Troutbirder II

Troutbirder II
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Thursday, March 3, 2011

Winter Hiking

Long ago, I had to give up downhill and cross country skiing. Later, since my knee replacement, I've been supercautious about walking on ice. Wouldn't want to wreck that new knee by twisting and falling. Sub zero temps are not a favorite either. Still, when the temps rise into the twenties or warmer and the wind has died down, the urge overtakes. This is especially true when the "big guy" starts acting especially restless. "Go for a walk?" I'll say. And he springs to life. Tuesday we headed to Forestville.
Deep as the snow is we're not dumb. On weekends, the snowmobile trails are a racetrack. During the week....not so much. They are hardpacked and easy to walk. We headed up the Canfield Creek trail. It's about a two hour hike but we had to shorten that a bit. Near the end the trail crosses a trout stream. The water would be about two feet deep at the horse crossing. For a winter hiker that's not an option. Come on along. It's a fun hike.
Baron waits patiently by the front porch. He knows we're heading out.







The ranger station is closed. The campground is empty, although winter camping is allowed. No people equals no leash. Yes we break the park rules. We park in the fisherman parking lot. The blacktop road is open and clear.
The gravel road down to the trail is somewhat icy. One of us is careful as we head down the hill to the stream. Suprisingly, I spot a puff of smoke beyond the trees and encounter a young man in the middle of the stream flyfishing. I guess smoking a cigar, flyrod in hand, never occured to me. Winter fishing is allowed here. It's "catch and release" only. He says the water is warmer than the air. We trade a few winter fishing stories. Mine included fishing the Lamar river in Yellowstone in mid October. Dang near froze my fingers into permanent immobility that time. I'm quite sure it was the last time I had any enthusiasm for winter fishing.

Can you see him standing just at the bend in the creek.

"Come Baron, don't get too far ahead."
"Good boy. " Baron wears a red shock collar. The woods are full of deer and chasing them is a serious no-no. It's not needed today, as the big boy has learned his lesson from past "youthful indiscretions."













Returning to the truck we head on home. Somewhat tired, both of us will sleep well tonight. Perhaps, dreaming of balmier days, when we can sit among the wild geraniums and say "life is good. "

20 comments:

  1. Just have a big smile on my face -- thanks for taking us on your walk. Just beautiful. :)

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  2. I love winter hikes!! Didn't get one in this winter due lots of crazy personal stuff going on but I missed them.

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  3. I enjoy how i can go to areas that will be overgrown in warm months.The lack of people is what takes me out, and it is fun to be the 1st set of human tracks.I am ready for the fishing,my 1st trout excursion will be the 19th.I notice when it is slick I get a little whiplash from catching myself.Last year I slid down a slope and it took me over 25 minutes to get back up on my hands and knees.

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  4. Beautiful - the trails you walked, the photos and your wonderful friend, Baron.

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  5. Okay... now I don't think I have to tell you how much I enjoyed this posting of Baron! He's a star! And oh...how perfectly he looks up against the white of the snow!
    Ann

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  6. Great post. I envy your trek out there in the woods with Baron. It would be a nice change of pace to get out for a walk. The trails look very inviting.

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  7. It looks as if you and Baron had a wonderful walk. I don't do much winter hiking anymore. I worry about slipping and falling, but I don't have an artificial knee to blame that on. I'm not sure how much I would want to try winter fishing, either.

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  8. Oh, it WAS a great walk. Can't believe the fisherman out there.

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  9. Good to see you out & about, TB. Betcha that Baron loves you for it. Place where I work handed out stretchy rubber slip-ons ("Get-A-Grip") with carbide studs this year, I was so impressed I bought a bunch for folks as Christmas presents. My buddy Dave also has new knees, wasn't getting out much with his dog, now he is.

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  10. Great hike! Baron looks like he enjoyed it too! Those "Get a Grips" sound good to me..I will have to look for them..I am such a klutz some days..and more icy days are going to be coming. It looks like it was frosty at your house! :)

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  11. Let us hope warm weather comes soon ~ it is not safe out on the streets or the sidewalks ~ a person could break a hip out there! :(

    xo Catherine

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  12. Hello Troutbirder:

    Let me encourage you to follow your line of thinking about a river cruise. It's simply a great experience. I took a look at your profile on "troutbirder" and I would suggest to you that this type of vacation is ideally suited to a person with your interests and tastes. Last spring we took a cruise of the Seine from Paris to Normandy, and next month we are off to the Netherlands and Belgium. We have been very pleased with the service provided by Viking River Cruises. We deal with their office in California.

    I love your Blog - we obviously think along the same lines. I have signed up as a follower of "troutbirder" and look forward to seeing your entries. I have just re-done mine in the last couple of days. I was concentrating on the literary side of things with my poetry (some of it very bad), but friends encouraged me to add photos, which I have now done.

    Best regards from north of the border,


    http://asiwastravelling.blogspot.com/

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  13. Awesome post! Thanks for taking me along on your hike! Winter walks can be the most beautiful. I'm enjoying both of your blogs.

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  14. I know what you mean about falling on ice - still recovering! Tajah (a Kangal - Anatolian/German Shepherd cross) likes to get out 6 times a day. One of the troubles with falling is that, once you're down, it looks like playtime! It's awfully hard to get up when a 75 pounder is straddling your chest licking your face.

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  15. Baron is so magnificent to look at! I bet he just loves his winter hikes and definitely behaves better than Scout off leash! I've been tempted to let her run free but the squirrels drive her crazy!

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  16. Great photos of your walk. Looks like Baron was enjoying himself.

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  17. Those are some stunning shots of your amazing winter wonderland! Snowy vistas are pretty much unheard of here in the lower elevations of Southern California, so I'm a tad envious! Btw, Baron is such a handsome pooch and seems very behaved off leash. My Akita, Hana, would totally love the snow, but she's atypically hyper (and slightly bonkers) for her breed, so would probably end up just running back and forth ad infinitum through the snowdrifts at breakneck speed. Sigh.

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  18. Hi, I just got an email..I always link from my blog to a live Loon Cam in the spring. The fellow ( Larry) is going to be in Wabasha at the National Eagle Center..the presentation is at 11:30 and 2:30 on Sunday March 13..it might be an interesting outing for you since I believe you are near there..at least a whole lot closer than me! :)

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  19. The snowy woods look beautiful, a great place for a boy and his dog to enjoy nature.

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  20. Baron is such a grand dog. Beautiful. Lucky you have each other for those winter walks. It helps if one of the hiking partners really wants to go and the other may need a little nudging. Or not?

    You have quite a following. Love reading the others' comments too. Spring will soon be there! Never fails, right? ;-)

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