New Snowshoes: Perry Nature Center/Arboretum

Santa brought me a contemporary set of snowshoes, so I set aside my wooden and rawhide pair and headed out today to give the new ones a try.  Contemporary aluminum tubing and some kind of durable material that seems something similar to leather snowshoes have their advantages, but they lack the Sgt. Preston look of my traditional ones.   

The harness is much easier to step into with only a strap that quickly cinches the shoe tight.  The bottom of each snowshoe has two claws that provide traction and make climbing up hills and grades very much easier.   Moving into the woods is not an issue with these snowshoes; with my wooden and rawhide snowshoes, I was concerned about snapping a strip or the frame of the shoe itself.

I don’t know that the modern “high tech” snowshoes are as good on deep snow.  They don’t have quite the surface area of my old traditional snowshoes, but I did not experience any difficulty today.

Today, I took a slightly different path at the Perry Nature Center/Arboretum.  I parked in front of the Jasper Educational Center and then walked down the hill to the large meadow that spreads north of the building and continued out to the tree line that borders the Big Sioux River.

There have been several light snowfalls recently, and most tracks from others venturing out into the cold have been covered.  Today was the single “warm” day forecast for the week, and the temperature was about 20 degrees under sunny skies with a stiff wind out of the south.  I felt compelled to get out this afternoon.

There were few traces of others walking in this area.  I walked along the tree line looking into the woods for any sign of wildlife, but I didn’t see anything, not even a single bird.  There were a few tracks of rabbits and deer, and some faint traces of a cross-country skier, but generally mine were the only evidence of passage through the snow.

I trudged along in the snow, congratulating myself on getting out of the recliner to experience an hour and a half outside in the sun.  Snowshoeing is strenuous; it is not a stroll in the sunshine.  Sometimes I tend to walk further than I might have planned, only to realize that I have to walk back as well.

Snowshoeing along the tree line of the river offers something different each time.  The winter landscape is constantly changing with new snow and winds.  As the snow gets deeper and stays longer, drifts are sculpted on the meadows and the woodland takes varying looks.  The winter sun and the white snow create interesting shadowing, and all this changes daily.  So, I think that a person can visit the same few places and get enough variety over these next three months to sustain interest.

The complete set of photos can be found at the following Flickr page:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157639362307556/

Snowshoeing at the Perry Nature Area

We have had a relatively early start to winter here in the Sioux Falls area.  It has been quite cold and snowy here the past two or three weeks, and it seems likely that the snow cover over my favorite hiking areas will only increase over the next three months. 

Today seemed like a good day to get my snowshoes out and take a hike at the Perry Nature Area/Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum.  This has been one of our favorite hiking areas over the years; it is also where I have tended use my snowshoes whenever I felt the urge to walk about the landscape and observe winter conditions.

Many years ago, when I got my bent-wood, rawhide, Sergeant Preston-type snowshoes, I felt like an outdoorsman, an adventurer walking along snow-covered terrain in my isolation.  Today, these snowshoes seem quaint to younger people.  The aluminum, modern snowshoes with easy to attach straps are so much handier to use and have popularized snowshoeing.

Much more effort is required in snowshoeing than just strolling along on paths through the woods.  At this time of year, such a workout helps reduce the “winter weight” that seems to stretch out our waistline.  It also offers a good alternative to “going to the gym” and working out on machines.  Going to the gym is, to me, always the last option, one that I have avoided the past few years in favor of hiking, kayaking, biking, and now snowshoeing.

On my stroll this morning, I ran across a couple of guys on cross-country skies and another couple of guys with four big dogs romping in the snow.  For the most part, however, snowshoeing can be a solitary activity that offers an opportunity to look at the tracks of wildlife, observe the way snow covers the landscape, and check out the trees, bushes, and tall grass as they settle in for the winter months.

Perry Nature Area and the Arboretum are just on the east edge of Sioux Falls and provide a great location for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.  I walked along in the path of others who had recently taken the same route along the margin between the grasslands and the wooded area on the edge of the Big Sioux River.

