Originally printed August 12, 2016
Short and sweet, hot and hilly pretty much describes yesterday’s hike on the Milwaukee River Segment of the Ice Age Trail.
This segment was only 4.3 miles long – pretty short compared to what I have been hiking lately. Jane drove me to my starting point just outside of Kewaskum. Our plan was to get the hike in early, as afternoon rains were in the forecast. It was cloudy, although the sun was making a game effort at fighting through. As we drove up, Jane and I wondered aloud whether the gray in the west was morning haze or a rain front.
One of the things Jane and I do before I start any hike is to have a communications check. Can we call or text each other? This was one occasion where we were in cell phone hell. Fortunately, it was to be a short walk. We agreed that I would probably be out a couple of hours. With that, I set up, and Jane drove to Kewaskum to spend the next couple of hours in the Kewaskum Library’s air conditioned comfort.
The clouds were a bit of a mixed blessing. I was very grateful for protection from the sun. But it was extremely humid – tropical. Within minutes of starting, I was dripping wet. Except for the last mile or so, I was walking through hilly, wooded country with an openings to meadows every now and then. The hills weren’t as severe as the last segment I walked, but they were challenging, nevertheless. There was one section about 2.5 miles into the hike that was particularly memorable. Closer to the end of the hike, I was still walking on a ridge, but with marshland below me on my right side.
Normally, I like to take note of the critters I see while I’m walking, but things were pretty sparse on this hike. Outside of a hawk circling lazily overhead and some mourning doves, I didn’t see much on this hike, although I heard countless songbirds(Oddly enough, Jane and I spotted a group of what we thought were partridges as we left the Mauthe Lake lot after my hike – go figure.). What impressed me on this hike were the flowers. There were lots of them wherever there was a break in the forest canopy. When I was under the canopy, I saw lots of mushrooms. I was pleasantly surprised that people and things left them alone. It would have been easy to step on them or to kick them aside. I was very grateful that they had been left where they were to grow, and I made a point of stepping around them so the next person could enjoy their beauty.
With about 30 minutes left in the hike, it began to rain. Funny thing about rain in deep woods – you hear it long before you feel it. As much as I didn’t want to, I pulled out my poncho for the very first time on the trail. I’m sure it won’t be the last. This rain was gentle and warm. Actually, it felt very good.
As I pulled into the Mauthe Lake parking lot at the end of my hike, a group of 20+ bicyclists were setting off on a ride in the shower. I waved goodbye to them, and made an attempt to contact Jane. No luck; I was still in cell phone hell, and Jane was also not receiving me on our walkie-talkies. So, I settled down to wait. She was along in 10 minutes. That filing a flight plan thing works very well!
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 