Day 172: Montrose Segment, Dane County, Connecting Route, Green County

Day 172: Saturday, May 14th, 2022

Total Miles covered for the day: 9.9

Location 1: The Montrose Segment 
7.5 miles of trail covered 

I haven't been writing about it, but as we've been hiking we've been counting down the miles, keeping a close eye on how many are left. After yesterday's hike we were up to 1161 miles overall, which meant we had less than 50 miles remaining. But of course, if you've been following along on the blog you know that those tallies get a little complicated. 

To make it short, here is the tally I see as of the beginning of the day:

• 10.8 miles of trail remaining on two segments
• 38 miles of Connecting Route that we have not covered yet on bike or by foot
• ~270 miles of trail and connecting route remaining that we bicycled in the past and need to go back to and hike

On the one hand that seems like a very long way to go, but on the other hand the days are getting longer, and now that we're nearly done with the trails, we should be able to make pretty fast work of the roads. I hope. 

For this weekend, we are focused on one goal. By the end of the weekend, we will have completed all of the named segments on the trail, and one or two others that no longer exist. Forget about the road miles, forget about the nearly 300 miles we have to go back and walk - just focus on the segments. 

The weather - has been insane. When we went hiking last weekend we faced temperatures that soared up in the mid-80's, which is crazy for May 9th. This week in Madison it's been 90 or more for the last four days. At least today's high only got to 85 again, but let me say that's just too stinking hot for May in Wisconsin. And yet year after year we face these early heat waves in what is becoming the 'new normal'. 

I don't like it. 

Last night we stayed at an airbnb in Oregon. We came down after work, so it was good and dark by the time we got there, but what was more of an issue was the thunderstorm we were dancing with. There were some really intimidating cloud-crawlers that lit up the sky, and we even drove through some rain once we got south of Madison, but somehow we arrived and got our stuff indoors during a lull, and were inside, safe and dry when the sky opened up a few minutes later. I took that as a good omen. It deed seem to take the temperature down a few degrees. 

Today was the first of three remaining official Snail Hikes, and the goal was to hike the Montrose Segment. We were meeting people at 9:30 am at the parking area near the intersection of County D and County DD. This is always a joyful time for us as we greet new hikers and hand out Snail patches. 

And even after the official group photo, more people came rolling in. 

As usual we had two alternatives for how far people could hike. One option was to slip up to the parking area on Frenchtown Road, which was a 2.8 mile hike, and the other was to go all the way up to the north end and walk back from Purcell Road. Naturally, we chose the shorter hike. 

Fun Fact: Nearby Belleville, WI hosts an annual event called "UFO Days". If you're driving on County Road D in the area of the Ice Age Trail you will likely spot this 'spacecraft' in the front yard or driveway of one of the farms. I find it particularly amusing that you can see it from space with Google Maps. 

We really wanted to complete the whole 7.5 miles of Montrose today, so Theresa and I ended up splitting up at the start. While I was transporting people to the far end of the segment for the long hike, she drove to the short hike launching spot and started walking. At first I was going to walk in the opposite direction (we were in two cars), but after some deliberation my two hiking companions and I decided to play 'Catch the Snail'. At 10:28 we were in place and headed south down the trail. The temperature was already in the high 70's, but for some reason I felt it wise to wear long sleeves, still not quite believing in the hot weather. 

And the same was true of my hiking companions, though there was a pair of shorts involved. 

The trail south of Frenchtown Road (there has to be a story behind that road name) is the prettiest part of this segment. It starts out with a slow, steady climb up onto the western lip of some wild dragons cross of a hill, then finally up the ridge arm and topping out at the peak, about 140 feet or so higher than when we started. 

Along the way we passed rock outcroppings showing that this was more a residual hilltop than anything laid down moraine-style by the glacier. 

Clinging to the damp underbelly of this rock formation I spotted this lovely cluster of Polypodium virginianum L., otherwise known as Rock polypody. I say that like I was wandering through the woods, spotted this fern and said, "Oh look - a Rock Polypody!". Yeah - no. Google is my friend. But wouldn't it be great if I really knew ferns well? If I did, I might be able to spot rare ferns like the Maidenhair Spleenwort. It's a small thing, but I would find it exciting. 

