Photo essay: A winter hike along the Milwaukee River
February 7, 2020 | Topics: Places, Stories
Story and photos by Troy Freund
I went with the Urban Wilderness Explorers on a hike along the Milwaukee River at the end of January. We hiked a loop on the Milwaukee River Greenway between Capitol Drive and Port Washington Road. The single-track trail on the west side of the river was ice-covered, making it tricky and slow-going. But the hikers persevered. Many saw a portion of urban wilderness they were unfamiliar with!
On the east side of the river, the group returned on the paved Oak Leaf Trail through Estabrook Park, which was much easier.
Eddee Daniel, who is currently serving as an ARTservancy Artist in Residence in the Milwaukee River Greenway, led the hike. He was assisted in answering hikers’ questions by three River Revitalization Foundation (RRF) staff members, who were also on the hike. RRF is Milwaukee’s urban rivers land trust and a major stakeholder in the Greenway.
Wildlife was scarce, except for a number of ducks on the river, including the ubiquitous mallards and some surprisingly early migrators: common goldeneye. We also heard other birds and saw deer tracks, as well as LOTS of evidence of beaver activity along the river.
The Urban Wilderness Explorers go on hikes regularly. If you’d like to be apprised
of the next opportunity, feel free to join the group on Meetup.com.
Here is a selection of images from the hike.
Troy Freund is a Milwaukee-based photographer and consultant, currently working with A Wealth of Nature. RRF is a project partner to A Wealth of Nature.