A REAL BEAUT. Stumbling upon journal entries isn't a typical part of taking a hike, but hey, we're not mad. Pictured is an outlook at the Town of Union Conservancy.  (Photo by Zaria Whitacre)

In 2022 I got really into hiking, like really into it. Frankly, I got sick of just walking the same paved loop in my neighborhood everyday. When I was a kid, I used to take my dog into the woods on my Grandpa’s farm in Reedsburg. We would wind the creek and look for arrowheads, frogs, really anything of interest to a 9-year-old boy and his yellow lab (R.I.P. Rex), so I found myself wondering if I could capture that same feeling with a walk in the woods now, as a burgeoning young adult with no one to tell him otherwise.

What started as curiosity evolved into a search for all the hiking trails within 30 minutes of Eau Claire, and there are a lot of them. Almost every day that the weather cooperated – and some days even when it didn’t – I would let myself get lost in the woods. Every weekend was similar, but it was spent driving to one of a number of state parks within an hour of Eau Claire. 

If you wander long enough you will come along a steep and fast offshoot of the main trail which brings you to an overlook of the Chippewa River. There's a bench for pondering, and hidden inside of a tree is ...

What I found was that I prefer to be alone. You see, some of the most popular trails in the state do exist just a quick jump away from here, but they are often overwrought with noisy children and families, fat tire bikes, or individuals looking to change the world with their pace. I myself am more of a forest bather than a hiker. I like to stop and smell whatever. I like to wonder how my life is like the bee who can’t find the right flower. I like to look up at the beautiful tree top mosaic – outstretched solar arteries swinging in the wind.

On one inconspicuous Wednesday I found myself at the Town of Union Conservancy Area just a skip towards the direction of Caryville. The reason I was out there? At every season change I do a particular nostalgic loop into the country to track the changes. I’ve been doing this since I could drive alone, and in time it’s turned into a sort of tradition. Winding the same back roads taking note of the new buildings and developments. There’s even a spot where the road lines get squiggly, and I like to think some lonely band of county workers got distracted, turned the wheel hard on accident, and just left it the way it was. I laugh to myself every time I pass it, thinking of how the stress of that original moment is etched in time with bright yellow road paint. 

This area is beautiful, nothing special in terms of hiking when it comes to elevation or obstacles, but you feel alone. Which I like. If you wander long enough you will come along a steep and fast offshoot of the main trail which brings you to an overlook of the Chippewa River. There’s a bench for pondering, and hidden inside of a tree is a journal where people have regaled their experiences on the trail for years. A nice and unusual find. Some entries are prolific and deep, and some are just signatures and dates. It’s a great opportunity to take a moment and “be here now.” What are we but signatures and stories left on empty pages, a mosaic of outstretched experiences swinging in time?