Day 50: McKenzie Creek Segment (Part 2), Polk County

Day 50: Saturday April 10th, 2021

Total Miles covered for the day: 6.4

Location: Center stretch of the McKenzie Creek Segment between McKenzie Lake to the south, and 60th Street to the north.
6.1 miles of trail covered, plus bonus 0.1 miles connecting route and 0.2 miles of trail

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

McKenzie, McKenzie, I love you

McKenzie, you're pretty as a stream

With soft, flowing curves that are so full of life

McKenzie, I'll see you in my dreams

Someday when I'm walking in heaven

The woods will be lovely and green

And out there among all the low, gentle hills

McKenzie will be waiting for me

McKenzie, McKenzie, I love you

My heart longs for no one but thee

I'll always remember the sound of your voice

McKenzie, I'll see you in my dreams

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our 50th day of hiking or biking on the trail. Where should we go? How about back to one of our favorite segments that we didn't finish so long ago? McKenzie Creek. Perfect.

This year we decided to get serious again about our hiking. We had already covered 30.9 miles this year - no small commitment given that I work full-time and it's only April 10th. We also bought our FOURTH set of Atlas pages, which arrived just in time for us to take off on a real hiking vacation. Nine days of hiking out west, to start closing the gap. 

Until today, we had hiked only the first three complete maps, out in Polk county, then had a gap from maps 4-17, representing 137.4 miles of challenge. But - if we can close that gap, then we will have hiked or bicycled every mile from St. Croix Falls to Langlade County. We decided to take nine days and see how far we could get. 

The biggest problem we faced was the weather. During the week leading up to our vacation it rained. Everywhere. All over the state. Not just a little - a LOT. Up to four inches in some areas we wanted to hike. we looked at moving our vacation to other regions of the state. No good. Rain was forecast for Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and possible snow on Tuesday. There was no good answer, but at least it looked like if we went west, we might catch a break on Saturday and most of Sunday. So we dove into the car on Friday night, planning to go to the near end of the gap, finishing the Chippewa River segment on map 16 and start working our way west while the woods dried up a little. 

On Friday night, we drove to the parking area on Cty Hwy CC, only to find it 1) already occupied, and 2) an absolute mud-hole. The Firth Lake segment, as far as we can tell, no longer goes all the way to Cty Hwy CC. And, it no longer uses the 2-mile connecting route, but rather joins the Chippewa River segment midway, and everything north of the parking area is now a blue-blaze connecting route. Maps were wrong. Online resources were wrong. We called the IAT main office and they didn't know anything about it. The only place we found information was on the website maintained by the Ice Age Trail Alliance in Chippewa County, on an article called "New Trail Route At Firth Lake - Chippewa River Segment Junction" (which has since been deleted). 

We drove to the Parking area on the north end of the Chippewa River Segment, and it's still there, with good signage, but if the article is right the northern half of this segment was converted to a blue-blaze access trail. 

You may look back at the top of the post and wonder if I got my blog posts mixed up, but stick with me here. 

We weren't really sure if our plan was a good one, so we decided to drive down 250th Ave and take a look at the Parking area up by Firth Lake. This actually was a very good decision, because by the time we got the 2 miles down that gravel mud track, we knew there was no way we were going to get ourselves stuck in that mess, and we completely abandoned the idea of hiking in the area. Too much rain, turning otherwise reliable roads into a bad night waiting to happen. So we got out of there (happily without incident) and kept going west. 

We found a place that was suitable for van-camping, and stayed overnight on Friday. The overnight temperatures were supposed to stay above freezing, so we were plenty warm in the van. Then on Saturday morning we got up and drove to Polk County. Forget it. McKenzie or bust.

We drove our target vehicle all the way to McKenzie Lake, to the parking area we last looked at on 9/3/2013. It was here that we left off on our westward trek 8 years ago, and here we would pick it back up again. We drove our launch vehicle up to the parking area on Cth Hwy W and started south at 10:11 am, temperature 40 degrees. Day 1 on our nine-day adventure.

We were immediately worried. Right by the parking area it was obvious that vehicles had gotten into the mud and had difficulty getting back out again. The footing was poor. There was standing water. Fifty feet down the trail we could tell that it wasn't quite as bad, but for the first two or three tenths of a mile there were some bad spots to avoid. Then the trail dove quickly down a fairly steep embankment to a creek crossing, only to climb steeply back out the other side, and we were genuinely concerned that this would be nothing like our experience on the southern end of the segment 8 years ago. 

