Eagle River, Trees for Tomorrow, our skiing / snow
Trip Start
Jan 25, 2008
1
3
5
Trip End
Feb 08, 2008
Eagle river,
Wisconsin,
United States
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Trees for Tomorrow, originally a center for reforesting,
Now a teaching center for ecology.
Some buildings from CCC era, now updated a bit.
Most important - kitchen is fully modern.
We are here to both play and learn,
Skiing and snowshoeing, nature viewing, ID of trees,
Will the play outwit the learn?
They seem to have a reasonable plan for us.
Cross country ski lessons: why do I need that?
I've skied for almost thirty years!
Flex your ankles, bend your knees, keep the poles back,
I probably heard that before, but now maybe I will heed.
A wilderness evidently is different if it has a capital W,
No motors, no privies, not even blazes on any trail,
Virgin trees, never an ax, never a saw,
It does have one feature - not a sound beyond the wind.
Skiied in the Nicolet Forest, the Anvil trail
Just a few miles from Eagle River, but away from the sleds.
Gentle hills, try not to snow plow,
Should just step around the curves (sure - ha).
Chickadees, nuthatches, patiently wait for us.
They worried where their next meal was coming from,
Now we are there, scoop sunflower seeds into hand
Hold it out, they land on my fingers, sort for best seed.
Should we encourage such freeloading?
They are not really nature's creatures any more.
Wisconsin 'badgers' have been feeding them for 50 years,
If we don't hold out hands full of seeds, they will starve!.
Feed birds by hand
