Day 31: Kewaunee River Segment (Part 1), Kewaunee County

Day 31: Sunday September 25th, 2016

Location: Kewaunee River Segment (Part 1), Kewaunee County
3.8 miles of trail covered

Where have we been for a year? Or 512 days, to be more precise. Well, that's a long story that I will condense into three terms: ticks, poison ivy, geocaching. Ticks are scary little buggers, and if you read our blog about the Timberland Wilderness Segment in Lincoln County you'll know there are a few ticks to be found along the Ice Age Trail. Both of us have dealt with Lyme's disease in the past, and Theresa got a bad case of Anaplasmosis once. These are nothing to sneeze at, and as we get older we are more and more concerned with this. 

There is also no shortage of poison ivy in Wisconsin, a ubiquitous and pernicious little plant with a highly effective defense mechanism that affects at least 85% of the population. If you're part of the 15% of the people who are unaffected by urushiol (the chemical compound in most 'poison' plants) count yourself very lucky. 

And geocaching? You can look that one up at www.geocaching.com. It's a new hobby for us, and it has taken away from our time on the trail. You may not care about geocaching, but it WAS the reason we found ourselves on the Ice Ace Trail again, this warm Sunday afternoon. We were 'caching' along the shore of Lake Michigan, and had our bikes with us. On a lark, we decided to ride this section of the Kewaunee River State Trail and pick up a few miles of IAT. The weather was uncertain, but the worst that could happen was getting wet. No problem for seasoned geocachers. 

We parked our vehicle at a convenient location at the end of Main Street. Not THE Main Street - the little one that you get to when you turn west off of THE Main Street at Hathaway drive and follow the frontage road to the end. [Edit: This is no longer the Official Route of the IAT, but it was when we were there back in 2016.] Onto the bikes and away we rode.

There is little to be said about bike trails that follow old train tracks that you don't probably already know. They all have a low, gentle grade, and the only question is whether or not they are properly maintained. This one is, and it gets a lot of traffic. We met numerous people in both directions on this beautiful day.

We decided to bike only a few miles to the parking area at Bruemmer Park, a distance we judged to be about 3.8 miles. Since we had only one vehicle, there was nothing for it but to turn around and bike back the was we had come. Plus - there were ominous clouds forming in the west, and despite the lovely trees, the occasional views of the Kewaunee River, and the pleasant temperatures, we decided it would be prudent to make haste.

You know that sudden gust of wind that sometimes precedes a downpour? Meteorologists could explain the different conditions that lead to this effect, but for the layman, it's enough to know that when the wind starts gusting suddenly, you're-a-gonna get wet. About 3.1 miles into our return trip, the gust came. A little more than a half-mile from the car, we put it in overdrive.

I've never actually seen Theresa move that fast on a bike. Before or since. Something about that gust of wind created a motivation in her like spotting an open checkout aisle at Walmart on a busy Saturday two weeks before Christmas. Fine by me. Childhood humor flashed through my mind about 'Books never written', specifically 'Two miles to the outhouse, by Willie Makit'. 



We made it.

Both bikes were secured onto the rack and we were diving into the van as the first few fat drops fell in what turned out to be a good old-fashioned gully washer. Safe and dry in our van, we watched the rain sweep out into the lake, and then steered our vehicle towards a restaurant.

Running total: 240.5 miles of trail covered; 21.6 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking. End of Day 31

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Day 30: Skunk & Foster Lakes Segment (Part 2), Waupaca County; Waupaca River segment (Part 1), Waupaca County

Day 30: Saturday May 2nd, 2015

Location: Skunk & Foster Lakes Segment (Part 2), Waupaca County

Last night we went to a concert at the Stefanie H. Weill Center to see Marc Cohn.  For those unfamiliar with his music he’s a singer/songwriter famous for songs like “True Companion”, and “Walking in Memphis”.  This has nothing to do with our hiking for the day, but it explains both why we had to stop so early yesterday, and why we got such a late start today.

This is the balcony view from INSIDE the Weill Center

Actually – the Weill Center could use a plug, too, because they have one of the most unique theaters I’ve ever seen in my life.  When you walk in the door you get the immediate impression that you have entered a large outdoor theater in some southwest or Mexican town.  They are totally committed to the ‘outdoor’ theme, except for a single string of lights.  The only thing missing is the crickets and the mosquitoes.  If you’re hiking through the Sheboygan area and there happens to be something playing at this theater you would definitely enjoy the environment. 

