Who's Afraid of Wisconsin Wolf? TRIP REP ORT

“We had the best of the dammed-up water and marsh areas (that would be “flowages” as Wisconsinites call them in their own silly language) and up-and-down, sometimes steep, roller coaster hills at the “Who’s Afraid of Wisconsin Wolf?” weekend hike at Black River State Forest near Millston, Wisconsin. Even a cameo celebrity visit by Matahari Hiker Saturday night. Always great to see her!!! :-)

We followed a hiking route suggested by Eric Hanson (who didn’t make it) in his book “Hiking Wisconsin.” Thanks to jflotsam for putting together the hike!

Friday night: a 1-mile hike into the Red Oak shelter. Lizs dodged the Wisconsin patrol and arrived in SLEET/SNOW (!!!WTF??!?!) just in time for delicious venison fajitas (burritos?) served up by Prosecutor, followed by peach cobbler. YUMMY!!!!. Arriving Friday night were lizs, Prosecutor, firebug, spalspeen and watsocd – the latter all the way from Pennsylvania, via an Ames, Iowa business trip. Firebug left Saturday morning to play Johnny Appleseed at his nearby cabin. Good to see you again!

Saturday morning the group met up at the Wildcat trails parking lot with jflotsam and iSolo and shuttled vehicles. Some were left in the Smrekar trails (is that Finnish or pig latin???) parking lot for Sunday morning. We shuttled to the Dike 17 State Wildlife Refuge to start the hike. There was a tower overlooking the area for the public, which of course we went up.

Holy sheeyat, were winds bad all weekend – really bad, except from sunset Saturday night till around 4:30 Sunday morning (based on an early morning outdoors visit by lizs, who found they had returned). We were about getting blown into the flowages. Saw some cool birds, despite the winds, including sandhill cranes.

Once out of the flowage area, we had to follow book directions to hit the Wildcat Trail system. We ate lunch by some old foundations in the pine and hardwood forest, then followed Prosecutor on a vague, trail marked by little flags that led right where it was supposed to. And thus began the up-and-down, glacier-dropped hillside traverse we’d have for the rest of the trip.

Adding excitement, were geocacher lizs and watsocd’s two treks to geocaches, accompanied by most of the group. I tell ya, we wouldn’t have bushwhacked and reached the heights and cliffs (and superb campsite for next time!) at the top of WildCat Mound otherwise. Lizs was so proud when her cheap-ass Etrex beat watsocd’s Legend to the cache. Hahhahaaha ;-P

We arrived back at the Red Oak shelter between 2:30 and 3 after doing 10 miles. Some hiked back to the Wildcat parking lot to get water. VOILA! They hiked back in with Matahari. Very good to see her again. :-) Great night by the campfire, topped by Prosecutor’s cherry cobbler (ya GOTTA hike with Prosecutor for all sorts of culinary delights from the perennial Titanium Chef champion!)

We heard wolves. Lizs said, hey it’s coyotes cuz there was some yipping. But everyone said, there’s not coyotes where there’s wolves… and wolf pups yip and it’s the right time of year for wolf pups. Three packs are reported to be in the forest. YOWSA! Cool! Then we heard stupid moron people apparently doing military drills involving heavy liquor off that way! Arrgh! (We had booze too, but weren't quite THAT moronic.. lol)

Saturday was another COLD night. Lows in the mid- to upper 20s both nights. Lizs finally stayed warm with the –15 bag with not only all her clothes on BUT also with her rain pants and light rain jacket on. Lightbulb!! And she also was NOT the last one up Sunday a.m. The streak is broken!!! LOL!

Sunday’s hike was around 5 miles when all was said and done on the Smrekar (how the hell do you saw that?!??!) trails. Up and down and up, up, up, up. We bushwhacked up another nasty hill to another geocache, which spalspeen spotted. Two for two. Then we traversed the Ridge Trail, which has great views and ranged from around 10 to 20 feet wide. What I can’t believe is these are all cross-country ski trails in the winter. Holy sheeyat!!!!

We shuttled vehicles, then ate at Oko’s (was it Oko’s or Ono’s, or am I dreaming???!), where the age-old adage “You can always find free food in Wisconsin on Sundays” was proven true. Free French toast and sausage left over from some bikers (that would be Harley’s, it’s Wisconsin… LOL!) Then we all headed our separate ways.

