Originally printed September 18, 2017.
With a rare open weekend in my choir schedule, I took advantage of the chance to hike a couple days in the Madison area on the Ice Age Trail.
On this day, I would be hiking the Madison and Valley View Segments, which are connected by a 1.8 mile Connecting Route. After hiking Valley View, I would jump on a series of county roads which make up an 8 mile Connecting Route to Cross Plains. Total mileage for the hike would be 14.8 miles. The temps were forecast to be in the 80s – summer was making a last gasp – and no rain was in the forecast.
Jane and I arrived at our starting point on McKee Road at mid morning, and I gave her a kiss goodbye and got started at 10:36. Because of road construction on McKee, the starting point was actually a little east of the actual starting point, and it appeared I would be routed through a residential neighborhood before actually getting on any trail. With all the construction, there was a sea of orange barrels and yellow tape all around, and I didn’t notice anything special until I saw more yellow tape and a lot of parked vehicles, including a police cruiser with a Madison PD patrolman next to it and waving for me to stop.
He told me I would have to find another route, as the area to the north was a crime scene. No details beyond that. Later, I learned the horrible truth. The previous Wednesday, a house had exploded and burned. A woman’s body had been found. According to the Medical Examiner, she had died of “homicidal firearm trauma.” The news report in today’s Milwaukee’s paper stated that investigators believed she could have been killed “months ago.” Her husband had been arrested on that Saturday and jailed on suspicion of first-degree homicide, arson and reckless endangerment.
At the time, I knew nothing of this. All I knew is that I needed a Plan B asap. I showed my map to the patrolman, and he helped me figure out what to do. First, I would go about a mile west on McKee, then turn north at Pleasant View Road and travel north a little over a half mile before turning into the University Ridge Golf Course. I’d be on very crowed streets with not much shoulder to speak of. I resumed hiking on the new route, being very careful to step off the road where I could and very grateful that I dressed in loud colors to be seen. In a little more than an half hour, I turned into University Ridge.
Most people know of University Ridge as a golf course. To me, as I wound my way through the many stands of trees and areas of prairie, I got more of an appreciation of University Ridge as a marriage of ways to enjoy the outdoors. There were extended periods of time where I might as well had been a hundred miles away. Then the trail would open up to a cart path or a fairway or a green, like in the picture above. I’m no golfer, but I sure appreciated the chance to enjoy University Ridge in this special way. Kudos to the architects of this course and the IAT trail for making this happen.
Incidentally, there was a woman’s collegiate match play tournament in process while I was making my trek. Eight teams were present – Oregon, Iowa State, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, UC Davis and Oregon State. I encountered team members from Michigan and, I think, Oregon as I made my way across the course.
The trail ended at the west end of University Ridge, and I followed a 1.8 mile Connecting Route to the eastern edge of the Valley View Segment. I had a little difficulty finding the start of this segment. The map made it look as if the Segment started a little south of Mid Town Road at the intersection with Shady Oak Lane coming from the southeast. Actually, the trail began a little west of there on the north side of the road. Thankfully, I didn’t waste steps backtracking to find my way. This trail has three parts – an eastern section, a very short connecting route less than a third of a mile long, and a western section. The eastern section wound its way through stands of woods which functioned as borders for property boundaries. In these situations, I always make it a must to stay on the trail. I don’t want to be “that guy.” Just before I emerged from this area, I spotted a turkey family – mom and the little ones – not more than 10 feet of me. It was as if we were on parallel roads going in opposite directions. Incidentally, young male turkeys are called jakes, and young female turkeys are called jennies. A group of wild turkeys is a flock, while a group of domestic turkeys is – wait for it – a rafter!
I had a little bit of trouble finding the right access road for the western section of Valley View, which caused me to use some time backtracking. I was now in a very well-to-do section of Middleton, and I was surrounded by huge homes, seemingly all built in Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie style. Soon I found the right access road and entered a lush area of open prairie and oak savanna restoration. According to the IATA guidebook, this restoration of 14 acres spanning three properties was driven by a collaboration of landowners and “various community volunteer groups.” Along the way, signs were placed giving information about the flora and fauna of the area. One sign’s message was very helpful to me. I knew that savannas were woods that were open to the sky. There was no discernible canopy of shade. How does one tell if an oak is part of a savanna or part of a deeper forest? If the branches spread more horizontally than vertically, the tree is part of a savanna. Trees that are part of a deeper forest would have a more vertical aspect to their supportive branches because they are straining to get to the top of the canopy and the sun’s light.
The western section of Valley View is truly beautiful and very short – roughly a mile. I have really become a fan of country like this. The prairies have a delicate beauty to them and a lot of color, while the intermittent trees give relief from the hot sun. And it was getting progressively more hot.
Once I had finished Valley View, an 8 mile Connecting Route to Cross Plains and the IATA HQ awaited me. The first half of it was extremely hot and hilly. There was no relief from the sun, and I was tested by steep hill after steep hill – I think four in succession. I had to remind myself that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
Usually, I have pretty much the same thing to say about Connecting Routes. There are only so many ways I can describe farm vistas and stands of trees in the distance. However, along Old Sauk Pass(and in some blessed shade!), I came upon an interesting site, the old Wilkie farmstead. The original farmhouse was built on this 150 acre site in 1864. An addition was completed in 1952. In 2007, the land was sold to the National Park Service for use as an Ice Age National Scenic Trail Interpretive Site, part of the IATA HQ in nearby Cross Plains.
By now it was mid-afternoon, and I had 3+ miles to go until I reached Cross Plains. Once I got off Old Sauk Pass, I was walking in open country again, and the heat was really radiating off the asphalt. I had burned through all my water, and I had a lot of hiking left and no ready access to fresh drinking water. So, for the first time in 45 days on the trail, I asked a farmer if I could fill up my water bottles. Thankfully, he said yes, and I thanked him profusely as I filled my bottles and resumed the hike.
Even with a fresh supply of water, I was hot and bothered. What’s frustrating in those situations is that I want the hike to be done right then and there. But the reality is that my legs will, within a range, go only so fast. So, I have to discipline myself to set a pace and stick to it. Usually, I keep time to music going on in that juke box in my head. The end comes soon enough, as it did this time. At the end of the trail was Jane with an ice cold diet coke for me. According to the car’s thermometer, it was 88.
Within a half hour, I was freshly showered and feeling good. Jane and I headed to the Great Dane in Hilldale for a wonderful supper.
NOTE: If you read these reports of my hikes, please let me know. When I first announced that I was hiking the IAT, several people suggested I blog about the hikes. This is my attempt at doing that, and the writing and re-writing take time. If only a few people are reading this, maybe it makes sense to stop this and just let my photos do the talking.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 