I Spy on the Trails - September 16-30, 2023

Calico Aster

As fall equinox arrives, the flowers are slowly dying back and releasing seeds (or burrs!). Asters hold court. Ferns and goldenrod, along with other plant stalwarts, are beginning to fade. As Nola observed in the last "I Spy" post, fungi are prolific especially with more frequent rain. It is a treat to find them on almost every hike.

Cloud ocean below Magelssen Bluff top

Morning fog is frequent now as cold nights lead towards dawn. Hiking above the fog layer in the sun brings magical views of the "cloud ocean" roiling below. We are still in the long heat of early fall with lovely sunny days in the 70s and sometimes 80s. Early evening, though, tells us this lovely weather won't last long.

Quite a bit of rain is finally gracing us. It won’t make up for the severe drought but it will go a long way towards plants ready for winter.

Familiar summer song birds are noticeably less or absent in the sounds of woods and fields. They have begun their migrations. The conspicuous silence except for the calls of woodpeckers, crows, chickadees and jays are another signal that summer is well gone. Warblers are coming through but not lingering. Birdcast has been showing migration levels of half a million to upwards of a million birds making their journeys nightly in our state during these weeks. Scientists remind us to turn off unnecessary outside lights during this migration to help birds successfully migrate.

Crickets, grasshoppers cicadas have taken over the soundscape now. They are omnipresent. Bees and wasps are busy yet at any remaining blooms. But frost is not far away.

Waterfowl migration is just beginning. Pelicans are less frequently seen and soon the egrets and herons will follow. Ducks, geese, cranes and swans are just beginning their migration which will last into November.

Atop Sugar Creek Bluff
Image - Lloyd Lorenz

Leaves are just turning. It is with a great deal of surprise that I am seeing the usual vibrant colors despite the drought we have experienced this season. I wasn't sure what to expect. 

The biweekly phenology lists I note will shorten considerably as we begin to lose our flowers after the frost and wildlife begins to settle into their hibernation patterns. So there will be a picture or two of the fading foliage but fewer individual observations of flowers.

Happy autumn!

Wildflowers

• Late purple aster
• New England aster
• Calico aster
• Hairy aster
• Big bluestem grass
• Hoary vervain
• Purple clover
• Goldenrod
• Bitterstem mushroom
• Ostrich plume moss
• Spinulose wood fern
• Twinflower
• Lion shield mushroom
• Birch polypore mushroom
• Honey mushroom 
• Green cheese polypore
• Rosy Russell’s mushroom

Wildlife

• Deer
• American toad
• Hairy woodpecker
• Yellow-bellied sapsucker
• White-throated sparrow
• Golden-crowned kinglet
• Kingfisher
• Trumpeter swans
• Dark-eyed junco

What are YOU noticing on your hikes?

Two weeks of hikes: Sugar Creek Bluff, Ferryville WI; Magelssen Bluff, Rushford MN; Vetsch Park, La Crescent MN; Eighteen Lake, Isabelle, MN; Dry Lake Trail, Superior National Forest, Ely MN

The "I Spy on the Trails" column is a phenology (the study of seasonal changes in plants and animals) journal to chronicle year-round the weather, plant life and wildlife I observe while hiking. It is very useful in helping me compare observations from year-to-year. The column is published monthly from September through April and then twice-a-month from May through August when warm weather brings the natural world back to vibrant life.  

Images - Marge Loch-Wouters, unless noted

Hiking Safety in Fall

Last Saturday, September 23, waterfowl hunting season opened with a bang just at dawn in nearby wetlands near our Minnesota home. Although hunting seasons occur throughout the year, fall is an especially big time for hunting. In both Minnesota and Wisconsin, archery and small and big game gun hunting gets started in mid-September and continues throughout most of the fall.

As hikers, we often find ourselves in areas like Wildlife Management Areas (WMA's), land conservancies or other public lands like county or state forests where hunting is allowed. How do we keep safe?

One of the easiest steps you can take is making sure you do your fall hiking with an item of blaze orange or blaze pink on your head and/or above your waist. By wearing a hat, vest, or shirt in those colors, you reduce your chance of accidents tremendously. It's best to purchase these items in the summer when you can find a variety of choices and weights for the clothing. Once the hunting seasons start, very little stock is left for you to choose from.

We also add yellow vests that we can put over our coats  Combined with our blaze orange hats it gives us extra peace of mind. 

While some people also suggest bright colors, the gold standard remains blaze orange and pink. Hunters are looking for those colors on the trails and those colors are your best bet to protect yourself.