Thanks for a great hike in a new area!! Still lots to explore there.”

“Oh yeah, many, many funny moments.

watsocd's stove, compared to a Cummins...

matahari hiker and her Seinfeld-esque search for the no-longer-made, stand-upright Ziplock bags, buying them off the Internet. You can hear it now, "Are you stand-upright Ziplock worthy???" LOL! (I mean she has something like 11 boxes of them in her closet! LMAO!)”

“Sounds like you guys had a great time!”

“I have to get my film devolved...have a nice picture of ....oops - said I wasn't going to publish that photo.”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!”

“Won't have time to get the pictures devolved till after next weeks hike. Busy packing (or should be) for my next hike, leaving Tuesday.”

“good, I mean, glad you're heading out on that trip.

And I know you're an honorable man, who would never be bought out by Ed, or Stovey, or g-force. >8-O”

“I can Never be bought out – (may trade for cobbler) – but never bought out.”

“PHOTOS (and NONE to be seen from firebug!!!)

http://community.webshots.com/album/330724955czeidz”

“Really enjoyed the pictures and trip report, Lizs..I think you owe me..after all, I kept iSolo up until 11pm so your last-to-get-up streak would finally be broken..and, do I detect the required butt-shot-of-Lizs photo exists in Firebug's camera?

On my hike back to the car I saw some turkey's..I really like the Black Hills..the short, steep hills, ridge views, sandy trails and lack of dense understory make it one of my favorite places to hike..thanks you, jflotsom, for suggesting this trip! I enjoyed meeting so many new people...I'm sure there must be #&%!$s from these forums but, I've never met one..
last edited: 4/25/05 7:28:06 AM”

“More lizs buttshots!
More lizs buttshots!
More lizs buttshots!

The people have spoken!”

“"The people" are SICKO individuals!!!!

phhhhhhhhhhhht!!”

“Is firebug coming on the canoe trip?
We'll have to have a lizs' buttshot contest. ;-)
Hope SCP has a sense of humor about this. ;-)”

“Lizs, they just showed the "sponge" episode you were talking about on Seinfeld on the Today show..and yes, I must decide if my meals are "zip-lock worthy!" LOL!!!!!!”

“http://forums.backpacker.com/thread.jspa?threadID=61720&tstart=0

That dang lizsbaby is two timing us! ;-)

This wasn't a 'Backpacker.com' trip was it???? Oh My!!!!
last edited: 4/25/05 9:08:41 AM”

“http://forums.backpacker.com/thread.jspa?threadID=60008&tstart=0

Oh the shame and horror!!!!!
It WAS a Backpacker.com TRIP!!!!!! ;-)”

“Hey enjoy all sides of life”

“:-) I go both ways. LOL!”

“ohh lala”

“Dang, I thought everybody on the Other Side had migrated over here. Thought BP2GO had banned them all and had the board to himself.”

“Then we heard stupid moron people apparently doing military drills involving heavy liquor off that way!"
~Lizbaby... err, "s"

"...that way!" must've been South, toward the Cumberland Trail, TN. LOL! (ever see a buncha drunks march in multi-file?) hehehee

Tasty peach cobbler in wisKANsin??!!
I'll take your word for it, but I bet there wasn't a tall glass of sweet tea for 800 miles... lol!

Wolves?! Koolio.

Congrats on beating the WI Hwy Patrol gauntlet, Liz! TWICE! heh

Pant leg is in the mail....
as soon as I finish here.
So which leg chilled?


Sounds like youn's had some gooooooood times!”

“LOL, well I haven't worn those pants since the leg's been missing. (hate that "Flo Jo" look, ya know)

Instead I've been forced to wear all my pants with holes torn in the butt. I guess some people might like that NOT ME! lol

Yam party -- ERRR "hike" -- sounded fun, too. But in Gem's photos it looks like she disappeared somewhere in the middle. That Yam. She's magic! :-)”

“You can blame me for the trip posting in the wrong place. I've learned my lesson. :)”

“So this is where everybody ran off to!....”

“jflotsam, there is no wrong or right place to post a trip...it's just the set-up for trips is nicer and easier to follow over here...whichever site I am on means "the other side" is the other forum..LOL..I am such a slut...just can't be trusted to remain faithful...hee hee hee....”