Stunningly beautiful. Challenging. Memorable. These words can only partially sum up my reactions to my 6.1 mile hike on the Harwood Lakes Segment last Thursday, November 19th.
For the second time, I hiked with Barb Leetzow and Carla Moore. I arrived at the eastern terminus of the trail along Chippewa County Highway E at 8:00. Carla was already there. I quickly climbed into her truck and rode with her to our trail head, a parking area area along Plummer Lake. Barb arrived soon after we did, and we quickly got started at 8:30. The temperature was in the middle 40s and cloudy, with the promise of the sun burning off the morning haze and giving us a beautiful, unseasonably warm day in the high 50s for our hike.
The first mile took us through relatively flat, wooded country. There was considerable snow melt overnight. However, outside of some isolated patches of wet leaves hiding muddy patches, the track was in pretty good shape, and it only got better as the day progressed.
As we approached the Hardwood Lakes, the trail began its first ascent, and we got a clue why it was rated a 4 out of a max of 5 for hilliness. This hike prove to be much hillier than Firth Lake. It was a roller coaster of rises that left me sucking for air, as well as steep descents. The up and down was well worth it. The climbs rewarded me with spectacular views of meadows, streams, lakes and ponds. When I descended, I could examine the ponds more closely. While some were classic kettle lakes, a good many appeared to be the result of beaver dams. We passed many, many ponds on our hike, more than what showed on our maps.
One feature along the trail was a huge rock – an erratic – that dwarfed us. I never cease to be amazed at the physical forces of glacier ice that picked up a massive boulder like this, carried it who-knows-how-many miles, and deposited it here. In the picture below, I have left my walking sticks, which are waist high, in the photo to give an idea of scale.
Once again, Barb, Carla and I fell into a pattern as we hiked. Carla, a fairly long strider, was usually in the lead. Barb was the caboose. My impression was that she was stopping to inspect things of interest along the way. I would sort of slide back and forth between the two. We covered all manner of topics along the way when we weren’t talking about what we were experiencing in the moment – taking care of parents, pets, places we’ve worked, you name it.
Although the whole hike was beautiful, the absolute highlight was the last two miles. The trail traced its way through private property to bluffs that loomed over the south half of Picnic Lake. The picture at the top of the page conveys the beauty of the scene. Eventually the trail crossed onto the property of a Girl Scout camp, Camp Nawakwa. While it was equally as beautiful, it also provided a somber reminder of human loss. There, overlooking a wonderful lake vista, was a memorial to three girls and an adult leader who tragically were killed by a man driving while chemically impaired. I said a quick, silent prayer, turned and followed Carla and Barb several feet to my car. The ladies donned their masks climbed into my car, and we quickly returned to their cars at the trail head.
We were truly elated with how well our hikes went. Hopefully, we will have the chance to hike again.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 