November
29, 2021 -- Seney Wildlife Refuge
 This
wasn't our first visit to the Refuge; we've visited several times
over the years, but not in the winter and not very often. I have
sketches I did there about 20 yrs ago, and I remember our first walk
with a group of friends maybe 10 years before that (cold early
spring, none of us prepared for the weather or the length, but fun
nonetheless). Then another walk in summer with a friend about ten
years ago, a fast paced trot due to the flies and because he's a
runner, but with stops to admire the many ducks in the ponds. We've
thought off and on about heading up there again but it's not on the
way to anywhere and more than a hour's drive so it never happened.
It is indeed a unique and interesting place but we tend to think
of it more as a casual destination with paved and graveled roads
where one can also walk or bike, which is actually quite a small
section of the Refuge. It does have wildlife though, depending on
the time of year. When large groups of sandhill cranes or geese fly
over our place in the fall we figure they've come from Seney. And as
large as the Refuge is, it is just a part of the larger Seney
wetlands area, so it's not a surprise that it is also known for its
awesome population of mosquitoes and flies!
 But
bug season is over, and a few days ago I ran across a list of
U.P. ski spots and to my surprise there was Seney Wildlife Refuge.
Seney? Sure enough, they have made trails around and through the
small area of upland ridges on the Refuge -- the Northern Hardwoods Hiking/Cross Country Ski trails. Well,
that certainly required looking into. A quick search brought up info
and maps and a plan to go check it out. Though most of the Refuge is
open to hunting, the area where most of the trails run is not,
though we weren't all that concerned anyway. Today
came up calm, cloudy with maybe some sun, maybe above freezing, and less enticing weather in the days to come. Perfect. We had
maybe 4" of snow here, shouldn't be much more up there, not enough to be a concern. It's definitely still
hiking season.
The sun was hazy, the snow 4" to 8", and it
didn't get above freezing, but it was calm, incredibly peaceful and
beautiful, and a wonderful afternoon of exploring these new trails.
We were the first humans to walk the trails since the latest snow,
but there were ample deer tracks as well as squirrel and mouse/vole.
In the first half hour we saw a chipmunk, eagle, and red squirrel,
doing a good job of representing the Wildlife part of the Refuge.
The Loops are short, 1 to 2 miles each, so
we laid out our plan to cover all but the north and south sections
heading out into the "hunting allowed" areas, keeping mostly to the
hilly sections. We parked in the small lot by the lower entrance and
walked in on the flat access road. There were fresh truck tracks but
no foot traffic. Soon we headed off south onto Skunk Ridge loop and
into the quiet world of the woods. This was definitely different
than our usual ideas of Seney. Mixed age hardwoods, maple that look
quite different than ours, a lot of yellow birch with their cute
little bird's foot seed scattered across the snow, a few long dead
large beech still standing with many more providing a different kind
of habitat as they decay on the ground, young beech providing color
with their "all winter" leaves. Hemlocks mixed in, other trees,
plenty of hills, quiet except for our snow-squeaky steps. We were
getting back in the swing of walking in snow once again. The trails
weren't cleared of brush which was no problem for hiking but
wouldn't be much for skiing until there is much more snow to cover
everything.
Back on the access road we finished that
loop and turned north on the Bear Hollow loop, looking for a
particularly nice downed tree (there were plenty of choices in this
untampered woods) to sit and eat our lunch, surrounded by friendly
forest.
Re-energized we walked on, including Cub
Hollow loop tacked on the east side of Bear Hollow, both wonderful
sections. This area was more diverse, with the trail going off the
ridge into a beautiful low forest of hemlock (and later a small
natural red pine woods) (I'll try to refrain from saying 'beautiful'
every sentence).
Though we knew we weren't far from roads and
managed areas, the feeling we had was one of being deep in the
wilderness. The woods are "northern mixed hardwoods", the
same as our own woods, but they are different here. Of course, the
underlying soil and terrain is different, and not being filled
with logging roads and ORV trails gives a much wilder feel. We were
almost surprised when we found ourselves suddenly back on the access road.
We decided to head west out of the woods for
a short jaunt on flat open ground and a different world on the Goose
Pen Bend loop. Crossing the bridge of the Upper Goose Pen Pool we
realized how much warmer it was in the woods this time of year, with
no sun to help out. A nice walk along the Pool brought us to the
small dam on Gray's Creek which manages the Pools. It is quite an
impressive construction and arrangement, with a grated platform so
one can stand on and see the wild, noisy water underneath, or look
out on the quiet of the Pool to the north and the calm water of the
Creek, heading on down to the Manistique River.
This was a reminder that the Refuge is very
much a people-managed area, and it is quite a job that has been
done, and continues to be done, a very long term project. Quite
impressive considering the history.
We crossed back over onto our original Skunk
Ridge Loop and into the woods, deciding to leave the flatter
southern Manistique River Run for another time. This east side of
the Skunk Ridge trail follows above along the edge of the low Smith
Farm field and trail. Our legs were beginning to feel the difference
of walking hills in snow versus bare ground so we decided to leave
the ridge and return on the flat Smith Farm trail. Back on the access
road we could feel it getting cooler. Though not late by the clock,
the daylight hours are definitely shorter, and snow covered ground
doesn't add any heat. Thankfully, there was still no wind, still
peaceful and beautiful. And the temperature had stayed just below
freezing which is preferable for walking in the snow.
As we headed toward the car we met two dogs
with their human in the distance (which seems to usually be the
case). Turns out he was a musician we knew who lives nearby. After a
nice chat they headed into the Refuge and we to our car. What a
pleasant and enjoyable afternoon, and a good start to the snow
portion of hiking season. This is a time when the miles walked get
shorter as do the hours available but the experience on the trail
seems to expand. Though less than 3 hours it felt like we were out
there much longer. It was enough and we were well satisfied.
A rough watercolor I did on a sketching trip
to Seney in August 2003 amidst a sea of so many different shades of
green. I well remember the loud audio of geese and cranes safely
gathered in areas blocked off from visitors.
and another sketching trip in June 2004.
This time the noise was much smaller, much more irritating, and much more up-close and
personal. The sketches were sketchier, and there was a note to bring bug spray next time!
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Copyright
© Susan Robishaw and Stephen Schmeck
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