Apostle Islands trips clear the clutter

BAYFIELD, Wis. – “Doesn’t sound like a vacation to me.”

That’s the response I get frequently when I describe my summer kayak trips to the Apostle Islands.

Pack everything you need for six days of camping into a sea kayak and paddle off to an island. Enjoy the scenery, and then pack up and shove off for another island.

It has been a nearly annual trip for 15 years for me and paddling buddies Frank Church of Appleton and John Behnke of Green Bay. Admittedly, the paddling distances have gotten shorter through the years, and the paddling speed slower.

Where do they go?

By David Horst  sandhill7@gmail.com

I mourn the loss of habitat every time I see a subdivision sprout where a farm field used to be or a woods come down for a big box store.

That said, I also am amazed at what wildlife can do with the scraps of habitat we’ve left them.

Folk singer Greg Brown wrote a song that asks: “Where do the wild geese go when they go away?” Putting aside that there are so many geese now that they never really go away, the lyric expresses my wonder about where all of this wildlife is when I’m not watching them.

Beast of a tree proves to be a beauty

By David Horst  sandhill7@gmail.com

   It’s time to dismantle the Christmas tree. For most households, that involves pulling apart artificial, pre-lit sections. For us, it means cutting off the lower limbs to have a chance at getting it out the door.

   Holiday visitors have all had the same reaction as they’ve rounded the corner into the living room: “Oh my gosh, look at the size of that tree!” That’s followed inevitably by: “How did you get it in the door?”

   It was by no means easy. That’s why we came to refer to this tree as “The Beast.”