You can also consider limiting your hikes to state and city parks during this period. Be aware that these parks often border private land or other state lands where hunting is allowed. Sometimes state parks will close trails that border on active fall hunting lands. 

Know where you are going and check ahead if possible to see if hunting is allowed. Sometimes parks or natural areas will put up notices on their websites or Facebook pages to help guide you.

Year-round hiking is tremendously fun. With a few protective garments, you can feel more comfortable and safer in autumn during hunting season.

Rocky Mountain High

I left the Driftless area for a eleven days to travel to a meet-up and hiking in the Rockies with a group of friends recently. We are all part of a hiking group called the Slickrockers who have been hiking, primarily in the southwest, for almost thirty years. These wonderful women come from around the country and are avid hikers and outdoorswomen. It's always a pleasure to gather and hear the tales of their adventures and share the trails with them on our mostly annual meet-ups.

Slickrockers 2023

The Driftless region with its 500 foot elevation gains gets my body in shape for the climbs in the Southwest but I admit in places like Colorado where our climbs start at 5000-9000+ feet, my lungs tell me I'm not quite as prepared as I can be.

This year we explored around the Denver area at state parks, natural areas and in Rocky Mountain National Park. Going in September meant cooler temps and fewer crowds than during the summer. We hiked some great trails to spectacular mountain views and vistas, alpine lakes, tundra, wildlife and mountain streams. We had some sun and rain - on the trail it didn't matter. I don't know if we could have packed in more than we did over the seven days of hiking. 

The pictures below are a tiny snippet of what I experienced on the hikes. I thought I'd share before I go back to chronicling our own wonderful hikes in the Driftless.

A parade of upthrust "fins" were a feature
 at Roxborough State Park
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

Swift running mountain streams
were a feature along almost all our hikes.
Image Marg Loch-Wouters

Elk were out in abundance 
Image - Linda Pohle

Above the tree line, tundra flowers were blooming.
Image - Linda Pohle

At Loch Vale, an alpine lake at 9900 ft
Image - Heather DeVries

Fog and rain were just as beautiful
 in the mountains
Image - Marge Loch-Wouters

Sugar Creek Bluff (WI) Amble

Bloodroot in April

Sugar Creek Bluff is a sweet (no, really) little nature preserve protected by the Mississippi Valley Conservancy (MVC). It is located just outside of Ferryville, WI, up near the top of the bluff. This1.5 mile out-and-back hike winds through hardwood forests out to a restored prairie and wide vistas at it's turn-around point. It is a birder's paradise and has some amazing flowers as well. 

When the Driftless Drifters hiking club plan our weekly Amble hikes, our goal is to have the hikers experience some of the same kinds of vistas that the hikers who can do more challenging routes see. This trail is a good all-abilities and family-friendly hike for great vistas without gaining 500 feet in elevation in the process.

Looking out towards the goat prairie

Sugar Creek Bluff's small parking lot can accommodate 3-4 cars at the trailhead. You will see a large tree planting that MVC has been working on this past year on your right. Head east up a grassy, wide trail into the woods. This hardwood forest is great during warbler migration as the trail first heads up and then slowly, slowly down towards the point.

Go to the right when you come to a T on the trail and continue. You will soon be ridge-walking out to the rocky point over a restored prairie. The view here to the Iowa bluffs and of the Mississippi River is pretty spectacular. When you combine the views with the prairie spread out before you - wow! 

Timber rattler sunning in May

The prairie was first burned to start its restoration 2016. It is full of native plants...and perhaps timber rattlers. Timber rattlers are a pretty shy reptile. Still, always use caution if hiking in warm weather off-trail near rocks and be aware and give them room.

Ferryville has long been known as a hotbed for this herp. At a recent Ferryville Chautauqua presentation Armund Bartz, WI DNR biologist and manager of seven western Wisconsin State Natural Areas (SNAs), shared some history of this rattler and the community which was once known as the Rattlesnake Capitol of Wisconsin. 

The prairie bluffs along the river had long been burned by indigenous people. When settlers came in, they continued burning the prairie, hoping this would destroy the snakes, little realizing that timber rattlers thrived in that burned and regrown habitat. Ferryville residents had actually preserved the timber rattler.

I recommend that if you are doing this hike, consider heading north up Hwy 35 and then left over the bridge to Lansing IA to see the stunning vistas at Mt. Hosmer. Once over the bridge, turn left into town, and make a right at Main St. A few blocks up, turn right on N. 6th St and head around screamingly fun hairpin turns on the narrow road (10 mpg speed limit) to the top of the bluff for more great vistas of the Wisconsin bluffs and the Mississippi River right below. 

