Originally printed July 17, 2017.
Good things come in small packages. That was the take away from Sunday’s hike on the 1.6 mile Springfield Hills Segment, the 2.8 mile Indian Lake Segment and the 2.6 mile Connecting Route between them.
Last weekend, Jane and I made our annual summer trip to Spring Green to see some excellent theatre at the American Players Theatre. As long as we were in the area, we thought we’d get in some hiking, and the trails we chose appeared to be a good fit. The Springfield Hill Segment is short enough for a beginner, yet rugged enough to provide a challenge. Best of all, it is a loop trail, so we wouldn’t need any help with shuttling from Point A to Point B. Our plan was to hike this trail together. Then, I would continue alone on a Connecting Route south to the next trail, the Indian Lake Segment. Jane would then meet me at the trail’s end. We had a plan, and I was looking forward to walking another portion of the IAT with Jane as I climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep while a band of thunderstorms pounded the area with rains, thunder and a lot of lightening.
Our plan took a hit Sunday when Jane awoke with a stomach that was not cooperating with the program. She didn’t want to chance a hike under the circumstances, and I certainly couldn’t blame her. I would do this one alone, with Jane shuttling me.
We arrived at Springfield Hill, part of the Dane County Parks, shortly before 9:00. I have to admit, I wasn’t expecting much. In front of me was a corn field that wasn’t very large. Surrounding the field on two sides were woods that sat on some hills. On the third side, the woods descended to a meadow. I decided to take the trail to my left. Very quickly I plunged into thick woods and began a steep ascent with a lot of switchbacks. It was really quite beautiful – the morning’s light cutting through the hardwood canopy, panoramic vistas of the valley below me, and bee balm all about me like a purple carpet(Thank you for the research, Keni!). Very soon I came to a cutoff leading to a Dispersed Camping Area, or DCA. These are very rough camp areas set at irregular intervals on the trail for long-distance, multi-day hikers. Usually they have an area for pitching a tent, a fire pit of some kind for cooking, and an outhouse. I was in need of a privy, so I turned and headed to the DCA. These areas have been deserted when I visited them in the past. This time appeared to be an exception. Between two trees was a hammock that appeared to be weighed down. I was amazed that someone might be there. It had stormed so fiercely that night. At best, a camper could only protect himself by throwing a tarp over him or her. I would not have wanted to be in this person’s shows then, and I didn’t want to startle him now, so I called to him loudly to let him know I was there. No answer. I peeked closer and soon realized that no one was there, and that it was the person’s gear that was weighing down the hammock. Not wanting to be seen as a snoop, I quickly left the area and returned to the trail.
At about the 3/4 mile mark, the trail began to descend. I emerged from deep hardwood forest into flat, marshy country. It was then I met Brian, the man who was at the campsite. He had set up camp and watched as the storm slowly came towards him. At some point, he got tired of being drenched, called a friend to bail him out, and walked roughly 3/4 of a mile to the trail head at night, through wind, rain, thunder and lightening. He was on his way back the campsite with an empty pack to pick up his waterlogged gear. We wished each other well, and went our separate ways. The last half mile or so of the trail was through marshy flat land, a different kind of pretty than the deep hardwood forest, but pretty all the same.
Jane and I will return to Spring Green this Fall. Weather permitting, we will get another crack at this segment. It ought to be quite the gem with the Autumn colors.
I then started on the Connecting Route to Indian Lake. Outside of a quarter mile section that had me walking along and across US 12(gulp!), I was on two lane county roads. The farm country was quite lovely, and I was fortunate to have shade from very tall trees that lined the road for a good portion of this section. I made my usual terrific time hiking this CR, and I quickly entered Indian Lake Park, also part of the Dane County Parks. It was here that I made a mistake. I had already lost time talking with Brian. Now I spotted a historical marker for the Chapel of St. Mary of the Oaks. I should have ignored it and kept on the trail. Instead, I started on the detour, lost good time in the process, and never did see that chapel. (For what it is worth, the chapel was erected by a settler named John Endres in 1857 in gratitude for his family being spared during a diphtheria epidemic.). I had lost precious time, and, to make matters worse, I was now in a bad reception area and had no communications with Jane. Stay with the flight plan, Jim!
I now plunged into the Indian Lake Segment with a vengeance, determined to make up some of the time I had squandered. Indian Lake is an interesting segment from a geological perspective. It has many aspects of the Driftless Area, including steep slopes with exposed rock that are characteristic of areas not affected by glaciation. . Yet, it had large boulders jutting out along paths, and those rocks could only have been there if they were carried by a glacier. The woods through which I walked also had an interesting story. Before settlers began arriving, this area was inhabited by Indians, and the wooded hills through which I was walking weren’t there. Instead, the hills were covered with prairie grasses and wildflowers. Frequent prairie fires cleaned the area and kept it free of trees. Once settlers arrived, they stopped the fires, and the trees began to dominate the area.
This park is a big cross country ski area in the winter, with 8 miles of trails. Thankfully, the IAT was very clearly marked, and it was easy for me to stay on the proper path as I trudged up and down hills through some very dense woods. About 2/3 of the way, the trail follows along Indian Lake itself for a little more than a quarter mile. This area of the park is also a dog exercise area, and I passed a number of families enjoying the morning with their dogs. I was pleasantly surprised by the trail conditions on this trail and on Springfield Hill, given the big rains the night before. Both trails were very well drained. Yes, they was some mud. But, I was expecting big stretches of standing water, and that simply wasn’t the case today. In fact, the only standing water I encountered came when I was less than a quarter mile from the trail’s end at the far west end of Indian Lake, where Jane was waiting.
Fortunately, I did not keep her waiting long.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 