Which leads me to my other plug for the day.  We stayed overnight at Taushek’s Bed and Breakfast Log Home which is located a scant half-mile from the LaBudde Creek Segment of the trail in Sheboygan County.  We stayed in the Bear Room, which was fabulous, but the other rooms are nice, too.  Reasonable, off-season rates, especially knowing that any kind of breakfast usually costs $20 for two people at a minimum if you go to a restaurant. 

So – driving back from the Bed & Breakfast, we picked up our car in Waupaca (did I mention we dropped a second car there on the way out?) and drove back to the Skunk and Foster Lakes segment to finish that and then tackle the Waupaca River Segment.  We parked our target vehicle at the northern Parking Area, where we parked the day before, and went back to the southern trailhead and parked in front of the utility shed along the railroad.  It’s a designated parking area, I think, but I personally parked as far from the train tracks as possible because this is a very active rail line. 

We started hiking at 12:55 pm, and the temperature was a sunny 75°.  Here it is, beginning of May, and it’s already getting too hot. 

The first bit of trail is a forced march along the railroad tracks, followed by a sharp left turn and a traipse through a field along a ditch.  Then, when you get past the cow pasture and into the woods, you get a steady uphill climb onto the top of a drumlin.  It’s one of those hills that if you’re not careful you can work up a good sweat by going too fast.  From there we enjoyed a beautiful descent on the other side, with mature trees and plenty of natural beauty to go around.  It felt just like hiking across someone’s back 40, which, I guess, we were.  Thank you, thank you, thank you again and again to all the landowners who cooperate with the IATA and allow us to hike through and along your land.  Just the short bit of trail we walked at the beginning of this hike took at least a half-acre of production out of this farmer’s fields.  That’s a lot to give.  Thank you.

Map shows Skunk and Foster Lakes Segment from north to south - we hiked in the opposite direction.

I won’t bore you with too many details about the hike itself, but there are a few features worth noting.  First, when we reached Grenlie Road, we were at the start of a fairly new section of trail that was created since the 2011 Atlas was released.  You’ll know you’re there if you find yourself surrounded by boulders the size of cars.  They are lined up along the road like Stonehenge, and it makes me wonder why they didn’t just move the road over a little farther so they didn’t have to move them all out of the way. 

I also remember that at the top of the hill on this section of the trail it runs very close to a radio or telephone tower of some kind, and there was this really peculiar double fence running from one end to the other that we were either supposed to walk along, or possibly in-between, but it looked so much like electric wire I didn’t want to get anywhere near it.  Even seeing that it wasn’t connected to a power source didn’t make me want to reach out and prove myself right.  If they’re serious about wanting people to walk BETWEEN these wires, they need to make then a whole lot less creepy.

A little farther down the trail, we trekked out onto Indian Valley Road, and turned left to hike the short (0.5 mile) connecting route which is officially part of the Segment and back to our waiting car.  Thumbs up to the people who maintain this trail.  It was in beautiful condition, and I had a thoroughly enjoyable walk.  I’d rate this trail a B.

We reached the car at 2:53 pm, and it was still 75°.  Still warmer than we like, but plenty of time left to walk the Waupaca River Segment, or at least part of it. 

Running total: 234.6 miles of trail covered; 23.0 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking.  

Want to hike this segment?  Here's where to go to start! 44.401453, -89.217198 Google Maps Link

Location: Waupaca River Segment (Part 1), Waupaca County

The more I hike around the rivers and lakes in Wisconsin, the more I like Wisconsin.  I know some of the lakes are polluted from urban run-off, like the De Jope area, but the vast majority of our waterways can still take your breath away, especially in the springtime.  The Waupaca River is another such river; pure, clean, clear water flowing merrily through the woods. 

We parked our car close to the creek where the trail meets Cobbtown Road.  It’s a little tight as far as parking goes, but the locals park there all the time to go fishing, so we were in good company. 

We started hiking at 3:30 pm, the temperature a now positively warm 79°, sunny, and a little too humid.  I’m kinda wondering how spring became summer so fast.  Anyway, the hike was a delightful lazy walk along the river for the first half mile or so, then an easy climb onto the top of a surprisingly large hill with steep drop-off’s to either side. There were a few places on this uphill climb that are starting to experience severe erosion - as you hike up or down, try not to dislodge too much dirt, and be sure not to kill off the vegetation in the middle of the trail.  