One of the views from Mt. Hosmer

There are also some rockin' fine steep trails at Hosmer if you want to challenge yourself. They aren't well-marked individually but they have put up a new trail map sign by the outlook to help hikers navigate.

THE HIKE

An easy 1.5 mile out-and-back trail takes you through hardwood forests to a lovely rock outcropping above a restored prairie. Views include the Iowa bluffs and expansive views of the Mississippi River. You can also view village goings-on directly below. This is a hotbed for migrating warblers and is on the Mississippi flyway so waterfowl are very much in evidence in spring and fall on their migration routes.

Location:

Follow Hwy 35 south from La Crosse to Ferryville. Turn left on N. Buck Creek Road and follow that up to near the top of the hill where you will see a kiosk and small parking area on your left.

Images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters

Looking for more area hikes? Please stop by the web version of the blog and under the "Labels" tab on the right hand side of the blog, click on "find-a-hike". There are over 75 hike descriptions and lists of hikes to try!

I Spy on the Trails - September 1-15, 2023

I was on vacation out of state most of these past few weeks. But Nola Larson, an avid life-long hiker, stepped in to reflect on what she has been seeing. Nola started a hiking group called Trek-N-Treaters (TNT) thirteen years ago in the La Crosse area. The group hikes twice a month and they have lunch afterwards. They describe themselves as dynamite group- and I agree. Nola can be found on the trails often in between these hikes. Say hi when you see her.

Let's see what our roving reporter shares with us! 

There were many new trail adventures for me these past two weeks which I would like to share with you.  Thank you, Marge, for asking me to share my experiences while you were having your Rocky Mountain Adventure!

A treat on the trail

Our hiking group, the Trek n Treaters (TNT), hiked the Quarry and Compass Trails in the Gateway Trail System on Granddad’s Bluff.  Compass North is a winding trail through lovely forest. Two fawns were on the trail ahead as our group approached the end, near the Granddad Bluff shelter. They just looked at us, then walked off the trail.  One stopped about 10 yards away and just watched as we passed by. It was quite a treat.   

In spite of the fact that we have had little to no rain there are mushrooms to be found!  I went on the Mississippi Valley Conservancy (MVC) Mushroom Foray to the Cassville Bluffs State Natural Area.  A group of twenty-five, with their baskets and paper sacks, spread out into the woods in search of mushrooms.  After our foray, we gathered to share our “finds” with two graduate students from UWL’s Mycology Club.

They identified various fungi, discussed edible and non-edible and explained the importance of mushrooms to the ecology of the forest.  We did find some interesting fungi:  Wood Ears, Oyster Mushrooms, (both edible) and Sparassidaceae or Jelly Mushroom.

Wood ears

Oyster mushrooms

Jelly mushroom

NOT edible

Some mushrooms are difficult to precisely identify and some resemble poisonous fungi. If you fancy eating wild mushrooms, we learned “When in doubt, throw them out.” 

Ghost pipes

One does not have to go to Cassville, WI to find mushrooms, however.  If you look, you can find them along most trails, especially in the spring and fall.  To my delight I discovered a clump of Ghost Pipe when I returned to the Compass North Trail four days later.

Two days later, a friend and I hit a Ghost Pipe “bonanza!”. We hiked the hilly, ascending Oak Trail on the Hixon Forest property. We accessed the trail from Bliss Road, walked to Log Loop, made the loop and returned on Oak.  I spotted the first Ghost Pipe near the trail and when we looked further out into the woods they were everywhere.  We lost count. 

It was truly a garden of these beautiful, elusive mushrooms without chlorophyll. Of course, we were then on the hunt for other mushrooms.   Here are a couple we saw: Hard-skinned Puff Balls, Lobster Mushrooms (Hypocreaseae), and the Turkey Tail, a type of shelf mushroom.

Autumn is definitely in the air as falling yellow leaves and acorns rained down on us in spots on the Oak Trail.  Looking at the Wisconsin bluffs, I noticed a few trees are fully yellow (a change in just two days).  Fall is definitely coming to the Coulee Region and it’s exciting!

 What are YOU noticing on your hikes?

Two week's of Nola's hikes: Gateway Trails: West Quarry Loop, East Quarry Loop, Compass South, Compass North trails, La Crosse WI;, Cassville Bluffs State Natural Area, Grant County WI; and Hixon Forest Oak Trail, La Crosse WI. 

