Day 150: Madison Segment, Connecting Route, Dane County

Day 150: Sunday, March 27th, 2022

Total Miles covered for the day: 5.0

Location 1: The Madison Segment

3.1 miles of trail covered

We spent last night at a great Airbnb in Verona. Our hosts were a pair of young men, one of whom had an eclectic and apparently insatiable appetite for artwork, which was displayed in cramped groupings on every wall, tabletop, windowsill, and other conceivable space. The majority of works were framed, either paintings or photographs, but there were works of clay, glass, paper, wood, feathers, papier-mâché, and a host of other mediums. The collection  lacked space more than taste, as the works individually were interesting and thematic when taken in small groups. But to be appreciated, they would have been better off spread around a space with ten times as many rooms, to afford the eye a chance to absorb each piece without distraction. 

My favorite piece among the collection was a large, 4x5 painting above the guest bed, an original oil done by a now-deceased artist depicting a small cluster of four demons in pseudo-military garb in conference with a witch doctor-like creature, created entirely with red, white, black and olive drab. I found the piece evocative and fascinating, though Theresa really didn't like the placement over the bed. 

Now onto the hiking...

Today was another beautiful day for hiking, so long as one didn't mind cold temperatures and a little wind. Yesterday was in the mid twenties, and today was much the same but with fewer clouds. In fact, if I could have cut the wind down just a tiny bit I would say it was perfect. 

We had fewer people today given that we had nearly 20 show up for yesterday's hike, but I guess a lot of people were avoiding the cold and the wind. You can tell from the group shot below that layers were still the order of the day. It was 9:30 am on a Sunday, and it was time to get moving. 

The snail gathering was at the large parking area at the south end of the Madison Segment on McKee Road. After handing out patches (I think only three of the hikers were new Snails) we broke up into groups based on the distance people wanted to walk. The Madison Segment is only 3.1 miles long, with a 1.9 mile connecting route on the west end, north of which is the Valley View Segment. We had to jostle around a bit to make shuttle arrangements because people wanted to start from a variety of spots, and in the end only four of us ended up starting at the other end of the Madison Segment. 

We parked our cars along the edge of Woods Road, where there is enough off-road parking for at least 20 cars, assuming the winter hasn't dumped too much snow out there. By 10:00 we were on our way. 

Hiked west to east, the Madison Segment starts out with a two-mile walk through the University Ridge Golf Course. In theory, dogs are prohibited through here, and I can understand why. Having dog presents on the golf course would tend to irritate the golfers (and the grounds crew) and a loose dog could create a distraction for those trying to spend a peaceful Sunday chasing dimpled white balls around. 

(Side note: At a macro level, golf reminds me of my cats playing with their little dingle ball cat toys. They bat them around a bit, push them into holes, fish them out, carry them off to a new spot and start batting them around again. Just - something to muse about.)

The path cut through the golf course is remarkably isolated, considering that the purpose of the property is to create an unbroken chain of eighteen large, grassy fields of play. The trail makes excellent use of the wooded areas surrounding the holes, and it's almost possible to forget at times that there is a golf course just off to the right and the left. 

Even in cold weather, hydration is important. Below is Rebecca Waga, Theresa, and Jan Hincapie taking a break on a log.  

Occasionally, and unavoidably, the trail cuts across more open hillsides. They were windy today, but they afforded a great view of the surrounding landscape. 

The tread running through the golf course is quite good, and the brush is kept at bay. The terrain is not at all hilly, though there are a few mild ups and downs. 

The east end of the golf course boasts a small covered bridge, which seems perfectly silly in wintertime, but actually spans an intermittent stream. Beyond this is an underpass making it possible to get past the four-lane County Road M with no difficulty. 

East of the golf course, we followed the trail through Flagstone Park, following the course of where Badger Mill Creek would be flowing, had there been any water in it. This meant we were walking along a low, level wooded area that could be muddy at different times of year. 

And here was some minor evidence of that mud, a footprint that had filled with water and iced over. 