Just before we got to the connecting-route portion on Foley Drive, we ‘found’ the shelter!  Even better – an OUTHOUSE!  Now – the last few days have been a relatively urban experience for us, considering we were hiking remote sections of trail, but I still have to say that having a real toilet – even an outhouse – on the trail is a comfort that really makes me appreciate the hard work put in by someone.  There was even toilet paper in a tin can.  Oh, the joys of modern conveniences!

We stopped to see the cabin, which would comfortably sleep three people, two in the loft and one on the bunk.  They’d have to be friends and all, but hey, if you’re hiking and camping, you’re probably friends, right?  Anyway, we read some of the notes left behind by people who had stayed, packed a plastic bag of garbage out of there and carried it the last 0.3 miles down the trail until we got to Foley Road and hiked our way back to the car waiting for us at the railroad tracks.  The next person who uses the cabin will find it a little cleaner, with firewood and toilet paper waiting for them.  I love Wisconsin. 

It was 5:15 pm, and still 75° out.  We decided we didn’t have enough time to cover the last 2.0 miles of the segment, which is a road-walk along Cobbtown and Townline Roads, and so we called it a day.  Running total: 236.7 miles of trail covered; 23.0 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking.  End of Day 30.

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Want to hike this segment?  Here's where to go to start! 44.375200, -89.215494 Google Maps Link

Day 29: Skunk & Foster Lakes Segment (Part 1), Waupaca County

Day 29: Friday May 1st, 2015

Location: Skunk & Foster Lakes Segment (Part 1), Waupaca County

Have you ever been fishing, sitting in a boat, the sun starting to set in a beautiful crimson wash, the air warm and inviting, a light breeze, no bugs, no other boats in sight, nowhere to go and the rest of time to get there?  Neither have I, but today, as I was hiking the Skunk & Foster Lakes Segment in Waupaca County I think I got an idea of what that might feel like. 

I’d like to wrap up this simply gorgeous region and lay it out in front of me every time I go hiking on the Ice Age Trail.  I would have to call this one of the prettiest segments we have yet hiked.  No – it IS the prettiest.  Better still, one part of the trail can be considered a Loop trail, even though it technically isn’t, and it can be enjoyed using a single vehicle. 

Today was a busy day, and we didn’t get to the trail, ready to hike, until ten minutes after 1:00, but the weather was still a pleasant 70°.  We parked at the delightful parking area located here on North Foley Rd., and decided to walk the tiny bit of road (0.2 miles) north until we reached the north end of the trail, rather than taking the blue-blazed spur, mainly because the spur would have taken us to the middle of the trail. 

Once we got past the short, straight section along Sannes Creek, we headed into the woods on a beautifully groomed trail which rose and fell lazily to the tops of the hills and then down again, offering spectacular views of the three spring-fed lakes in the designated State Natural Area.  I think someone named ‘Skunk Lake’ to disguise how beautiful it is and keep other fisherman away. 

There were a delightful variety of spring flowers along the trail, including Duchman's Breeches and Liverwort.

Liverwort / Hepatica nobilis

Dutchman's Breeches

Another neat feature are the many trail-side erratic boulders, perched like sentinels at the top of one of the hills.  I love looking at these things and thinking about them riding passively along, supported by 100 Billion snowflakes, until they are dropped gently in their current resting place where they have remained for 11 or 12 thousand years, a mere blink in the multi-million year life of the rock itself.  It helps to ground me when I’m overestimating my problems, and my importance in the world.

The local population uses this area extensively, so ideal conditions would be to hike here during the week, before 4 pm.  As it happens, that’s when we were there, so we met no one else on the trail itself, even though there were other vehicles there with Ice Age Trail stickers in the window. 

We ended our hike at 2:40, with the temperature holding at 69°, another 1.9 miles of trail hiked.  The trail comes out on N. Foley Rd., and to get back to the car we had to turn left and walk the 0.2 miles back to the parking area.  I found this segment to be a very easy walk, and I rate this trail an A, my highest rating. 

There have been changes to the Skunk & Foster Lakes Segment and the adjoining Waupaca River Segment since the 2011 Atlas and Companion Guide were published, so be sure to look at the new books if you want to know where to start and end.  Word of caution – the Google map shows the trail ending in a different location than it really does.  The 2014 trail guidebook is more accurate.

Running total: 232.1 miles of trail covered; 23.0 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking.  End of Day 29.