Two weeks of Marge's hikes:  Levis/Trow Mounds Trails, Neillsville, WI; then out of the Driftless to Colorado for hiking: Fountain Valley Trail and South Rim Trail, Roxborough State Park, Littleton CO; Wild Basin Trail, Loch Vale Trail, Alluvial Fan Trail, Nymph Lake/Dream Lake/Emerald Lake Trail, Bear Lake to Bierstadt Lake Trail, Estes Park CO.

Lobster Mushrooms

All images - Nola Larson

The "I Spy on the Trails" column is a phenology (the study of seasonal changes in plants and animals) journal to chronicle year-round the weather, plant life and wildlife I observe while hiking. It is very useful in helping me compare observations from year-to-year. The column is published monthly from September through April and then twice-a-month from May through August when warm weather brings the natural world back to vibrant life.  

Goose Island County Park (WI) Amble/Hike

View along Wigwam Slough

Goose Island is an iconic county park that is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers and leased to La Crosse County. Past the campground, it's southern edge and boat landing actually are part of Vernon County. Nestled among the sloughs of the Mississippi River, the park attracts anglers, birders, canoe and kayakers, campers and hikers to it's sprawling acres. 

The trails here are flat and offer stunning scenery of bluffs, river and sloughs, oak savannahs, floodplain forest and wide open prairie. Because the trails are so near the river and floodplain forests, it can be a wet park in spring and during rainy summers - and that often means mosquitos. But in dry year like this one, it is a truly special Amble (or gentle hike up to 2.5 miles long on flatter trails. They are perfect for people who like a slower pace, are recovering from illness or injury or just like to spend a little extra time on shorter trails enjoying nature) destination.

Artesian well on shady maple trail

There are two particular hikes that are about 2.6 miles combined and bring you to a quiet area of the park. For the first short 1 mile loop hike on Shady Maple trail, take a left at the flagpoles (rather than following the road to the left). Park anywhere along this short spur. This area is a wildlife refuge that is part of the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge.

Artesian well in winter

You walk right through a floodplain forest on an old road. You can continue to the tip of the island and then head back. The woods offer glimpses of wetlands in wet years. On the eastern side of the loop tip, you will see an old artesian well that pumps out water year round. It is especially beautiful in winter with it's ice art around it. This is a great trail to snowshoe off-trail during the winter. If it's cold enough and the ice is firm, you can snowshoe across to nearby islands.

Walking down the Wigwam slough trail

The second trail is just south of the campground where there is a parking area on your right. You'll see a trail to your left. This 1.6 loop begins on a grassy trail, in a dense growth of river birches. It continues through a hardwood forest before coming out into an oak savannah that is being restored.

You soon turn right by the Mississippi River - or at least a slough. Named the Wigwam slough, this beautiful waterway stays to your left all along this long, wide grass and gravel trail. The Minnesota bluffs, beds of wild rice, turtles and waterbirds like egrets, herons, ducks and eagles can be seen along the swift-running water.  There is also an abundance of huge oaks, cottonwoods and river birches along this part of the trail. The area has experienced significant flooding and there is clear evidence of shore erosion but the trail is intact.

Mussels on the shore

Near the end of this section, you will see what looks like old posts in the ground on both sides of the trail. This is the remains of an old parking lot for he Silver Palace, a dance hall that once was located there. This area is also one where a number of Indigenous people’s artifacts have been found and excavated. Each summer, people can participate in a UW-La Crosse Archaeology Field School and work with archaeologists on an actual excavation. After a right turn towards the campground, you end back at the parking lot.

During the winter, there is a bird feeding station across from the campground that attracts both birds and humans to interact. It only sees heavy activity in winter months when food is hard to find for the birds. With patience and stillness and some small nuts,  birds will land right on your palm!

Feeding birds at the bird feeding station

THE HIKE

Two trails on the south end of Goose Island park offer fantastic views and beautiful walks through floodplain forest, oak savannah, restored prairie and hardwood forest. The water side of the trail gives glimpses of the Mississippi, views of waterfowl and bluffs and other wildlife and signs of wildlife.  These are flat trails that allow the leisure of observation of nature all around. An artesian well on the Shady Maple trail is a highlight (the water is not potable).

Location: W6488 Cty Rd GI

Head 3 miles south out of La Crosse on Hwy 35. Turn right at the park entrance and follow the winding road in to the flagpoles, turn left and park. For the second hike, continue along the road to the stop sign. Turn left and go to the end of the campground to access the parking lot at the south end of the campground.

