2013-Snowshoeing in Northern Wisconsin - Day 2

After a great "1st time snowshoeing" experience the previous day hiking Mann Lake North of Minocqua, I was ready to venture out to a new spot in the North Woods. 

Thanks to some great resources I found on Facebook and the web, I  had several spot to choose from. Theresea at the Boulder Junction Chamber of Commerce suggested 
Van Vliet Hemlocks area, or the Catherine Wolters Wilderness Area.

The Minocqua Chamber of Commerce suggested checking out Minocqua Winter Park, west of town.

Michael Crowley, author of "Life in the Northwoods" web site and Facebook  site is a premiere photographer of the North Woods, and recommended checking out areas along the Manitowish River, as well as Bond Falls, just across the Wisconsin border in the UP of Michigan. 

Given the choices, I decided to venture further north, and check out the Bond Falls area. I headed out Tuesday morning at about 8:00am, knowing I had about a 90 minute drive, and knowing that an additional 2-3 inches of snow fell overnite. Amazingly, the roads were great to travel on, even when taking some of the county back roads after crossing into Michigan. It might have been that I probably only saw 6-8 vehicles on the roads to Bond Falls too, that made the driving easy! 

The countryside was amazing.. This is what you imagine winter in the North to be - trees covered with snow and frost, with snow at least a foot deep, So many times I was tempted to stop and take photos... but I knew it would take forever to get to Bond Falls if I did.

I arrived at Bond Falls about 9:30am. Other than a couple passes by the snow plow to clear the County road, there had been noone in this area this morning.

Bond Falls is a waterfall on the middle branch of the Ontonagon River, and part of the Bond Falls Flowage. The Michigan DNR manages this 90 acrea area, and requires a recreation passport to visit and view. Noone was at the site when I arrived, so I donned my extra apparel and cameras, hooked up my snowshoes, and headed out. The 1st thing I noticed was the additional snow. The snow depth in the Bond Falls area were at least 12-16". The area also required traversing some paths which had some substantial rise/fall in them. For a "2nd time snowshoer" this took a bit of getting used to, to avoid falling on my butt.. or even worse, into Bond Falls!

The area around the Falls has been improved with some walkways, to accommodate  access by all, including special needs.

Te following photos are a few of the views I was able to enjoy on my snowshoe hike.

After visiting the falls, I head back out the path leading to the DNR entrance. Fortunately, this road and parking area was closed off.... The road was incredibly steep, and I know I would have been able  to drive in, but likely not drive out! Even the walk up the hill, in snow shoes, and with 12-16" of snow, required a substantial bit of huffing and puffing on my part (ok, I'll admit it, a couple stops along the way, to catch my breath).

I made it back to the main road, and before heading back to the car, I decided to "off-road", and try wandering free style into the wooded camp area on along the flowage. You can see, by the photo to the left, there was ALOT of snow to walk thru. After about 15 minutes, the adventurist in me disappeared, and it was time to head back to the car. It was during this time, I kept thinking, why didn't I consider snowshoeing when I was 20 years younger!

My adventure to Bond Falls had come to an end. So glad I made the drive from Minocqua. Its absolutely beautiful up here in the Winter. I can only imagine what areas further North (Porcupine Mountains in the Upper Peninsula, Bayfield area and Apostle Islands, and the many, many forest trails throughout the North Woods). This is definitely a "must do" for anyone who enjoys the outdoors, and the amazing sights of Winter in the Northern United States.



















Before I end, I would be remiss if I didn't list my recommendations and "lessons Learned" from these two days of exploration (I know, the "engineer in me" does not go away).

Planning

• Find connections thru the web (or Facebook) to areas you are interested in exploring, and ask for their recommendations
• Check out State/National Park requirements - many/most will require parking pass and hiking pass
• Plan hikes to your level of fitness - snowshoeing requires MUCH MORE effort than regular hiking!

Equipment

• Find a friend or organization who will loan (or rent) snowshoes to you. Stores in the areas you are going will likely rent equipment. This will let you decide if investing in snowshoes is something you want to do.
• Use ski poles! These help with stability in areas with branches, rocks and enbankments. (it also amps up the workout to include your arms and upper body ... I know this 1st hand!)
• Wear a backpack that includes extra outerwear (jacket, gloves, mittens, stocking caps), and emergency supplies (whistle, flashlight, matches, compass)
• Carry a smart phone. It provides emergency contact capability if needed. 
• Download apps on your smart phone that provides gps location and tracking, as well as compass (Cary an extra phone battery if possible) 

Attire

• Dress in layers - its better to add/remove layers and store extra in backpack
• Bring both gloves and mittens - gloves work best with ski poles, but if cold, the mittens will work best for keeping hands warm
• Use "gaitors" to minimize snow on your pants and boots

Other

• Take a camera. You'll want to capture the experience
• Take some snacks. The workout in cold weather burns alot of calories
• DON'T RUSH -  take time to enjoy the beauty and mother nature at its finest!

Most of all, have a great time! 

I have loaded many of the other photos I took during the Bond Falls Trip into a Picasa Album. If you are interested in viewing these, Click Here.

2013-Snowshoeing in Northern Wisconsin - Day 1

Living in the northern climate of the United States, you either have to embrace the Winter weather, or plan many trips to Florida, Arizona, or the Caribbean between November and March. This year I decided to embrace it, and experience winter sports in the North Woods of Wisconsin. Not owning a snowmobile, or cross country skis, and having this insatiable desire to explore the forests, I opted for checking out the world of snowshoeing. Being a lifelong runner, and more recently, a walker and hiker, snowshoeing seemed to be a perfect way to experience my 1st Winter in the North Woods.

