69 FALL 2019 ISSUE 01 / VOL . 01 SNOWGOER . COM
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This tall , easily accessible fire tower near Valhalla is the last in a series of towers placed on high spots around the county .
BAYFIELD COUNTY FACTS
• At 966,000 acres , Bayfield is Wisconsin ’ s second largest county , yet it has a sparse population of just 15,014 residents . There are even fewer people around in
winter than in the touristy summer and fall .
• Of that land mass , 433,582 acres are public land , allowing for the great maze of trails , forest roads , logging roads and other paths that make for great snowmobiling .
• Wisconsin residents pay $ 30 for a trail pass , though it only costs $ 10 if you ’ re an in-state snowmobile club member . For non-residents , the mandatory trail pass costs $ 50 .
• For more information on Bayfield County snowmobiling opportunities , visit bayfieldcounty . com ; for information on the Woodside Cottages , visit woodsidecottages . com .
WE ’ RE IN THE MIDDLE of nowhere on a cold , overcast late afternoon , mindlessly following a person we just met on a path that leads deeper into the unknown , rural nowhere .
It seems every time the marked snowmobile trail goes right , we go left . We cross the trail again , but instead of taking it , our group goes straight , and then doesn ’ t cross the trail again for a long time . The dense backwoods where we ’ re being led is intersected by a labyrinth of paths — we soon have no idea where we are , and no idea how to get back to the truck .
Our newfound leader — a tall , thin man with deep-set eyes and a time-weathered face — didn ’ t speak to visitors Steve , Greg and I much before we left , and now he just plods on , and on . He ’ s dressed all in black , from the top of his helmet to the tip of his boots , and he glances in his mirror often to make sure we ’ re still there — that nobody has escaped . Soon another stranger joins our group , at the back . We ’ re surrounded .
We follow along , being led deeper into the backcountry . We haven ’ t crossed a paved road or seen any other humans in a half hour , but those paths lead in all directions , and we just keep going . Wait ... is that banjo music in the distance — the theme to “ Deliverance ,” maybe ? If we stay anywhere today , will it be the place that inspired the hit “ Hotel California ” by the Eagles ? Where ARE we ?! The sun is setting somewhere , but the sky is so blocked by the heavy , low clouds , there ’ s no telling east from west .
What have we gotten ourselves into ?