A very old river birch near the slough

Images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters

Looking for more area hikes? Please stop by the web version of the blog and under the "Labels" tab on the right hand side of the blog, click on "find-a-hike". There are over 75 hike descriptions and lists of hikes to try!

Levis/Trow Mound Recreation Area (WI) Hike

A "peek-a-view" near the top

If it's high, rolling bluff-like hills under shaded pines with a great variety of massive rock formations that you want, this 41-mile trail system for non-motorized use near Neillsville is a hiker's paradise. 

Levis/Trow Mounds is a unique geologic feature contained in one portion of the 185,000 acre Clark County Forest in west-central Wisconsin.  The mounds, referred to as nunataks, are believed to be "islands" that rose above the last glacier that covered Wisconsin 10,000 years ago. The mounds are also part of the terminal moraine of the final glacier before entering Wisconsin's Driftless area. As such, the 1200 foot mounds rise startlingly and tower over the surrounding area. Outlooks along the rim trails and and peek-a-views on the way up provide stunning views of part of the landscape at the beginning of the Driftless.

Blufflands hikers
Image - Steve Dawson

I joined a hike organized by the Blufflands Hiking group* in the Driftless area recently to explore part of the trails. This warm and friendly group of hikers meet up for hikes at various times of the year and have some great adventures. When I read about this trip, I jumped at the chance to discover and explore a small part of the planned 9-10 mile hike with them.

Plenty of rock formations
along the trail

The trails are shared bike/hike trails. The beginning areas of many of the trails use old logging roads. From these grassy roads, multiple narrow hiking trails branch off to climb to the rim or follow the rolling sides of the mounds. The trails feature dirt, grass, sand, rocks and roots as you work your way up and down.

Mixed pine and hardwood forests shade the trails - a must on our hiking day where temperatures were predicted to soar into the high 90s. The scent of pine is ever-present. Some trails are covered in pine needles which suggests caution on steeper parts of the trail. 

Heading through Plummer's Crack

A good trail map app is your best friend (if you are not with a group) on a trail like this with multiple intersections and slightly confusing signage on the trails. Don't rely on the provided paper maps. The good news is that the trail segments intersect at enough points that you can figure out how to link up to trails that will also take you to points you want to see or quickly down and off the trail (like I did for a 5 mile hike!)

Once near the top, you sneak peeks at the views and start to see amazing rock features to explore along trail spurs. Our group commented on how little graffiti we saw, a welcome change. We also had great breezes at the top which helped during our hot-day hike.

More fab rock formations

I only explored a small segment of the possibilities on these well-maintained trails while the group completed their 9 mile trek. This trail system is one I'll be back to so I can discover more that it has to offer. Just 36 more miles to go to finish the whole trail system!

THE HIKE

Various trail choices lead you up to the rim to gorgeous outlooks and rock formations. Trails also hug the sides of these mounds and provide great shade for hiking. Bikers we encountered were polite and gladly shared the trails (and vice versa). Hiking stick(s) can help on steeper trails. In general, I would rate this as a moderate with some easy sections and some sections that may be more challenging. The parking area is large with camping sites, picnic tables and restrooms available. Cross country-skiing and snowshoeing are available in winter as well. There is no trail fee for hiking but donations are welcome to help with trail maintenance.

Location: N1589 Fisher Ave, Neillsville, WI

From Black River Falls, head north on 12; turn right on Cty Rd E; turn left at Cty Rd K; then a quick right turn onto Cty Rd J. The parking lot is to your left and marked with a large brown sign to Levis Mounds Recreation Area.

*From their Facebook page: "BLUFFLANDS Hiking Group is a local group to the Coulee Region of Wisconsin. Our purpose is to bring people together to enjoy God's outdoors primarily through hiking. We are a Christian BASED group but not exclusive at all. We may or may not pray before hikes. The real point is, we're here to hike and meet some great people while doing so. Please share ideas for trails, hiking tips, gear, hiking reports, pictures, and more."

Images, unless noted - Marge Loch-Wouters

Additional posts describing Levis Trow Mounds Recreation Area trails:

• Troll Rock Trail 
• Rim Trails description and trailheads 

Looking for more area hikes? Please stop by the web version of the blog and under the "Labels" tab on the right hand side of the blog, click on "find-a-hike". There are over 75 hike descriptions and lists of hikes to try!