Day 149: Verona Segment, Connecting Route, Dane County

Day 149: Saturday, March 26th, 2022

Total Miles covered for the day: 9.3

Location 1: The Verona Segment

6.4 miles of trail covered

Oh, what a day! 

There has been a whole lot of work that went into today. Blood. Sweat. Tears. Money. Time. 

3,186 days ago we were up in Polk County putting on a square dance (yes, we were really square dance callers) and we booked a few extra days at a cinder block motel so we could experience our very first Ice Age Trail hike at the Western Terminus. At that time we set ourselves a goal of hiking the entire length of the Ice Age Trail. 

At first it was a far-fetched idea. Not a lot of thought had gone into the logistics of actually doing the thing. Then as we did a little hiking here and a little hiking there, we started knocking out a few miles and a few segments, and thought, 'Yeah - let's really do this'. 

Time went by. Jobs were gained and lost. The economy struggled and life threw us some curve balls. Eight years later we realized our ten-year plan was at serious risk of default. 

So in March of 2021 we started again in earnest. We had 333 miles under our belt at the time and we jumped back into the thing on the Turtle Rock Segment, a decision that ultimately cost us a lot of grief. But we persevered, and we persisted, and we started hiking at every opportunity. Segments started disappearing. Maps. Whole Counties. By May 1st we had hit 400 miles, and we were rocking it!

Then on May 30th, on the Tuscobia Segment, we ran into 'The Pointer Sisters'. We had done another 79 miles in May, and they told us we really needed to join the Thousand Miler Wannabes Facebook page. 'Will do!' we said, though inside I was wondering what the value would be. Boy am I glad I eventually took their advice. 

On June 11th, we hit 500 miles. 500!! On August 2nd, we hit 600 miles - the mythical half-way point. What I have failed to mention is that for the last 300 miles Theresa had been suffering through an injury she sustained on that very first hike at Turtle Rock. The going was slow and painful for her. Even so, she found a way to continue. 

On August 21 of last year we reached 700 miles while hiking a connecting route in Waushara County during our 49th day on the trail in 2021 and our 93rd day of hiking overall. The 800 mile mark we reached on November 6th on our 115th day of hiking while hiking the very steep Sauk Point Segment on dreaded Map 61. We went from halfway done to two-thirds done in just over three months. 

We continued to hike through the winter, but it took until January 30th before we hit the 900-mile mark on a Connecting Route in Kewaunee County, having completed Gibraltar Rock, Devil's Lake, Merrimac and Lapham Peak along the way. 

Today, after adding winter excursions across Purnell, Arbor Ridge, Loew Lake, Milwaukee River, West Bend, Pike Lake, Scuppernong, Holy Hill and a few others along the way, we finally - FINALLY - crossed the 1000-mile mark. 

We knew it would be a good hike when we arrived at our meeting location 15 minutes early and the parking lot was already filling up. The temperature was only 24 degrees but the hikers of southern Wisconsin were ready to rock. 

By 9:00 we had 19 people gathered in the parking lot on Wesner Road at Prairie Moraine County Park. Some of them came and went so fast they didn't even stay for the group photo. 

This guy said his name was Will Bono, but I think he was the long-lost third Belushi brother. 

It has reached the point where I can't even keep track of names. Here are some closeups of our new SnOTT hikers. 

The hike was broken up into two main options, a long hike and a short hike. A surprisingly large percentage of the group chose to take the short hike with us, driving up to the very large and accommodating parking area on County Road PD. 

With one quick stop to touch the sign, we were off. It was 9:19 am, and it hadn't warmed up any, but at least it wasn't too windy. 

The group was headed south, through Badger Prairie County Park and back to the waiting cars at the south trailhead. 

We started out on a gravel bike trail that seemed relatively new, and was in shockingly wet condition considering the temperature. Though it technically parallels a small creek, the view was anything but scenic. It will be a few years before this grows up enough to turn into something pretty, but that didn't matter very much to all the ducks and geese calling it home. 

I like to be the last hiker in a group, and in this case I was hiking with a mom and one of her youngest kids.

Small though he may have been, he was a fully self-contained unit, and clearly a future 1000-miler. 

Thinking I might have something fun to share with the kids, I pulled out my phone and said, "Hey, I think there's a geocache up here somewhere."

The mom replied, "Yeah - it's ours, actually."

