Gibraltar Rock: Hiking in the Dark

 

I mentioned in my previous post that Gibraltar Rock is now open after being closed since spring, due to the pandemic and the crowds that congregate here.  

There were no crowds at 6:15 a.m. on a recent weekday morning.  In fact, there were no vehicles in either of the parking lots.  Julia and I very rarely hike in the dark.  We won a lottery at Bryce National Park a couple of years ago for a guided moonlight hike to the bottom of the canyon.  We've also stayed too long for sunset at Gibraltar and ended up hiking down in semi-darkness.  

This time, there was no moon, and the heavy woods gave no hint of pre-dawn for most of the way to the top.  Again, we were totally alone on top of the cliffs.

There was just a hint of light, but we knew that there would be an opportunity for a better view on the return loop.  We followed the Ice Age Trail back down to the main parking lot.  On the way, we passed five people, with our same idea, mostly older and wearing masks.  They started a little bit later than us and left from the main parking lot.  

By the time we started heading back up again on the former park road, the sun was starting to rise, making it much easier to hike. Motor vehicles have been prohibited on the park road for many years, but with no one hiking on it for months, the former asphalt pavement has narrowed and is going back to nature.

At the top again, we lingered for awhile and enjoyed the view.  I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw that someone had already littered with a plastic bottle at the best view on the cliff.

The hike down was easy, now that we could clearly see.

I've done this hike many times, and I'll never tire of it. 

Ice Age Trail: Gibraltar Segment

Gibraltar Rock Natural Area is well-known across the Midwest, especially by rock climbers.  I've mentioned before that it's a happy spot for me. 

DNR closed Gibraltar at the beginning of the pandemic because the trails are narrow, and the crowds are often large.  I thought about sneaking in more than once, but never did. 

 

The Gibraltar Segment of the Ice Age Trail is from Slacks Road to the Merrimac Ferry.  Although the trail is open, I haven't hiked it much because it's been very busy throughout the summer.  I took a chance last Friday morning at about 8 a.m. and was rewarded with only one other car in the small parking lot.  

No hunting or unleashed dogs are allowed on this segment.  The absence of bullet holes in the sign was a comfort.

The trail starts out in heavy forest and then opens up into prairie.  The leaves are beginning to change, but we've also having windy days.  Fall colors may come and go quickly this year.

Eventually, the trail follows switchbacks down to the Wisconsin River and the Merrimac Ferry.

On the way to the ferry, we only passed one person.  On the way back to the trailhead, we passed about eight people.  Callie and I moved off the trail each time since none of the other people were masked.  The parking lot was now full.  Time to head home. 

Note: On the day after this hike, DNR decided to reopen Gibraltar Rock Natural Area.  I will try a sunrise weekday hike and see if I can beat the crowds.

Brewed Journey Camp

 

Justin watching Callie retrieve the Frisbee

I felt like a new man after a good night's rest in the Scamp, which is parked on top of my hill. Sunny skies with highs in the upper 60's and lows in the lower 40's are probably my favorite type of weather.  

I knew that I wanted to hike somewhere different today, but I decided to stay close to home.  The nearest Ice Age Trail segment to my house is less than a mile away.  Recently, I've avoided that trail because it is heavily used during the pandemic.  Historically, there have been other reasons to avoid the trail at certain times of the year.

 

This is a public hunting property.  The bullet holes all over the sign (which is in a public parking lot right next to the public road) tell you that not all of the hunters use good judgement.  Part of the sign, obscured by a bullet hole, says that dogs can be off-leash for most of the year on this property.  

Nevertheless, I decided to take my chances this morning at about 8 a.m.  It's about a five mile in/out hike from the Lodi Cannery to the Twin Pines parking lot on Riddle Road. Callie reports that we didn't see any unleashed dogs on the entire hike.  The scenery was beautiful.

 

During the first part of the hike, I approached three young adults on a narrow part of the trail without any room to pass.  Nobody was wearing a mask.  I moved off the trail into the brush about five yards to let them pass.  Just as they passed, we were all startled by a loud "Boom."  Someone from a concealed spot nearby in the woods took a shot at something. 

The rest of the hike was uneventful. I stayed more than a few minutes letting the view below soak in.

Upper Prairie overlooking the Lodi Marsh

Lost Year

I was reading another blog earlier this week, and the author made a point that resonated with me.  In many ways, this is a lost year.  That doesn't mean that I haven't had some good times, but it sure hasn't been normal.  

