Great Bear: Hiking in the Deep Shade on a Summer Day

During these sweltering days of mid-July, hiking for us is best early in the day in areas that provide deep shade.  This is especially important for Finnegan, our elderly canine hiking companion with heart failure. 

Great Bear Recreation Park on the outskirts of Sioux Falls is probably the best place in the area for an extended walk in the deep shade of large leafy trees.

There are several hiking trails within Great Bear, ranging from steep climbs up to sunny open meadows to lowland trails that are mostly in full or dappled shade.  At this time of year, we generally choose the lowland and shady trails that wind back into the park along well- developed pathways.   

Passing the lodge, the first feature encountered is a large pond that separates the pathways into the wooded area.  The pond at this time of year is often covered in part with green algae.  To me, the full or scattered algae growth has its own special charm in this body of still water with no outlet.

Over the years, I have seen ducks, geese, lots of turtles, as well as tadpoles and frogs in the pond.  I like to pause along the shoreline of the pond to look over the animal and plant life that lives there.

On the trip today, Finnegan and I kept to the lower trails.  My wife and I have a hiking pattern in which we cut along the right side of the pond on a rougher trail, continue down to a fork where the trails pass along either side of a wooded and steep hill and turn right again.

We return along a rougher pathway to the fork and then turn right again, heading deeper into the woods.  This trail continues to a roofed bench that has become the watering hole for Finnegan.

 A walk through the lower trails takes about 45 minutes at our slow pace.  Today, we did not encounter anyone in the park or along the trail.

The temperature had increased to about 80 degrees and the skies were clear as we finished our walk.  Great Bear is less than fifteen minutes from our home on the east side of the city, so we got in a nice stroll through a beautiful nature area before the full strength of the sun brought us to a stupor.

For additional narratives and photos of Great Bear at various seasons, go to the menu of area hiking possibilities on the right side of the blog.   

Additional photos of our hike today can be found on my Flickr account at the following URL:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jayheath/sets/72157634710123362/

Beaver Creek: Summer 2013

For the first time this summer, we went out for a hike at the Beaver Creek Nature Center, located about midway between Rowena and Brandon, or about 10 miles northeast of our eastside Sioux Falls home.  We have been hiking in this area for over 30 years, and it is one of our favorite spots for a nice walk in the woods.

 While Beaver Creek Nature Center is a state-owned property, a park entrance sticker is not required.  The nature center is centered along Beaver Creek and includes a varied landscape of heavily wooded forest, the creek itself as it flows along, open upland meadows, a lowland flood plain, and trails that wind through the hills and over several bridges.

Much of our hiking this summer has been build around the needs of our seven-pound miniature poodle, Finnegan.  He is over 15 years old now and has struggled with congestive heart failure for the past few years.  In the summer, he can’t take the heat and intense sunlight anymore.  Even though he can walk two or three miles, we try to structure his walks with us so that we can avoid the heat of the summer day and walk in the shade.

 So, Beaver Creek in the morning is a very good choice for us, and for Finnegan.  The area is largely dappled shade with long sections of the trail in deep shadow. While there are also areas of direct sunlight, those sections of the trail pass quickly. This variety of sunlight conditions and the dirt trails are just right for all of us.

As usual, we started out at the parking lot on the left side of the lower section of the park. From the parking lot, we proceeded to the old swayback wooden bridge over Beaver Creek and turned right along the main trail heading downstream and into the woods paralleling the creek.

This section of the trail is mostly shade, some dappled and some deep shadow.  The trail continues along the creek and increases in elevation along a path reinforced in places with inset steps.

 As the path rises, it eventually reaches a ridgeline overlooking the lower park, and a hiker can backtrack above the creek to walk in an upland meadow with a view through the trees of the parking lot area. 

We generally walk along this path for 100 yards or so and then return along the main trail as it follows a slope above the forest leading through the upland meadows. 

After a couple hundred yards, the trail then moves down the slope to a swinging wooden bridge over a ravine that extends on the left side of the pathway.

Again, allowing for a quite varied landscape, the trail moves along through another upland meadow and then reenters the forest, emerging at a set of wooden steps leading down the hill to the lowland flood plain. 

Looking down from the top of the wooden steps into the dense lowland growth is one of our favorite views in the nature center. There is a primeval sense of jungle growth when viewed from above that stirs the imagination. 

 Moving down from above, we followed the trail back to Beaver Creek and along it back through another of the meadows to yet another bridge over the creek.

On the other side of the creek once again, we turned left and followed the path alongside a field of corn toward the cabin.

The Samuelson cabin is the centerpiece of the nature center.  The cabin was constructed in 1873 on an early homestead and serves as a living history memorial to the lives of early settlers.  For several decades now, there has been an annual “Homesteaders Day” celebrated in September, and my family has been attending these for more than 30 years.

After taking a “water break for Finnegan” rest, we retraced our way back along the trail through the woods to the parking lot where we began.

 Our hike today took us about an hour and a-half, with plenty of pauses for photography and a time spend at one of the picnic tables at the shelter by the cabin.

On our way back, a mink ran across the path and into the brush.  Our dog Finnegan was captivated by the smells, and we had a difficult time encouraging him to follow us rather than dash into the woods.  Of course, it would be too bad for Finnegan if he should tangle with a mink!

As is usually the case, the nature center was deserted this Thursday morning, and it remained so during the time of our visit. 

To check out Beaver Creek Nature Center during other seasons of the year, you can access the inventory of area hiking sites on the right side of the blog.  Click on Beaver Creek, and you will see earlier narratives and sets of photographs taken during other seasons.

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.