And then - organ notes and angels' choir singing - it all became wonderful. We never stopped to think about trail conditions the rest of the way south. This piece of the segment, the middle third, was a lovely 2.9 mile stroll along McKenzie Creek, with hardly a care in the world to bother you. There were no bugs, no big hills, no rocks, the trail was beautifully marked and easy on the feet, the view of the river was very pretty - truly a 10-out-of-10 experience. 

We met several hikers along the way. First, we passed a woman who exclaimed 'Oh! There are other hikers on the trail today!' She told us she had been hiking quite a while and seen no one as she walked north. We, on the other hand, were walking south and within three minutes passed a group of three hikers (men) whose pace would have them catching the woman long before Cty Hwy W. Then we saw a couple who were hiking along with purpose, obviously section hiking like we were. We didn't linger to talk to any of them.

There was actually one fairly significant climb, ending at N 45 37.098, W 92 18.001. After that it was all downhill. We crossed a small creek on a very nice bridge, and it was smooth, easy sailing until we reached the parking area. 

All hail the trail makers. They should make the whole trail like this.

Worth noting - when we reached the parking lot, we walked across the road, and for the first time since September 3, 2013, "touched the river", having made a physical connection to the part of the trail that we had already covered, leading all the way back to St. Croix Falls. It was only three maps, but it was 2,776 days, almost eight years, and there was a brief feeling of excitement that we were back where we started. The time was 1:15 pm, and it was 43 degrees. We were ready for more.

From here we drove our vehicle to the Parking Lot on the end of 60th Street, just south of Clam Falls. As always, the gravel roads had areas that were muddy and careful driving was needed, but most of the parking area on this spot was drivable. We were one of three vehicles there. The hikers were out and about. 

While we ate our lunch, we encountered the three men whom we met further south who had been hiking so quickly, just finishing the piece we were about to hike. A brief exchange and they were off to the east while we were going south again. We started down the trail at 3:30 pm, the temperature having climbed all the way up to 46 degrees. Another 3.2 miles of trail awaited us, and we were looking forward to it.

This parking area, by the way, is actually on the Clam River, not McKenzie Creek, and the first thing you have to do is cross a large wooden bridge spanning the rather fast-moving Clam River. Then you walk briefly along the water's edge, or in our case, through the water, because the trail was literally swallowed by the rain-fattened creek. We actually found a way around the water, but it was a near thing. Mud, mud, mud. 'Here we go...' we thought. 

And then as we climbed back up the other side of the hill  - organ notes and angels' choir singing - it all became wonderful. 

We hiked a few low hills, until we saw and then passed Dinger Lake. Theresa mentioned that if it was red, it would be called a Red Dinger. I said, 'What?' She said 'Red Dinger. Like Dead Ringer. Get it?' I got it. We agreed that the mind goes very strange places when you're alone with your thoughts while you walk.

We got to a low spot near the creek at N 45 39.771, W 92 17.201 and then hiked up a very steep hill, finally reaching a spot near N 45 39.553, W 92 17.507 that literally stopped us in our tracks. The overlook on the McKenzie creek below was worth a moment of silent reverie. We were staring southwest down a steep hillside, with the sun glaring directly on the creek in front of us and dappling through the branches. When the pain and the mud and the rocks are all forgotten, I will remember this view of the trail. 

We really enjoyed the easy beautiful walk along the blufftop with frequent memorable views of the river. Several places had benches, and we stopped often to enjoy the view. Theresa said that when she gets to Heaven, she knows that McKenzie Creek will be flowing there through the hills. I can't find a better way to tell you how beautiful it was.

We eventually made our way back down to water's edge at N 45 38.682, W 92 17.890, leaving McKenzie Creek  for the last time and making our way across land to the waiting car on County Highway W. We walked over to touch the sign, once again feeling the joy of 'touching the river' and extending our line eastward. The time was 5:30 pm, and it was 46 degrees.

Now that we have maps that more accurately reflect distances, we are taking credit for the trail mileage not claimed back in 2013, and the extra 0.1 miles of connecting route to the south.