I've been fortunate during the last two years to take long camping trips with the Scamp during the spring and fall.  Neither one happened this year.  I tried to make up for that this summer by taking shorter trips and staying closer to home.  That was okay, but even that is coming to an end.  

Two things are working against me right now. As a full time caregiver for the foreseeable future, I only have two nights off.  One of those nights is Friday, and I haven't had any luck finding camping reservations for a Friday night.  

Second, many campgrounds are closing down for the season, making the number of available campsites even on Thursday night problematic.  

Even if I could find a campsite, the trails have been very busy on Fridays and Saturdays.  While Covid numbers are down for many parts of the country, things are bad in Wisconsin right now. We are experiencing a 50% uptick in cases, along with record hospitalizations and deaths.  

I have no photos for this week.  I checked my phone for "possibles", but then I remembered that nearly all of my walks this week happened before dawn. It is what it is.  I'll try to do better next week.

Scamping at Buckhorn State Park

Last week, I camped for a couple of nights at Buckhorn State Park in central Wisconsin.  

The weather wasn't great.  One day, it rained all day.  Again, that meant there were hardly any other people here.  Not a bad thing when Covid is running rampant in Wisconsin.  Like  trends and fashions, it took awhile for Covid to take root here.  But we are now among the nation's leaders in transmission and setting new records for hospitalizations.

Time to head to the woods.  Actually, Buckhorn isn't known for its woods; rather, the property contains some of Wisconsin's last barrens.  

Prior to the arrival of white settlers, there were 4.1 million acres of pine and oak barrens in Wisconsin.  Today, about 10,000 acres remain.  Agriculture and fire suppression won out.  

Buckhorn has some well-maintained hiking trails--mostly flat and easy hiking.  The Savanna Trail circles a nice pond.

 

The Barrens Trail is short, but Callie and I came across over a dozen wild turkeys just after sunrise.  Alas, I was too slow with the Iphone camera, settling for a landscape shot where the gobblers ran away.

Castle Rock Lake offers swimming, boating and fishing.  I don't do much of any of those, but it was nice to look at too.

We had one nice night for a campfire and took advantage of it.

Callie, assuming the position

We may stay home this week.  Temperatures are expected to dip into the lower 30's. I hate to winterize the Scamp so early, but we also don't like frozen pipes.

Circumstances

I was never a big fan of the music by the Canadian rock band Rush, but I did appreciate some of the song lyrics by drummer Neil Peart (who died earlier this year).  One song, titled "Circumstances," contained the following refrain:

 

"All the same, we take our chances

Laughed at by time

Tricked by circumstances

Plus ca change

Plus c'est la meme chose

The more that things change

The more they stay the same"

 

That's one way to look at the world.  I've spent the last couple of weeks coming to terms with my circumstances.  It looks like the earliest that Justin will return to the dorms is in mid-January.  For the foreseeable future, I'll be working forty hours per week as his caregiver.  At first, I was really ticked off, but I'm coming around to making the best of the situation.  

Our home is probably the safest place for Justin to be.  Covid is ramping up significantly in Wisconsin and its college campuses in particular.   I'm improving my caregiving techniques, making it easier for the both of us.  When my kids were babies, I used to make a game out of how fast I could change a diaper.  Yeah, I'm a bit over-competitive. 

Justin and I have been enjoying watching some sports together.  Of course, it helps that the Packers won their first two games with lots of scoring.

Last week, I just didn't feel like driving anywhere after my four days of ten hour shifts. Instead, on my off days, I hung out in my man-cave Scamp on our own property.   On work days, I took long walks out in the country.  

 

A neighbor's steers

The weather has changed.  The hummingbirds are draining our feeders, building fat for their coming migration.  Bee farmers are collecting honey, and downsizing the bees' homes.  Readers might remember earlier this summer when the boxes were stacked six or higher.  Not anymore.

 

Late last week, I made my last trip of the year to the grain share farm where I get my flour.  On the way home, Callie and I hiked the Pleasure Valley Trail at Blue Mounds State Park.  The trail is a mix of woodlands and restored prairie.  The leaves are beginning to turn. The prairie flowers are mature.  This is a Callie-approved trail.

 

 

 

On another day, Callie and I returned to Rowan Creek Fishery Area, which we haven't hiked since winter.  We've had some problems with off-leash dogs here, but no humans or canines were seen this time.  

 

Much of the trail follows one of Wisconsin's top trout streams.

 

 

This week's weather forecasts warm days and cool nights.  I better take advantage of that by going somewhere with the Scamp.  Winter is coming.