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Want to hike this segment?  Here's where to go to start! 44.428287, -89.209061 Google Maps Link

Day 28: Camp 27 Segment, Lincoln County; Connecting Route 5, Lincoln County

Day 28: Thursday April 30th, 2015

Location: Camp 27 Segment, Lincoln County

Near the western edge of Lincoln County there is a 2.9 mile section of trail we have been both looking forward to and dreading at the same time.  If you’ve been following along at all, you know that we are Section hikers, and not even particularly dedicated at that.  That means we look for as many places to chop a segment up as possible.  We place a target vehicle at the end, drive to the beginning, hike whatever distance is needed, and if there’s time left when we’re done, move back up the trail a little farther and do it again. 

Late yesterday afternoon we dropped a vehicle off at the western end of the Newwood Segment to hike the last 3 miles or so.  This also corresponds to the eastern end of the Camp 27 segment.  That point is HERE.  Believe it or not, it’s possible to drive a vehicle into the middle of that particular piece of nowhere, and there isn’t a soul around to tell you you can’t park there.  (Actually, there is relatively decent parking close by.)  When we got to our target vehicle, we drove around to the western end of the Camp 27 segment and camped for the night. 

This doesn’t sound like much, right?  2.9 miles of trail; drive from one end to the other…  Tell you what.  You go ahead and drop me on one end of that trail, drive to the other end, and I’ll bet you $500 I can beat you there on foot.  There simply isn’t a way to get there from here.  We chose the southern route, which is only about 70% gravel roads, and it took us roughly 50 minutes to drive to the other end.  Really.  It’s that far.  When they talk about this being one of the most remote sections on the whole Ice Age Trail, they aren’t kidding.  You don’t want to get lost out there, and you don’t want to have to walk for help.  During that entire 50 minute drive, we saw not one commercial business of any kind.  No towns, no grocery, no gas stations – nothing.  Just an occasional hunting shack.  If you’re new to the Ice Age trail, don’t start here.  It may give you a good idea of what you’re in for by trying to hike the whole thing, but it’s not the way to ease into a new hobby.

So – we woke up this morning in absolute leisure, knowing we only had two short pieces of trail to hike, and a nice, long, relaxing drive in the middle.  We had our breakfast of hard boiled eggs, heated up our coffee over a tiny little fire, and took our time getting ready to hike.  By 10:20 am everything was ready and we took off down the trail.  It was 51° and sunny, with a light western breeze at our back.  Another perfect hiking day. 

The new Ice Age Trail Guidebook, 2014 has an icon indicating how challenging a section may seem to the hiker.  This one rated a ‘5’ out of ‘5’.  Ummm – no.  I disagree completely.  Unless the dry weather gave me a totally inaccurate picture of what this trail is normally like, I found it level, well-groomed, well-marked, and completely enjoyable.  In the first part of the hike (west to east, anyway) there is a long, well-sodded beaver dam that leads past a pond (of course).  

At places, in brief stretches, the trail shares logging roads, but I was really impressed with how well-marked the turns were.  There was hardly a branch down on the trail, and if it weren’t for a small handful of creeks that had to be hopped over, it would have been completely fabulous.  There was even a nice bridge that had been put up in the fall of 2013 to make the whole experience even more pleasant.  The only thing that would make this challenging would be wet weather and mosquitoes that come out later in the year.  That and the fact you have to drive for hours to get anywhere near the thing.

So – in the end, I’d have to rate this section a ‘B’.  I’d happily hike it again if it was easier to get to.  We ended our hike at 1:21 pm, with the temperature a mild 61°. 

Running total: 228.3 miles of trail covered; 22.6 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking.  

Want to hike this segment?  Here's where to go to start! 45.295254, -90.003512 Google Maps Link

Location: Connecting Route 5, between Timberland Wilderness Segment and Camp 27 segment, Lincoln County

There isn’t really much one can say about a gravel road connecting route that would interest a reader.  This one is no exception.  Certainly the area is remote and beautiful, and you’re unlikely to encounter a single vehicle during the entire 1.9 mile walk, even though this is the only road around for miles.  The best thing that can be said about it is that it’s easy to find parking, and the area really is pretty, and quite enjoyable before the wood ticks and mosquitoes take over.  I wrote earlier about how incredibly tick-infested the Timberland Wilderness Segment is during the hot weather, and even now, at the end of April, with the weather still at 61°, and properly coated in deet and Permethrin, we still found a few ticks on us on the nearby Camp 27 Segment. 

Sheesh.

Anyway, we started our hike at 3:00, and ended at 4:00, with the temperature all the way up to 64°.  In case you’re curious, when we reached our target vehicle at the end of the Camp 27 segment, we took the northern route around the no-road zone, and this time it took even longer and was 100% gravel roads, also with no towns, no gas, no grocery, no business of any kind. 