I will continue using my snowshoes over the course of the winter.  The Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls offers lessons and snowshoes for those interested in trying out this aspect of winter hiking.

Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum/Perry Nature Area

 Yesterday, in between the seemingly constant rain, I went out to the Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum/Perry Nature Area on the east edge of Sioux Falls.  This is a site my wife and I visit twice a week for much of the year.  A lot of development in the arboretum has taken place over the past few weeks, and I wanted to capture the changes for those interested in hiking in this very accessible area.

An open house was held a couple of weeks ago for the Mabel and Judy Jasper Educational Center, which is at the heart of the current stage of development for the arboretum.  This building has a replica of a country school classroom, several program rooms, and will serve as the centerpiece for the arboretum.  We attended the open house and were able to savor the upbeat spirit of those key people who spearheaded the creation of the arboretum.

At the moment, there is some concrete work and landscaping taking place in the front entrance area of the center and on the slope behind the building leading down toward the Big Sioux River.  Yesterday, a crew was placing trees along the lower slope and out toward the flatland leading down across the field and tree line toward the river shoreline.

As usual, Finnegan and I headed east along the old rail bed heading toward the river as it bends south under Highway 42.  In years past, this trail was not maintained during the summer, and the grass grew too high for easy passage.  That has all changed since developmental of the arboretum.  The grass is mowed, forming an easy hiking trail that continues down to the entry road leading to the Fraternal Order of Police building. 

It seems obvious that the FOP building is no longer an isolated structure east of town; now, it is right in the middle of a developing nature area and seems misplaced.  It is an island of property that seems incongruous today.

We continued along the old field road that runs east/west and connects back on the main circuit of gravel road that winds through the Perry Nature Center portion of the arboretum.

A major reason for our hike yesterday was to enjoy the remarkable profusion of purple phlox that is scattered throughout the area.

The phlox is seen in clumps within the grasses and out into the trees.  My wife and I have enjoyed this growth for many years, and the arboretum has many swaths both within the Perry Nature Center portion and in the developing arboretum.  We first became aware of the attractive phlox on walks through the Perry Nature Center in years past.

Continuing along the gravel road leading through the Perry portion, we passed the lower picnic shelter, crossed over the small creek flowing through, and moved into the woods as we followed the trail past foundations of the old homes that made up East Sioux Falls.

Looking at the remains of homes that once formed the community of East Sioux Falls evokes a past when this was a vibrant town filled with energy and hope.  A brief history of East Sioux Falls is offered in the historical displays within the arboretum.

The trail heads west until climbing up from the lowlands and entering on to the old rail bed again heading east.

We continued west down the rail bed trail, passing more stands of purple phlox. 

The trail then intersects with the entrance road into the arboretum, and we headed back to the Jasper Educational Center, where the car was parked. 

After stopping to again observe the landscaping work in progress, we departed after an hour of hiking through the area.

My full set of photographs of the hike yesterday can be found on my Flickr page at the following URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157634009830033/

A set of past narratives and photographs from earlier postings about the arboretum can be found on the menu located on the right side of the blog.

Wegner Arboretum/Perry Nature Area

The spring this year is certainly not advancing at the pace of last year, and we have just gone through a string of cold days with snow showers.  At last, though, we have a few days ahead with more normal temperatures.  Today, we decided to go out to the Wenger Arboretum/Perry Nature Area for a hike through the recently snow-free landscape.

This set of hiking trails is at the edge of Sioux Falls, just across from Arrowhead Park on the east side of the city.  Over the past few months, the Jasper Education Center has been completed and awaits only some final landscaping and a formal opening. 

As usual, we parked in front of the Jasper Center and set off down the old railbed toward the Big Sioux River as it flows past the park. 

Cutting down onto the open field just to the north of the FOP building, we walked along the service trail between the field and the trees that line the riverbank.  This is a trail popular with people taking their dogs out for a walk in the country.

We then moved up onto the gravel road that circles through the park and leads past a picnic shelter and over a small creek that flows into the Big Sioux River.  This creek has interesting features, including a small quartzite cliff near the road.