Running Total: 370.5 miles of trail covered; 36.8 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking. End of Day 50.

.

.

Return to Table of Contents

.

.

Day 49: Parrish Hills Segment (Part 2), Langlade County

Day 49: Sunday April 4th, 2021

Total Miles covered for the day: 3.1

Location: Middle third of the Parrish Hills Segment between a remote intersection with a logging road north of Five Cent Rd to the west, and the intersection with Nelson Firelane to the east.
3.1 miles of trail covered

It’s a lovely day in Parrish, warm breezes in the air

There’s wildflowers, honey bees and beauty everywhere

If today was made of food it would be peanut butter fudge

Today is now the day against which all days must be judged

There’s children riding bicycles and not a cloud in sight

If I can trust the weatherman, it’ll be a lovely night

I’ve been around a long, long time; I’ve never seen the like

It’s a lovely day in Parrish for a hike

It’s a lovely day in Parrish, the lawns are lush and green

This day was made for butterflies and triple-dip ice cream

The windows are all open and there’s birdsong in the trees

The buds all burst like popcorn; you can watch them sprouting leaves

There are perfect little flowers bursting forth from perfect sod

The preacher’s in his pulpit preachin’ ‘bout the Hand of God

You’d think we’ve seen the rapture by the way that people talk

It’s a lovely day in Parrish for a walk

It’s a lovely day in Parrish, a day to fall in love

It’s not Iowa nor heaven, but for me it’s close enough

I see old folks out on porches, and people holding hands

This day is worth a million bucks, plus an extra hundred grand

I can hear the whispered welcome coming from the Ice Age Trail

For peace and restoration, yellow blazes never fail

There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than on some grassy knoll

It’s a lovely day in Parrish for a stroll

_______________________________________________________________

Today was a great day. 

I'll admit, it wasn't quite as perfect as the idyllic scene painted above, but it was a darn nice day. Plus, we had our daughter with us, and her intrepid dog, Joplin, so that made it seem perfect. 

When we picked up our daughter to go hiking she asked why we only had one car with us. "We left the other one in the woods", we told her, and we had. If you read our blog from yesterday, you know that we dropped one vehicle in the woods at N 45 24.765, W 89 22.395. We decided we would just leave that car there overnight and start our day at the spot on Five Cent Road where the trail heads south towards Nelson Firelane, at about N 45 24.512, W 89 21.151 and walk the 0.2 miles of road westward until the trail leaves the road heading north into the woods. The time was 11:43 am, and it was 55 degrees, with partly cloudy skies and light breezes. It was indeed a lovely day in Parrish for a hike.

This first leg of the trail presented us with about 1.4 miles of hiking to the car, which was mostly level, easy hiking except for one notable climb up and over a logging road at N 45 24.901, W 89 21.734, where the trail led down into another large, open field that had a firepit in the middle. It's a giant kettle pock mark surrounded by hills, and it's kept open by fire, mowing, or some other artificial means. Cool feature if you know what you're looking at.

My recollection is that it would be another outstanding place to set up a tent, and I'm sure many people have. Funny thing is, I remember the trail cutting to the north here, but Google Maps shows it marching straight across the field. Close enough for Google, I guess. They get it right most of the time. 

The rest of this piece of trail was easy walking, and I have no memory of roots, rocks, mud, or anything else to diminish our joy, so I give it a thumbs up on the B&T hike-o-meter. When we met up with the troad (ignore Google Maps on this one - they don't have a clue where the trail is through here) we walked along that for a while, then stayed on it for the last 0.1 miles up to the waiting van where we ate our lunch. It was 1:30 pm, and 60 degrees. 

We were feeling so good we didn't take much of a break, then we drove down to the spot on Nelson Firelane where the trail crosses at N 45 23.831, W 89 20.527. The Firelane in this area is quite drivable, though there is an alarming drop and climb that would be absolutely impassable if the roads were muddy. However, because of the wide-open clear-cut the sun had baked the roadbed good and dry, and we had no trouble reaching our launching point.

We started on this next 1.5 mile piece at 2:09 pm and headed west. Looking at the IAT Resource Map, this little section appears to delight in taking hikers up and down the hills, for no particular reason. However, having walked it I can say there were few times I felt we needlessly hiked up just to hike down. The route mostly made sense.  