Little did I know that we were hiking with the BlueRoseTaskForce. GC7XVFV They stood there and let us all search for the cache, which turned out to be an easy troll hide. They really got a kick out of watching us all search for the container. 

There were more caches on down the trail, but this was the only one we picked up along the way. 

A beautiful wooden bridge provided the option to cross the creek, but alas our path didn't go this way. The signage here was a little ambiguous, but we ultimately determined we were supposed to make our way down the bike path to the south. 

After about nine tenths of a mile walking along the bike path (another newly constructed feature that left us exposed to cold winds) the trail took a sharp left turn that climbed quickly to the top of a drumlin, using several switchbacks. 

By the time we reached the top of the drumlin, the group had thinned out considerably, and Theresa and I were bringing up the rear, as usual. It was a long (half-mile) downhill walk to Whalen Road. 

And a pleasant walk along the road after we got there. 

On the maps it looks like crossing Highway 18-151 and County Road M would be a nightmare, but in truth they were very safe road crossings. 

South of County Road M there is a parking area, and a pair of kettle lakes, complete with a bench to enjoy the scenery. This was a very pleasant place to walk, with woods and fields and a nice clear path. 

Apparently, part of the trail runs along an old roadway, abandoned now some 92 years, and only identifiable by the signage. 

Eventually the trail crossed County Road PB, where we spent the next 0.8 miles walking around a terminal moraine and through a gap leading into the driftless region where the cars were parked. 

We kept up with the other hikers by text, but unsurprisingly we were alone when we reached the sign marking the end of this leg of our day. It was 11:30 am, 25 degrees, and there were steady 15 mile per hour winds from the northwest to accompany the gray skies. Not bitter cold, but cold enough. 

For our second leg we worked on the north half of the segment, parking on McKee Road and working our way south to PB where we started the day. We hiked the 0.1 miles along the bike path to the pedestrian bridge where the Segment starts. it was 12:11 pm. 

I think you can tell from the look on Theresa's face that we had experienced warmer March days in the past. This next leg was very out in the open, and the winds were a steady reminder that winter had not left us yet. 

 

It was a pleasant hike along the top of the ridge, with great views. Most of what we were walking through was restored prairie. 

We ran across this posting at a kiosk, telling people about the Dane Drifters patch you can earn/buy after walking through Dane County. I suppose we'll have to sign up and get these some day. 

When we got to the Soccer Fields we passed a group of kids playing some team sport with crowds of spectators. I was a little surprised, because it was too cold for most outdoor sports. I finally came to the conclusion that they were playing Lacrosse, and that the parents watching were nearly as tough as the kids playing. 

There is a Disbursed Camping Area (DCA) on the Segment, and it sits very out in the open and right next to the trail. But there is water and bathrooms nearby, so I know people use it. 

Before the day even started I knew exactly where we would pass the 1000-mile mark. It was basically in a parking lot, but there was a convenient signpost nearby, and there was a genuine feeling of accomplishment as we crossed this momentous spot.

We kept walking, of course, and found ourselves walking behind the very restaurant where we had eaten breakfast this morning. There was a nice safe underpass for Business Hwy 18-151, and in another 0.3 miles we were back at the waiting car. 

No one was with us to celebrate our 1000-mile achievement, but that's just fine. The real celebration will be at the Eastern Terminus, when we finally touch that big rock at the end. 

It was still fairly early in the day, and we felt like we had a little more strength in us, so we drove down to the south end of the Verona Segment and walked off the connecting route between there and the Montrose Segment. 

Location 2: The Connecting Route between the Verona Segment and the Montrose Segment

2.9 miles of trail covered

To be honest, I sometimes run out of things to say about connecting routes. We dropped off a vehicle at the Montrose end, then drove back up to the dog park on Wesner Road to start walking. County PB is very busy, and we were happy to get off that road and onto Sunset Drive where things were a lot quieter. 

Here's an oak we spotted along the way that looked like it had absorbed some giant multi-legged monster. 

We met one woman on the walk who told us she was working with local landowners to create a new section of trail that would shorten or even eliminate the Connecting Route, but that there was one or two preventing that from happening. 

Based on some of the signage, there are folks around here with quite the sense of humor. 

The time was now nearly 5:00 pm. We didn't complete any counties today, or even whole maps, but we were extremely satisfied with our accomplishments anyway. 

Running Total: 1003.4 miles of trail covered, 149.5 miles 'extra' hiking/biking. End of Day 149.

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