Originally printed July 30, 2016
Hummocky: Describing an extremely irregular surface.
The six paragraphs in the Ice Age Trail Guide describing the Milwaukee River Segment(Washington County) use this word four times. I found out why when I hiked this segment last Wednesday.
Jane dropped me off at the starting point at the junction of Highway 45 and Washington County H. I was planning to take just under three hours to complete the 6.8 miles, which would give me enough time to finish it before rains moved into the area. Within 100 yards of starting, I met an older couple who were hiking from north to south. We exchanged advice on the segments of trail we would be hiking, and went on our respective ways. The first quarter mile plus of my hike was through a wetland mitigation site. These sites are created or restored by property owners who have disturbed or destroyed a nearby wetland as a result of development. The area was flat and swampy, with lots of wild flowers. My sense was that this was a bird watcher’s paradise. As I passed out of this area, I hiked on a boardwalk over a swampy area and began a gradual ascent through some woods. The views were beautiful as I climbed a ridge (see the picture above for an example). At the top of the ridge, a corn field spread out before me. The trail led me right through the corn, which was better than shoulder high. From all the ears of corn I could see on the stalks, this farmer appeared to be in for a very good harvest.
After crossing a road. I walked through open meadows for 1/4 – 1/2 miles until I went down a hill and entered what appeared to me to be woods of maple and beech trees. This was the first “hummocky” area, according to the guide, through which I would hike. I was aware of a gradual ascent through country that alternated between hilly, wooded areas and more open meadows. After a while, I emerged from the woods and walked about a half mile through farm country until I reached a trail parking lot on County H alongside the Milwaukee River. Part of me wanted to stop and dip my feet into the water, but I decided against it. After crossing the bridge over the river, I reentered the trail.
The balance of the trail, roughly 4+ miles, was all deep woods and all very hilly. I was in the Northern Kettle Moraine Forest. Except for steep descents leading to highways that cut across the trail, I felt as though I walking on rolling ridges through dense woods which overlooked deep, deep kettles. I stopped for water only when the trail went through brief openings in the woods. My thought process was that I was less likely to be eaten alive by mosquitoes in these more open areas. Otherwise, I kept my eyes peeled on the ground immediately in front of me to avoid tripping, and I concentrated very hard on maintaining my form. I really, really appreciated the walking sticks I was using. As I got closer to the end of the trail, I became aware that it was darker. Grey clouds were moving in.
This segment and the Lapham Peak segment are both rated “4” out of a possible five for hilliness. To me, this segment was more challenging. Lapham Peak certainly has a steep climb up a hill to the observation tower, but once past that, it is down hill or flat for a good distance. Today’s segment seemed like constant hills. Hummucky with a capital H!
By the time I reached Jane at trail’s end, I was completely soaked through my hiking shirt and hat. A dark squall line was forming to the north and west. After changing into a dry shirt, Jane and I went into Kewaskum for some lunch. On the way home, the heavens opened, and it dumped like crazy. I was really glad to be off the trail.
For hikers who want a real challenge, this is your segment.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 