I still can't help but marvel at how green things have become in the matter of just a few days. 

We left the woods long before topping out on the hill, and the trail became an open-air stroll through fresh alfalfa. Or something. I don't know what was planted on top of the hill but it was lush, and green, and definitely a crop of some kind. 

After topping the hill (what a view!) we descended the other side and started heading through the trees again that skirted the top and blanketed the steeper parts of the terrain. 

It was there that we ran into this man and his son who were out hiking together and ticking off segments of the IAT. Typically, I look at teenagers who are dressed in light clothes and think they're a little nuts, but in this case the kid was the only one properly dressed for the 80 degree weather. 

And then - at long last - a Snail sighting!!

And here is another spring sighting - a Jack in the Pulpit. 

This was a new mushroom I was introduced to this year. It's a Pheasant Back mushroom, also known as Dryad's Saddle. They show up early in the spring, are easy to identify, and are a tasty addition to any number of recipes. In other words - yum.

And they get quite large. 

We were now traipsing up and over the southern leg of the Cross Moline (more that than a dragon I suppose) to once again crest the top of the hill which has given way to agriculture, or at least to an area that was once farmed but has now been reclaimed as prairie. 

Then down in the woods we encountered yet another sign of spring, the May Apple. 

With their delightful white and yellow blossoms hiding beneath the protective umbrella leaves. 

A little further along and we encountered one of the most charming and welcoming DCA sites I have yet seen. Quiet, out of the way, and flat. 

We reached the trailhead sign at 12:24. Unfortunately, because of the location of the parking lot, we were still one mile by trail and one half mile by road from the car. We were planning on coming right back here tomorrow to hike off our very last bit of trail, so Theresa didn't want to walk the mile on the Brooklyn Wildlife Segment. Instead, we decided that she would wait while I went to get the car. 

Myself, I didn't know what kind of day I would encounter tomorrow, so instead or walking down the road I decided to head south down the trail, and I took it at a rapid pace. I'm not going to count those as trail miles today. Instead I'm counting it as 'Extra hiking', assuming of course I rehike it tomorrow as planned. (UPDATE: I did indeed hike that section again the next day, so I got to count it as 'extra'.)

These are a few snapshots I took along that hurried trip.

Duck egg.

Almost there...

It was about 12:45 when I got to the car. I drove back to pick Theresa up an found she had decided to start down the road, so I found her just a quarter mile away. 

Of course, our intention was to continue our hike, so the next thing we did was leapfrog our way up the trail a ways. 

Our next leg ran from the intersection of Hwy 69 and County Road A, where we were able to park without too much trouble, down to the waiting car on Frenchtown Road, about 1.3 miles give-or take. This starts by following the Badger State Trail bike path, so as expected it was a level, wide, gravel pathway, and we found it in very good condition. We started this leg at 1:33 pm, and the temperature was up to 82 degrees. Too hot by far for a day in mid-May, but far less than yesterday. I'll stop talking about the weather now, except to say that we reached a high of 85, and with the direct sunlight it was a whole lot nicer using an umbrella to create some shade. 

There is a spot along this trail declared to be a 'Selfie Spot', though for the life of me I can't figure out why. Nevertheless, I obliged. My goodness, I'm getting furry. I should shave some day. 

By 1:45 we had reached the spot where the trail heads east for another jaunt between farm fields and through some woods before dumping back out on Piler Road. 

This was a nice little walk, and it included some lovely boardwalks and bridges. 

Back on the road, it was another four tenths of a mile back to the car. 

A well? I'll have to keep a look out for that tomorrow. 5.2 miles puts it somewhere on the south end of the Brooklyn Wildlife Segment. 

Our next jump took us up to Henry Road, where we found reasonable parking close to the trail just east of Dot's tavern. By 2:40 pm we were headed south for another six tenths of a mile to the waiting car. It was hot - we were tired - shorter seemed better, especially since the next hop would be a lot longer. 