Sheesh.

Running total: 230.2 miles of trail covered; 22.6 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking.  End of Day 28.

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Want to hike this segment?  Here's where to go to start! 45.311357, -90.032866 Google Maps Link

Day 27: Newwood Segment (Part 2), Lincoln County

Day 27: Wednesday April 29th, 2015

Location: Newwood Segment (Part 2), Lincoln County

We last visited the Newwood Segment exactly 19 months ago on a simply gorgeous fall day in 2013.  (Read about that hike here.)  Today was a day just as pretty and a hundred times less buggy.  Our target: the western half of the segment. 

It’s a little hard to gauge just how far it is hiking the eastern half or the western half of this segment.  If you look at the 2014 Ice Age Trail Guidebook, the whole distance is 6.5 miles.  The 2011 Ice Age Trail Companion Guide listed the segment as 6.6 miles.  If you look at Google Maps, the whole route is 6.0 miles.  Hard to know whom to trust.  My feet told me it was 6.54 miles.  Prove me wrong. 

Anyway, we had hoped to get a much earlier start and possibly hike more than one segment today, but real life keeps getting in the way.  Just getting to this remote area in Lincoln County is a challenge, and actually getting a vehicle to the westernmost trailhead is, uh, not for the faint of heart.  If you’re looking at the 2011 Atlas, it doesn’t look possible to drive to the west end of this segment.  If you look on Google Maps it doesn’t even look like a road exists that will get you to the west end.  But in the 2014 Trail Guidebook, and the 2014 Atlas, it correctly shows that it is possible, without driving through streams and crashing gates, to drive all the way to the end of Conservation Avenue from the east, and get right down to the trailhead. 

I don’t know who called this two-rut cow path an ‘Avenue’, but that was like putting lipstick on a sow.  If you’re going to drive in there, use the most rugged vehicle you own.  It’s not like you’ll bottom out if you’re driving a hybrid 2-door, but you wouldn’t want to get stuck out there, either.

To prevent having to take two vehicles down there, we dropped one car at the mid-point of the segment (our end point for the day) and drove our hybrid Prius (yeah, I know – do as I say, not as I do) down into the heart of the Newwood Recreational Area.  About 0.2 miles from the actual location where the trail crosses the ‘Avenue’ is a very nice place to park with a large turn-around.  Use it.  The trail is just a little further down the road, about two curves away.  Oh – and if you’re coming from the west and you’re using your GPS device to get there – don’t believe that Conservation Ave goes all the way through.  Neither does Whisky Bill Road.  They’re called gates, and they don’t allow cars through that way. 

So here we were, 4:46 pm at 61°, bounding off into the woods.  It has been a long time since we last hit real trail, and we’ve missed it.  About 2 tenths of a mile into the walk (we were hiking west to east) we got into a very marshy area, which helps to explain why this section is so full of mosquitoes later in the year.  It has been utterly dry around here for weeks, and yet there was open mud, running streams, and positively boggy bits of trail.  This lasted for about 200 yards, making me appreciate even more all the times I’ve walked across long boardwalks through stuff like this.  But – hopping from grass clump to tree limb, taking a few rapid steps, and once in a while an authentic leap of faith, we were able to get through with minimal mud to show for it.  Once past this area we never truly got out of the wet zone, but everything else was just minor water hazards.  Actually, there were long bits of the walk that were atop charming eskers, and with the temperature so low and the bugs so few, it was an incredibly nice time to make the journey.    I wouldn’t want to do it during a wet spring, but during a dry one this is a fine walk. 

The only real notable things were that some parts of the trail were groomed by the Mobile Skills Crew and I noticed that the porcupines had been eating the hemlock trees, leaving curious piles of cut branches on the trail.  The forest itself was an odd, evenly mature northern hardwood mix, clearly having grown up after a clear-cut.  All the trees were approximately the same age, and there was surprisingly little understory and new growth.  This makes for a park-like appearance, but also makes it hard to discern the trail from the many, many animal paths cutting through the woods.  Fortunately, there are plenty of blazes to mark the way, so it’s hard to get lost.  Except for the part where the mobile skills crew did the blazes.  They have a tendency to not put enough of them out.  That’s the one part of what they do that leaves me puzzled.  

As the light was getting low and the temperature getting cool, we found our way to the car following a troad along the last bit of trail.  We left the woods at 7:27 pm, at 55°, another 3.5 miles covered, happy to be back on the trail. I'd rate this section a Class B trail, only because of the amount of mud and water hazard.  Otherwise it would be an 'A'.  

