Day 151: Milton Segment (Part 2), Janesville to Milton Segment, Rock County

Day 151: Thursday, March 31st, 2022

Total Miles covered for the day: 6.2

Location 1: The Milton Segment, from the intersection of Storrs Lake Road and South Janesville Street to the West Trailhead

3.2 miles of trail covered

Today's hike was a little unusual. Usually when I am hiking a section alone, it's because Theresa got there ahead of me and had time to hike it first while I was working. Today was the opposite. Since I was coming from Madison and Theresa was coming from Wausau, I had the opportunity to do some hiking on Thursday afternoon knowing that she wouldn't be able to do it until the following day. 

When we previously hiked to my starting point on February 4th, at the west end of the Milton Segment, it was a cold, wintery day with blasting wind and snow. The snow and ice weren't gone today, but at least there wasn't any new stuff falling when I arrived. It was 2:07 in the afternoon, and the skies were gray. It was 20 degrees out, and I was on my own. 

The walk through Milton is about what you would expect from any city hike. There are just enough blazes to keep you walking in the right direction, but there were occasional spots where the turns were a little ambiguous. The right turn through South Goodrich Park could be missed if you don't know you need to go that way. 

And the direction to go after reaching the little shelter house isn't clear at all. But if you persevere you will find yourself walking along College Street, where you will not be surprised to find large buildings associated with Milton College. 

At the intersection of High Street and Hilltop Drive there is nice Memorial Park, which I explored only at a distance. 

When I got to the north end of Hilltop Drive I passed the Post Office and reached King Park, which had a portable toilet available for people on the sledding hill. This came in useful, since the route to this point surprisingly didn't walk me past any gas stations or other commercial areas where a restroom (or even food) was available. 

The west end of Municipal Drive has a Dollar General within sight, so the route through town is not entirely without commerce. Then, after a few sharp turns I headed south on Vincent Road to the end of the Milton Segment. There I saw the start of the Janesville to Milton Segment, which turned out to be a real delight. 

Location 2: The Janesville to Milton Segment, from the North Trailhead to the intersection of West Rotamer Road and Ohara Drive

3.0 miles of trail covered

I reached this point by 3:00 pm, and I had another four hours before darkness would start to descend. Even so, the sky was so heavy and overcast it felt like the whole world had shifted to the black and white of winter twilight. The trail ahead had an otherworldly feel to it. I have walked many bike paths, and many trails where there were branches leaning over the trail from both sides. This path was unique in some way, and it felt like a very healing place to just walk quietly through and listen to the wind in the branches. 

And for quite a while, I was setting down the first set of tracks since the recent snowfall. 

Where the trail crosses EMH Town Line Road, there is a parking area, a kiosk, and a carving of a mammoth on a post. 

Beyond this spot, the trail continues as it did before, and is no less charming.

This one could be an Ansel Adams photo, except that it wasn't taken in black and white. 

This looks more like an elephant than the 'Elephant Stone' found elsewhere on the trail. 

I don't know why people stack rocks, but I'm glad they do. 

Another road crossing leads to more of the same. 

And there is even a sign here explaining to new Trail visitors exactly what the blue and yellow blazes are there for. 

I reached the end of the 'Trail' portion at 4:06 pm. 

From there I finished the segment out by walking down NW Rotamer Road, until I reached the intersection with Pheasant Run. It was there that we stopped walking north one extremely bitter night in early February, and it was there that Theresa had pulled up not five minutes earlier and was waiting for me to be my trail angel. 

Perfect timing. 

Theresa took me back to my car, and together we made our way to Whitewater Lake, where we would be staying for the next several nights at the lake house of another trail hiker, Jan Hincapie, whom we met along the way. Jan's gracious gift of a cabin to stay at has made it possible for us to come down and make plans to cover a lot of ground over the next few days. This was day 1 of our trip, and I'm already six miles ahead of where I would have been otherwise. 

Theresa came and hiked this same stretch of trail the next day. Her experience was much the same as mine, with perhaps a bit more sunshine. We both found this to be one of our favorite bike path hikes on the whole trail. 

Running Total: 1014.6 miles of trail covered, 149.6 miles 'extra' hiking/biking. End of Day 151.

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