find this disconcerting and amazing at the same time.  Not that I do not walk around things that are taller than me, happens all the time.  But, in this case, it is all that there is.  A corn field has no space for anything but corn.  There is the sound and the smell of corn stalks everywhere.

Walking up to the corn field - beautiful sky beyond!

This is a pretty short part of the trail which then goes up to the Capital City bike trail where I meet several bicyclists talking about their lunch plans.  Soon, I am doubling back along the creek path I took earlier.  I have to admit that I am getting tired and occasionally try to stop to walk, but the  misery of the swarm is too much and I run on.  I am thirsty and hungry, probably due to the bikers' talk of lunch plans, but it'll take some time to get back to my bike and then from there bike home.  I start hatching a plan to find an ice cream stand with water and treats along Lake Monona which is sometimes on my way home along the lake loop, if I can find it.  This fires me on.

The trail is the same I began with from here on and I make it to the end.  I no longer have the energy to cross the road and walk down the boardwalk to check out the waterfowl out in the wetlands as the author recommends.  Instead, I get on my bike and head toward that stand for some water and ice cream!  I will definitely hit this trail again as I know I can run across the street and add mileage when I am ready to run a longer distance.  But, not today.  The sun, the biking, and the trail have worn me out!

Tuckered out, thirsty and squinting in the sun, I finish my run and am ready to bike!

Back on the Trail!

I took the winter off and have certainly taken my time getting back into my hiking regimen.  Part of the problem has been a new interest in trail running.  I tend to be less adventurous with my trail runs, sticking to the same 3 beautiful and conveniently located parks and trails.  But, I am recommitted and last weekend hit yet another trail chosen from the book 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Madison. 

I have many times visited Indian Lake County Park in the winter.  It is a favorite cross country ski and sledding destination of mine.  This was the first time I set out to hike the trail without a layer of snow present which made the view very familiar and yet very different from what I had in my memory.  For one thing, the hike I followed which was as recommended in the book went in the opposite direction of the cross country ski trails.  Hills I was used to skiing down, I was now trudging up and vice versa.  Views of bare trees and white snow were now filled with so many different flowers and hues of green, I was unable to name many of them.  My companion, David, and I did our best through our combined knowledge, but still left with a couple mysteries.

The trail starts with a trudge up to one of the highest hills in the area.  At the top is a small historic chapel (2-4 people can fit standing up).  Very quaint and very cute and a place I like to visit each time I am there.  A little further on is an overlook with a great view of the prairie, the lake and surrounding area.  Here is the first mysterious flower covering the hill surrounding the overlook - heather perhaps? Back down the hill part way, I found myself somewhere I had never known to exist previously until we came out at the base of the sledding hill.  Off topic here, but this is a fun and gentle sledding hill with a huge fire pit at the top, a warming house with wood stove, and an outhouse.  This makes Indian Lake my favorite destination each year on my birthday for a full day of sledding, picnicking, and fun!

View of the lake and park from the overlook

Unknown plant - heather?

The hill - at the top is the chapel and overlook.

We walked on through a buggy wooded area.  Madison's wet spring has been very conducive to mosquito breeding, so we were bombarded with buzzing and biting pests.  The goal here:  keep moving or be swarmed!  I am so very lucky not to be seen (or smelled) as delectable by mosquitoes, but the large numbers this year make even me a possible meal.  This wooded area is one of my favorite parts of the hike.  I just love to walk through spaces surrounded by trees and moss and ferns.  It seems enchanted and magical. 

This goes on for a while before we carefully make our way down a steep and rocky hill and now things change completely.  The trail is open, the sun shines bright, the blue sky above is clear except for a few puffy, beautiful clouds and there's the lake some way ahead.  The trail is mowed through tall prairie grasses.  At one point, I see a flash of bright blue and then notice that the blue flash is the tail feathers of a bluebird going into a house built especially for this purpose in the midst of the prairie.  Again, that flash of blue as the bluebird flies past to a nearby tree.  How exciting!  I can not remember ever seeing a bluebird use the houses I helped to build in other parks at other times in my life.

Prairie in bloom.

There are poems along the trail.  Winter poems only and I remember back to a ski adventure through a no longer used part of the park, another poem that made me love this park and the people who preserved its space.  Coming up to the lake is a dog park and we are greeted by 2 friendly beasts, one is well-behaved and ready to join us, the other obnoxiously bites at our hands as if we were responsible for his owner's slow pace.  Maybe we can keep up with him instead? 

Alas, we are going in the opposite direction toward an amazing field of yellow.  It is tall enough to feel almost like going through a corn maze.  Another foot or so in height and it would be much the same experience.  I believe this to be yellow yarrow.  It is a sea of yellow, literally, all around us. 

The prairie and the lake.

Yellow yarrow?

The sea of yellow!

The last leg of our hike is a walk along the length of Indian Lake, a quiet small lake left by a glacier.  There is a great deal of evidence of geese populating this space, but none to be found today.  I make a note to plan a trip out to the lake with my kayak.  It looks like the perfect spot for the kind of kayaking that involves paddling to a central location and floating lazily with the paddle in the boat and legs resting out on top.  No motors and not much more than one canoeist out fishing the edge today.  Also, along the lake's edge, yet another mysterious plant!

