Ice Age Trail, Hike-a-thon on National Trails Day

To celebrate National Trails Day, as well as to commemorate my final days in Wisconsin, I agreed to a 20+ mile hike along the Ice Age Trail. From Brooklyn State Wildlife Area to the Ice Age Junction Area (off McKee Rd), I traversed the edges of the last ice age.

The Ice Age Scenic Trail is a 1,000 mile path within the state of Wisconsin that highlights the glacial ice flow that sculpted a landscape across the state about 12,000 years ago. As the colossal glacier retreated, it left behind a variety of unique landscape features. These Ice Age remnants are now considered among the world’s finest examples of how continental glaciation sculpts our planet.

To be honest, I was a bit nervous at first. I had been years since I had completed a “long” hike like this. My wife and I did a 75 miler on the Appalachian Trail (West Virginia and Maryland) and I did a 50 miler in Escondido’s Daley Ranch. Both of which were spread out over multiple days. In turn, I am not the best “hiker” – I am a stroller, a wanderer, I like to get off the trail and look around. On this hike, I did so 4-5 times and had to pay the price to run and catch up to within sight of the group. As usual, I also came out with some cuts, some bugs, etc.

The hike was cool and sad as the miles went. There were some new places that I had never been which were cool to see, and other spots that I remembered from previous hikes which were sad to leave behind again. Special places that probably only mean something to me: Bridge 32, the Badger State Trail rock cliffs, alot of the geocache hides along the way (picked up three more during this hike).

As with any long hike, there was uncomfort and a bit of pain. I thought I would be able to fall and roll to the end. But once there, I remembered how good it felt to just lay in the grass, tired and sore, with a beer in my hand.

Thanks to all of the Ice Age Trail folks who volunteered to lead and support this event, as well as to the other 30ish folks who supported the Ice Age trail with 20+ miles on their legs. Here are some of the trail photos I took along the way …

Brooklyn State Wildlife Area

  

Montrose Segment

  

Badgers State Trail

Prairie Moraine Park

  

Verona Segment

  

My path today: Donald Park

I first went through these paths last summer, long paths and some climbing up the old rocks. Balancing on cliffs and examing the cracks of rock, looking for …. well, just looking. Plenty of poison ivy, plenty of ticks, shotgun shots in the distance. I will miss this part of the country.

Up Donald Rock, not very strenuous or worrisome at first, but once on top, I creep to the edges closer and closer, one false step. No phone service, no more water or food. Well, I have my journal at least. Here, I also search around the rock, press myself into the cracks, rest in the mini caves with my small lunch.

Donald Rock and the other local rock formations in this park are between 20 and 30,000 years old. This area was not affected by the last glaciers and over time these outcrops were formed by many years of wind and water erosion.

Forego the trail on the way back and trust my own skills. Spring forest will make you pay for such things.

I take the country roads home, visit the old cemeteries. I like the history of such things with plenty of sadness as I walk through.

My path today: Pope Farm Park

Went for a short run around Pope Farm Park this afternoon. A few miles to see the park in Spring. This has been the park I have visited most in the West-Madison area – the park of moraines and ice rocks, glacial leftovers a short distance from the driftless area.

Yes, it does not look like much, maybe more farm than park, but I like it that way.

We are about 60 days away from leaving Wisconsin, continuing the family adventure to Minnesota. Bittersweet, but the number of lakes and parks make it a bit easier, plus, the first park I went to had a 50-mile trail to start with!

 

Token Creek (East Madison)

Took an afternoon to walk through the area, no one in sight, no one in sound. A short, but slow hike (maybe 4 miles?) as I entered the off-path woods many times to scout things out, listen to the sandhill cranes start to fly in, listen to some of the bug wildlife start the mating season. Along one of the little unnamed ponds, I crept closer and closer, calf deep in the water, surrounded. You can here some of it right here. Insects!

Plenty of wet areas in this park – at the end of the last ice age, drainage of this area was blocked and the soggy land supported plant life. As it died and decayed, it became the peat deposits now underneath the marsh. I bring out handfuls at a time from the wetland to inspect. I can see the prairie invading slowly but surely. Will be very easy to spot as the summer blossoms come of sunflowers, goldenrods and other prairie flowers.

Saw the first baby snake of the year. Could not grab it fast enough to take a good look before it slid off into the longer grasses.

After the hike, I took another trip to the lonely roads of Wisconsin. The ones that line the farms, small little cities of a few hundred people. Stop at the occasional small cemeteries and looks at the old graves.

My path today: Gunflint Trail Park (Fitchburg, WI)

With the first 60 degree day after winter, the boy and I headed out early and stayed until we needed flashlights to search. An awesome, awesome day that left us pretty darn tired.