After crossing Raymond Road, the trail takes a long, slow uphill climb through a semi-wooded area surrounded by signs of civilization. We used to live very near this spot, on Cimarron Trail, and it was interesting to see our old apartment building a short ways off in the distance. 

I think at one point the Ice Age Trail was going to be routed up into and through Prairie Ridge Park, which would have put it literally across the street from our apartment building, but time and urban development have turned farm fields into streets and apartments, and the final route is now more than half a mile from our old neighborhood. 

Along this final stretch, the trail passes by two large oak trees, with an interpretive sign below. They stand out enough from the surrounding landscape that they capture the eye, and I could have almost quoted the sign before I even read it. 

They are old friends, these two oaks, having spent the last 200+ years in each other's company, watching the world go by. In the late 1700s or early 1800s when these first sprang from acorns, they shared just the right combination of sunlight and rain to become saplings. A few years without fire allowed them to become strong and healthy, and for the last 200 years they have lived quietly in this protected nook, providing shelter and nourishment for other living creatures. 

Why ask what these two oaks would say? They have been speaking to us for over 200 years, if we would only just learn to listen.  

Near the southern end of the Madison Segment there are a few erratic boulders. 

And there are interpretive signs telling people about what they are seeing. 

The footbridge over McKee Road marks the end of the Madison Segment and the start of the Verona Segment.

Theresa and I reached this spot at 11:44 am, and it was still in the mid to upper 20s, but sunny enough that Theresa had shed a layer or two. 

Locks of Love on the bridge

When we got to the waiting cars a short distance away, this person was waiting for us. She was too late to join us on the hike but wanted to hook up with us to get her Snail Patch. Her name is Christy Sullivan, and she finished the Ice Age Trail last October with her friend Laurie Martin. We gave her patches for both. 

Christy Sullivan with an extra patch for Laurie Martin

We learned later on that there was someone else who had tried to cross paths with us today, but accidentally walked south from this spot rather than north. We did eventually meet up with them (weeks later) and she told us she and her daughter had a nice hike on the Verona Segment that day. 

Location 2: The Connecting Route between the Valley View Segment and the Madison Segment

1.9 miles of trail covered

Of course, since we were in the neighborhood and dressed for the occasion, we wanted to keep walking. We had a car waiting for us on Woods Road, so we drove to the west end of the 1.9 mile connecting route and parked at Shady Oak Lane. Off-road parking up here is a little sketchy, so I'll just say that it was possible, though I'm not sure strictly legal. 

If you look across the T-intersection you will see a sign marking the start of the Valley View Segment. It's basically in someone's yard, and the trail, believe it or not, cuts across their yard and past their windows. I'm sure a lot of people choose to hike the road there instead. 

Theresa and I started walking east at 1:30 pm. The first thing we passed was a large-ish boulder identifying the area as 'Glacier's Wood'. I don't know what kind of tool they use to etch deep letters into giant boulders, but I think I want one. 

It was a gorgeous blue-hued day, and the maple trees were just starting to bud out. 

The rest of the hike was uneventful. Six tenths of a mile south on Woods Road took us out of the city and into the woods, where our car was waiting for us. By 2:22 pm we had reached the end of the hiking day. 

Running Total: 1008.4 miles of trail covered, 149.6 miles 'extra' hiking/biking. End of Day 150.

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But that isn't the end of the story. 

The reason we were hiking down in Madison and Verona this weekend was because we had been contacted, many months ago, by Will Bono. He had led a number of Boy Scouts on multiple hikes last year to help them earn their Hiking merit badges. 

But he saw an inequity. The parent/volunteers who hiked with the boys for all 90 miles of their adventures didn't earn a 'badge'. Will wanted to know if he could buy some Snail patches from us to give to the four women and one man who worked so hard and hiked so many miles without a tangible award to go with it. 

Well, we have a policy of not mailing out patches or selling them, so we told Will we would come down during the event and hand the patches out ourselves. 

So after staying in Madison an extra day Theresa and I went to the award ceremony and welcomed these new members to the Order of the Snail. It was a big production, and we did everything we could to make these adults feel honored and recognized for their achievement. 

And we had a lot of fun in the process.