Black Willows on the Chippewa River Trail Multi-Cache
Black Willows on the Chippewa River Trail
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This cache takes you to the habitat of beavers along the Chippewa River Trail. The Chippewa River Trail is a paved bike trail south of Eau Claire along the Chippewa River, so you can either bike or hike to the cache.
One of the favorite trees of beavers is the Black Willow, also know as the salix nigra. Beavers love the thick bark of the black willow, and once they fell a tree, they often will chew off much of the bark. You will see several examples of trees brought down by beavers near here.
The Black Willow tree is a small (sometimes shrub like) to large, short-lived, deciduous tree. It is fast growing and may reach maturity within 30 years. This tree usually obtains a height of about 50 feet. The massive trunks are generally leaning and are often divided. In the particular willow tree that holds the cache, the trunk quickly divides into many branchs, creating a "bowl" for the cache to rest. This is typical of the willow. The bark of the willow is thick and deeply divided into furrows separating thick, scaly ridges.
Black Willow trees have a crown that is broad and open with stout branches. Black Willow trees have twigs that are slender and easily detached. Leaf blades are variable in size, generally narrow and long, up to 4 or 5 inches long. Black willow roots are shallow and laterally extensive making them an able to adapt to stream banks and wet locations. The location of this willow, is in the Chippewa River flood plain, and the Willow can tolerate having the trunk seasonally submerged. Flood waters have twice flooded over the elevation of the bike trail near here since it was built, washing part of the trail away.
The coordinates above take you to the point where beavers enter the river. If you look carefully, you will see the beaver path, and how obstructions have been cleared by these busy beavers. To find the final cache, go 95 feet away from the river, at an angle of 135 degrees, to a large willow tree. The cache is in the willow tree. (The 95 feet assumes normal water level. In the summer when the water is down, it is more like 120 feet. During flooding, it will be closer.)
This is one of a series of caches along the Chippewa River Trail. The route traces quiet countryside and broad meanders of the Chippewa River. For the most part, it follows the rail bed of the Milwaukee Road railway, built in 1882, which connected Eau Claire to Red Wing, Minnesota. The railway was abandoned in 1980.
The Chippewa River was once the "Road of War" for the Ojibwe (Chippewa) and Dakota (Sioux). It was a direct canoe route between the center of Dakota power at the north end of Lake Pepin and Ojibwe territory in northwestern Wisconsin. The conflict raged for more than 150 years with the last battle taking place near Eau Claire in 1854.
The trail goes though the Lower Chippewa River Valley, an area with much remaining natural habitat, including 50% of the states plant species, 70% of the state's fish species, 75% of the state's nesting bird species and 25% of all native prairies remaining in the state.
A trail pass is required to bike on the trail. Passes are available at 44.47.165; 91.31.935, which is the Short Street ranger station. Passes cost $15 for an annual pass, or $4 for a daily pass.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
gjb srrg hc