My old college friend invited me to stop and enjoy a visit to Waupaca as I was passing through Wisconsin. She knows I like to hike and suggested we try out a little trail in Manawa she was curious about.
Last Saturday we hiked the Little Wolf Trail. The trial itself is beautiful. We parked at a school and hiked the winding trail through a little woods and up a gentle incline to a field with wonderful long views. Next the trail map took us winding our way through a newer, pleasant looking residential neighborhood. That’s where the trouble began. We were startled by incredibly loud noise. As we continued we soon saw an ATV rip roaring around and jumping over a large mound of dirt. The noise quickly pierced the tranquility of our special day together. We looked on in disbelief, clenched our teeth, and continued on.
The trail led us down to the lake and through an older residential area. Then it led to a park like section along the river with several boardwalks and even a lovely covered bridge. It was quiet and relaxing. We saw large turtles basking on fallen logs, heard birds, watched ducks, and enjoyed the spring sunshine and wildflowers. We were in heaven. Then it happened again. Another ATV, obviously intent on making as much noise as possible, rattled our brains and made our blood boil. The remainder of our walk was ruined. It even caused a black shadow over the rest of our day.
My friend was beside herself with embarrassment. At one point I thought this typically calm woman would break into tears. She was trying to show off how nice her area was to me. She was upset and apologizing profusely for the crudeness and offense she felt she had subjected me to. We were dumbfounded that such disruptive behavior was allowed. So much work must have gone into making that beautiful hiking trail it is too bad that people making ridiculously loud noise are allowed to ruin it. It also gives visitors a poor impression of Manawa. I hope the community leaders will recognize the problem and put a stop to such a rude nonsense.