Last Tuesday, I drove to NW Wisconsin to do some more hiking on the Ice Age Trail in the Rice Lake area. After locating the end point for my first hike, I made a short drive into Rice Lake proper and checked in at the local Best Western Hotel. Incidentally, Best Western Hotels statewide really have their processes down regarding cleanliness during these times. I have stayed at Best Western hotels at three different locations, and I’ve been pleased with the conditions and service each time. If you are considering a return to the world now that the pandemic is waning, you can be relatively confident with the Best Western chain.
On the menu for April 21st was a 10.3 mile hike on a portion of the Tuscobia Segment (I had walked a small portion of this Segment last month). The segment is a portion of the Tuscobia State Trail. According to my IATA Guide, this 74 mile trial was the second abandoned rail line in the state to be converted to recreational use. “When the line was abandoned in 1965 after years of decline in the railway and logging industries, the corridor land was to be parceled out to farmers. Hulda Hilfiker, a local resident, was instrumental in persuading neighbors and the State of Wisconsin to convert the railroad grade to a recreational trail.”
The Guide states that the IAT segment that shares the TST is open to walking, bicycling, and horseback riding during the warm weather months, and snowmobiling in the winter. From what I could see, nearly all of this trail would also be accessible to wheelchair users, which I think is terrific.
After meeting Craig Walkey, my Trail Angel for this hike, we made a short ride to the starting point where the trail intersects with Balsam Lake Road. At the 8:15 start, the temperature was 31. It rose only to 39 during the hike. Add a bit of breeze to increase the wind chill, and it is easy to understand why I needed to wear gloves for the entire hike.
Since the trial was originally a rail line, it was very flat and fairly wide. In fact, I can only recall one hill on the entire hike. It is pictured at the top of this entry. While some people might equate flat with boring, there was quite a bit to see along the way. Early in the hike, the trail ran through mostly wooded areas with kettle lakes and ponds on either side of me. I also passed through several marshy areas. Breaking things up a bit were a number of beautiful horse farms, with the horse pastures cordoned off by distinctive white fences.
A unique feature of this segment is that it passes through a couple of small, unincorporated towns – Angus and Brill. Of the two, I liked Brill more. The trail crossed a county road just to the left of a baseball park. The park had a place for me to get more water and – yay!! – working restrooms. I also saw concession areas for when a ball game was in progress. The whole scene was very pleasing to me; it gave me a sense of the town’s character. I could easily picture walking this trail during the summer, coming upon this scene, and stopping for a hot dog and a soda to enjoy while taking a quick break from a hike to watch an inning of baseball.
Critter-wise, I saw a good many birds. Lots of songbirds kept me entertained. I’m pretty sure I saw an owl, but he flew away too quickly to have a good look. A highlight for me was getting a good look at a pileated woodpecker. I love their brilliant coloring, especially the brilliant red in their heads.
My hike ended just before 1:00. For as chilly as it was, I stayed comfortable throughout my walk. Before heading back to the hotel, I made a short drive to locate the end point for the next day’s hike in the Bear Lake Segment. After that, it was a quick trip back to Rice Lake. In short order I was relaxing in the hotel’s hot tub.
Ah!
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 