The Christmas rush is over. The season of celebration and light is ending and the long dark days of winter are settling in. It's a time of peaceful reflection. And a time to release.
Wolf prints (large one in the middle)
Charlie and I spent the early afternoon hours today exploring a favorite trail. With Charlie off on a mission to find the perfect stick, I had time to take slow steps and let my eyes feast on this new landscape before me.
An open canvas of shapes illuminated by a light dusting of snow brought forth trees, branches, rocks and riverbanks not seen before.
My mind wandered through the moments of this past year as my boots slowly left tracks through the snow on the trail. Times of sadness, times of joy and times of knowing that all is right in the world.
And at this very moment, I feel content with everything in my life and there is a slow release of tension from my neck and shoulders as I let that thought sink in.
Everything is right with my world and I am at peace.
Oh, fall. My favorite season of the year. Normally I would go on about how much I'll miss you, but this year it feels like you're still here.
Charlie and I took a long walk tonight and enjoyed the unseasonably warm El Nino temps. Low-lying clouds obscured the moon, which will be full in a few days, leaving the air moist and humid. Christmas lights on houses seem almost absurd without snow.
I'm still happily wearing my hiking boots. My winter boots haven't even been worn yet. The sidewalks are blissfully dry and free of ice and snow. I can walk at a quick pace without worrying about slipping or falling.
Gloves are left in my pocket and I wear a light scarf wrapped around my neck to keep the chill away. My jacket is unzipped and open. I love the feel of the cool breeze on the exposed skin below my scarf and above my shirt's neckline. It's like winter's version of skinny-dipping.
At the beginning of this year, I set out a goal to visit as many of Wisconsin's waterfalls as possible. Somehow life always gets in the way of accomplishing a goal, though. I got a little sidetracked when I decided to pursue finding love instead of waterfalls.
I joined the throngs of people trying their luck at internet dating and after almost a year that included one failed attempt at a long-distance relationship and several first dates, I realized 3 things:
1. Internet dating is very time-consuming.
2. Most of the people I was interested in lived too far from me.
3. Internet dating is not for me.
So after investing tons of time and energy into something that wasn't working, and realizing I had wasted all of my summer and the better part of fall, I gave up.
It's funny though... as soon as you give up and quit trying so hard, things just naturally happen. And that's when I met D. Not online, but in real life.
And I guess for someone like me, so into nature and everything natural, it was fitting that I would find someone naturally rather than trying so hard.
A couple of weeks ago, we took a trip up to Northern Wisconsin. D. remembered that I had mentioned something about wanting to visit Wisconsin's waterfalls and being the thoughtful and sweet person that he is, he offered to spend the weekend showing me a handful of them.
Copper Falls State Park
Copper Falls State Park
Copper Falls State Park
I can't even begin to describe how powerful it is to be in the presence of such magnificence. The photos and videos DO NOT do these masterpieces justice. You have to be there in person. You need to feel the vibration of the water thundering down steep drops, to touch the rocks that were pushed up through the ground with such force that their striations are vertical rather than horizontal... but most of all you need to feel the gentle swirl of the mist.
There's a phenomenon surrounding waterfalls where the force of the water molecules crashing together produces negative ions, which are natural mood-boosters. There have been many studies proving that being near waterfalls is as effective as anti-depressants.
So you can imagine that spending a weekend with a really wonderful person in the presence of all these negative ions could produce some pretty intense happiness. Yeah, I was pretty blissed out... and I'm still riding that bliss wave.
As we ascended the steep embankment from the trail of the last waterfall of the weekend, I gazed down at my dirt-crusted jeans and held up both hands to show D. how much mud and clay I had stuck to my palms and under my fingernails. I commented that I've never looked like this after a date before. He quickly replied that I haven't been dating the right people. What a sweetheart.
VIDEO-Potato River Upper Falls (best viewed in Chrome):
Nothing ever works out the way you think it will, but everything always works out. So after almost a year of failed online dating attempts and wasted time that should have been spent exploring my beautiful state, I finally got to see some of Wisconsin's best waterfalls while falling in love.
Superior Falls
Superior Falls... that's Lake Superior off in the distance (but hard to see).
By the way, Charlie gives her full approval of D. even though she didn't get to come along on this particular adventure. The steep terrain combined with fast-moving current was not a good combination for Charlie's activity level so I opted to leave her home. As always, safety first. Remember to make sure that your pet can handle the type of adventure you take them on and be prepared for everything!
I love all of Wisconsin... its lakes, rivers, forests, prairies, and bluffs. But I hold a special place in my heart for the Driftless Region.
Car selfies are becoming a habit for us.
Charlie and I happened to be back in the Dodgeville area this weekend and since the weather was crazy, unseasonably warm - we're talking 60 degrees on December 13th - we made a trip over to Governor Dodge State Park for a visit.
The drizzly rain didn't dampen our spirits as we breathed in the warm, humid air and revisited some old favorite trails. Stephens' Falls was scenic as always, the recent rain making for some nice trickling waterfalls and streams full of bright green watercress.
The damage from tornadoes of recent years evident in the multitude of fallen and broken trees was sad, but it was nice to see that previously closed trails are now open again.
As we drove around the park, I found some new places to check out too. Which is to be expected in one of Wisconsin's largest state parks, with over 5,300 acres to explore. I sometimes wish I lived closer so I could spend more time exploring all that this park has to offer.
I hope you enjoy the photos and videos of Rock Shelter...
