Day 131: Connecting Route, Merrimac Segment (Part 2), Sauk County

Day 131: Sunday, January 23rd, 2022

Total Miles covered for the day: 2.9

Location 1: The connecting route south of the Merrimac Segment between the eastern trailhead of the Merrimac Segment and the railroad tracks

1.0 miles of trail covered

Today started out gloriously cold, with a fresh 'dusting' of about 3 inches of light, fluffy snow on the ground. The Willowood Inn is a lovely place to stay, as far as motels go, but they don't do much in the way of snow removal. I had to shovel my way out to the cars, then shovel a path over to the office just do I could drop off the key in the morning. Not that it was heavy snow, I was just surprised that by 10:30 in the morning I hadn't seen any sign of life at all from the proprietors, other than the meager continental breakfast laid out in the lobby. 

Once we were packed up, it was time to hit the trail. We didn't have much to do today, so we were taking life easy. 

The first bit of business was to cover the remaining portion of the connecting route that lies between the Merrimac Segment and the Wisconsin River, where we had taken the Colsac III, better known by absolutely everyone as the Merrimac Ferry, last November. It was a little challenging finding places to park, so we settled for just pulling most of the way off the road and trusting that we wouldn't upset too many Sunday drivers. 

It was 13 degrees when we started walking, and it was bright and sunny. High cirrus clouds blew by overhead, making occasional bright sun dogs. An eagle soared by silently, traveling from the open water on the river to an unknown destination in the bluffs. 

I took exactly two photos as we walked along the road. The first was of this old weathered barn. 

The walk was chilly, but there was no wind, so it was fairly pleasant. By the time we bent around past the cemetery, still and undisturbed but for the deer tracks that ran through, it was 12:15 pm. 

Time for the next leg. 

Location 2: The eastern half of the Merrimac Segment between the east trailhead and the trail crossing on Marsh Road

1.9 miles of trail covered

Parking at the center of the Merrimac Segment, where the trail crosses Marsh Road, is a bit precarious even in good weather. With several inches of snow on the ground and three of it fresh, the pickings are slim indeed. Nevertheless, we managed to pull off the road far enough to not get hit, and we started the second half of the Merrimac Segment right where we left off yesterday. This time, however, we would be breaking fresh trail rather than walking on top of the heavily trampled snowpack left behind by dozens of other hikers. 

Leading down from the road to the tiny gap in the fence where the trail went through was a depression of sorts, indicating where the hard packed snow lay buried beneath the new fluffy layer. We followed that narrow depression in the snow and it guided us faithfully for the rest of the hike. 

The trail cuts briefly along the road, then takes several looping switchbacks that gracefully took us up and over a small hill. These switchbacks were not absolutely necessary, but they were greatly appreciated, turning what would have been a steep climb into a gentle stroll. 

We didn't always have to break trail. Our first animal friend who did that for us was a squirrel. 

In several places, there was a fantastic overview of the moraine that stopped up the river and formed Devil's Lake. We were standing on a spot that would have been a quarter mile underneath the leading edge of the Green Bay Lobe of the glacier, and the unnatural looking moraine that spread between the two great bluffs looked more like a giant earthen dam than something a glacier may have left behind. 

Here is a photo I took of one of the sun dogs high in the cirrus clouds. 

When we crested the hill and started walking east through the trees, we found ourselves among the tracks left behind by an entire herd of deer that had stomped through and done a lovely job of breaking trail for the next half mile or so. Usually this was only one or two sets of tracks at a time, but occasionally it was several deer that had passed. 

I saw interesting growths on the aspen trees, a fungal invasion I don't remember ever seeing before to this degree. These fungi grew on the underside of the limbs where they attached to the trunk, and it was on many of the trees, if not all of them. 

Apparently, this is called Aspen Trunk Rot, or False Tinder Conk. I think the first name makes more sense. As much as I love mushrooms and their fungal kin, I tend to think this one is best eradicated if seen, by eliminating the infected trees. This little devil can take down an entire forest of aspens, given time. 

I loved the look of the red cedars along the trail. I've always loved red cedars, if for no other reason than because there was one growing at the house where I grew up. I think they smell wonderful, even if they do prickle when you get too close to them. 

Whoever laid this trail really took time to find a path that was part of the landscape, rather than simply slashing a line across the terrain. It made me feel like I was a welcome visitor or family member rather than some intruder. The last loop through the woods before heading south was the one place where I actually saw a squirrel. It made a mad dash through the snow and hid on the opposite side of a giant oak tree. 

We stopped briefly at the signpost indicating that Marsh Road was one mile in either direction. Sadly, I dropped some hand warmers when I was there, and I feel terribly guilty for having left behind this bit of litter. It was unintentional, but by the time I discovered it, it was too late to go back and retrieve them. 

A little further down the trail we stopped to commune with an oak tree that was so old and massive it looked like a giant cottonwood. No photo would have done it justice. 

Instead, I chose to take a photo in the other direction, where the fields ran flat for miles. You'll have to scroll to the right to get the full effect. 

The last tiny bit of trail went through a thickly wooded area, well back from the Roznos Meadow to the west, and eventually went completely around a large kettle. As we neared the waiting vehicle I was pleased to see that we had this small section of trail to ourselves today, save for the wildlife. We were still breaking trail as we made our way to the parking area, and the only car tracks in the parking lot were those we made ourselves. 

We ended our day at 3:15 pm, temperature up to around 13 degrees. We counted our achievements for the weekend as we took the last few steps to the car. 

• Two more segments were done.
• Map 61 was done.
• The two trailing lines of the Bifurcation were connected.
• Map 62 was done.
• Sauk County was done.
• All hiking north and west of the Wisconsin River was done. 
• Our continuous line of trail covered now extended from the St. Croix River al the way to Dane County. 

Not bad for a cold, snowy Sunday in January. 

Running Total: 887.7 miles of trail covered, 145.7 miles 'extra' hiking/biking. End of Day 131.

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