You may ask how it is that we didn’t have to drive down to get the car we left in the woods.  For that you’ll have to read about Day 28.  As for Day 27, we drove our trail-end vehicle to a new destination and camped out overnight.

Running total: 225.4 miles of trail covered; 22.6 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking.  End of Day 27.

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Day 26: Devil’s Staircase Segment, Rock County; Janesville Segment (Parts 3 & 4), Rock County

Day 26: Tuesday August 5th, 2014

Location: Devil’s Staircase Segment, Rock County

We are people who typically try to fit a little more into a vacation than should properly fit.  This last week we were completing another journey, following the trail of Makataimeshekiakiak - a.k.a. Black Hawk - through Illinois and Wisconsin.  Trying to peacefully reclaim the land which had been stolen from him in an effort to feed his starving people, he was attacked, chased, and eventually captured.  Along the way, over 1000 of his followers died of exhaustion, starvation, exposure, and murder.  The tale is a long one – you can read more about this adventure in my other blog http://blackhawkjourney.blogspot.com/. 

So as I said – we were at the end of a week-long vacation and found ourselves in the Janesville area, and decided we’d tackle a bit of the trail.  We actually had our bikes with us, but we were in a single car, so anything we did we had to do twice. 

The Devil’s Staircase segment has a bad reputation – perpetuated by the foreboding name.  In truth – it’s really not all that bad.  It is a 1-mile flat roadwalk followed by 0.7 miles of up-and-down terrain made hazardous by the precipitous fall one would take, should one slip ever so slightly to the downhill side.  There are, as the name would suggest, a number of stone staircases built by long hard labor in what was clearly a hostile environment.  Ledges of stone and dirt were hacked away creating a Billy goat trail that clings to the side of the cliff face.  It’s not a big cliff, but it’s a big first step down, and a fall I would not bounce back from unscathed.  At one time, the foot traveler was protected by a sturdy steel cable, affixed to sturdy steel posts, set into the downhill side of the trail using concrete footings.  I know this because the mangled remains of this system hangs, bent and broken, in a mostly useless parody of its former self.  I don’t know if it was destroyed when the people who did it would have been called ruffians, juvenile delinquents, hoodlums, punks or gangbangers, but the effect is the same. 

Enough about the bad stuff.  The history of this segment of trail is delightful.  It was built in the 1930s by the CCC, and had deteriorated severely.  The Ice Age Trail Alliance, in cooperation with local government, business, and the golf course, organized an effort to reclaim and reopen this trail, and it is now an area so ruggedly isolated from its urban surroundings that hiking is dominated by the scenic view of the Rock River, even though train tracks and a golf course are a mere 100 above you.  You literally lose yourself in the wild feel of this piece of trail. 

We hiked the section from east to west, starting in Riverside Park and ending at Washington Street.  Of course that meant we had to leave bikes at Washington Street and bike back when we were done.  It was dry and hot when we went there, and I had a great time looking at the river and the cliffs, but I can see how this could be far more dangerous in wet weather.  The most noteworthy thing I remember was reaching the end of the trail and climbing the last stone-step staircase and finding ourselves – surprise! – on a golf course.  It was like coming back through the wardrobe from the land of Narnia.  We even had to wait for a train before we could cross the track.  I simply love the fact that Janesville has a little hidden gem like this. 

See the golf course?  Neither did we

Rock River View - even the opposite shore is unspoiled

One of several cliff views

Last view of the Rock River

Down the short remaining path to the bikes, we climbed into the saddle and rode up Washington Street (this was actually more dangerous than the hike) and back down to the beginning of the segment, on Parkside Drive.  At this point we had walked the trail part of Devil’s Staircase and had the road portion left, exactly 1 mile along the Rock River. 

As we do with most of the road sections of trail, we biked this last mile back to the car.  It was 80 degrees and humid when we started at 4:00 pm, and still 76 degrees and humid when we ended at 6:26 pm.  Two and half hours may seem like a very long time for less than two miles, part of it on bicycle, but I blame the heat and the fact that we were at the end of a long, arduous vacation already.  We were in no hurry, and there was more to do that day.  I'd rate this as a grade 'C+' trail.  could definitely stand another round of improvements.  

Running total: 217.3 miles of trail covered; 18.0 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking.

