Originally written May 15, 2016
Clearly, I was in a lousy mood, and I actually considered taking a nap instead of doing a hike. I had slept fitfully Saturday night. As a result, I was a long way from bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Apparently, what little sleep I had was in an odd position, because my body felt very creaky. While it was dry, the weather was overcast, damp, and chilly – low 50s as Jane and I headed west out of Milwaukee. I dearly hoped this hike was going to brighten my spirits.
After we found the end point of today’s hike, the UW-Waukesha Field Station, we drove a short distance to the staring point for the hike along Waukesha County Highway C. After doing a little stretching, I said goodbye to Jane and got started. Today’s hike was to be a short hop: a connecting route of 1.1 miles along Waukesha County Highways C and D to the southern trail head for the Waterville Segment of the Ice Age Trail, the 2.6 mile segment itself, and another 1.2 mile connecting route from the northern segment trail head to the Field Station where Jane would be waiting. Since it was a short hike, I decided to go without my hiking sticks to see what difference it made.
Very quickly, I determined that I would have to be very aware of my surroundings as I walked along the connecting route. There were a good number of folks out for a ride on a Sunday afternoon, and they seemed awfully close to me as they zipped by. I always walk country roads on the left side facing traffic, but these roads seemed quite narrow and had virtually no shoulders. I definitely did not want to be a hood ornament on some Dodge pickup flying over a blind rise to find me. My decision to wear a fluorescent red and yellow construction vest was validated this afternoon.
None of this was helping my mood until I turned off the county highway and entered the Waterville Segment. Visually, it was as if I had opened a gate and entered a new world. For the first mile or so, the country was fairly flat. Oak forests would be periodically broken up by sections of prairie or by wetlands. While the IAT guidebook mentioned that the ground might be soupy after a big rain, I did not find that to be the case. The canopies of trees had a dark, fairytale quality about them, a sort of enchanted forest. I see this quality only getting more pronounced as the trees continue to leaf out. One tree in particular got my attention. I can’t remember the particular kind of tree, but it was not an evergreen tree. While it was standing erect, a section of it several feet tall was hollowed out. Of course, I had visions of “The Princess Bride”, and I peeked in the hollow looking for Westley.
Past the trail’s midway point, it got a bit more hilly, but nothing like the segments I had hiked through the Kettle Moraine Forest. A good chunk of this trail runs through private property. I had the impression that if I walked a hundred yards off the trail, I would enter the back yards of homes in subdivisions cut out of these woods. I could hear lots of noises – cars, chain saws and lawn mowers. While the sights were beautiful, at least today the sounds were not. All the same, I am very grateful that the landowners in this area had granted the right of way for the trail, and I made sure to respect the property owners by staying on the trail and by not littering. I quickly came to the segment’s end at Waterville Road, walked north a little more than a mile on the connecting route, and turned into the Field Station where Jane was waiting for me with some fruit and cheese.
I certainly was glad I made the trip. This section would be very doable for a beginning hiker, and I am hopeful I can return here in the fall with Jane, if only to hike a section of the segment.
Also, I learned a lesson. Use those walking sticks. If for nothing else, they are an aid for balance, especially in hilly areas.
Next week, it is on to the Lapham Peak section, the hilliest segment on the eastern portion of the trail. Psyche up, Jim.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 