Originally written May 7, 2016
Yesterday, I hiked the Eagle and Scuppernong segments of the Ice Age Trail. I would be hard pressed to walk two contiguous segments whose geographies are so different.
Because of the 11.2 mile length of this hike, I did not want to put Jane and her sister, who is in for a visit, through a five hour plus wait for me, so I made use of the Ice Age “Trail Angels” for the second time. Trail Angels are volunteers who will pick you up at the end point of your hike, then drive you to the starting point so you can begin. I met my trail angel, Dick, at 9:30 am. He is from the Town of Waukesha and has been retired for 23 years. He also appears to be extremely fit and ageless. I’m guessing he is in his mid to late 70s. In addition to being a trail angel, Dick also volunteers on kiddy hikes in the area sponsored by the Waukesha/Milwaukee Counties Chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance, and he periodically mows the lawn at a trail head parking lot. Like the other Trail Angel I’ve met, Dick would not accept any gas money for driving me. So, I wrote a check to the Ice Age Trail Alliance, which he did accept. While driving, Dick gave me a more local perspective on sights I’d see while on the hike. At 10:00 am, he dropped me off at the southern starting point for the Eagle Trail, and I began.
I don’t think I’ve mentioned this previously, but the part of a hike that I dislike most is the first 45-60 minutes. This is because I usually have to break my rhythm to adjust my gear a bit. That was the case again. I had purchased a vest from REI because I needed a lighter vest than the polar fleece one I had been wearing, and because I needed more pockets than the two on my polar fleece. With the vest and the cargo pants I was using, I now had pockets galore, but I needed to determine what was the most useful, convenient location for the various items. This meant periodic stopping to readjust from Plan A to Plan B to Plan C…and so on. Then there was my tummy. I was coming out of a tummy bug, and my gut was still a bit sore. Add it all up, and I was out of sorts and definitely not in a groove. Eventually, I found my rhythm, thanks in part to rehearsing the “Libera Me” fugue from the Verdi Requiem in my head as I walked. A guy’s got to do what a guy’s got to do.
But, the gently rolling prairie country through which I hiked was beautiful. The big sky gave me an unobstructed view for miles around, broken periodically be stands of trees. Beautiful flowers lined my way. This area has to be a bird watcher’s paradise. I spotted numerous cranes, hawks and song birds of many types. This part of the trail was a feast for both the eyes and the ears.
Past Waukesha County Highway N, more trees interrupted the prairie. I was in the Scuppernong Prairie State Natural Area. According to the Ice Age Trail Alliance’s guide, this area is ,”One of the oldest of Wisconsin’s State Natural Areas and part of the Scuppernong River Habitat Area that highlights the largest native wet prairie area east of the Mississippi. The prairie is growing in the bed of the former Glacier Lake Scuppernong.” This lake was shallow but huge. It took up part of western Waukesha County, all of Jefferson County, and extended south into Rock and Walworth Counties, and north into Dodge County. The land is this section was a little soupy at times, and I was very grateful for the numerous small boardwalks built by Ice Age Trail Alliance volunteers. After I crossed Wilton Road and started hiking to the northeast toward Highway 67, the Prairie began to dry out a bit. Along the way, I came upon a stream that appeared to be dammed (beavers, perhaps?). This appeared to be turtle heaven, and I stopped for a bit to watch them swimming and sunning themselves. Then the big sky began to recede as I hiked into areas of older forest.
One of the local sights in this area is Brady’s Rocks, a group of rocks named for Irish immigrants Michael and Kathleen Brady, who settled in the area in 1855. They used these rocks as their personal quarry for building their home. For any budding geologists who may be reading this, the Ice Age Trail guide states, “These outcroppings are a portion of the Niagara Escarpment, a thick layer of dolemite that extends through Door County, dips under Lake Michigan and the state of Michigan and reemerges at the end of Lake Erie at Niagara Falls.”
Starting near Brady’s Rocks and extending north along Highway 67, the country rolled more – not at all like the prairie country – and was dominated by large trees with scraggly branches. It reminded me of the forest of apple trees in the Wizard of Oz. Soon, I crossed Highway 67 and began the Scuppernong Segment.
I have quoted the Ice Age Trail Guide often, and I would recommend it to anyone considering a hike on the Ice Age Trail. But, I do disagree with them on their ratings of the relative hilliness of the Eagle and Scuppernong segments.Both are rated a “3” on a five point scale. With all due respect, no way! If the Scuppernong Segment is a three, the Eagle should be one click less. As soon I crossed Highway 67, the hills became steeper and more numerous as I reentered the Kettle Moraine State Forest. Soon, I arrived at the parking lot for the Scuppernong Hiking and Cross-Country ski loops, where I was first introduced to cross-country skiing in 1977. I shut down for 20 minutes to scarf down some chicken breast and oranges for lunch, and to stretch. Then I saddled up and got back on the trail.
The next portion of the trail is the reason I think the ratings for Eagle and Scuppernong should be different. These aren’t rolling hills. These are steep climbs and downhills through large kettles with multiple switchbacks throughout . Even though I had hiked these sections of trail twice before, they seemed to go on forever. My efforts were rewarded at one point by a bench with a beautiful view of a section of forest spreading down a kettle and out before me. With the high heat that day – it was 81 by 1:00 pm – I was grateful for the trees which had begun leafing out. Any shade was most welcome.
The Ice Age Trail crosses the Scuppernong ski loop at three points, which I used as a kind of countdown to the home stretch. After that, the trail flattened a bit and headed through pine forest northwest past the large Pinewoods Campground. After that, the forest ended, and the trail ran on private property a short distance to where my car was waiting. I made a quick stop at a gas station for an ice cream bar – I deserved it – and headed home.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 