Originally printed June 8, 2020.
June 3rd was a day of firsts for me.
It was my first hike to begin late in the day. Usually my hikes start sometime in the morning.
It was my first time to down a shot of whiskey before a hike. I’ll explain that later.
And, happily, it was the first time since mid-March and the start of the Coronavirus pandemic that I was covering new miles on the Ice Age Trail. Since the pandemic began, I had done some good hiking in Waukesha, Walworth and Washington counties – out-and-back hikes on the Loew Lake, Monches, Scuppernong and Whitewater segments. But, as Wisconsin began to reopen, I paid close attention to fellow Wannabees traveling, and I decided that, with some adjustments, I could return to hiking “up North”. I planned to drive up to Lincoln County on June 3rd and scout two bike-and-hikes scheduled for Thursday and Friday, June 4th and 5th.
I’m not sure I remember when the idea of a 3rd hike came into the picture, but it was late in the process, almost an afterthought. The Camp 27 Segment, only 2.9 miles, was adjacent to one of the planned hikes with easy access off Tower Road. After scouting the two other hikes, I would knock off Camp 27 in a quick, out-and-back hike of less than six miles. And so this hike was added to my itinerary.
Camp 27 is a reference to a historic logging camp. According to my IATA Guide, “Camp 27 was established in 1940 or 1941 by the Rib Lake Lumber Company of Delaware.” Hemlock trees were mentioned as being harvested. By 1945, the area had been fairly cleared.
I left Milwaukee Wednesday morning and reached Lincoln County in mid-afternoon. It took me a little longer to scout out the hikes than I originally planned. I was as interested in the roads TO the hikes, since I would be bicycling on them, as I was in the trail heads themselves. I judged the roads to be a thin gravel layer over hardened dirt. I would be able to bike on these roads easily. At first glance, the hills didn’t seem too steep. My scouting done, it was time to find the trail head for Camp 27.
It was then that my aching gut started telling me to find a rest room in a hurry. Outside of the towns, it is pretty remote in Lincoln County, so I was committed to stopping at the first business available. That turned out to be a dive bar. With my mask on as I entered the bar, I must have been a sight to the six elderly people seated, shoulder-to-shoulder without masks. They pointed me to the men’s room.
Ever since my first trip to Europe, I’ve adopted the practice of always buying something from businesses who allow me to use their restrooms. They’ve extended a courtesy to me; reciprocating seems to be the right thing to do. So, I wanted to buy something that I could consume quickly and then get to hiking. I could have asked for pretzels or chips. But the words out of my mouth were, “a shot of whiskey, please.” I briefly lifted my mask, downed the shot, and was on my way.
Shortly after this, I reached the starting point for my hike. After locking my bike to a tree and stowing my bike carrier in the car, I donned my pack ,walking sticks, hat and mosquito netting and got started. It was roughly 5:00.
I immediately plunged into heavy forest canopy. Shortly after that, the trail opened up into a wetland area. I actually walked for 100 feet over an earthen and wooden beaver dam. The dam must have been there for years. The ground was very solid underneath me. Again, I plunged into deep forest, part of the New Wood State Wildlife Area. Less than a mile later , my path intersected with the North Fork of the Copper River. The river was fairly low, and I was able to cross the 6-8 foot wide stream by rock hopping.
According to the Guide, the trails alternates between deep woods and more open areas. The dominant image I carry in my head is more the former than the latter. The trail was rated a “3” out of 5 for hilliness. Honestly, I find that a bit overrated. But, I don’t quibble with the maximum “5” rating for overall ruggedness. All three of the segments I hiked that weekend were rated similarly for ruggedness. I do a quick self debrief after every hike, and I randomly scribble down impressions of my experiences. For this hike, I had written DENSE FOREST COVER. I also noted I spent the bulk of my time while moving with my head down and my eyes focused on the three or four feet of trail in front of me because of the challenges of soupy ground and a lattice work of tree roots and rocks causing me to pick my way very carefully. The scene struck me as very primeval. For those who hike other segments of the trail, this segment, as well as what I hiked the next two days, reminded me of the Plover River segment.
I had mentioned that I usually don’t hike later in the afternoon or in the early evening. The coolest thing about this hike came from the interesting lighting effects in the forest as the sun gets lower in the sky. The trees break up the light into various shafts in endlessly interesting ways. The picture above is my attempt at catching that effect.
For those who have been in a forest later in the day, you know that it gets pretty dark under the canopy, and sooner than the official sundown. I became aware of that as I turned around and started heading for my car. I found it odd that trail that I just walked going in one direction looked completely different on the return trip. One instance in particular unnerved me a bit. Going “out”, I had to go around a tree blocking my path. No problem. Less than ten minutes later, I encountered the same tree on the return trip, and I couldn’t discern the trail for the life of me. Of course, I figured it out, but I had to make myself slow down and think it through carefully first.
I finished my hike at roughly 7:15-7:30 and drove to the hotel that would be my base camp. As I walked to my room, I wiped off the key cards with a disinfectant wipe I keep in the car. Then I wiped down every hard surface in the room before moving in.
It’s a new day.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 