Author Archives: jbanello

As I relaxed in my hotel room last Wednesday, I was reading Facebook when a post caught my attention. A through hiker, Ronald Rumpf, was taking a night in a Rice Lake hotel and was looking for a ride to the trail on Thursday. I contacted him to see if I could help. He neededContinue reading “Day 115 on the Ice Age Trail”

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 reallyContinue reading “Day 114 on the Ice Age Trail”

It is not often that I look upon a 20 degree temperature decrease as good news, but that was precisely my reaction when I woke to temps in the low 20s on Friday, March 12th. I was up early on Friday to prepare for my third and last day of hiking, this time in Rusk,Continue reading “Day 113 on the Ice Age Trail”

Day 112 on the IAT – Thursday, March 11 – was a decided upgrade over Day 111. OK, Day 111 was a low bar, but drier weather and the right equipment made a big difference in my hike. On tap was the 9.6 mile Northern Blue Hills Segment(NBHS), plus the first mile of the HemlockContinue reading “Day 112 on the Ice Age Trail”

There’s no doubt about it. Wednesday, March 10, 2021, was my worst day on the Ice Age Trail by far. No ifs, ands, or buts. This debacle was the result of poor trail conditions, poor weather, and a bad decision regarding equipment needed to tackle this segment. My journey to this awful experience began theContinue reading “Day 111 on the Ice Age Trail”

A challenging trail plus difficult weather conditions made for arguably one of my toughest hikes on the IAT when I hiked the 7.6 mile Chippewa Moraine Segment on Friday, January 15th. Surprisingly, I had a terrible night’s sleep Thursday night, especially considering that I had hiked over 20 miles the previous two days. I thinkContinue reading “Day 110 on the Ice Age Trail”

What’s in the forecast? Snow! How much snow? Not sure. Up to 7 inches forecast, worst case. When is it coming? I’m not sure. Those were the questions concerning the hike on Thursday, January 14th, on the southern portion of the Connecting Route between the Chippewa Moraine and Southern Blue Hills segments of the IceContinue reading “Day 109 on the Ice Age Trail”

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 longContinue reading “Day 108 on the Ice Age Trail”

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.Continue reading “Day 107 on the Ice Age Trail”

Hiking through some new country and making new friends. Pretty good for a couple of November days in northwestern Wisconsin. My original plan was to do a solo bike-and-hike for two days in Chippewa County. As I’ve started doing since the pandemic, I posted my plan on the 1000 Mile Wannabes Facebook page a weekContinue reading “Day 106 on the Ice Age Trail”