Originally printed February, 26, 2020.
Last Friday was my first time hiking in over four months, and I was ecstatic at the prospect.
On tap was a 10.4 mile road walk connecting the Underdown and Grandfather Falls segments of the IAT. I drove to the end point of my hike at Camp New Wood County Park to meet Carla, my wonderful trail angel for the day’s hike. The morning was crisp and clear, with temps in the high single digits. Shortly after I arrived at the park, Carla pulled into the lot. I quickly tossed my gear in her Prius, and we chatted as we made our way to the starting point for my hike on the same roads on which I would soon be trekking in the opposite direction.
Or, I should say we made our way to a point NEAR to the starting point for my hike. The road where I was to start, Horn Lake Rad, is very narrow and snow-covered, with a significant hill leading downhill to an intersection south of my starting point at the western terminus of the Underdown Segment. The picture above gives an idea of how hilly this road is. Rather than put Carla in a position where she might need to be towed, we stopped at a driveway about a quarter mile north of the actual starting point. After profusely thanking Carla for her help, I geared up and did a bit of out-and-back to the actual starting point. Then I continued with the balance of the hike. It was 8:32 am when I started.
Horn Lake Road, a narrow, 1.2 mile dirt road, was the most remote part of the day’s hike. For most of its length, it is framed by deep woods and small lakes. When I was here last Fall to hike Underdown, I noted how remote and beautiful this section was. I was grateful for the chance to hike it.
Most of my hike was on two east-wet roads, County H(2.7 miles) and Tug Lake Avenue(4.4 miles). Outside of a couple of farms, a lumber yard, and some lake frontage, the country on both sides of the road was framed by forest. I was very impressed by the majestic pines that framed both roads, particularly County H. It was along County H, just east of Highway 51, when I had my thrill for the day. About an eighth of a mile in front of me on my right, a rafter of turkeys – that’s what they call a group of turkeys, folks – was flushed from their perch in the pines and flew across the road to a new location in the trees. They are not the most majestic creatures in the air; in fact, they make a lot of racket. But they were impressive all the same. Aside from the turkeys, I saw a number of doves, a woodpecker, several blue jays and countless sparrows.
The final leg of my hike took me south on WI-107. For most of the time, 107 runs parallel to the Wisconsin River to the east of it. This is in the area of Grandfather Falls, and a chunk pf the Grandfather Falls Segment also runs parallel to the river, again to the east of it. So, looking at a map of the area, you would see from west – east the river, the IAT Segment, and the Connecting Route all running in parallel. Although I couldn’t see the IAT all the time, it was visible at intervals. I actually considered jumping over to the trail for a bit. I’m glad I didn’t; although the trail had been broken, I still would have needed snowshoes to make my way, and I would have had a lot more work on my hands. As it was, I finished at 12:36.
Rather than drive right home, I elected to stay in Merrill that night and knock off a couple more miles of road walking Saturday. So after a shower, a nap and some reading, I decided to sample some of Merrill’s night life. In a town of 10,000, that meant checking out the twin towers of social life – the church and the high school. First, I went to the Friday Fish Fry at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. It was held in the school cafeteria. I’m guessing it sat 300 people plus, and it was packed. I recommend the cod/shrimp combo. They also had roving carts filled with various pies and cheese cakes. Somehow, I summoned the will power to beg off. After, dinner, I drove a couple of blocks to Merrill High School, where the home town Merrill Bluejays were tipping off against the Schofield D. C. Everest Evergreens at 7:15. Here, too, the field house was packed. Between the fish fry and the game, there must have been a lot of empty houses in Merrill that evening.
It would have been a great opportunity for a burglar.
Just kidding!
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 