Meltwater - 2/20/16

Forgetting to purchase a State Park sticker prior to a planned hike typically means a change of plans. Therefore, Tobias and I had to settle on a State Natural area for Saturday's hike.

It was a rare fifty degrees in February this particular Saturday, which is typically unheard of for a Wisconsin Winter. This particular winter had been fairly mild, but the sudden rise in temperature was a welcome surprise. I had seen freshly fallen snow in a dusty blanket at my feet on Wednesday, but the Lodi marsh turned back into its namesake with the spring-like weather. With mud almost to our ankles at points, we trekked for a couple hours with the dog taking in the quiet.

If you looked down, you could see the earth coming back to life again, and meltwater trickling across the trail. It carved the ice into unique formations that were reminiscent of glacial canyons. With my camera handy, I captured these organic designs. To me, these images couldn't be processed in anything but black and white.

Through the photographs, I saw two series. Here is the second, in color, and these are simply about hiking with a dog.

Briefly, in Mid-February - 2/17/16

Classical symphonies, sonatas, and fugues cracked over the radio of a Dodge Caravan en route thirty minutes outside of the city. Time was precious, but so was getting in a quick hike on a rare sunny Wednesday during one of the coldest months in the Midwest.
My friend Chris and I took our cameras on a simple little jaunt through a small section of snow-filled landscape. The groundcover was loose,  powdery, and often glittering; and offered some traction over the slick layers of ice beneath the snow on the trails. Across the snowscape, we noticed tracks of deer, rabbits, hikers and their happy canine companions. We had been here many times before, and in fact Chris was the friend who had showed me this place many years ago.

Because duty called, it was a quick walk. All the times I had been to Indian Lake, I had noticed some ruins of an old homestead across the street from the entrance. A passerby on the trails earlier had mentioned that the spot was seemingly popular to photographers.  I think the best way to capture the rubble was against a stark white landscape and a cornflower blue sky. I do not know the identity of this property or to whom it once belonged, but there were once humans here making a life for themselves. To think about that and who they could possibly be, is almost enough to know about this space and its history.

 I discovered a wonderful gallery of icicles that had formed behind the shed or barn (the more intact of the two structures). As photographers, we reacted to these formations like we were children at a zoo gazing at some exotic creature. These are just collections of frozen water to many, but they are an artistic opportunity to paint with light and shadow by the use of lenses to us.

 

Wintry Picnic Point Hike - 1/23/16

Now that the temperature is finally not as frigid, Toby, myself, and Bullett the dog decided it would be a good idea to do something outside today. A popular, nearby choice location is Picnic Point.

Picnic point is owned by the University of Wisconsin and is a part of their Lakeshore Nature Preserve, and in its prime over the summer you can spend your days roasting marshmallows or hiking. The cold has seemingly not kept anyone off the trails, since they were iced over from all the snow being trampled by many sets of feet. I had to tread very carefully so as to not slip. Even Bullett, who has much better footing for these conditions occasionally had to regain his balance.

We ventured to the trails a little after 3pm to enjoy our little hike as the sun was setting. There was a population of ice fishermen, ice skaters, and college students enjoying the frozen, placid surface of Lake Mendota. I was able to recognize an engagement session taking place from my experience in photographing weddings (at Picnic Point), and could even tell when the groom-to-be had to run back to the car to get the engagement ring so it could be photographed in the snow. Bullett was having the time of his life; Toby holding the leash, and I holding my camera.

We hope to return to Picnic Point this summer to investigate potential paranormal activity. Rumor has it a red ghost light floats over the lake from the point over to the Capitol. Until then, enjoy the wintry images from our miniature adventure not too far from home.