Want to hike this segment?  Here's where to go to start! 42.714616, -89.052468 Google Maps Link

Day 26 continued

Location: Janesville Segment (Part 3), Rock County, WI

Opportunity and enthusiasm overruled common sense and we decided to keep going.  The days were long, and we knew that what laid before us was essentially a bike trail through the city of Janesville.  We had previously left 1.6 miles of the westernmost part of the Janesville segment unfinished, and another 4.7 miles of the easternmost part undone.  We drove back to the South Pavilion on Riverside Drive and headed south along the river at 7 pm, the thermometer still showing 77 degrees.  We rode in companionable silence along the riverfront for 1.6 miles, enjoying the shade of the many trees and the smiles and waves from walkers, riders, joggers, and anyone else we met on the way.  Then we reached the point we had walked to the previous February in a blizzard (that story here) and then biked back up to the car.  It was utterly peaceful and uneventful, and soon we found ourselves loading up the bikes and heading for the other end of the Janesville segment.

Running total: 218.9 miles of trail covered; 19.6 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking.  

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Day 26 continued

Location: Janesville Segment (Part 4), Rock County, WI

We drove over to the eastern end of the Janesville Segment to cover as much of the remaining bike trail as we could, which for us meant getting to the exact place where the trail cuts underneath I-39 and heading north.  So we parked at Ruger Avenue and rode south the tiny bit until we found our starting point, then headed north.  I’ll say one thing for Janesville.  They really maintain this pathway well, and it is well-loved and well-used by its residents.  Walkers, bikers, skateboarders and more all share the trail with equal delight and respect, and there was hardly a scrap of litter visible anywhere.  This paved two-lane bike path rolled charmingly up and down small hills and through the forested green-spaces set aside by the city.  Alas, we were facing darkness, and with a return trip necessitated by our single-vehicle status, we turned around at N Wright Road and headed back for the car.  It was 8 pm and it was still 77 degrees. We had achieved 3 more miles of trail covered on this end (twice), leaving us 1.7 miles more for our next trip here, whenever that may be.

Running total: 221.9 miles of trail covered; 22.6 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking.  End of Day 26.

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Day 25: Timberland Wilderness Segment, Lincoln County

Day 25: Sunday, June 15th, 2014

Location: Timberland Wilderness Segment, Lincoln County, WI

Father’s Day, 2014.  Sunny and warm, with just a tiny threat of rain.  Nice and windy, to keep the bugs away.  The Timberland Wilderness Segment is the first, or last, Segment in Lincoln County depending on whether you’re hiking it west to east or east to west.   It has actually been several months since we last hiked on the trail, in a blizzard in February. 

The first thing we had to do was get to the segment, which means driving for miles and miles on gravel roads, or course.  We dropped one car at the southern/eastern end, where there was relatively excellent parking just north of the trail head, then traveled north and started at the north end.  I was looking forward to a relatively nice, easy hike on mostly level ground.

When we first got started, we ‘touched the sign’.  I looked it up, and we had last been there and touched that very sign going the other direction into Taylor County on August 9^th, 2013.   This was not our first venture into Taylor County, but after today the segments just keep getting longer. 

Anyway, one of the Christmas gifts we gave one another this last year was a decent pair of leg gaiters.  These are the things you strap on over your boots and lower legs to keep water off, reduce exposure to ticks, etc.  We were fully prepared.  We had our high-top hiking boots on, our pants tucked into our socks, the shirt tucked into the pants, the lag gaiters strapped and tightened – all set for a great hike.

The trail itself was great.  It was actually recently mowed over most of the 3.7 miles, and there was a minimum of rocks and roots to get in the way.  The markings were abundant (actually, as much as I complain about not enough blazes to mark the trail, there were places here where there were too many blazes) and almost no downed logs in the way.  Only one log that I couldn't move out of the way.  This tail was being beautifully groomed. 

About halfway through the hike, we came to the place where the trail takes a severe duck’s beak turn and found that someone had recently dragged a lovely new Leopold bench there and placed it where there was a nice overlook into a lowland area.  

Of course, we sat down, and Theresa looked down at her khaki pants and noticed a tick.  In fact, she saw several ticks.  Holy cow, she had a LOT of ticks on her!  We started picking them off and throwing them out into the woods, but this was an unpleasant surprise.  It was then I realized we had never sprayed our leg gaiters with the Permethrin, and hadn't sprayed deet on there either.  We had on the layers, but no repellent, and the ticks just kept climbing.  Of course I checked my own (dark green) pants and found a few ticks, but not as many as Theresa had on here. 