Lake edge plant - unknown identity.

The hike is about 4.5 miles and took us about 2.5 hours.  A nice number of hills to climb and flat areas to enjoy make this the perfect hike for getting back into my routine and moving on to longer distances and more challenging terrain!

If you would like more information or happen to know the identifications of the mystery plants, please contact me!

Owen Conservation Park in the Heart of Madison!

I was pretty amazed by this little gem of a park.  It's located right in the midst of a neighborhood on Madison's west side.  I recruited my niece for a little adventure and while she's game for just about anything, it shouldn't take too long (1 hour is about the limit).  We were in here for longer than an hour, however!  It's just a 1.5 mile trail - a loop, but we found much to explore and enjoy and took in more than 2 hours worth of this beautiful space within the city.

We started off from the parking lot on a back loop that did get close to the surrounding road and we could hear the sounds and see some of the surrounding neighborhood, but this wooded space was a real favorite.  We walked logs and ate berries and by this time, I had my niece convinced that hiking was fun!



Trees to walk and berries to eat!

 

We had to recross the parking lot to head into the oak savanna.  I love that the oak savanna is being restored in so many of the parks I frequent, because for me the view of an oak with crooked, winding branches in the midst of grasses and blue sky, is sublime.

Edward T. Owen created this park in an attempt to save some natural space from the developing and sprawling city of Madison.  Good thing too, because the city has spread beyond and is now completely connected to the city of Middleton.  In this picture you can see the park is located on a hill and off in the distance is the skyline of the university.

We followed the trail, enjoying some of the best coneflowers I had seen all summer.  The bees and butterflies seemed to agree!  This was one of those warm July days with the amazing clouds floating through a pure blue sky.

We veered off into an area that included some type of creek or run off combination and some housing, but we were unsure where we were.  We decided to walk the creek.  This was especially fun and a bit of a challenge.  We found some deeper pools within the creek and here actual goldfish or koi were abundant!  I was unable to get them photographed, unfortunately, so you will have to take my word for it.

We wandered up an embankment, still lost and found ourselves on a street!  So, we reversed our course and found our way back to the oak savanna.  I found a stand of 5-6 oak trees and just revelled in the beauty of the branches, the sky blue between the branches and the sun shining brightly through the dark boughs.  My niece was getting tired of the adventure at this point and was not appreciative of the oak savanna and its beauty.

The neighborhood surrounding Owen Conservancy is lucky to have such a gem in their midst!

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! 

First hike- Pheasant Branch Conservancy and Frederick's Knoll

I have walked around the Pheasant Branch Conservancy many, many times since I began teaching yoga in Middleton at Harbor Wellness which is essentially right across the street from the conservancy.  As part of my commitment to the book 60 Hikes within 60 Miles (of Madison) by Kevin Revolinsky, I made the trek again.  In the book, the author combines both sides of the conservancy into a 3 hour or 7.6 mile hike.  I decided to take one side of the road at a time.

On July 14th (yes, I need to catch up) a friend and I headed out with her kid in the stroller, knowing the small gravel of the loop side of the trail would be accommodating to the stroller wheels.  However, I also knew we would have to part at Frederick's Knoll.  The trail up the hill is cut prairie grass and is often very lumpy.  But the view, is so worth it!  This is where you truly understand you are walking around the Pheasant Branch Creek.

 

The entire trail, except near the Knoll is surrounded by housing.  It is very well used by walkers, runners, and bikers.  There are areas with boardwalks and bridges to traverse over the creek.  At the base of this photo, you can see an overlook structure and here the spring bubbles up.  It takes an hour to an hour 15 minutes or more to hike the full loop of Pheasant Branch and there are some hilly areas besides the knoll.  However, it is mostly an easy flat hike/walk.  For someone often hiking alone, it is nice to have a place where I know I will see others and be near something safe, so this is a good bad weather or late night hike. I once walked late on a spring night and found a very delightful woman walking the same pace and so we walked and chatted for the rest of our distance together.

I enjoy this hike because I love the knoll so much.  It is a nice challenge and it is prairie all the way up.  The top of the knoll is covered with oak trees - which I love!  One down side is that on occasion, the nearby CAFO or cattle factory in Waunakee sends it's stench along with the wind.  I find that there are always positives and negatives to each hike.  Ease, parking, gravel might be positives but they also mean traffic noise, factory smells, and other civilization related negatives.  Some days I want more of a natural experience and some days this is the perfect place.  We are lucky to have it so near - 15-20 min. for most Madison residents and closer for Middleton residents.



Prairie Grass



Seed pods from a prairie plant (someone please tell me what this is, because I love it!)

The winding branches of the oak trees on top of Frederich's Knoll

The farm fields can be seen beyond the branches of this oak tree



Queen Anne's Lace seemed to love this dry summer weather

One of the few really colorful flowers in the prairie on this day



Directions:  There are several starting points along Hwy M in Middleton and also Pheasant Branch Rd.  Easy to find or stop and ask anywhere!