I remember clearly walking past the south end of the small kettle lake, with hemlock trees and very little mud. Without too much effort it would be possible to find a place for a pup tent, and I suppose this too would be a nice place to camp, as long as the deer flies weren't out. From here it's a relatively easy 3-4 tenths of a mile further until you reach a mildly wet crossing, followed by a steep uphill climb to a troad. 

The remaining 0.8 miles of trail ran along this road, winding generally north and providing for easy hiking through the hills. We reached the car in no time, arriving at 3:30 pm. The dog was starting to drag a little by this point, and we were happy to call it quits for the day. The temperature a warm, friendly 62 degrees. It was indeed a Lovely Day in Parrish for a Hike.

I would normally have ended the blog there, except our adventure wasn't quite over. After retrieving our launch vehicle, we now had two cars sitting on Nelson Firelane, out in the middle of the woods. There were three ways out of there. We could head South, continuing on the Firelane, until we reached Evergreen Drive, and eventually County Road T. This was only 2.1 miles of unknown road until we reached something we could be sure was drivable. Our second option was to go back north, then turn right on Five Cent Road, continuing all the way east to West Elcho Rd, a 4.2 mile journey across mostly unknown roads (an estimated 19 minute drive according to Google Maps). The third option was of course to go back the way we came, bumping our way along the 4.3 miles of Five Cent Road we had already covered, a known route, but known to be rugged. 

We decided our best option would be the short trip south, since Nelson Firelane had proven to be quite drivable so far. May I offer to any who reads this blog that there are three different types of 'roads' we're talking about here. One is properly referred to as a 'Road', that is, Five Cent Road. Another is also called a 'road', but anytime you see an unnamed white line on the map that says 'Logging Road' you know in advance you're taking your life in your hands trying to use it with a normal vehicle. Then there's the other option, the 'Firelane'. I have driven firelanes before, and typically they are no better than logging roads, having only the added benefit of being mostly straight, and usually a little better maintained. Usually. In this case, the townsfolk seem to have forgotten about our dear Mr. Nelson's legacy lane, because not too far south of where we started, the roadway became seriously unsuitable for a minivan and a Toyota Prius. Once again, we made it out with nothing broken (we think), but when we come back this way again, we will probably take the 4.3 miles of the devil we know, rather than Nelson Firelane, or the other half of Five Cent Road. 

And we'll NEVER come out here after it rains. Three weeks of dry weather, minimum , or forgettaboutit. There are other places to hike.

Running Total: 363.6 miles of trail covered; 36.8 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking. End of Day 49.

.

.

Return to Table of Contents

.

.

Day 48: Parrish Hills Segment (Part 1), Langlade County

Day 48: Saturday April 3rd, 2021

Total Miles covered for the day: 4.4

Location: Western third of the Parrish Hills Segment between the trailhead to the west and a remote intersection with a logging road north of Five Cent Rd to the east.
4.4 miles of trail covered.

Saturday morning, up and 'running'. Or at least, up and walking. Having just completed Lincoln county to the west, we immediately set our sights on Langlade County, a tough 60+ miles of rugged, remote wilderness. 

We had taken to printing copies of the trail maps to take with us on the hikes, and using Google Maps or the IAT Resource Map to get coordinates for various points along the trail. This makes for great hiking when you can ask the question, 'How far is it to...?' and actually have an answer. 

We started out by dropping a vehicle at the parking area on the Lincoln/Langlade county line on First Lake Road, then took our launch vehicle to the place where the trail crosses County H. It was here we started our day at 12:10 pm, temperature 60 degrees and overcast. This first 1.5 miles went quickly, except that Theresa's feet were hurting again from what turned out to be ill-fitting boots. What I remember most about this was fairly easy hiking except for the hike up and down the shoulder of Baldy Hill. Come on, people, WHY? 

Baldy Hill is a nice hill. Lovely view from up there. But there was no point in climbing it. At Baldy, the path (an otherwise enjoyable stroll through the woods on troads and lovely trail) went 100 feet straight up one side, only to careen 100 feet straight down the other side at an unreasonable and ecologically unsound pitch. Just a slight detour on to this glacial 'feature' to suck the life out of you. If you want to avoid this - walk the troad at the bottom of the hill. 

