Day 83: Mecan River Segment (Part 1), Waushara County
Day 83: Saturday, July 31st, 2021
Total Miles covered for the day: 0.9
Location: The Mecan River Segment between the two northernmost intersections of the trail with 9th Avenue.
0.9 miles of trail covered.
One of the big problems with hiking every day is that it typically doesn't leave you with very much opportunity for blogging. Which is why I sit here more than two weeks after actually hiking this tiny little loop of trail, digging through my notes, trying to remember exactly what we encountered while we hiked this nice, sandy stretch of the Mecan River Segment.
The Mecan River (pronounced, 'McCann') is a premier trout river located in central Wisconsin. It originates in the Mecan Springs at the north end of the segment and the crystal clear water flows rapidly through the sandy soil, making for some of the prettiest creek beds you'll ever see. The illusion is broken a bit if you actually step into the creek, though, because under that sand layer is a deep silt layer that won't hold you up until you're at least in up to your knees in mud. Areas like this are the locations where you can literally encounter quicksand, a real and dangerous location where a false bottom covers deep hazards, especially where springs are bubbling up from below.
Fortunately, hikers have no need to walk into the creek as they glide effortlessly along this sandy segment, following the flow of the river.
Today, instead of trying for a bunch of miles, we opted to take our daughter and her dog for a short walk, followed by a picnic lunch. We drove a single vehicle to the parking area at the northernmost place where the trail crosses 9th Ave, walking the short 9/10ths of a mile loop from north to south. It was 12:19 pm when we started our day, and it was a very, very muggy 79 degrees.
You know the kind of day when you walk outdoors and your whole body just gets profusely sweaty, even before you do anything? It was one of those days.
The second thing I noticed was that it's mushroom season!! Some day I will take the time to learn more about mushrooms, but I the meantime I find them to be fascinating photo subjects.
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| This is a two-colored Bolete, edible and delicious |
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| This is a coral fungus. It's edible and easy to recognize. |
Any time the sun hit the ground, the grass is thick and healthy. Moving under the canopy of the trees always yields immediately to soft, sandy trail.
There are places along the walk where you are significantly above the level of the water, and the hillside is very steep as it plunges downhill. I remember this detail because Joplin, the dog, chose one of these locations to make in improbable and ill-advised descent to get a drink. Then she couldn't get back uphill again, so I had to go down and get her.
Three mud-covered minutes later, Joplin was back on the trail and I wasn't fit for company. If you put two and two together you'll realize how I came to know about all that muck below the crystal clear water and clean-looking sand.
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| Northern Running Pine |
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| Swamp Thistle |
There was one section where the trail followed the boundary between two mini-biomes. Toward the river was a blanket of ferns, and on the higher and dryer hillside there was a blanket of purple poofs called Spotted Knapweed.
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| Spotted Knapweed |
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| Spotted Knapweed - invasive |
The spotted knapweed is considered an invasive species, native to Europe. Its primary habitat is stream banks, pond shorelines, sand prairies and pastures, and the sandy soils of central Wisconsin are perfect. The Mecan River is an ideal home away from home for this lovely purple invader.
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| Deptford Pink |
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| Spotted Bee Balm |
Mostly due to the heat, we decided not to do any more hiking, instead choosing to look for a picnic table where we could enjoy our lunch and go home.
Running Total: 585.1 miles of trail covered; 66.5 miles 'extra' hiking/biking. End of Day 83.
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