Cherokee County Park

I've driven past the sign leading to Cherokee County Park numerous times on trips between Wausau and Minneapolis on Hwy 29, but never felt compelled to pull off and check it out. I used to have a stronger sense of adventure, but sometimes I'm left feeling disappointed and almost ripped-off when I follow a sign to a new destination only to find it is not scenic or fun at all.

But a recent post on the Women Hiking Wisconsin Facebook Group suggested this park as a "hidden gem." So, of course, I had to take a look for myself.

Charlie, Alan and myself ventured out on Saturday since the park was only about a 30-minute drive from our place. Upon arriving, we found that the parking area is closed off and not maintained in the winter, but the snowplow had "swooped" into the drive enough to make one parking space along the side of the road.

We parked and kept Charlie in the vehicle away from the traffic zipping by at high speeds while we put on our snow shoes and then leashed her up and trekked around the gate down to the park and trail head.

The Big Eau Pleine River was silent, sealed in ice and capped off with snow. But the rounded "marshmallows" of rocks covered in snow whisper of babbling and roaring of water when winter releases its grip on the river.

The scenic trail meanders along the river's shore for about a mile and then runs into private property, where we turned back.

The park definitely has some great amenities once the weather warms up and it's open again... a playground, picnic shelters, restrooms and a scenic spillway/dam that allows some access to view the river from water level.

I'm super excited to keep this park on our list of options once the weather warms up. It's far enough away from populated areas that I think it'll be a quiet respite from other busier and well-known parks.

This truly is a hidden gem!

Winter's Downward Slope

After nearly a month of sub-zero temperatures, we finally had some blissfully mild weather this weekend! This January thaw was a much-needed respite from the cold, dark days of winter and even though I know spring is a long ways off, it reminded me that winter is almost over and we're on the downward slope now.

Charlie, Alan and myself hiked at Big Eau Pleine County Park on Saturday and I even worked up the courage to hike across part of the frozen reservoir... something I've always been too afraid to do by myself.

VIDEO (Charlie running across the frozen ice):

Charlie hiked nearly double our own miles, zipping around in circles, running ahead of us and then running back to check on our forward progress. She was ecstatic to be outside enjoying our favorite trails again after being cooped up in the house for so long.

She had us laughing most of the time with her silly antics... finding sticks and tricking us into throwing them for her and "hunting" mice beneath the snow... listening to their little rodent highway and then pouncing!

VIDEO (mouse-hunting):

After a long and leisurely day of hiking, Charlie was content to go to bed early. Every time I checked on her, she was in a different position, but always peacefully snuggled into the duvet.

...

Since Sunday was a football day for Alan, Charlie and I went out for a hike on our own. This time we headed for Dells of the Eau Claire County Park.

The normally noisy rapids were eerily quiet, frozen over under thick layers of ice. Every now and then I could hear a muted babbling far beneath the ice, but otherwise the only noise in the woods were a few birds tweeting and the crunch of the partially thawed snow under my boots.

There were very few people at the park today and most of them were exploring the river area, leaving the trails in the woods all to ourselves. We took advantage of the solitude and I allowed Charlie to romp off-leash.

We traversed as far as we could, until the trail became overrun with frozen run-off from a hillside stream that turned the trail into an ice rink. I didn't feel like ice skating today, so we turned back and hiked a few spur trails instead.

Our hike ended at a deserted picnic shelter where I found a dry picnic table to sit down for a break. I shared my apple with Charlie and played fetch with her stick, letting my muscles relax while watching Charlie's tail wag from flank to flank... so much happiness!