Spring Biking in Wisconsin’s Northwoods

by Executive Director, Sarah Johnson

Spring is a time of renewal which at work means lots of planning for summer and fall. Feeling at times mired in meetings and busy with to do lists can feel a bit overwhelming... until that awesome spring riding time arrives.

Just prior to leaf out (which up here is late May/early June), there is a time when the days are longer, the sun shines brighter, the bugs are yet to hatch, and where the warm and cool air fluctuate dramatically with ever so slight elevation and terrain changes. There is a time when the ephemeral ponds are full, the birds start to sing - really sing, and wildlife starts to move - really move.  Porcupine are frequently sighted; and albino deer too.  Baby turtles have hatched and are finding their way to the water’s edge. The hawks, heron and cranes rise out of forest openings and along the river’s edge.

It reminds us we are “small” and that the planning and meetings are fleeting...

The sense of being is felt when the sun hits and warms you, when the Hermit Thrush sings its ethereal song, when the warm and then cool breeze hits your face at 20mph, when your legs and butt ache but you want to continue on to see more and to stretch your body more because it feels so good!  And, the smells... sometimes brackish, sometimes so fresh with ferns and soils and more that it’s indescribable.  It’s a time to slow down and replay your children’s giggling in your head and to laugh about the crazy-weird thing they said that morning.  That thing that didn’t seem quite as funny at the time because you were rushed, or the phone was ringing, or the indoor cat was desperately trying to get outdoors.

Spring bike riding means:

Nature-rich roads with literally no cars to pass by in over a 20 mile ride.

Open views of forests and waters, and lavender sunset skies.

Hearing the sounds outside & inside our heads more clearly.

Playing (and singing loudly) a little headphone music at the ride’s end, it sounds better.

Fresh air and exercise with beautiful pit stops along crystal clear lakes.
Stopping for a ice cream, coffee, beer or iced tea - what's your pleasure.

It all means more when we take the time to do it, and to do it often -- so get out and ride!  It allows us to sense, think and feel in a more meaningful, bigger and connected way... something we all need.

Find a trail for whatever moves you at NorthwoodsTrails.com

a project of the North Lakeland Discovery Center