Originally printed June 29, 2016
It had been nearly two weeks since I was on the Ice Age Trail. My body was telling me I needed some rest, and I listened. After a week of doing nothing, I did some lighter walking in the neighborhood last week. By the morning of Monday’s hike, I was raring to go. Three segments were on the docket, back-to-back-to-back.
The first, the Pike Lake Segment, was rated rated the hilliest of the three, and the first third of a mile gave me a hint of what was to come, as I quickly ascended a ridge in deep woods before descending to a residential neighborhood. After a short pass on a road through this neighborhood, I entered the southern edge of the Pike Lake Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest.
For about a mile, the trail was relatively flat, weaving through a canopy of leaf-bearing trees. Since I knew it was going to get pretty hot later that morning, I really appreciated walking in the morning cool. After walking for a half mile, I came to the beautiful beach at Pike Lake. I hoped to take a good break here – put my feet in the lake, drink a bottle of water, refill and get moving after recharging my batteries. Unfortunately, no running water was available due to some problem with the wells. So, I went with a greatly abbreviated Plan B – several gulps of water, a handful of almonds, and a few minutes enjoying the clean breeze coming off the lake. Then it was back on the trail.
Immediately, the terrain go a lot hillier as I continued hiking through deep woods. Soon I came to an intersection with a spur trail to an observation tower. Normally, I avoid side trips like the plague. Why add unnecessary mileage? Why add to Jane’s wait time at trail’s end? But, the sign said it was only .2 of a mile to the tower, and I was confident I would be rewarded with a great view at the top. So, I texted Jane about the change in plans and trudged up a steep grade to the top of Powder Hill, one of the largest kames in the area at 1,350 feet. It was worth the walk. This tower, the donation of Richard and Marlene Lee, was dedicated in 2001. It was better than four stories tall, and it gave spectacular views if the surrounding country, including Holy Hill, Pike Lake, and the town of Hartford (Wisconsin, for those readers from CT!). After snapping some pictures, I made my way down the hill and got back on the trail.
(While the tower was certainly a grand donation by the Lees, I have passed many, many other smaller improvements marked by commemorative plates of honor. In some cases, they are Eagle Scout projects. Others are in honor of loved ones, or benefactors to the trail. Soooo, if you’re interested, there may be a site in the future for a bench at a scenic overlook with your name on it. Just saying…).
After coming down the hill, the trail took me northeast across Power Hill Road. At that junction, there was a small parking lot and a porta-potty. The lot and the privy support three “back packing campsites” which are less than a quarter mile away. These three sites were pretty basic – a place to pitch a tent, a picnic table, and a small fire pit at each location. Still in deep woods, but now walking in much flatter terrain, I came to Washington County Highway CC, the eastern boundary of the Pike Lake Unit. I turned north, walked a third of a mile, crossed Highway 60, and entered the Slinger Segment.
This trail starts on an abandoned road that is overgrown with trees.. My impression is that it functions as a boundary between two chunks of farmland. Eventually, the canopy of trees ended as I entered the town. After a brief walk through an industrial area at the town’s south end, I turned onto Kettle Moraine Drive and started north. My general impression was that this was a quaint-but-tired area screaming to be developed into a section of funky shops, a la Cedarburg’s main drag. Outside of a sandwich shop and a gas station with a bit of a convenience store, there was not much that was attractive to me in the heart of this town. After walking north a bit, I turned east onto Cedar Creek Road. Here were Slinger’s two main claims to fame. On my right was the Little Switzerland downhill ski area. On my left was Slinger Speedway, a quarter mile dirt track for stock car racing.
The Slinger Segment ended here, and the Cedar Lakes Segment began immediately. The first roughly mile follows east on Cedar Creek Road. It was very open, very hot, and not very pretty in the least. The best thing I could say about this section of trail was that it led me across US-41, and major geographic threshold for me. For the balance of my trek north and east to Door County, I will be east of this major interstate highway. Shortly after crossing the bridge over the interstate, I turned left to start the final leg of today’s hike.
The Ice Age Trail Alliance has a lot of nice things to say about this segment – farmers’ fields, wetlands, and forests of oak, maple, beech and white birch. Lots of flowers in the spring. I’d like to report on those things, but my major takeaway from this area was MOSQUITOES! If I stopped to snap a picture, they were on me. If I paused to drink some water, they were on me. So, I put my head down and blasted through this section as fast as I could. I can report that I was in deep woods, and that I trudged up and down some pretty serious hills. Frankly, I thought this section was just as hilly as the Pike Lake Segment. One interesting thing about this trail is that when it went through farm country, it actually went right through the farmers’ fields instead of skirting around the edges. Near the end of this trail, I met a man, his wife, and two little kids. All were dressed in shorts and tank tops appropriate for the back yard, but definitely wrong for the woods they were about to enter. I warned the parents, and they quickly did an about face and headed back to their car. I probably saved the two kids from being eaten alive.
I could see the potential of this trail, but I couldn’t enjoy it on that day unless I slathered a ton of DEET on my body.
Maybe I’ll come back in October.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 