Winter Trails

While snow has yet to stay on the ground here in SW Wisconsin, those of us who love winter are getting ready. Skis are being waxed, snowshoes are getting dusted off, and the layers of fleece and wool are coming out to stay.

Although long-term forecasts can be dubious, I'm holding out that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Farmers' Almanac will be correct in their predictions for above average snowfall in Wisconsin this year.

Winter is an exceptional time to get outside. There is nothing quite like a bright and sunny 10 degree winter day in Wisconsin. The ice crystals glint off every surface, the snow squeaks beneath your boots or skis and all the world is still.  Perhaps a hawk cuts an arch above you in the blue sky or you notice the tiniest trail of a busy seed-collecting rodent, but it is evident that this is a time of rest for nature.  A deep inbreath for us all.

As soon as there is enough snow on the ground, our crew will be out grooming those trails for cross country skiing.  The Kickapoo Valley Reserve maintains approximately 10 miles of groomed cross-country ski trails for both classic and skate skiing. The five miles of the Old Highway 131 Trail provide an excellent opportunity to experience the solitude and beauty of the Reserve. Other groomed trails include the Dam Trail, Old Harris Road Trail and Star Valley Road.  Additional trails may be groomed as time permits. The more adventurous are welcomed to make their own tracks into the wild.  Please note: Skiers may not ski on the snowmobile trail.

Even if you aren't a skier, there are so many ways to get out and enjoy the beauty of winter.  Check out the KVR Winter Trail Map here.  On it you'll find trails marked for cross-country skiing, for fat-tire bikes, and snowshoeing.  Before you come, visit our website and Facebook page for current winter trail conditions.

Most years spectacular ice formations can be found in the deep valleys that are home to sandstone rock shelters. This map marks they way to two of our favorite ice formation locations.  Please always remember that ice and rock are fragile--never climb on the ice formations.  Please take only pictures and leave only footprints.

There are copies of the Winter Guide Map available at the public bathrooms in the KVR Visitor Center Parking lot. Snowshoes (adult and child sizes) can be rented, by the day, for use on the KVR. They are $5/day for adults and free for children. Visitors will still need a day pass or annual pass to use the trails. There are not designated nor groomed snowshoe trails, although the summer trail system is easy to follow in the winter. Please always snowshoe along side the groomed ski tracks rather than on them, snowshoeing on the groomed ski track makes them difficult for skiers to use.

Bluedog Cycles in Viroqua is a another great place to rent cross country skis and fat tire bikes, by the day or the week. Winter fat tire biking (FTB) is a popular activity at the KVR. Bikes must be non-motorized pedal bikes, tires 3.7-5 inches, and 10 psi or lower. There are approximately 8 miles of  FTB trails on the Reserve.  Located on the eastern side of the property, FTP trails are winter trails (Jan 1 - March 15) and are subject to closure during the season. The following criteria must be in place for the FTB trails to remain open: 1)The ground must be frozen.  2) The temperature must be 25 degrees F or below. Closures will be posted at FTB trail heads, our website, KVR Facebook page, and at the Visitor Center. A current year annual permit or KVR day pass is required to use the trails. Users must stay on designated trails or adjacent roads. The FTB trails on the Reserve are not groomed. They are considered backcountry trails, are narrow and winding, and are shared with snowshoers and hikers. Please be courteous and practice friendly trail etiquette when encountering other trail users.

Snowmobiling is a popular winter activity in our region, and a segment of Wisconsin's self-funded snowmobile trail system winds its way through the Reserve. A local snowmobile club grooms and maintains the trail from December 15 through March 31, snow cover permitting.  Enjoy the Reserve's scenic ridges and valleys by snowmobile, the only motorized vehicle allowed to operate on Reserve lands. Snowmobile enthusiasts are required to stay on the designated snowmobile trail.

Star gazing is an excellent activity for clear winter nights. Visit the Driftless Stargazing Facebook page for frequent updates on what's visible in our local night skies, then bundle up and get out with a thermos of hot cocoa. 

Whether your goal is to get some exercise, find solitude, take photos or just notice the stark beauty that a fresh coat of snow brings to our landscape, you'll find fulfillment and rejuvenation along the winter trails of the Kickapoo Valley Reserve.  We hope to see you out there!

 

NEW at the Kickapoo Valley Reserve: Education Packs for Outdoor Adventures

KVR instructors Barb Sydnor and Julie Hoel have been hard at work creating adventure backpacks for children and families. We encourage you to check one out on your next visit to the Reserve. These education packs offer opportunities for deeper engagement with natural features and experiences, and they've been created with fun and learning in mind.

