Originally printed September 5, 2016
Worth waiting for.
After an August featuring high humidity and 27 days of 80 degree+ temps in the Milwaukee area , September began with a hint of autumn in the air. As I drove out of town on Friday to start my hike on the Greenbush Segment of the Ice Age Trail, the 62 on my car’s thermometer was a welcome sight.
For the second hike in a row, I met “Jim” a trail angel with the Ice Age Trail Alliance, who drove me from the end point of my hike, where my car was parked, to the starting point. Along the way, he stopped to show me an intersection of the Ice Age Trail with several loop trails, so I wouldn’t mistakenly take a wrong turn. Also, he gave me some suggestions on how to break an upcoming 33 mile Connecting Route into smaller, hikeable chunks. He really is a fine ambassador for the trail, and I will be happy to make a contribution to the Ice Age Trail Alliance in his name.
At 9:15, I began. For roughly a mile, I walked in relatively flat country through pine forests that were intermittently broken by open meadows. Then I climbed a steep hill, and the roller coaster began, as I kept hiking up and down, up and down for better than three miles.
The Greenbush area is extremely popular for hiking, horseback riding and off-road biking in warm weather months, and cross country skiing during the winter. As a result, many trails crisscross the Ice Age Trail. However, the signage on this segment is outstanding. Lots of bright yellow blaze markings helped me stay on the right patch, and mileage markers helped me keep a clear picture of the distances to major intersections.
Another excellent feature of this trail is the abundance of water and toilet facilities. This 8.8 segment features two locations with hand pump wells and toilets right along the trail, along with another location a short distance away.
One of the things that struck me about this hike was the noise level from nearby cars and trucks. Normally, the noise from vehicles picks up as I near a junction and then quickly subsides. Not so on this hike. Highway 23 cuts across the trail roughly at the six mile mark, and the road isn’t level in that area. As a result, I heard a lot of semis labor as they downshifted to make the hill. In addition, the Elkhart Lake race track is not too far away, and the sounds of those engines roaring carries a long way. When the cars weren’t running, the silence was striking.
As I mentioned, Highway 23 cuts across the trail. The Old Plank Trail, a multi-use paved trail, runs alongside the highway here. This trail dates back to the 19th century, when it was a stagecoach route between Sheboygan and Fond du Lac. The Greenbush Segment runs concurrent with the Old Plank Trail for .6 of a mile. Then, I carefully and quickly crossed Highway 23 and proceeded on the last 2 mile plus chunk of trail. My initial impression was that this segment seemed a little flatter than the first 2/3 of the trail as it worked its way first through a pine forest and then through aspen and maple. I guess I must have been fooled by a more gradual rate of ascent, because before too long I found myself on top of a high ridge with deep kettles on either side. Things remained that way until I was about a mile from the trail’s end. I carry a small spiral assignment book with me to scribble down notes of what I see. The notes were very appropriate – The Mother of All Hills. It was a steep, mostly straight line ascent that seemed to go on forever. By the time I reached the top, I was seriously sucking wind!
Fortunately, if things go up, they have to come down, and I soon began a descent which led me to the parking lot where my car awaited. I was hot – the temperature was now in the high 70s – and hungry. Not knowing any restaurants in the area, I decided to drive south to Cedarburg to Morton’s, a long time favorite for Jane and me which is well known for its burgers. I chose to order a fish fry. Very underwhelming.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 