Originally printed March 16, 2020.
Fog hanging low on the horizon. Temps in the mid 30s. A steady, penetrating drizzle.
Let’s go hiking.
When the schedule affords the opportunity to get to northern Wisconsin for three days’ hiking, I’ve learned to embrace the opportunity and put up with a little rain. So, I was happy to make the four hour ride to Medford last Wednesday for three days in Taylor County. The trip north went very smoothly, As I drove in Taylor County, I noted that while there was snow on the ground, it wasn’t as deep as when I was last in the area in February. I was hopeful I would not encounter the deep snow that challenged me in past trips.
At 5 miles, Thursday’s hike was to be the shortest of the three I had planned. I would first walk on a 3.4 mile Connecting Route. Then, I would jump on the .9 mile Pine Line Segment, the shortest segment of the Ice Age Trail that I had walked to date. Last, I would walk a bit more than a half mile along State Highway 13 (lucky 13!) to the hike’s end point, a wayside along the highway. After a short ride with Buzz, the trail angel, I arrived at the east end of the Mondeaux Esker Segment at the intersection of Shady Drive and Fawn Avenue. As you can see from the photo at the top of the page, it was extremely foggy. Just after 8:15, I started the three mile easterly walk along Fawn Avenue. It was very quiet along that stretch of road. I think I saw only one vehicle. At 9:31, I left the road and started on the Pine Segment itself.
The Pine Line Segment begins with a brief walk along a farmer’s fence line before turning into a bit of forest land owned by the Ice Age Trail Association. Earlier in the week, I had asked Buzz what he recommended regarding footwear – snowshoes or microspikes over boots. He recommended microspikes, so I left the snowshoes in the trunk. Within 50 yards, I realized I made a wrong choice when my right leg broke through the snow, so I was in up to just below my kneecap. Within a few more steps, I post holed again up to the same snow depth.
This had all the makings of a real struggle. Soon, I developed a routine. I extended both walking sticks in front of me at roughly arm’s length, and pushed down until the stick tips hit solid ground. Then, I would take two or three steps forward, still supporting myself partially with my arms and the walking sticks. Then I would repeat the process. The effect reminded me a bit of using a walker. Using this process, I was able to develop a routine and make progress. But it was slow going. I had to strive to stay with the process and to be conscious of form. I didn’t want to risk rolling an ankle or twisting a knee.
When I stopped to look, the surroundings in the wood were very pretty, but I spent most of that walk focused on the two or three feet in front of me. I finished up at the wayside by roughly 11:00 – about two and three quarter’s hours to walk five miles. I expected that the five mile hike with the short segment would be more work than either of the next 7+ mile road hikes.
And I was right.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 