There is some ice and snow still in the deep shadows of a trail that leads past old East Sioux Falls foundations, so we moved up onto the old roadbed again and walked along this pathway back to the entrance road into the park.  Along the way, we spotted several robins on the ground.

Our hike this afternoon took about 45 minutes, and Finnegan, our 15-year miniature poodle was able to keep up just fine.  He seems to regain some of his youth when out sniffing around on one of our hikes.

So, the arboretum is okay for hiking now.  We are going to check out more of our favorite hiking areas within the area in the days ahead.  It is good to be out strolling through nature areas again.

Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum/Perry Nature Area: Dec. 2012

The Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum combined with the Perry Nature Area is in the process of a major design and construction phase that will provide one of the premier park sites in Sioux Falls.  Minnehaha County has joined with the city to provide this combined park site that is now managed by the city. 

My wife and I have considered this one of our key hiking areas within the city, and we visit the site at least once a week most of the year.  The weather in Sioux Falls has been exceptionally mild so far this fall and hiking possibilities have been extended.  This afternoon, we drove out to the Arboretum – our third time in less than a week. The temperature was about 50 degrees, the sun was bright, and winds were negligible.

The major change taking place currently at the Arboretum is within the redesigned entry and parking area.  The Mabel and Judy Jasper Educational Center is in the final phase of construction and provides a focus for visitors to the site. Interpretive signage is in place around the structure offering an historical overview of East Sioux Falls.

Our hike began in the parking lot of the Center and headed east along the old railway bed leading toward the steel building housing the Fraternal Order of Police. 

From the road running between the FOP building and the Big Sioux River, a trail leads down onto the large field to the north.  A pathway runs along the perimeter of the field with the river visible through the bare trees. 

This field road or pathway leads around the field to the west.  An old bridge over the Big Sioux River is visible within the woods; the bridge is now privately owned and not accessible.  The park border extends to the shore along the river, but Iowa land is across the river and the bridge now belongs to a property owner.

There is a line of woods between the fields that are part of the arboretum/nature center and the river, and we hiked through these woods along the bed of a draw that probably runs with water during the spring or in wet years.  Now, it is dry and filled with fallen leaves within a grove of bare trees.

We made our way through the trees for a time and then exited the grove onto the second field/meadow on the western end of the site.  There was a pathway/field road along the edge of this field as well, and we continued along until we reached a creek flowing under the main gravel road that runs through the Perry Nature Area. 

There is a picnic shelter provided just off the road and adjacent to the creek running through the area.  We generally stop at this shelter for a break during our hikes.  This is generally where our elderly miniature poodle takes a few sips of water while we are seated at one of the picnic tables.

Our hike route then takes up south across the creek again and along a trail heading west through a lowland section.  This is a part of the park that is especially popular with area birders. 

The trail passes the remains of a home from many years ago.  This part of the hike passes through private property that is not a part of the park, but it is regularly used by hikers as they move through the woods and back up onto the old rail-bed pathway.

We moved east along the old elevated rail-bed pathway toward the entrance to the park.  This pathway runs parallel to Highway 42, with the highway on the right side and an overlook through the woods into the main part of the park on the left.

This section of the trail ends at the road leading into the park.  Turning left, one can continue along to the shelter at the top of the hill. 

Our hike this afternoon took about one and a-half hours.  It was really a great stroll through a varied landscape. 

This a wonderful time to hike the trails of the arboretum/nature area, a time before the snow covers it all for the next several months.  Even then, however, I like to use this setting for snowshoeing.  There is plenty of open space for snowshoeing in a variety of terrain.  My old rawhide and wood snowshoes from yesteryear are hanging in the garage ready for the first winter hike over snow covered fields, trails, and along the river.

For those interested in how my current observations compare to those made a year ago, please check out the narrative identified in the index of area hiking possibilities listed on the right side of the blog.

The complete set of photographs taken on the hike today can be seen on my Flickr page at the following URL:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157632170631469/