Skiing at the Riveredge Nature Center

It was a perfect afternoon. The sun was shinning, the wind was down, the air was a crisp 20 degrees. A fresh couple of inches of snow had fallen overnight, topping a 12-inch base already accumulated earlier in the season. A perfect day for the old waxable, wood-with-stone-edged boards, using the silver wax but adding just a touch of gold in the center.

The trails were newly tracked, but with only 2 inches of new fluff, such an amenity would not have been required. The staff does like to keep things neat.

This is the place for the cross-country skier who prefers trails without skaters shouting "On your left!" as they pole, push and zip by the practitioners of classic technique who kick and glide, kick and glide - and, occasionally, herringbone - their way along on fresh snow.

Here a good day on cross-country skis means cruising through mature woods, schussing through open prairies and traversing the banks of a river that, at least most of the year, has some open water.

All these pleasures are available on the grounds of the Riveredge Nature Center in southeastern Wisconsin, northeast of Newburg - a small town along State Highway 33 between Port Washington on Lake Michigan and West Bend.

RNC is a privately funded nonprofit with 378 acres of outdoor classroom space open to the public.

Within its boundaries is the main learning center and several other unique teaching facilities, seven ponds, a pristine stream and nearly two miles of Milwaukee River frontage. The members have restored 37 acres of prairie and maintain a wide variety of woodlands, including a maple sugarbush. When you add unique wetlands and eskers and hills on the southeastern edge of the Kettle Moraine, you have a priceless natural setting for teaching youth and adult groups in a variety of environmental programs.

All of these ecosystems can be visited on skis, but only if you ski traditionally. Sorry, but there is no room for skating. The trail's only wide enough for skiing single file in classic tracks.

The longest loop, The Outer Loop, is four to five miles long, depending on the weather. I have to add that, because in the early season, before cold weather sets in to really freeze everything solid, the east end of this trail is too wet to be skied. After the marsh freezes, skiers make their own trail through it and reconnect to the main trail a half mile or so beyond the marsh. This trail is only used in winter for skiers.

The trail begins at the Octagon, the main building. Within its tracks you will traverse prairie, hilltops, that bit of cattail marsh I just mentioned, cross the clear and sparkling Riveredge Creek, and return through a portion a mature maple and beech woods that members have named "Hawk Woods." You can guess why. Keep your eyes open as you pass through.

One of the inner loops has been referred to as the Wet Forest. This trail is ungroomed so skiers break their own trail. It is about two miles in length, cutting through a State Natural Area. SNAs are designated as tracts of land or water that still have the last remnants of the native landscape as it existed prior to 1830. Even in winter it looks and feels different than the surrounding lands. You can just tell it is some place special as you negotiate a sometimes tricky boardwalk from which, late in the skiing season but early in the spring season, you might see the first skunk cabbage poking their noses out through the snow.

My favorite Riveredge trail is the River Loop. Almost four miles in length, the loop's entrance begins in maturing woods of elm, ash, ironwood and much understory growth.

A few kicks and glides, and a couple of turns later, you are paralleling the Milwaukee River. Early in the season there is considerable open water which, if you pause for a moment, you can hear as it bubbles over small rocks and on the edges of ice.

The trail follows the water for about a mile and a half, crossing Riveredge Creek just 50 yards from where it adds its flow to the river. Along the track you will view the river from many vantage points including an open, low vista downriver from a group of islands; a pinnacle, enshrouded with cedars, and from a man-made overlook platform.

All along this portion of the trail, even in the coldest winter, you will find spots of open water. If you are lucky, you could see a river otter on the ice. And if you are really lucky, you will see it eating a fish it just caught.

Continuing along this trail, you come to the Sugar Inn, where sugarbush sap will be cooked into maple syrup. When a late snowfall comes in March, skiing the ungroomed trail to that operation is possible. Otherwise, the way will be open for visitors to walk in.

I rate the trails at Riveredge trails as easy to intermediate. That's a reflection of the flat stretches through prairie and along hilltops, and a few modest downhill runs, one of which requires a slight turn to the right as you approach the bottom.

Wildlife abounds. Tracks are everywhere. This makes it an ideal place for people like my wife and I, who do not ski to see how fast we can go. We ski to get fresh air, to see how the flora and fauna are getting on through the winter. This means we stop and read the stories in the snow. We get a little color in our checks and I grow ice in my beard, all while sweating just enough. By the time we get back home, have a hot shower and a glass of our favorite libation, we've completed three or four hours of traditional, kick and glide, sometimes while breaking our own trails.

Although the emphasis here is on skiing, readers should know that the Riveredge Nature Center also has 1.5 miles of trail dedicated to snowshoers, the Mayhew Woods. Snowshoers and skiers do not share the same trails. Snowshoe lacing can really can mess up a good set of ski tracks, so web walkers have their own trails to enjoy.

Jerry Kiesow enjoys all aspects of the outdoors. In his book Tales of The Peshtigo Putzer, he tells of some of his skiing adventures and many other yarns on a variety of outdoor activities. You can get a copy at www.publishamerica.com. If you would like a personalized autographed copy, send $24 to Jerry Kiesow, 1690 Dellwood Ct., Grafton, WI 53024. The cost covers the book, tax, packaging and shipping, and makes a great gift.

SIDEBAR #1:

33 miles from Milwaukee

82 miles from Madison

100 miles from Green Bay

120 miles from Chicago

163 miles from Wausau, WI

178 miles from Dubuque, IA

261 miles from Iowa City, IA

319 miles Minneapolis

392 from Duluth, MN and Superior, WI ... 392

SIDEBAR #2:

Riveredge Nature Center at a glance

? Located Highway Y going north and east off of highway 33 in Newburg. Look for NO NO's Restaurant and turn quick.

? Fourteen miles of trails, eight miles of which are groomed.

? Trails open sunrise to sunset everyday except during the gun deer season.

? Members ski free, nonmembers $4 per day.

? The Octagon is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays, noon to 4 p.m. The trails are open on Sundays but the building may not be.

? Night skiing events are held in January and February.

? Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing classes for beginners are usually scheduled in January. Check the website, www.riveredge.us or call 800/287-8098.