Yes, the sun did feel this bright and hot. What is also interesting to see in this photo is that the oak trees have started to leaf out, and they are not taking their time about it. 

Fast forward a bit. Long story short, there is really nowhere practical to park on Sun Valley Parkway because the trail passes about 20 feet below the roadway and there is no legal path to get down there even if you do park there. A driveway does exist there, but it's private. 

We eventually parked along Sayles Road, not far from the driveway of a farm, where the trail crosses the driveway a few feet from the road. There are signs indicating that it's private, but I believe that's more for the cars that would otherwise park there rather then the hikers who would walk the 30 or 40 feet up the driveway to access the trail. That gave us a 2.2 mile leg rather than the full 2.8, which was plenty far enough. To be precise, I dropped Theresa off at the trail and I parked about a quarter of a mile up the road and walked back. 

We're both tired. We're both sore. We have blisters forming beneath other blisters, Theresa is walking on a permanently damaged right foot and our joints ache and complain as we go. It's hot and walking has become hard work, even when the trail is on the flat. But we push on anyway. 

This photo below shows the crossing at Sun Valley Parkway. 

As we plodded along in the heat, I kept seeing welcome and familiar friends telling me that the warm weather was here to stay. 

Columbine.

Green fields and babbling brooks.

Honeysuckle. 

And though this bird's nest was from last year, it reminded me that already there were birds building nests and laying eggs. Walking through the woods every week for a whole year has given me a rare and beautiful opportunity to watch and be a part of the circle and cycle of life. 

For our last hop we went to the end of the Segment and parked at Purcell Road, leaving us a 0.6 mile walk to the finish line. This was a somewhat meaningful spot for us because we were once again 'touching the river', and bringing our continuous line all the way from St. Croix to Belleville, Wisconsin. A psycological boost, though somewhat less meaningful to us now that we have firmly decided we will go back and hike the miles we previously biked. When we do, the river will once again follow us through phase two of our adventure. 

We were hot and tired when we got to the car, but there was an inner feeling of joy and accomplishment because we knew we would complete the Segment. It was 5:05 pm. Theresa is pointing to an informational brochure talking about the Dane Drifters parch. 0.6 miles down the trail marked the spot where we have finished all the requirements from item 1 (Eastern Lodi Marsh) through item 19 (Montrose Segment) and tomorrow we will finish with Item 20. 

Right away we met a nice couple out exercising their dogs. Welcome to the Snails!

And just like that it was over. There was no Ice Age Trail sign when we got to the end, but there this post off in the weeds. I went over to touch it and Theresa used her hiking pole to complete the 'touch'. 

And then she decided she wanted a real photo. 

I hoofed it up the road to get the car and come back to get her, then we drove back to pick up the launch vehicle, the entire Montrose Segment behind us. 

But why stop there?

Location 2: Part of the Connecting Route between the Brooklyn Wildlife Segment and the Monticello Segment, from the town of Dayton to the north trailhead of the Monticello Segment.
2.4 miles of trail covered 

South of the Brooklyn Wildlife Segment is a 3.7 mile connecting route that is one of the last bits of anything we have left in this part of the state. It's the last thing we have to do to finish off Green County, other then a bit of re-hiking (that's a story for another day), but there was no way we would finish the whole thing today. 

That said, we didn't want to tack it all onto the end of tomorrow's hike on a go-home day, and we certainly didn't want to come back, so it made sense to get some part of it done today. 

We had no idea how far we would get, so we bit off chunks starting at the north end of the Monticello Segment, first parking at the intersection of W and 92 (poor parking at best, and under construction) and then again in Dayton itself. 

When we finally crossed the river in Dayton within sight of the waiting car it was 7:35 at night and there was no way either one of us was willing to hike the last 1.3 miles to finish the CR. Would it have been possible? Yes. But tomorrow was definitely soon enough, and we've been pushing too hard, way past the point where this is fun. Tomorrow is another Snail Hike - for our last unhiked Segment - so we decided we would call it quits and try to save some joy for another day. 

Running Total: 1170.9 miles of trail covered, 158.1 miles 'extra' hiking/biking. End of Day 172.

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