We started at Gunflint Trail Park with its easy trails, and easier deerpaths to get off the paved way. Found many things peaking under rocks and old pieces of wood. The eastern side of the park contains a tall grass area and a 2-acre wooded area. The remaining parkland is open with paved trails. The Capital City State Trail passes through the northern side of the park. There are wetlands to the north of the trail.

We headed further south toward Oregon and the Rustic Road, some no traffic roads and farmland. Just awesome without any sounds at all in the area. I will miss the Leopold areas when we head to Minnesota. Bitter sweet, the end of a great chapter and the excitement of the next.

We stop to examine Badfish Creek. Since we did not bring any nets of gear, we can not determine how bad the mudminnow, brook stickleback, fathead minnow are. Brings up a memory of me downing a live minnow and, well, I should stop there.

Badfish Creek Wildlife Area is a 1262+ acre property located in Dane County. The property consists of wetland (including fairly recent waterfowl scrapes on the west side), solid cattail, sedge marsh, shrub-carr, old farm ponds, old agricultural ditches, Badfish Creek, prairie grass fields and cool season fields. There is a small percentage of the property that has wooded vegetation, but for the most part it is made up of box elder and is low quality.

The final stop was to Swan Pond, a kettle pond on the way home. These types of ponds are my favorite because they are so different, something you only see in glacier land. As usual, I try to get close, try to take a drink of the water. Evaporation has probably taken much of the 10,000 year old water away, but I try yet again.

Swan Pond is a kettle pond, left behind at the end of the last ice age when the glaciers receded from the area. The pond is a frequent stopover for Tundra Swans as they migrate north in the spring, and is a valuable wetlands area for other birds and mammals all year long.

There have been several ice ages throughout earth’s history, with the most recent series of glacial advances and retreats lasting from about 100,000 to 10,000 years ago. As the last glacier started to retreat large chunks of ice were calved – broken off from the face of the glacier. As the glacier retreated farther, rocks and debris from the glacier were washed over the ice chunk by the melt water, burying it in the outwash. As the chunk of ice melted the area above the ice started to sink below the level of the surrounding land. When the ice was completely melted it left behind a depression, called a kettle, in the landscape. If the bottom of the kettle is below the water table, as it is at Swan Pond, the depression becomes a kettle pond or kettle lake. If the depression stays above the water table it’s called a kettle depression.

My path today: Blooming Grove Marsh (East Madison)

Listed through a bunch of different parks along the East side of Madison. Today, maybe 30 degrees and tomorrow, double that. Thank god. Even though we have had a very mild winter, I am done with it by February. I am ready for warm weather, some time on the golf course, some bright sun.

OB Sherry Park (my first visit), and Olbrich Park with the bridges and old buildings just behind the gardens. The winter wind howling across the easy water.

Circled about a mile of marshland – took a while to find its name, actually digging up old topo maps to find Blooming Grove. Still some open spots of visible water, the rest hid with last summer’s growth. I venture out a bit. Not too far. The map also says there was an old gravel pit out there. Would not want to mess with that.

Finished along Starkweather Creek, one of the major surface water conduits on Madison’s east side. To see it in the winter, without the Glade Mallow, Bergamot, and other wildflowers makes me want to come back later. This is prime watershed country, created by the retreat of glaciers at the end of the last ice age.

My path today: Military Ridge Trail (Mount Horeb)

I have ran this trail a number of times, think I have knocked out about half of it. Today, after some previous snow and rains, the trail was very soft. Felt like I was running on sand. The bleeding has stopped (a little history here), but very soar from the last run on snow and ice.

Always a chore to run against the wind. Always seem so smooth running with it. Was 1-for-2 on caches during the run. Could not find one that was under a rail bridge. So many hiding spots.

The 40-mile Military Ridge State Trail, in Iowa and Dane counties, connects Dodgeville and Madison, by way of an 1855 military route between Verona and Dodgeville. The trail runs along the southern borders of Governor Dodge and Blue Mound state parks passing by agricultural lands, woods, wetlands and prairies. There are several observation platforms adjacent to the trail for viewing wildlife and other natural features. In Ridgeway, the trail passes by a historic railroad depot.

Most of the trail follows the former Chicago and North Western Railroad corridor, which has a gentle grade of only 2 to 5 percent. Between Dodgeville and Mount Horeb it runs along the top of the Military Ridge, the divide between the Wisconsin River watershed to the north and the Pecatonica and Rock River watershed to the south. Between Mount Horeb and Fitchburg, the trail goes through the Sugar River Valley.