An Outdoorsman’s Journal

By: Mark Walters

Water, Essential for Life

Hello friends: This past week I really did not know what I was going to do for an adventure worth writing about. As it always does, an idea came to me and I think you will agree it was a good one. Well, into this week’s column you will see some words of wisdom written by a friend and one of my daughter Selina Walters professors. Justin A VanDeHey is an Associate Professor of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at UWSP in Stevens Point and also the owner of Cooperstown Kennels.

Monday, April 24 High 42, low 25 My plan was to go up by Crandon, hike into some public land with Red and Ruby my golden retrievers, build a camp and do nothing for 3 days. That plan changed to hiking on the Ice Age Trail in southern Taylor County’s Chequamegon National Forest, building a camp and doing very little. High water everywhere kind of had me boxed in for this week’s options.

I was actually driving when I came up with the new plan and it was a wise choice. I could see it on my map in the Wisconsin Gazetteer. So, I drive into Owen/Withee, hit County T and continued north to paradise. Actually, I love this entire area. The well-kept farms, large forests and good people all get my respect. I am driving on gravel roads. There is snow in the forests and water everywhere. I came to a crossing for the Ice Age Trail, parked my truck, loaded my pack and let the trip begin. My first observation, besides the water and snow, would be the lay of the land. I would call it knobs of maybe 2 to 6 acres of land that go up about 80-feet and most lower edges have small wetlands. This was a constant and I would almost always hear sandhill cranes and Canadian geese. My plan was simple; build camp on top of a knob, look at the world and hike the IAT with a base camp to come back to.

Tuesday, April 25 High 46, low 26 The moisture in this neck of the woods is everywhere to be seen and felt. Today, the pups and I went on an all-day hike, and I have found a new place to call home. What is amazing is the constant small wetlands around each knob and what I am seeing and not seeing. Due to snow on the ground, there is very little sign of wildlife tracks. I have to wonder - do the animals leave for winter or did a very long winter harvest many of them. Probably a bit of both.

Here are Justin VanDeHey’s words of wisdom, I think you will enjoy them. “While it may seem obvious to us, there are many natural benefits of streams flowing over their banks and spilling onto the land. For example, when water moves out onto the land it slows the downstream flows and allows more water to leach into the soil replenishing groundwater. These slower flows allow silt and nutrients from the stream to be deposited onto the flooded land creating excellent growing areas for plants. The slower flow rates also reduce erosion downstream. The flooded areas are high in nutrients and low in predators, making them excellent breeding grounds for fish, frogs and aquatic bugs and are critical nursery areas for fish like northern pike. So all in all, allowing a river or stream to spill out onto the land has a lot of hidden benefits.” Think about what Justin wrote. That, my friends, is a huge way that nature works.

By the second night of this excellent adventure, I was 100-percent acclimatized and felt great during my treks. The pups had some excellent training and loved swimming in still somewhat frozen lakes. If you are a hiker, consider this section of trail a must check out on your priority list.

Get lost, hang out, observe, you will come out of it with your batteries charged!

Sunset

This photo shows a perfect setting for spring runoff filling nature’s reservoirs.

This lake is a beautiful hidden getaway on the Ice Age Trail in southern Taylor County

Many of Ruby and Red’s waking hours are spent like this.