Our bench stay was short, and we got up and started hiking again.  Theresa was moving with an odd determination that hadn't been present before.  It wasn't really that hot (75 degrees?) and the humidity wasn't all that intense, but the wind we had been counting on was blowing above and not through the trees, so we were also swarmed with mosquitoes, black flies, gnats, and deer flies.  The deet kept them off our faces and ears, but they were annoying all the same. 

I can hardly remember all the beautiful ferns and flowers, the wonderful bridge work, the interesting spiders, beetles and wasps we saw, and all the trail grooming.  

You should have seen this guy up close!

Look close - see froggy?

These beetles are eating the tree bark

I love these ferns!!

As we walked, Theresa kept looking down and finding more ticks climbing up her legs.  There seemed no end to them.  I also was finding and removing ticks in quantities I had never experienced before.  Hiking is fun and all, but this was ridiculous.

 

Finally, as we crossed the third and final roadway, we knew we were only a couple hundred yards from the end, and faced our most hazardous water crossing of the whole hike at the edge of the road.  We quickly touched the sign at the end of the trail, made our way across the boggy ditch, and stepped out onto the roadway.

“We are doing whatever it takes to get rid of these ticks before we are setting foot in my car!” she said.  I was in complete agreement. 

I will save you the suspense.  I didn’t count, but I’m absolutely certain that each of us, even after constantly picking ticks off of ourselves as we walked, stood on that roadway with over 100 ticks on our apparel.  First to go was the fanny packs, carrying our food and water.  Not many there, maybe only 15 or so.  Then the backpack, carrying our raingear.  Again, only a few in there.  Then came the leg gaiters.  I couldn’t have counted.  I found ticks burrowed into the Velcro closure.  I found them in the folds where the cinch ropes puckered the fabric.  I found them over and under the gaiters, but especially where the fabric was held tight to my leg.  No less than fifty ticks were on my gaiters alone, probably more. 

Next came the socks.  I only found 20 or so in the socks, but many of those were the nymphs so small you need a magnifying glass just to see if they have legs.  I know they were ticks, though, ‘cause the little buggers dove in deeper when I tried to dislodge them from the loops in the sock fabric.  I rolled the tops of the socks back and I had a ring of ticks under the upper end of the socks, trying to dig into the pant legs there.  As soon as I loosened the fabric, they started climbing.  It was a race to see if I could get them all before they made it to my shirt.  Then I pulled open the tops of the boots.  Yup – more ticks, buried in the socks.

Don’t get me wrong.  Ticks don’t really bother me, but even writing about this is making me feel itchy and buggy.  And I wasn’t alone.  Theresa was standing next to me doing the same thing, and she was just as infested.  We were pulling so many ticks off that we had to move to another part of the road because they were starting to climb right back on again.  The road was visibly crawling with ticks.

So then the pants were pulled back and rolled down at the waist.  More ticks.  In the zipper flap – more ticks.  In the pockets – more ticks.  Under the belt – more ticks.  Pull up the shirt – more ticks.  After all was said and done, we ended up with three ticks that had made their way past all the layers and were crawling on our skin.  Only one had taken a bite.  Phew!

We got into the car and sat there for a while waiting.  Sure enough, we each had a couple more ticks crawling on our legs.  I started to investigate.  We were both wearing the kind of pants that have zip-off legs, and there was a flap that covered that zipper we had each forgotten to check. 

TICKS!  TICKS!!  TICKS!!!!  I must have had another fifty ticks just under the flaps.  Open goes the car door – out go the humans, off go the ticks.  Find another place to stand on the road, because they’re coming back up on the boots again.  They were stacked up in the corners of the fabric like sesame seeds on a Big Mac.  I know I said over 100 each, but I would not at all be surprised if each of us was carrying over 200 ticks when we left those woods.  This is NOT an exaggeration. 

So – a warning to all you nature lovers in Lincoln County.  I was able to collect a broad variety of wood ticks and deer ticks (possibly lone star ticks, too – I didn’t look that close) by walking swiftly along a mostly mowed trail for less than four miles.  Please use tick repellent, and don’t forget to spray your pants and socks!  There is a tick population out there of biblical proportion, and they want nothing better than to feast on your blood.

Final analysis – this was a beautifully maintained trail with easy access on both ends, with very little elevation change and few hiking hazards.  I would have to rate this trail a B+, though there are many stretches that rate an ‘A’.  My congratulations to the Northwoods Chapter.  Officially 3.7 miles hiked.  Running total: 215.6 miles of trail covered; 16.9 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking.  End of Day 25.

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