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!