Journal: Winter Road Hike
- Time: Mid March / Late Winter 11:00AM
- Location: Mud Lake Road, Twn. of Wyoming; NW Waupaca Cty., WI.
- Weather: Crisp clear cold sunny, 25% cloud cover, light variable W wind.
- Terrain: Hilly, ridges bouldery, 75% woods (mixed hard woods / soft woods: oak maple white pine, spruce).
- Snow: Deep thick crust snow mantle.
- Plans: Gear up for all-day cold weather day hike. Scout plan options.
Plan #1: Hike & Explore the frozen Little Wolf River. Gear: pack boots, ski poles. full-day day hiking back pack kit. If snow ice conditions bad - go to plan 2.
Plan #2: Mud Lake. Cross country ski. Punch a trail down to lake level - thru the tamarack swamp; over the bog; past the cattail. Make a track around the lake. Do easy / easier laps around the lake: go for good aerobic exercise. If snow too deep - go to plan 3.
Plan #3: Mud Lake Road. Park car. Walk up & down the road for an hour or so. Get good walking exercise. Or - go to plan 4: go home; wait for spring: when conditions aren't so difficult, demanding or grueling.
After scouting - it's plan 3. Walked 100 yards - feet ache. Pavement shock. Put on wool cushion socks & hiking boots. Smart move - immediate relief. Bring one ski pole, gi joe rig along. Walk due north - half mile. Short up & down slopes. Elevation trending higher to north. Good size trees - beautiful forest setting. Big granite boulders - with heavy snowcaps. Two basic rock & boulder shapes: angular & rounded. Angular - these look like indigenous rock: like Wolf River Batholith material. Rounded - rocks look like they got rolled around in a glacier before placement: maybe Canadian Shield material.
Deer crossings / trail every few dozen yards. Nothing real heavy use type trail. Some squirrels - not many. Few birds or bird activity. Sand hill Cranes - 2 or 3 to the SSW - at some distance. Crows - here & there. Talking. Chattering. Not much else. Nothing really dramatic. Just a nice peaceful sunshine late winter day. Somewhere on a country backroad in the north woods. No traffic.
Sharp dip - down into medium sized pothole or small kettle. With upland wetland micro - environment. Clay bottom. Or bedrock? Road turns due west - rounds the pot hole. Up a short steep grade. More deer trail - same as before. I hear crows - lots of crows. Way down the road. Close to the next bend - half a mile or so. More crows. Deer in planted pine border 15 - 20 yards in. Heard a snowy / icy / crunchy sound like - 'titch titch, titch titch'. Looked north in time to see 2 white tails - youngsters.
Woods thick with crows here - both sides of the road. Active. Noisy. Boisterous. Not frantic or agitated. But somethings going on this fine morning. Saw lots of crows on the drive up. In two & threes. Every half mile or so. No white tail deer or wild turkey. Just crows.
Last bend / turn around point dead ahead. Open field south. Sweeping vista view of drumlins to the west. White pine stand north. Dozens of crows in the pines. Lots of crow banter. Some branch hopping. No aggressive behavior or anger displays. Just loud calling back & forth. More Crows from the north and SW moving in. Scan the west & far horizon with binoculars. Pair of ravens on a scrub oak branch - maybe 300 yards out. Not very active. Ravens don't appear too nervous or under stress. But they don't look real happy either. Can hear more crow calls - way off - various compass point. More crows by the minute moving to the pine grove. Must be 50 or so just in the pines. 100 or more within 200 yard. More on the move from the SW. Nothing hurried - just a slow building flock ( murder, murders, murderers of crows?).
Walk back. Past the crow concentration - no reaction, same banter. They own this piece of real estate - and they know it! Fascinating birds. Wonder whats going on? Ravens haven't moved or made any sound I could hear! Interesting & fun walk.
Head for home! East toward Big Falls. Two huge birds - jumping up from the snow filled ditch line. Flapping ungainly trying to perch in an oak tree near the road. American bald eagle. Eagles close to the road - unusual. Unless - roadkill. White tails. Turned over and buried - who knows when - by the snow plow. Now - with the partial meltdown - partially uncovered. Driving up I didn't see them. Driving back / driving slower - you can't miss 'em. Every half mile or so - pulled up tufts of hide & hair; a partial rib cage; suspicious dark hole in a dirty snow bank; a frozen ear; hoof. Easy pickin's. Crows in the road. Fat happy sassy crows in the pines. They must have stuffed themselves. Gathering to sleep it off - safety in numbers. - Tom (Coffee Ridge Hiking/Consultant)