As we neared the end of the Baldy Hill experience, we saw a group of three hikers headed the other way. "You have a choice", I offered, telling them about the troad bypass in case they wanted to avoid the hill. "We know", they said, "we hiked it yesterday the other direction." As we headed down the trail, I looked back and saw that they were indeed headed back up the hill. 'Good for them', I thought. 'Not sure I would do it twice carrying those heavy backpacks.'

The rest of the walk was fairly easy, with only a few muddy areas, and we soon found ourselves at the car. The time was 1:10 pm, and it was 64 degrees. Thank goodness it was overcast. 

We drove ourselves to the next launch point, parking along Pine Road at 1:35 pm. Just as we were parking the car, we saw the same group of three hikers passing us on the road. "Wow!" we said. "You guys made great time!" I mentioned that we saw them headed up Baldy Hill again, and one of them gave a sheepish grin and said, "Nah - we got halfway up and decided to come back down and walk around." Apparently once was enough for them, too, and I couldn't blame them.

They told us they were headed all the way back to the end of the segment at Townline Lake, and we wished them good travels, knowing how far that was. Later on I regretted not asking them about the ford. Oh well. 

This should have been an indication to us how easy this next 1.0 miles of trail would be. It's not much for scenery, but it's a nice, easy march along the troads and flat trails. I thought we would really make time through here, but unfortunately Theresa's feet weren't having it. She was literally in pain with every step. Something was definitely wrong, but she pushed through the pain and we made it to the car by 2:10 pm. I don't want to belittle the effort. She really gutted it out the last two tenths of a mile. I felt bad, but I was really impressed. The temperature was now 64 degrees.

I was concerned about the next part of the hike. Our plan was to drive to a spot along the Logging Road north of Five Cent Road, parking at N 45 24.797, W 89 22.340, or actually a little southwest of there. From there we had 1.6 miles of hiking, then fording the Prairie River, then a final 0.4 miles back to the car. With Theresa's feet in such pain, I didn't think we could do it. But she decided to change shoes and just wear her water shoes the entire way. They're pretty good shoes, really, but have very little traction. I kept it in mind we could always turn around if needed. 

We got to our parking coordinates and took off about 2:45 pm. Before I go any further, I want to talk about Five Cent Road, and the Logging Roads that fork off of it. I don't know how Five Cent Road got it's name. Maybe it's because someone at the Town Hall said 'We should call it Five Cent Road, 'cuz it ain't worth a dime!' Or maybe they called it that because that's all they spent building it, or because that's all your car will be worth if you drive it. Five Cent Road, while drivable, isn't easy or enjoyable. It's downright hard on your car. And then the Logging Roads... The IAT Guidebook advises you not to drive on the Logging roads because they are only maintained for ATVs. I'd say that's sound advice. You really, really don't want to get stuck out there. If it's been raining - I would stay off of Five Cent Road, too, just to be safe. Go somewhere else. Save yourself the headache. 

But - it had been dry, and we didn't bust an axle getting to our parking coordinates, so we grabbed our trail lunch and started following the yellow blazes. I haven't mentioned those yet, because they were well-done. Never a concern that you would lose your way, except that one part walking the troad when you come to a no-trespassing sign, and you don't see the next blaze immediately... but I digress. 

One notable feature was a rather outstanding camping area we passed that was built by the local snowmobile club, with a firepit and a covered structure. There was a tent there, doubtless belonging to a hiker we never met, in the middle of the large, open field at the end of what was probably the logging road to the south. It would be a nice place to stay if you're through-hiking. In fact, as I think back on the day one thing I remember is there were numerous places where it would be easy and pleasant to set up a tent. You can find this one at N 45 24.916, W 89 22.559. 

We were really hoping to see our three trail-friends again, to ask them about the ford, but after walking a while, and then sitting down to enjoy our lunch, we decided we must have missed them. But then as we kept walking through a rolling and largely uneventful trail, suddenly we could see them ahead of us. We were surprised, because they had been moving fast earlier, so we assumed we had missed them. We asked if they had stopped for lunch, and they said yes.

So we laughed about crossing paths so often, and finally had a chance to ask about the ford. "Cold!" came the immediate wide-eyed response. "Stick to the right side", was another piece of advice, meaning the upriver side. "Thanks for taking a lunch break", we said, so we could ask you about the river crossing." Grins and nods, and we were both off hiking. We would not see them again. 

