Day 123: Cross Plains Segment (Part 3), Dane County
Day 123: Friday, December 3rd, 2021
Total Miles covered for the day: 2.7
Location 1: The road portion of the Cross Plains Segment between West Old Sauk Road and West Mineral Point Road
1.1 miles of trail covered, plus 1.1 miles extra hiking
It's Friday night, and we're planning to walk in Cross Plains tomorrow during the group hike being sponsored by the IATA and the Cross Plains Chamber of Commerce. To make the best use of our time we are staying in an Airbnb, which happens to be less than a mile from the trail at one point. I'll give it a better description in tomorrow's blog.
Theresa was able to drive down early enough that she could walk off this section of roadway during the daylight, but had to do it in both directions. Unfortunately I had to work today all the way till 5 pm, so I wasn't able to get down to Cross Plains until well after dark.
In my favor - because Theresa could drop me off on one end and I could walk to the car, I was lucky enough that I only had to walk it in one direction. I dropped the van at the large parking area near the intersection of Timber Lane and W Old Sauk Road, and she drove me to the intersection of Timber Lane and W Mineral Point Road where the Cross Plains segment starts/ends. She drove off to continue her hike elsewhere and I started hoofing it north.
I started walking at 7:09 pm. It was only 35 degrees, but I was well-layered, and because I had so much farther to go than Theresa did, I took off at a jog-walk, my headlamp beam bouncing along the trail.
I say 'trail' because in fact, there was a trail there, cut through the field along side the road, or at least there was for the first half mile or so. This took me past a waterway known as Shovelers Sink, which is rumored to have a disappearing stream in it, where the running water pours into a hole in the earth and doesn't come back out. I was short on time and out of daylight, so I didn't have time to investigate.
The second half of this piece was on the road, but there wasn't a lot of traffic right at that time of day, so I was lucky in that regard. In fairly short order I reached the van and was headed to the other end of the roadway that Theresa was walking, so that she would have a car to walk to.
Location 2: The Road Portion of the Cross Plains Segment between Stagecoach Road and the parking area on Old Sauk Pass Road
1.6 miles of trail covered, plus 0.1 miles extra hiking
There is a distinctly uphill direction to walk this piece of roadway, which is north to south. That was the direction I was walking, because Theresa had parked at the large parking area on Old Sauk Pass Road and started walking west, taking her towards the City of Cross Plains.
When I passed her the first time, while she was walking and I was driving to the other end, she had only gotten about a half-mile down the road. This turned out to be about perfect. She had about 1.2 miles left to go, I had 1.7 miles to go, and I still had to drive and park.
I don't know what time it was when I reached the Stagecoach end, but I had done enough mental gymnastics to figure out I didn't need to hurry, so I started walking at a normal pace.
I remember how quiet it was as I walked. There was almost no traffic, and even the wind was quiet. I turned out the headlamp and walked by starlight for most of the way, only turning the headlamp on when cars were approaching.
By the time I was three tenths of a mile down the road, I could see Theresa's headlamp in the darkness, a half mile in the distance. I turned mine on and shined it at her so she would know where I was. We were both astounded at how bright that single light looked when it was the only light to be seen.
Eventually, of course, we did cross paths, just north of the intersection with North Birch Trail. Theresa was feeling pretty tired, but I was still oddly hyped, despite the long day at work and the long drive, followed by a 1-mile jog. After a brief PDA visible only to the night air, we continued on our way in opposite directions.
There was one farmhouse that sticks out in my mind, because they had a very tasteful display of Christmas lights, decorating a row of short pine trees along the edge of their farm field. From there I turned west and started uphill.
The hill wasn't much of an obstacle for me, because I wasn't in a hurry. I neither saw nor heard night animals as I passed the woods lining both sides of the road. The moon had set just before sundown, so there was nothing to illuminate the landscape but the distant stars. I spent as much time as possible walking with the headlamp off.
At the crest of the hill, the trail heads off road, going south past what looked like a farmhouse (it isn't), and I knew there was a spur trail here somewhere leading down to the parking area, a tenth of a mile down the road on the other side of the hill. I spent a few minutes looking for it, but was unable to locate it easily in the darkness, so I just walked the rest of the way along the road.
When I got to the parking area, it was 9:53 at night. I explored for a minute or two and saw that yes, there was indeed a spur trail heading up the hill that I missed somehow. Next to it were three rocks that represent the different types of rock one would encounter in the area, I guess.
These were not mere cast-offs from some past excavation, but rather intentional displays intended for all to see. I dutifully photographed them and counted myself among the many thousands who would pass by and wonder at the amount of effort put into presenting them in this fashion.
Theresa and I finished our walk at almost exactly the same time, and we crossed paths on the road in almost the same spot we crossed paths the first time. Satisfied with our accomplishments we drove in tandem to the Airbnb to get rested for the next day's hike.
Running Total: 851.8 miles of trail covered, 143.4 miles 'extra' hiking/biking. End of Day 123.
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