Entry for July 30, 2008 - Hemlock Draw near Leland, WI

The weather has been dry enough that I decided that I could take my sister along to a place I visited last year alone. Some of my favorite nature photos came from that trip last year, and I was eager to try again since I was disappointed in my technical work with the camera at that time.

The location is Hemlock Draw, near Leland, Wisconsin. It is a preserve maintained by The Nature Conservancy. Having visited 2 of this non-profit organization's preserves, I very much approve of their mission. This particular location has some of the most beautiful rock formations that few people have ever seen. The story about this place this year has been major flooding along the intermittent creek during June and again in July. The washouts were very evident to me as I could recall the site from last year. There has been some clearing of the trails since the floods though, and that made the hiking easier than it was last year.

The sign at the trailhead that explains the location and the mission of The Nature Conservancy.

There are 3 bridge-less creek crossings. Here is the scene at the lower end of the creek. Notice all the fallen trees that used to be growing along the banks that washed out. This area had major flash-flooding twice in one summer.

This crossing is now wider. You can see the remnants of a long-demolished bridge in the background. Looking here now you would never imagine there was a road in here decades ago, except for the fact that the trees mostly look less than 30 years old where the trail follows.

Now to the first geological feature of interest: the "Sea Stack". These rocks were once part of an island chain of an inland sea (as were all the bluffs in the area). The color is true, they are kind of reddish-purple. Baraboo Quarztite.

Climbed to the top, and looking down.

But wait, there is another cliff face even higher just across a small valley (Hemlock Draw). First, a shot of the place from last year.

Now this year.

I also climbed to the top of that (from the more gentle slope on the back-side ) and took this shot. Yes, there is only a view of the tree-tops. Too thick with forest to see around.

Back to the trail, because at the very end will be a great pay-off.

Almost there.

Here is approximately the same place last year. Note the erosion of the banks, and the deadfall that washed away.

I love this place! It is sooooo photogenic.

This is one of last year's photos, when the creek was much drier here. A lot of those rocks washed downstream.

I did a lens change to the 70-300mm zoom I had purchased the day before, and carried that on the hike back out. Here is a frog that jumped into the pool at that rock formation and was hiding at the bottom. The water was just clear enough, but we were in shade.

The perspective of the scene changes a lot from a 24mm lens to looking at 70mm.

I had hoped to catch more wildlife on the hike back with the zoom lens. I just missed a cardinal perched on a branch. So nothing exciting until the end of the trail. Met another pair of hikers going back. Their car is there as we left.

Now for part 2: Just a short drive away is a place I have always wanted to visit, but never made the time to do so before. A small state park and designated state wildlife area called Natural Bridge Park.

We did not walk much of the hiking trails, as some of it was closed due to washouts following the floods. Just visited the main feature that gives the park it's name.

This is also a geocache site, but not the usual kind. It's an "Earthcache", meaning that there is no container hidden. You just are directed to a neat place, and you normally must take a photo and enter some other information gathered locally to qualify as finding the Earthcache. I did fulfill that.

There is also a cave under the arch.

This was a slightly shorter than normal hike at 4 miles, but there was some steep hills climbed, and other difficult terrain. Very rewarding hike, well worth visiting every year.

Here's the plot on a map.