There are 3 preschool activity packs and one water critters pack for older children (4th-5th grade). The water critters pack is also suitable for younger children with adult help.

Packs will be available outside the Kickapoo Valley Reserve Visitor Center on weekdays from 8 am until 4:30 pm. Please use the sign out sheet provided by the packs.

Let us know how you are using the packs with photos and comments.

Leadership Trail Camp

This week's blog post is by Leadership Trail Instructor, Nicholas WazeeGale on behalf of himself and co-instructor Bill Humphrey.  

Hello Summer Campers!

As cool mornings roll in we are reminded of summer's end coming before too long. These days are also reminding me of mornings on the trail with you all, waking everyone up in the dew, starting the fire. We all are missing the rituals, experiences, and challenges of being out at KVR on the trails, and on the river, and our time together with our zaney crews of campers. We trust you have found good things to fill your summer days. We write today to offer ourselves virtually, instead of in-person, and to give some fun ideas to fill your end of summer days with adventure.

Here are some highly recommended hiking routes we love. Don't forget to pick up a KVR map at the visitor center and bring your compass!

1-If you are interested in a good solid day hike with some beautiful terrain, try looping out Cut-Off Trail through Warner Valley to either the crossing of Hwy P at Big Valley or all the way out to Haugh Road on Hoot Owl Trail and back on Big Valley Trail to 131. To add some adventure to the end, you could cut down and across the valley at the location of your choice back to Cut-off trail and your parked location. If you are having parents pick you up, all the better, pick a destination, confirm it with them, and go!

 

2-For a great destination with beautiful views and great side explorations opportunities, hike from Campsite P up into the high overlooks of Hanson Rock Trail, or down West Ridge onto the Ice cave Trail and loop around. Don’t forget to look for the rock shelters down towards the river, or have lunch overlooking the river.

3-Looking for an opportunity to combine some paddling with your hike? Something not entirely new but a favorite lately is dropping a canoe or two at the ending of a solid half day hike for a water shuttle back to your starting point. This could be done after hiking the Billings Creek Trail north and then cutting through some of Wildcat State Park to landing 5, or if you're feeling ambitious, hike all the way up the Hay Valley trail from just west of Bridge 10 up to Bridge 6 and paddle down to Landing 10. Don’t forget to stash PDFs and paddles though, or you would be up a creek without a paddle!

Remember that if you are needing to go a little wilder, you can always take off overland and head for a distant hill, creek, or valley. I often enjoy doing this through areas I am interested in or want to see more of. It can be done safely by having a map handy and picking an area that has notable boundaries, like the river, trails, and/or a road. This way you will always hit something recognizable if you get turned around and get to test out your wayfinding abilities.

All of this is just to give some good ideas, but check out the map of KVR and see what looks good. Get out for a good day's hiking and you will feel like a new person. Or add some camping on and make it into more. With care these things can be done with social distancing and good relative safety. We all have to figure out ways of working out both being safe and bridging the gap with others in these crazy times.

If something quieter is needed for your well being, seek a solo experience. Either way, the KVR, and the natural world, are waiting for you. In these times of challenges and unsettling events we need to remember what the outdoors has always offered us: a place of peace, a place of connection, and a place of rejuvenation. In working with youth from afar, as in online, one of the cornerstone experiences I use to instruct youth is having a site they visit consistently to connect to and be attuned to what is going on in the natural world around them. This provides a backbone to our integration into the natural scene and integration of the natural world into our days, minds, and hearts. If you are in need of some solace, solitude, or connection, look to the Earth. Find a "sit spot" like I am referring to and go there regularly and see if you don’t find what you are looking for. Or if you are needing movement, expansion, and adventure in this time of challenge and density, go into the wilds and move, travel through, and be a part that way. There is no one right way, but any way you genuinely go to the Earth to make yourself well again will change and move you in a good way. Get out there and try--you will find a way and a different end to your day.

We hope your summer has been fulfilling in small ways at least. We all need to count our blessings and enjoy the things we have in abundance. And thankfully most of southern Wisconsin has healthy water, beautiful forests, gorgeous views, and hallowed hollows of ferns and hemlocks. Get out there and enjoy them!

Nature Nuts

Guest Post by Nicholas WazeeGale, Nature Nuts Camp Instructor

Hello Dear Campers!

It is a big old bummer that we won't be doing any camps at the KVR together this summer. I will miss seeing you all and roaming the grounds by the Visitor Center and getting to see the world up close through your clear youthful eyes! The good news is that the amazing natural world we all cherish is still around us for exploration and discovery. We just need to make some time and get out there.

