Posts
My last time to Blackhawk Ridge, I completed a very challenging 5-stage multi-cache. It took me 3 different trips to the place to find all stages and the final. After all that, I know this location pretty good. I intended to leave home early in the morning and be done around noontime. The plan changed in the morning when I decided that I needed to try to repair my refrigerator right away instead. Still may need to buy a part for that, but it at least is cooling my fresh food again. That delayed my arrival to about 3pm.
I had my usual gear anticipating around a 4+ mile walk. I know from the past that this journey begins by a 0.8 mile uphill climb from the parking on an access road. You can consider this getting the worst part out of the way at the beginning.
The steepest part, it feels like about a 40 degree incline for 1/4 mile maybe. Yes I was holding the camera straight for this shot.
It's been rainy for the entire month of July, the mosquitoes are horrible right now. I sprayed head to toe with repellent of 40% DEET. I was still being mobbed. They were not initially landing and biting, but there was a tornado of mosquitoes following me constantly, just within a foot of my head and back (my backpack insulated the insect repellent from them). That kept me walking pretty briskly, and I didn't stop to take that many photos.
I've been here and taken many photos before anyhow. I was trying out a new lens though. a Nikon 35mm f1.8 which I think will become a new favorite to use.
I took a slightly wandering route to the geocache site. The trails form several loops with connector trails between the loops. The easiest way to navigate for me was to just remember to keep taking right turns at each intersection, and I would simply follow the ridge-line to the geocache. Not the shortest path, but I figured I would find the shortcuts on the way out. My odometer indicated I walked close to 3 miles when I arrived at the site.
I traded a craftwork wooden tic-tac-toe game for a carbiner with a built-in flashlight. I'm the 4th log in the book. The mosquitoes are still an issue, so I don't linger long. I respray myself, change my lens quick to a 70-300mm zoom in the hopes of sighting some wildlife, and get back on the trail to return.
Some photos as I walk out.
Butterflies are about the only wildlife I see to photograph.
As I near the main trailhead, an opening in the tree cover brings the Wisconsin Heights into view in the steamy haze of this day. A bit warm and humid, with only light breeze. This location is named Blackhawk Ridge because this approximately the location of a battle-sight during the Blackhawk War, the battle of Wisconsin Heights. There are burial mounds located a couple of miles further north on the ridge, which I hiked to a few years back.
I'm at the top of that access road now, just starting to descend the hill to the parking. I've read my odometer on the GPS receiver, and it indicates I've walked 4.7 miles. As I hook the GPS onto my left backpack shoulder strap, I look over to the right strap where I had clipped my company-issued cellphone when I started. Only problem was that there was no cellphone case there anymore. CRAP! I really need to retrieve that. Technically, I'm on-call at work 24 hours, all days for the duration of a short-term equipment rental, and I'm the main contact for emergency service after-hours. I was pretty sure I saw it when I last removed my backpack at the geocache. No idea when it dropped after that. I was swatting bugs and walking fast all the way back. I just back-tracked and hoped it was only a short distance from where I was.
Turned out it was 1.5 miles back down the trail, almost to the geocache location. The sun was setting (now past 6pm) and was starting to look darker walking in the wooded areas, being molested by the mosquitoes all the way. I had put the camera away in my pack and was just holding my bug-spray can and using it liberally as I walked. That adventure added 3 more miles onto my total.
It was beginning to have the feel of a survival situation returning back to my parking. I was hitting up to a wall of exhaustion when I was still half a mile from where I turned back to get the phone, knowing I had a long way to go to get out. Feet and legs were beginning to ache. Sun was getting pretty noticeably lower on the horizon. I knew I didn't dare sit down, or else I may not be able to get up and continue. I just kept going as best I could. Lucky I always bring too much water, and I still had plenty with me. There was also more water and some beef jerky waiting for me at my Jeep, just was wishing I had that right then. I got back, and the odometer read 8.7 miles traveled from beginning to end. That is about 2 times farther than any other hike I've tried this year. A far cry from the 5.7 miles it should have been, except for me being stupid.
The helicopter-eye view of my walk. This angle from Google Earth is looking southwest, from about 1900 feet in altitude. Parked near the highway in the foreground, walked to the background in the distance.
I ate most of the beef jerky, drank a bottle of water, and started driving home.
As a bonus, I was noticing the sunset in my rear-view mirror as I got closer to home. I knew that all the steamy haze I noticed in the distance earlier might make for a colorful sunset. I diverted to place outside of Sun Prairie I had been to before that offered a good view for a sunset, and tried to take photos. This kind of photography really calls for a tripod and remote shutter release, neither of which I had with me this day. I used the 70-300mm zoom, leaned over the hood of my Jeep to brace my arms better, and took the photo hand-held.
Back home, cleaned up, made a quick meal, and was thankful there was ibuprofen in the bottle yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment