Originally printed May 21, 2016
For the second day in a row, I was fortunate to have a partner with me for today’s hike. Joseph Krechel, a fellow chorus member, lives in the Lapham Peak area with his lovely wife, Susan. They are part of the Eat-and-Talk Gang that we’ve hosted for dinners over the years, including John and Clare Jorgenson and Bill and Cheryl Walters. Many times we have met to test burning questions of the day, such as is it possible to put too much garlic in the pesto sauce (The answer is no). We haven’t had time together to gab at length in quite some time, and today presented a great opportunity. Joe and I would hike the trail, while Jane and Susan would hang at a nearby coffee shop. After that we’d have lunch. A fine plan.
For those of you outside of the Milwaukee area, Spring finally decided to arrive. Today it was in the low 70s without a cloud in the sky when we picked Joe and Susan up at their house. From there we drove to the end point of our hike south of Cushing Road to mark it on Jane’s GPS. Then we traveled to the starting point at the UW-Waukesha Field Station and set off on our hike on the Lapham Peak Segment of the Ice Age Trail. We had excellent cell phone coverage, so I would text Jane as we passed landmarks, so she and Susan would know where we were.
The first two miles of our hike ran concurrent with the Glacial Drumlin State Bike Trail. As this was originally a rail line, it was flat. We shared the asphalt-paved trail with a lot of bicyclists. In the last quarter mile on this section, we began encountering a lot of runners. Later we learned that a triathlon was in progress. Obviously, this was the most people with whom I had shared any portion of the Ice Age Trail. No problem; we stayed on the left side of the trail facing traffic, and everything worked out fine. Pretty soon we crossed Highway 18 – with police directing traffic, no less – and headed northeast into the Kettle Moraine State Forest.
The trail narrowed, forcing Joe and me to walk single file while we passed the triathletes headed the other way. I was struck by the progression. First we passed folks running at a decent clip. Then we passed folks more or less shuffling along, jogging a bit and sometimes breaking into a walk. Finally we met triathletes were were strictly walking . Joe set the pace as we hiked through woods that periodically opened to very pretty vistas of prairie to the east. The geography remained relatively flat until we reached a junction of several trails. We stayed on the Ice Age Trail and began what would be a steep, steady ascent.
This segment was rated 4 out of a possible 5 for hilliness by the Ice Age Trail Alliance, the steepest section of the eastern leg of the misshapen V that makes up the Ice Age Trail. Unlike the up-and-down roller coaster hills of other segments, this is basically one, large hill – a kame, actually -ascending to Lapham Peak itself. At 1,223 feet above sea level, it is the highest point in Waukesha County. There is a large observation tower at the top which provides quite a view in all directions. However, I chose not to climb it. I was sucking air enough from the climb on the trail. After pausing we began a long, gradual descent through oak woods.
Years ago, I used to cross country ski on groomed trails in this area, and many families with kids were making use of those trails for hiking today. Lapham Peak is clearly a jewel in the State Park system. Lots of buildings are present with excellent bathroom facilities and gathering places for groups. There is even an outdoor theatre that presents a summer season of plays and musical performances. It is a definite go-to destination for people looking for a chance to enjoy the outdoors, no matter what time of year.
After we finished our descent, we found ourselves in some very pretty marsh country. It was here that we experienced the highlight of the hike. Three does bounded across our trail no more than 10 yards in front of us. Surprisingly, they stopped in a shady meadow less than 50 yards to the south, turned and stared back at us. Joe thought that perhaps they stopped because a fawn was trailing, but we did not spot one. But they stood there for quite a while, long enough for me to snap the picture shown above.
Soon we crossed Waukesha County Highway C, which is the western boundary for the State Park. Outside of one stand of trees, we were in rolling prairie country for the last two miles of our hike. The trail turned north and west, and soon we could see Interstate 94 to our right. Before long, we were at the end of the trail, where Jane and Susan were waiting in the air-conditioned (thank you!!) car. We made a quick trip into Delafield and treated ourselves to a well-deserved lunch
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 