Foot Path

TRAIL REPORT:
All trails at the Crossroads at Big Creek were rolled on Monday morning.  The 4 to 5 inches of new snow was very light and  powdery.  Some grass showing in a few areas but conditions should be fair to good for skate skiing.  With the cold weather,  we’ll have a good base forming.  Not enough snow for setting a track.

 

The new footpath at Crossroads at Big Creek is not exactly new. Clearly, deer have been using this route through the cedars some time.

When Boy Scout Adam Monfils  decided to do his Eagle Scout project at Crossroads, I was  pleased that he decided to create  a footpath between the two middle bridges across Big Creek .  Following a narrow foot path creates a kind of intimacy with the forest, and while Crossroads has lots of trails wide enough for skiing (if we get useful snow), we lacked the single-file trails which are so much fun to explore.

For  an Eagle Scout project, the young man does most of the planning,  which, in this case,  included planning the route.  Of course, Crossroads had to approve the route before work started. So on a chilly Saturday morning, while  the volunteers from Troop 1140  assembled , I walked the path for the first time. Brilliant. Adam had marked the easiest, most level and  truly logical way through the forest.  I was quite impressed.  Then I noticed something. We were following  a deer trail.

Except during rut,  when raging hormones override any sense whitetails  may have,  deer  have amazing survival skills. They instinctively select the most nutritious foods during any given season. They can find shelter to ride out a storm. And hey are very good at finding the easiest routes through the forest.  Once deer  find the best route, it  follows  it repeatedly,  as do other deer. Deer trails are obvious when one know what to look for, and Adam did.   So by cutting brush, pruning low hanging branches and removing  logs (humans don’t jump quite as well as deer,)  the Scouts turned a deer trail into a human trail.

Except during rut. when raging hormones override any sense whitetails may have,  deer  have amazing survival skills. They instinctively select the most nutritious foods during any given season. They can find shelter to ride out a storm. And they are very good at finding the easiest routes through the forest.  Once a deer finds the best route, it  follows the path  repeatedly,  as do other deer. Established deer trails are obvious when one know what to look for, and Adam did.   By cutting brush, pruning low hanging branches and removing logs (humans don’t jump quite as well as deer,)  the Scouts turned a deer trail into a human trail.
This turns out to be a tried and true American tradition dating back almost to the glacial retreat of the last Ice Age. As soon as ice melted and  plants became established, deer took advantage of the new grazing land and moved in from the south. As still is the case, deer traveled on well established trails between food and water sources.  Because Indians hunted deer,  for both food and for clothing, they settled or established seasonal hunting camps where the deer lived, and they used the deer trails to travel through the forests.  Over the centuries, deer/Indian trails became well established.
When the colonists arrived in the New England , they  used these trails, which evolved into roads,  shaped property lines,  and eventually became highways. In Door County, most European settlers arrived by water, but once they landed  on the tree-covered peninsula, pioneers  followed Indian trails into the wilderness. Historical Indians also traveled by water, but through the forests they no doubt followed deer trails,  It is very possible that many of the roads and highways of Wisconsin started out as deer trails.

When the colonists arrived in the New England , they  used the trails, which evolved into roads,  shaped property lines,  and eventually became highways.  Judging from the tracks on the new foot path at Crossroads, deer are continuing to use it.

During December, we are offering a number of family programs with holiday themes. Saturday, December 7, at 1:00, our “Hike to the Evergreen Forest”  will follow the new footpath and focus on the natural history of evergreen trees. Monday, December 9, our history program  “The History of Christmas Trees” will discuss holiday traditions and include information about various tree species.

 

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