Little winter stroll along the canals. Aliens

LMT66

LMT66

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I took a hike today back in an area I haven't been in eons. Thought I'd share my day.

The trail in.

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I got about a 1/8 mile in and crossed path with these canine tracks. We had fresh snow yesterday and my tracks were the only human ones down this trail. My winter pack boots are size 13. Big doggie or coydog.

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Some critters home for the winter.

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Interesting find. This immediate area holds shallow water in warmer months. Can't see it but I'll be on ice in the next series of pictures.

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And around the bend, Alien pods! :eek:

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Area opens up a bit but still on ice.

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The rocks you see are left from limestone quarries that were all along the canals in this vicinity. Over the years, many a beer has undoubtedly been consumed back here. Looks like a little camp complete with Flintstones chairs.

The walkway into the camp.
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Fred's chairs. There were actually 5 of these in a ring around the pit they made. Lugging the piece of foam around pays off finally!
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You all probably know I never pass a shelter or firepit without using it for a bit.
Was chilly so I took a stroll and gathered up some grass sticking up thru the ice. Still on ice.

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Back at the pit I broke out the firekit. My Wildertools Puukko was on my side today. I love this blade!

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Shaved and cut a little fatwood.

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My pack got it's own chair today.

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We moved to bigger Lazyboys.

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Enjoyed the fire a while.

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Off for a little hike and sightseeing while the fire gets going.
A lake near-bye. On the other end of this is where the hut is that TZ1 and I built.

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And not far the other way is the canal.

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More big tracks.

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Thought I'd throw this in also from a hike I took on New Years Day after a big thaw and refreeze. Looks feline to me. What do you think?
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And a couple other finds from New Years Day.
Would make a nice shelter in a pinch. Downed tree with massive hunks of bark conveniently over a little spot big enough to sleep in.

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This was up over the edge of a ravine. My guess is it's a makeshift deer stand. It's up top of a 30' drop overlooking a ravine. They are conducting deer management in this area all month. Take your shot between the trees.

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Nice pictures, thanks for sharing.

I also carry a piece or 2 of Ensolite for sitting on, or kneeling down when taking pictures, etc. - very handy.

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Little camera shy, are we? :D

Doc
 
So what exactly are the alien pods? I can't quite make out what they are.

Love the Flintstones chairs.
 
lambertiana said:
So what exactly are the alien pods? I can't quite make out what they are.

Love the Flintstones chairs.
Click to expand...

I'm not quite sure but it looked like there was some mortar between some of the rocks used to build them. A lot of the stones (limestone) in this area seemed to have been cut to similar sizes. Maybe they used the pods as hot coals bins to heat up tools? This might have been a finishing area for quarried stone around 1890 when the Cal-Sag Ship Canal was being constructed and limestone was being mined as they constructed it.
When building the ship canal, they hit a heavy concentration of dolomite limestone for a few miles thru this area. It halted construction due to the size of the deposit. Incidentally, many sections of the canal used these stones to make the surface walls on both sides. Most have fallen into the canals from barges scraping the sides and concrete walls have replaced them but some sections remain.

There is also a very old church nearby that is constructed with this type of stone and I suspect that this was where they hauled the stone from back to their church.

This is from the St James Church website.
In 1853 the cornerstone of the present day St. James Church was laid and dedicated by Bishop Van De Velde. The church is constructed of limestone (Athens marble) excavated from the nearby quarries. It took area settlers and farmers six long years of back breaking work to haul enough stones to the top of the hill. Those that did the most work were given cemetery plots closest to the church. The original St. James altars installed around 1858 were made of wood and painted with gold trim.


Some unique features of St. James are: the urn-topped wrought iron gates which were installed in 1914 and serve as the church entrance; the buttresses that were added to the church building in 1919 when dynamiting the Cal-Sag Channel weakened the foundation; the limestone Stations of the Cross lining the church and cemetery walkway were constructed in the 1920s and donated by parishioners
 
awesome pics. thanks for sharing! i love hiking during the winter with snow covering...it's even more peaceful.
 
DOC-CANADA said:
Nice pictures, thanks for sharing.

I also carry a piece or 2 of Ensolite for sitting on, or kneeling down when taking pictures, etc. - very handy.

Little camera shy, are we? :D

Doc
Click to expand...

As I get older, I find these things as must-haves.

I have a face only a mother could love so I spare the eyes of y'all! :o
 
Great Photos

Those PODS look like the ones from the movie "The Time Machine"

Bet that the Morlocks are down there....

Send my Ex Wife down to check!!!!!

:)
 
Love the pics. I sure reminds me the river and the woods I hike in.

The Kleen Canteen you have is it there real big one the 84oz?
To me it sure like it. I just got one yesterday.

Bryan
 
sicily02 said:
Love the pics. I sure reminds me the river and the woods I hike in.

The Kleen Canteen you have is it there real big one the 84oz?
To me it sure like it. I just got one yesterday.

Bryan
Click to expand...

That is a 64 oz KK. I really like these for long days out.
 
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