Barkhausen, Part 2

We got another 3 inches of snow last Friday night, which still leaves us well below average for this winter's current total.  Scott had been traveling most of the week for work and wanted to take a walk, so we thought we would head back to L.H. Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve on Saturday afternoon since the temperature was in the 20s.  Thinking there would be more snow than the previous weekend we visited, we rented snowshoes to try them out.  A lot folks had been out already by the time we got there (about 25 degrees warmer than last time!), so the trail was pretty well packed down.  Some of the exposed snow had already melted, which left behind a few bare spots along the trail.  Nonetheless, we did a slightly longer loop than last time combining parts of Snowshoe Trails 1 and 2 (just over 3 mi) - which felt like a lot further than that on snowshoes.   It took awhile to get used to walking with your feet strapped into them (walking might have a little easier if the snow had been deeper), but it was fun and felt like a decent workout.  We'll have to see what kind of weather March brings! 

A balmy 25 degrees means no scarf, gloves, or snowpants!

Tubbs Xplore Snowshoes (rented from Barkhausen)

In other news, Teddy started his Beginning Manners training class earlier this month at The Animal House.  He is learning a lot and gets very excited to "go to school" on Tuesday nights.  He especially enjoys the playtime after class with the other 5 dogs- it really tires him out!  Maybe that's because he is the oldest and the smallest in his class...

Snowshoe Trail at Barkhausen Preserve

The most recent polar vortex has us feeling a serious case of cabin fever.  At least on reasonably warm winter days (20 degrees F or warmer), Teddy and I get out for a daily walk.  He is doing better with walking on a leash and we have gone up to about 2.2 miles through the neighborhood to get some decent exercise.  When the temperature drops below 10 degrees F, he typically opts out of his walk (no argument from me!).

By Sunday morning, the whipping winds had calmed down, which improved the real feel of the temperature to the actual single-digit temperature (around 5 degrees F, as compared to the -25 wind chill the day before).  It was enough to get us outside for a little while despite the cold weather.

We decided to revisit L.H. Barkhausen Waterfowl Preserve in Suamico, owned and managed by Brown County Parks, on Sunday afternoon.  We visited Barkhausen for the first time back in August (read the blog post here) and experienced terrible mosquito swarms, so we did not hike for very long.  Barkhausen has a number of wetland impoundments along the West Shore of Green Bay managed for ducks, geese, and waterbird habitat, but they also have a nice 9-mile trail system through the area used for hiking, as well as skiing and snowshoeing in the winter.  On winter weekend afternoons, Barkhausen rents snowshoes from the West Shores Interpretive Center for use on the trail.  We do not own cross country skis or snowshoes (and really haven't needed them in WI this year!), so it was an idea to try something new.  By the time we got there, we realized they actually had less snow than we had at our apartment in Howard, so we decided we would just hike rather than rent snowshoes.  Hopefully another time there will be enough snow to snowshoe!

We walked about 2.5 miles on Loop 2 of the Snowshoe Trail.  Judging by human boot/snowshoe prints, not too many folks had been out since the last 3-inch snowfall the previous Tuesday night, but we did observe plenty of deer and coyote tracks along the route.  The trail meandered alongside the now frozen wetlands, agricultural fields, the prairie restoration site, and through forestland.  We did not see any other hikers on the trail, but did stay pretty warm as long as we kept moving thanks to multiple layers.  Afterwards, a cup of hot chocolate by the fireplace and a walk through the nature center was enough to warm us up.  The nature center hosts a number of live reptiles and amphibians on display, educational displays and mounted (stuffed) wildlife, and viewing areas for bird feeders outside.

 Snowshoe Trail, with prairie restoration area to the right and an osprey nesting tower ahead.

A deer trail through the woods

I also learned that Louis Henry Barkhausen, the original owner of the nature center building (once used for entertaining guests and retreats), was a founding member of the conservation organization Ducks Unlimited.  He donated his land to Brown County in 1955 with the stipulation that is was to remain a safe haven for waterfowl and other wildlife for future generations to appreciate.  Another example of a great (free) public outdoor space to visit!

 

Frosty Fun at Bay Beach

It's been rather slow here lately- Scott had to attend a conference over the weekend in LaCrosse, WI (on the western border with the Mississippi River and Minnesota) in late January, and then was sick with a cold the following weekend- so we haven't been out and about too much. 

  Sunset over the Mississippi River- LaCrosse, WI 

(During the Wisconsin Arborist Association's conference)

Last weekend, we attended Frosty Family Fun Night at the Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary, one of our favorite local places to visit.  The event was held on Saturday evening (when the sanctuary is normally closed) with candlelit pathways to the animal exhibits, up-close-and personal visits with the educational animals (we met a skunk, woodchuck, kingsnake, broad-winged hawk, screech owl, and domestic rabbits), live music, homemade treats, wagon rides, crafts for kids, outdoor holiday lights, and even a campfire for cooking s'mores!  The highlight of the evening for me was hearing the wolves howling up close- something I have always hoped to experience in the wild.  We always enjoy watching the wolves during our daytime visits, but it was a real treat to see them running and howling at night. 

"A deep chesty bawl echoes from rimrock to rimrock, rolls down the mountain, and fades into the far blackness of the night.  It is an outburst of wild defiant sorrow, and of contempt for all the adversities of the world." -Aldo Leopold, Thinking Like a Mountain

  Found our names on the Wildlife Champions Wall of Fame!  

(bottom row, second from left)

We don't have too many photos from the evening since it was pretty dark, but it was definitely a frosty fun night!  Actually....it was a balmy 30 degrees on the Frozen Tundra, so it was really pretty nice out.

Can never pass up a s'more by the campfire

Weather report update:  Way below normal this year on snowfall (sorry New England!)- so far, the 5th LEAST snowiest winter on record.  The temperature has been bouncing around from below zero to the mid to upper 30s, so at least we get a reprieve from the single digits and teens.  We'll take it!