I thought I would send you some ideas and remind you of all that we love to do during our Nature Nuts weeks so that you and your families can make the most of the summer. Here goes the greatest hits as I recall:

Swimming and Creek Walking! 

Nothing makes a hot day enjoyable like water, and we have lots of it around. Favorite places where we have all loved to explore water have been down at the little creek under the footbridge behind the Visitor Center, and swimming in the river down there (with life jackets and adults!) and also walking back to Weister Creek behind "Ma and Pa's" campsite on Hwy P. Also there is lots of good swimming, wading and creature catching to be had at the new Weister Creek project further up Hwy P from Ma and Pa's campsite.

Hiding and Seeking! 

Games like Hide and Seek, Camouflage, and Fox and Rabbit are easy to adapt to any site. You can hide in your backyard or the local woodlot or even in your own living room and not even be noticed if you observe where people look and don't look. Just don't get carried away and scare your parents too badly. See if a brother or sister or parent will play in the backyard and see how creative you can get. Or a park in town! And the next time you are taking a walk in the woods take turns running ahead and hiding just off the trail and see if you are noticed and what works and what doesn't. (It is, of course, always good to let your parents know where you're are heading off to, and always be aware of plants and insects you need to be careful of like wild parsnip!)

Exploring Natural Spaces.

Nothing feels more like summer in the Driftless area than finding and eating raspberries right off the cane or sneaking up on a katydid making its insect music. And nothing makes us feel like we are part of the natural world like following our curiosity into wild places. Go take a walk with your parents, a sibling, or just yourself (after telling your parents you are going!) in a natural area like the KVR with the purpose of exploring and following your curiosity. Get off the path in an open area of forest or a meadow and see if you can find some insects. Look for crayfish under stones in a creek. Explore the pond edges for frogs, dragonfly larvae, rare plants, diving beetles, or snakes. Crawl into a thick area of brush and look for animal sign where no human has gone for years. Look for something of interest and follow it! Adventure awaits. Just remember to be safe and respect those whose homes you are visiting.

Games of the Earth

Our days at KVR are always filled with good games that show us more about the wild world around us in fun and playful ways. Remember Meet a Tree? Being blindfolded and led to tree in a confusing way and then led away to have to find your tree by what you felt and remembered? You can partner with anyone! Or Secret Animal Identity where you and a friend have an animal ID on your back and have to ask each other yes/no questions to find out who you are? You can play the related "20 questions" with animals too for sharpening your awareness of local animals. We do it in the car regularly. Lastly there is the fun of Animal Charades in which we have to hold our guesses while someone tries to impersonate all that they know of how an animal moves, views its environment, eats its food, where it goes in its world, and how it reacts to things. What good learning and fun to become your favorite animals! Try it out in your yard with your family and see what local animals you can impersonate!

Study of Birds, Plants, Trees, Animals and Insects.

Another thing that we all love doing and learning in Nature Nuts is studying up on all the wonderful life that surrounds us. From in the ground to the tree tops and sky above, from the marshy ponds to the nearest rotting log, our wild world is filled with life forms of every shape and size, doing their thing and living their lives. What are you interested in learning more about? There are many ways to read up and learn more on your favorite organisms, and we live in an area where you should be able to get out and look for them, see them, observe them and do some drawing of and even writing about them. And if you are seeking the elusive bobcat and not having luck, don't forget to enjoy the flowering yarrow, the nearby ant colony, the swallowtail butterfly and all the more easily observed wonders of nature as you wait! The magic of the Earth is in all of them and we can learn so much from them all if we are observant and patient.

Lastly, I would just like to leave you with remembering that the woods are a special and rejuvenating place that hold many secrets and gifts for you. Remember this and if you are feeling grumpy, bumpy or out of sorts, take yourself to the nature spa nearest you:
the woods! Go take a seat, watch the show, see who comes to visit, and see if you don't feel better when you come back to the busy world of people. People all around the world have stories of the woods making them feel better and guiding them to a better sense of themselves and greater health and happiness. Just get out there however you can, nature is everywhere, and enjoy the gift of chatty birds, hopping insects, tall green trees and all the wonder we are so surrounded by in this area of the world.

Good Luck and Great Discoveries to you! And feel free to send us your reports!

Note: For more information about Nicholas's life and work and additional great words of wisdom, check out his Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/nicholas.wazee.gale/

Wandering

This week we honor the beloved Jeepers Creepers camp with a post and Q&A with Mary Szepi, KVR Instructor and wandering enthusiast. Read on for ideas for activities and exploring to take a different view of things. 