The Minocqua, Boulder Junction, and St. Germain areas of Wisconsin are mecca for Winter sports in the Upper Midwest. In fact, The day I drove up to  Minocqua, the latest "Cruiserfest 2013" was wrapping up on Lake Minocqua. Literally hundreds of snowmobiles and people were traveling South on Hiway 51 Sunday, heading home after a weekend of fun in the snow.

I loaded up my Santa Fe with a bunch of warm clothing, a pair of borrowed snowshoes, a backpack, all my camera and video equipment, and headed out at 5:30 Sunday morning. The early departure was to avoid a potential winter storm predicted for portions of Northern Wisconsin in the afternoon. Of course, that meant driving on roads coated with some freezing rain until I reached Madison, Wisconsin. Once there, I checked in at my "go to" hotel - Americinn of Minocqua.

Monday morning arrived with temperatures at 30 degrees, but with a forecast for the temps to drop all day and winds up to 30 mph. Not having gone snowshoeing for an extended distance before, I brought all my winter wear to make sure I was warm... and safe. The drive to Mann Lake took about 15 minutes. Thanks to a friend who lives on Mann Lake, I was able to park at his cabin, and begin the journey from there.

To make sure I stayed warm, I had four layers on top, and under my jeans I wore my winter running pants. I wore a stocking cap, a neck gaitor, and used my running gloves (worked well with ski poles). To play it safe, I also carried in my back pack an extra running jacket, my heavy duty winter mittens, an extra stocking cap, two "space blankets", binoculars, a safety whistle, and a trusty bag of licorice. Time to head out.

The 1st step onto the lake was a bit unnerving... I'd never been on a frozen lake like this. I had been assured there was "at least two feet of ice" on the lake. As I ventured out from the shore line, I started feeling the slush I had been told about that had formed between the snow and the ice, as a result of the warm weather the past week. Each step felt like stepping in "mush". As I moved along the shoreline, I noticed open water underneath a boathouse. Two feet thick, huh?? Time to move out away from the shore, where the ice has to be good and solid! Sure enough, the "mush" disappeared, and I ventured on. Gaining my confidence that I could do this, I began to head back toward the shoreline so I could check out the landscape for animal tracks. Once again, the slush became more pronounced, and in one spot, I took a step that resulted in me sinking down, feeling like I stepped in a "weak spot" in the ice! This cannot be good, I thought. After surveying my surroundings, the "engineer in me" kicked in, and I surmised that this area was protected from the wind, and likely was prone to melting. Therefore, I should head out away from the shoreline once again. Of course, if my hypothesis was wrong, and I were to break thru the ice, I would be even further from safety! As I ventured away from the protected area, the slush went away... whew!  Onward!

I was walking with the wind for the 1st half of the hike, so after about 20-30 minutes, I was warming up pretty good (looked as though my clothes selection plan wasn't well thought out)... But I knew it would be changing soon, when I began the trek back into the North winds. The day was overcast, so with all the white snow surroundings, and the gray skies, the scenery was limited... however, the landscape of the lakeshore provided some neat views. At one point, where the lake turned into a marsh area, I ventured back into the grasslands. Several animal tracks could be seen along the shoreline, but no animals. By now, I was starting to feel my confidence building, so I ventured off the lake and into the wooded area. The snow depth increased, not to mention the hidden objects (branches, trees and rocks). So what seemed like a leisurely walk in the woods had turned into alot of work!

I worked my way back on to the lake, and began the trek back to west, along the south shoreline... The wind had picked up, and my path was directly into it. The snow also seemed deeper along the south shoreline (or maybe it was my legs were starting to get tired??).

Part of my journey was to visit the Titus cabin on the south side of the lake. The cabin, used for many, many years as a getaway for our family, still stands proudly, albeit a bit run down due to having not been used in over 20 years.
I took some photos to document the condition of the property, and pressed on.

The "slush" was back... 6-8 inches of snow, and 1-2 inches of slush on the ice made the going a bit tougher. I worked my way across the cove, toward the "old rock" at the west end of the lake. This was always a "go to" spot as a child, when we were old enough to take the boats out on our own. Sure looked alot bigger 50 years ago!  Once again, I headed up into the woods to explore the shoreline. The fresh snow from the night before was untouched. I looked up into the rustling trees, and caught a glimpse of two eagles flying over. Sight and experiences like this make you appreciate just how lucky we are!

Time to head back to the car, so I started my journey along the north shoreline, where all the homes and cottages on Mann Lake are grouped. I couldn't help but think how nice these places would be in the middle of July.. but right now they were quiet, and no activity whatsoever. My arms and legs were definitely "feeling it" by the time I made it to my starting point. Although glad I had finally made it to the end, safe and sound,  I couldn't help but think how neat this snowshoeing experience was!

I was able to track my adventure using one of the MapMyFitness.com apps - MapMyHike. Its great for tracking time, location, elevation, and estimated calories expended. The bad news was that my smartphone battery, in the cold, would only allow it to work for half of the hike. So the trip was recorded in two segments (2nd segment was with a new phone battery).

The following is a Google Maps 3D recording of my journey around the lake.

• The 1st Half of the Hike

• The 2nd Half of the Hike

My 1st snowshoeing trip is in the books!  I took several photos along the way. They can be viewed in my Picasa album (click here to view).

Stay tuned for the 2nd day of my snowshoeing adventure - Bond Falls, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan!