Last week, I returned to Northwest Wisconsin to get in three days of hiking in Chippewa and Rusk counties. I was eager to do these hikes because I would knock off a 21.3 mile Connecting Route between the Chippewa Moraine and Southern Blue Hills segments. Other Connecting Routes remained, but they aren’t nearly as long as this rode walk. I definitely wanted this one behind me.
After a fitful night of sleep at Eau Claire’s Best Western South(excellent pandemic cleaning protocols), I arose early on January 13th, ate the scrambled egg breakfast casserole Jane made for me, and met Barb, my hiking partner, in the hotel lot to go over the day before convoying north to our trailhead outside the town of Weyerhaeuser. We agreed to increase today’s hike from 9.1 to 11.6 miles, adding some miles to today’s hike originally earmarked for Thursday. Snow was expected then, ranging in depth from one to as many as seven inches. With that on the horizon, it made sense to tack on some additional miles today. We then started our convoy north.
The one hour ride to the trail head was both a little scary and very beautiful. Last week, Wisconsin saw a lot of rime ice and fog. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, rime ice forms when water droplets freeze onto surfaces. In combination with the fog, it can make driving a little dicey, and I cut my speed accordingly out of healthy respect for the conditions. At the same time, I was amazed at the beauty around me, and I was eager to hike in such gorgeous scenery.
We began our hike at about 8:3o. Temps were about 20 degrees, and the skies were mostly sunny. When I’m alone, I usually drive to the desired end of my hike. Either I get a ride to the trail head to start, or I ride my bike there. Simple. With two cars in play, we changed the routine to a kind of leapfrog. I was going to explain it here, but writing it all down makes my head spin, so I’ll dispense with that. The process had the effect of breaking down the day’s hike into smaller pieces – three in this case.
The arrangement has its advantages. First, it breaks down a hike into smaller chunks, which can be welcome in colder weather. It provides a plan B in case a parking lot is closed. On the negative side, it really breaks up the flow of a hike, and all those extra rides add time to it. The purist in me prefers fewer breaks, but I certainly understand the potential advantages.
The first chunk of the hike was a three mile walk from west of Weyerhaeuser into the town itself. The rime ice had not yet melted, and the views on this hour walk were spectacular. Once we got into town, we rode in my car to the next stopping point, a small lot 4.5 miles south. We were in luck – the snow had been pressed down by previous vehicles, and my car could easily handle the little bit of snow in the lot. We then walked the 4.5 miles back to town.
Most of the sights were in shades of gray. Exceptions would occur in the forms of evergreen stands and farm fields with golden corn stalks and soy plants sticking up through the snow. The beauty of these contrasts were welcome changes when I came upon them.
Along the way, Barb and I would make the time pass quickly by conversations about what we had seen, our families, and how other hikers were doing. Happily, there were no discussions about politics. It’s not as if we made a stated agreement to make political talk taboo. It was more of an unspoken given.
Throughout the afternoon, it had been overcast. With about an hour left, the sun made one final attempt to break through the clouds. I was able to get the picture at the top of this page. I joke every hike about having to take at least one “art picture”, but this photo of the sun was the most beautiful thing I saw that day.
Just before reaching the end of this leg, we passed Gene’s Used Furniture, a second hand store along US 8. Gene & Company had set up a number of tableaux. It was obvious that they had a sense of humor. Definitely NOT the most beautiful thing I saw on that hike.
After finishing this second leg, we rode to the end point for Wednesday’s hike, the intersection of County D and Plummer Road. We then hiked the last 2.5 miles along County D, a two lane road that mostly ran rough a wooded wilderness. We reached the end of our hike in less than an hour.
I was glad we took advantage of this excellent weather to complete this road hike, and I looked forward to the next day’s hike with wonder. What would the weatherman bring?
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 