This week's guest post is by Mary Szepi, Jeepers Creepers Camp Instructor

" Not all those who wander are lost"   --J.R.R. Tolkien

I love to hike and go places I've never been before, and maybe no one else has either, exactly. 

What I mean is, "bushwhack hike," which I think means, "a challenging, non-trail hike through sometimes dense foliage." Using a trail map (KVR or Wildcat State Park) for topography and general direction, and a compass, my friend and I go from one point to another but not on the trail. It might be a short distance or a longer distance. However, in spite of the time spent or distance covered there are "treasures" to discover and adventures to be had. Secluded valleys, deep ravines, awesome rock outcroppings are waiting to be found. Hidden tiny creeks with pure sandy beds and clear water invite you to wade in them. There's nothing like flowing, burbling water in a green forest glen. There seems to be more variety in the trees and other forest inhabitants, both plant and animal and you feel more connected to them here in this enchanting place off the trail.

Of course, wandering can be done anywhere---in town, in a city, down a country road, in a park, across a field, around your yard. Just go a different way. See things from a different viewpoint. Even a well traveled and well known trail is different going the other way. And experiencing the same walk in every season brings new insight. Take your time, immerse yourself. Look up, down, and all around. And don't forget your walking stick!!

Get to know Mary!

Tell us about yourself. Is there anything special you want campers and families to know about you and your life?
I grew up in northern Wisconsin and spent many summers family camping and canoeing on lakes and streams and marshes. I also attended Girl Scout and church camps and always loved being in the woods. My favorite experiences were rustic and primitive. I became a camp counselor when I was old enough and that was my summer job through high school until college. I have lived in the Kickapoo Valley area since my first teaching job in LaFarge and then Ontario and have raised my family here.

What do you love about being a camp instructor?
I thoroughly enjoy being a KVR summer camp instructor because I love to play, explore, and learn in the outdoors and I get to share experiences with kids who, I believe, all have a natural curiosity and enthusiasm and desire to poke about and discover things, not to mention, use their imaginations.


What ideas or tips do you have for campers who may be missing camp this summer?
Get outside every day! Go to wild places without an agenda. Leave your phones behind.
Parents, bring something quiet to do, sit and practice being present to the beauty around you, or jump right into the play, but let your children poke around and even tell you they are bored, and then watch as they find something fantastic to do.

Even though we can't meet in person for Jeepers Creepers this summer, I hope you will be outside as much as possible in all types of weather, as long as it is safe. Take some day trips to a park, trail, stream, river, pond, even a puddle has opportunities. Get wet, dirty, muddy, or not, whatever makes it fun and enjoyable and maybe a new experience. If you attended camp last summer ask your family to take you to the KVR and show them places you remember or had the most fun.

Activities you can do anywhere:

• Scavenger Hunt--Make a list of objects for others to find.
• Treasure Hunt--Write or draw clues that tell where the next clue is, as many as you wish, with a special something at the end.
• Collect objects for a mystery bag. Offer others a chance to use their senses to guess what's in the bag without peeking. You might even share some clues with them!
• Collect rocks, sticks, pinecones, etc. and invent a game.
• Collect objects for nature art & make a collage on the ground.
• Take a hike with a small day pack which includes water, snack, magnifying glass, binoculars or T.P. rolls (good for focusing your vision).
• Don't forget a bug jar!! This is one of the most-enjoyed activities of past Jeepers Creepers Campers. Any small clear container with a lid can work well. Empty spice jars or Parmesan cheese containers work well because they have built in air holes in the lid. Catch, observe, release.

Do you have a favorite spot or activity on the KVR that you'd love to remind campers and their families to visit when they can?
Any or all of the trails, including the horse trails. Get a map and choose a location. And of course, the creek and ponds are always fun.

What are some of your favorite nature activity books and quotes?
Teaching Kids To Love the Earth by Herman, Passineau, Schimpf, Treuer
Play Lightly on the Earth by Jacqueline Horsfall
One Small Square series by Donald M. Silver, ill. by Patricia Wynne

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in." 

--Rachel Carson--

"In the end, we will conserve only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught." 

--Baba Dioum--

Where a trail can take you...

This week's guest post is by the Kickapoo Valley Reserve's Jackie Yocum, whose work involves maintaining over 50 miles of trails on the property. Her words are an invitation to consider the power of trails in our lives. Read on for more information about trail use as we head into a busy weekend that kicks off a summer of adventures in getting outside!

View from Black Hawk Rock.

The Kickapoo Valley Reserve has approximately 50 miles of trails for visitors to explore on its 8,600 acres. I am one of the staff tasked to maintaining the trails keeping them in good repair and sustainable. I love my job, I love the woods, I love being outside, and I am proud to be a caretaker of the KVR.

