Just after the Independence Day holiday in the United States I ventured off to Western Wisconsin with an old time friend from college to explore the Lost Lake area in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. This was my first time camping in a national forest and this was a great spot for my first attempt. I’ve read that if you’re going to a National Park you should often check out a nearby national forest for accommodations which are often more available and can be more affordable.
The cabins at Lost Lake were renovated in 2012 under the federal stimulus and provide a fun and affordable trip in well kept facilities in the beautiful Northwood’s of Wisconsin. The cabin we stayed in can accommodate up to 6 people with plenty of room. Fortunately the weather was absolutely perfect with daytime temperatures in the lower 80’s Fahrenheit for enjoying the area lakes and cooling off to the upper 50’s during the night for great evening sleeping.
There are several lakes in the area to explore but we always returned to Lost Lake for some swimming, fishing, and wildlife watching. It’s a small lake which does not allow any boat motors keeping it peaceful for all to enjoy either by swimming, fishing, or kayaking. I would get up at sunrise or shortly there after to enjoy the calm, quiet lake and watch a local loon or eagles fishing. A great break from the busy daily routines I’m commonly use to.
One of the creatures in abundance at Lost Lake are a frogs which can be heard throughout the day and into the night. Once I figured out what they looked like under the water with only their heads peering out at me it got a little frightening. At one point I counted over twenty frogs staring at me and several times more than a dozen just watching me. I was certain there would be nightmares about frogs attaching me during the night but fortunately that did not happen. Large bullfrogs can be found and heard all around the lake. I kept waiting for them to say ‘bud’ with another answering with ‘wise’ with ‘errrrr’ being croaked off in the distance. For those who don’t know this was a commercial created for Budweiser many years ago.
After enjoying a fire near the cabin one night I ventured down by the water to take in the night sky. The number of stars shining and reflecting in the water was just breathtaking. My plan was to take a few pictures and retreat to bed for the night as it had been a long day and I wanted to get up for the sunrise the next morning. After photographing and enjoying the night sky with peaceful sounds of frogs for over an hour I decided it was time to call it quits. After a few hours of some great sleep I drug myself out of bed to watch the sun appear over the horizon the next (actually the same) morning.
Light began showing in the sky way too early in July in Northern Wisconsin. I ended up getting out of bed at 4:45 in the morning with plenty of light to see my way from the cabin to the lake to witness the sun coming up an hour later. While I only got just under 4 hours of sleep that night there was no hint of being tired as the morning was so calm and peaceful it almost didn’t feel real. Fortunately I have photos that tell me otherwise. Clouds didn’t cooperate in the morning to provide one of those amazing sunrises with a colorful sky and while there was some fog on the lake I was hoping for more. Still watching the world come to life with birds moving to and fro while the loon and eagles began to wake up and start searching for food was well worth getting up for. Besides, if there were clouds for the sunrise there probably would have been clouds blocking all the stars just hours before.
During one of our afternoon just relaxing by the lake I brought my camera with the longest lens I have just in case there was something to capture. The resident loon kept its distance preventing a nice close up shot but that was ok. I was taking a picture of some of the frogs staring back at me when my college friend called out my name with a bit of a sense of urgency. I was all set up for my photo when he called again with a bit louder tone in his voice telling me I needed to look up only to see and eagle incoming. Turning the camera towards this majestic bird I focused in on it just in case it got closer and dove into the water in search of a fish. Shortly after I got focused in on it, the eagle did begin a quick descent towards the water only to grab a fish and retreat to a nearby tree to consume its fresh catch. Looking back at the camera I realized I caught this with a couple of frames which was fun to see even if it was from across the lake. Zooming out a little further I saw the reaction of a couple of kids floating at the beach as this eagle dove down right in front of them. What a sight that must have been! One of my favorite photos from our time at Lost Lake. It was such a great time I’m going back in September to do it again before camping season comes to a close.