It should have been a hint to us that after so much time had passed, we encountered them again. That means something slowed them down, and it wasn't just the river, or even the lunch break. No, it was muck. Tree roots, and muck. There is a section of private land that needs to be walked around to get to the river, and as a result, the approach to the river isn't very nice. The last quarter mile or so takes you hopping through an alder bog, looking for ways to keep your feet dry. It wasn't quite as critical for Theresa because she was already wearing water shoes, but it was a little tougher for me in my hikers. 

Just before the river we spotted a very nice painted rock talking about the ford, and we left it there for future hikers to enjoy. And then the river. 

Just on the east side of the river is a large evergreen with exposed roots to sit on, perfect for changing your shoes. I sat there and changed into water shoes, actually taking my pants off because I heard the water could go as high as your knees, and I was in no mood to walk in wet pants. Once I had everything loaded, I walked along the many branches that had been laid down to minimize the mud and stepped into the river. 

They said it was cold. I was thinking I would just walk my stuff across, lay it down on the other side, then come back to to take Theresa's bags across, or hold her had while she crossed. Nope. Nope, nope, nope. This water was COLD!! My feet were in pain by the time I reached the other side. Theresa was on her own. "Stay upriver and just keep moving!" I called out for advice. I don't think it was wider than 20 or 25 feet, but it felt wider. 

Theresa plunged in, and to her credit, she made no complaints at all about the water. "How far to the right?" she asked. "Go!" I said. "Just keep moving!" She admitted to me later that the cold water actually felt good on her aching feet, and she made it across just fine. I count myself a lucky man, because I would have felt terrible guilt if she had fallen in. 

On the west side of the river is the foundation of some old building, with concrete blocks sticking up like widely-spaced teeth, providing yet another perfect place to sit in the sun, change your shoes, or enjoy a picnic. A stamp in the concrete shows that this foundation was laid by the Alamo Cement Works, August Marmes Proprietor. We sat in the comfort of those blocks of concrete as many hundreds of travelers before us, and many hundreds to come. Most won't pause to thank August for his labor of many years before, but we sure appreciated it. Thank you, August. I changed back into my hiking shoes while Theresa kept going. Her feet were feeling better, having walked in different shoes* and getting that nice, cold soaking, but they were still sore, and we were very near the end. 

The last quarter mile or so before we reached the road was along a wide-open grassy field, which was delightfully sunny and warm as it had now reached 64 degrees. A short walk back up the road to the parking area, and we touched the last sign for the day, ending at 4:45 pm. 

Just as we were getting ready to leave, we saw a couple walking down the road, a garbage bag in tow. "Thank you", I said, "for picking up trash". He looked at us funny, and said, "I saw you two earlier walking that way (west) and now you just came walking up from that way (east)." We laughed and explained to him that we cover the trail in little snippets, always walking to a waiting car. We proceeded to chat for quite a while standing there on Pine Road, with him telling us about all the interesting people he meets who walk by his place while on the trail. We showed him our maps and told him we had already covered nearly 400 miles in our adventures, and he was quite impressed. He told us he had walked a ways in both directions, but wasn't keeping track. I'm not sure his wife ever said a word.

Running Total: 360.9 miles of trail covered; 36.7 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking. End of Day 48.

* Post Log Note

There is a lesson here about footwear that is worth knowing. Theresa had been wearing boots that for whatever reason were causing pain. We discovered this by accident. Knowing that we had a water crossing at the end of our hike, she decided to change into her water shoes and walk the whole section in those. After only one or two tenths of a mile, she realized that her feet, which were throbbing points of agony only a short time before, were almost entirely pain-free.  She was able to continue the rest of the hike with only normal foot fatigue. 

The lesson is, that if you are experiencing pain with your boots/shoes, either in the toes or the balls of your feet, or your heels, or whatever - you're wearing the wrong shoes. Even boots you have used extensively that used to feel oh-so-good will break down eventually, and you shouldn't suffer along on bad equipment. If you're spending a lot of time hiking, be ready to replace your footwear occasionally to protect those all-important points of contact with dear mother earth. 

.

.

Return to Table of Contents

.

.