Jackie on the Ditch Witch. Photo by Julie Hoel.

From an early age, before I even realized my passion for trails, they were part of everyday life. I grew up on a dairy farm on a Kickapoo River tributary downriver of the KVR. One of my daily chores was “bringing the cows home” from their day pasture for milking. I would jump on my pony bareback, and head across the gravel road and up the valley to find the girls--"long faced beauties" as my Grandma would call them. The cows had to know I was coming after them, as it happened every day, and yet they were always in the furthest reaches of the pasture, heads down, mouthfuls of grass rolling around their tongues. Their heads would jerk up at first sight when I whistled for them, as if they were surprised to see me there. 

These “trails” that led to the vast hilltop meadow weren’t well-laid or carefully designed trails, they were cow paths, functional for the cows and installed by the cows. These trails cut deeply into a hillside that delivered them to the lush meadow grass on the ridgetop. They also crossed the stream, so each cow could drink her fill, and they disappeared altogether in the grassy areas where the cows spread out to graze. 

 

Every day, my pony “Babe” and I would venture out together. My trail etiquette back then wasn’t the best as we liked to keep a pretty good pace on our way up the valley. I was young and fearless and riding fast was the way Babe and I liked it. After all, we both knew we would be walking home slowly because Old Bess, the slowest cow, couldn’t be left behind. I have fond memories of this chore and it was my first experience with trails.

I have always found myself drawn to a path in the woods. There is something about the discovery of what is around the next bend that pulls on my inquisitive heart strings. It is no wonder that I would find myself playing in the dirt in the woods for a career.  A single trail can take each person that uses it on a different journey.  Some see it through the ears of a horse, which is still one of my favorite ways to enjoy a trail. There is something freeing about two beings of different species, working together and trusting each other as they move along a trail. Some see it over the handlebars of their bike. Heart pounding, leaving heavy breath in their wake as they churn to the top of a hill.  And yet others prefer their own two feet. Hiking a trail opens a whole new world, especially if you pause and look. You can even paddle a trail! Yup! That's right! There are water trails, and the Kickapoo River is one of the best.

A trail can bring about so much: accomplishment in completing an 8 mile trek or paddling 10 river miles, solace when thoughts consume us, armistice when faced with challenges, fellowship when exploring with friends. We can be inquisitive and look under that rotting log. We can give audience to the piliated woodpecker's treetop chatter.  We can revel in the gift of stumbling upon a newborn fawn or in spotting the first morel of the season. Gifts are plentiful on the trail.They are there for the experiencing. Nature heals us, lifts us, lightens us. 

And trails take us there. 

I encourage you to find your trail.  The one that transports you to a place in your past, a place of discovery that you may have first experienced as a child. You deserve it.

***

We asked Jackie to share some of her knowledge about trails. Here's our Q & A. 

What are your biggest challenges in getting trails ready for the season?

Fall is the busiest time for trail maintenance. My goal is to have all maintenance done by mid to late October. This ensures the best possible outcome as the trails transition through the freeze and thaw to come. Depending on the spring, flooding is often causes time-consuming challenges to have trails ready for spring opening. Weather is the biggest hurdle: trees are blow down, trails are wet and not accessible for checking except by foot and that is time consuming. So weather/conditions are the biggest challenge.

What reminders do you have for trail users as we head into the busy season?

Trail Etiquette, Trail Etiquette, Trail Etiquette! This includes: greeting other trail users, yielding to other users, using designated trails only, adhering to trail closures during wet weather. Follow all the rules to protect your right to ride. Purchase an annual permit. Money collected at the KVR via permits stays on the property and benefits the trails.

Where can people learn more about trails?

Here are some great resources:

National Trails Day is June 6^th

American Trails – The voice of a diverse trails community  

Leave No Trace

Backcountry Horsemen of America 

IMBA International Mountain Biking Association 

American Hiking Society 

KVR Trail Etiquette 

Kickapoo River Paddler Etiquette 

Wisconsin State Park and State Trails Trail Etiquette 

Kickapoo Valley Reserve Information 

Take Your Kids Hiking

If our family is out and about this weekend, and we notice something on the trail, what should we do?

If there is conflict on the trails, notify the KVR or Vernon County Sheriff for an emergency or a dangerous situation. In an emergency, always call 911.

Trees down or trail tread issues? Please call the KVR Visitor Center to report.Try to pinpoint the location and size.

Off trail use or use of closed trails: Please Contact the KVR Visitor Center.