Originally printed November 8, 2018.
Roll with the changes, and you will be rewarded!
That was the major theme of last Saturday’s hike in the Waupaca area.
After a great fish fry on Friday, I slept like a rock in my room at the B&B. At 6:15 Saturday morning, I quickly rolled out of bed. After eating breakfast, cleaning up and packing, I said goodbye to my hosts and made the short ride to the end point for Saturday’s hike. The weather was excellent for hiking – middle 30s and mostly cloudy, with little wind.
Debbie, my trail angel for Saturday, arrived just after 8:00. She apologized for being late; she had an encounter with a buck, and she showed me where a bit of his hair was sticking out of her car’s front plates. At this time of the year, bucks have only one thing on their minds, and it isn’t avoiding cars.
On our way to the drop off point, we went over some recent changes to the published route. The first change would force me to make a decision. The northern portion of the Waupaca River Segment no longer extended to the intersecting road, Foley Drive. I could hike it, but it would be an “out and back” trek – an extra mile and a half on top of a ten mile hike. The alternative was to walk all of Foley Drive, which parallels the trail. I chose the second option, which made the Waupaca River Segment a road walk, except for the first 3/4 mile.
The other change was the addition of a new trail north of Highway 10 that connected with the southern portion of the Skunk and Foster Lakes Segment. Debbie actually drove me to the trail’s starting point, and she assured me that the it was well marked and easy to follow. At a little after 8:30, we reached the starting point at Highway 54. After a quick goodbye, I was off.
The Waupaca River Segment was now a very short bit of trail followed by a lengthy road walk. The trail portion, less than a mile long, ran north and then west along the boundary line of a farmer’s field. While it wasn’t the most interesting walk, it performed a valuable function – I wasn’t forced to walk on the very busy Highway 54. The trail ended on Townline Road, and the road walk began. Townline road was a quiet, two lane road lined with a lot of evergreen trees. At the tiny hamlet of Cobbtown, I turned east, quickly crossed the Waupaca River and the entrance to the segment I was no longer going to hike. I then turned north on Foley Drive to continue north on my road walk. Recently completed road construction helped to make this a beautiful hike on what had become a brilliantly sunny morning. Towering hills began to rise on my left, making me wonder what the actual Waupaca River Segment was like. From what I could see, I expect that it is very challenging. On my right, the earth dropped in a steep downward slope to the base of the hill, which was framed by a wall of tall trees.
After crossing Highway 10 – which I would compare to crossing the Interstate on foot – I made a right turn onto Rieben Road, hiked a quarter mile southeast, and then turned north on an open path cut through the grass of a farmer’s field to begin the newly cut trail connecting to the southern portion of the Skunk and Foster Lakes Segment. After crossing the open field, I entered deep woods and immediately began a steep climb straight up. No switchbacks – just a steep ascent, much like at Lapham Peak. If this new section is now part of Skunk and Foster Lakes, here’s my vote for increasing the hilliness rating up a notch to a 4. My lungs ached as I continued my climb up and up. After what seemed a very long time, the trail leveled out a bit and then began to wind downward through woods littered with moss covered rocks. There were so many rocks that I had to discipline myself to physically stop walking if I wanted to see anything but the trail four feet in front of me. It was clear this trail was through privately owned land, as I saw many deer stands as I walked. Once I reached the bottom of the hill, the trail worked its way east and then north while skirting the edge of a farmer’s field before ending at Grenlie Road. I’m not sure of this new trail’s actual distance. It certainly wasn’t a straight shot from Rieben to Grenlie, but it is a welcome, challenging addition.
Immediately after this, I entered the southern portion of the Skunk and Foster Lakes Segment. This roughly 1/2 mile section is also known as the Farmington Drumlins. It ran though a fairly open meadow sprinkled with white birch. After climbing over two logs blocking the trail, the trail led me along the edge of a farmer’s field that had a large cell phone tower in the middle. I am always grateful to those landowners who allow the trail to pass through their lands, and I always consider myself their guest when I hike there. That means leaving the trail as I found it, and, of course, staying on the trail at all times.
After walking along a short but very pretty connecting route, I entered the northern portion of the Skunk and Foster Lakes Segment. This section, roughly two miles long, was easily the climax of Saturday’s hike. The trail wound its way between five kettle lakes. Part of me wished I had waders and my spin casting rod to try my luck on these small, secluded lakes. The trail’s path reminded me a bit of a roller coaster. Sometimes it ascended to the tops of the many surrounding ridges, giving me tremendous views of the lakes. At other times it plunged down to the lakes’ shores, Whether at lake level or high above, I passed through dense woods of deciduous trees, many still adorned with golden brown leaves shining in the bright autumn sunlight.
At 12:45, I finished my hike. To reward myself, I drove to Waupaca and treated myself to a blackberry pie at Little Fat Gretchen’s. On the face of it, I took longer than expected to complete my hike. But, with the new section of trail being the X Factor, I’m not really sure how far I walked. Nevertheless, it was a great day to be on the trail.
In all likelihood, this is likely my last hike for 2018. Once the gun deer hunting season starts, I usually yield to the hunters. Plus, I have a ton of concerts in December. Ring out the old, ring in the new.
On to 2019!
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 