Ice Age Trail, Friday December 16, 2011, South of West Bend, Wisconsin

Survey Marker south of West Bend











Slinger Speedway along the trail











Kame and trail just east of Slinger












Nice part of trail north-east of Slinger

Details and Weather:  Stayed in West Bend so I could get an early start.  Started hiking at 6:47 a.m and finished at 1:00 p.m. - 6.25 hours - 9.5 miles.  It was still dark when I started, just getting light.  Temperature was 26 degrees in the morning and mid 30's by the afternoon and party cloudy, almost no wind.  Went from the south end of Ridge Run County Park to the Community Park in Slinger.  Broke it up into 3 sections for shuttling.

The first part started out on roads which was a pain, especially around where they were doing some construction, but ended up nice being back on the trail going to Ridge Run.  Then lots of road walking, found some more trail gold in the form of a Hershey's chocolate bar and an Almond Joy bar, my best guess is some kid on Halloween dropped them (on a main road though ??).  They were intact, and delicious!  Then the last part around Slinger was also nice back on the trail.  I hate going over the bridges over the 41 though, walked across one and rode bike across the other - should go in the official Danger category.

Profound Thoughts:  I think I'm going to swap out my current bike for the blue 10-speed, I need the better ride and fit, plus I'll take better care of it and would rather have the old mountain bike lost/stolen/destroyed (it's inevitable...).

The "Held" meat & cheese store in Slinger along the 41 wasn't much. All these years driving by it, too rushed to stop but wishing I did. No comparison to Cedar Creek, Haen's or Nueske's, with Nueske's setting the standard.

Wildlife:  Crows; woodpeckers; Chickadees; birds; heard geese; flushed a turkey out of his roost in a very tall group of pine trees; horses a couple of different times; heard squirrels chattering; 3 deer running/walking through the big woods together; a really furry/scraggly looking mixed dog; a good looking black and white Border Collie.

Friday December 2, 2011, Ice Age Trail, West Bend, Wisconsin

Sunburst Ski Hill Bunny Slope













Kewaskum Trail Segment











View from trail along the powerlines

Hello





Details and Weather:  Friday morning, stayed in West Bend to be able and get an early start. Started hiking at 6:25 am, finished at 12:25 pm - 6 hours.  Still dark when I started, just starting to get a little light, was able to see the trail so went for it.  Temperature in the morning was around 26, got up to 37 and very sunny.  A very nice day.  Started at Sunburst Ski Hill in south Kewaskum and finished at the southern end of Ridge Run County Park parking lot.  7.75 miles total so a good day.  Was going for 10, but was just done for the day.

A really nice part of the trail, still in the Kettle Moraine, but you can tell you're close to a city in these county parks.  Shuttling bike rides weren't too bad, a little busy on Wildwood Road.  In the morning it was cool seeing them making snow at the ski hill, very cool literally and figuratively!

They opened up the section behind the ski hill, so parked at the lot there and hiked north.  Then kept going south from there to south West Bend.  Thought I could go for longer but needed to stop after 6 hours.  Need to keep getting in shape.

Wildlife:  Crows, around 20 squirrels (most ever seen), an old Chocolate Lab; a good looking black Border Collie with just a little tuft of white on his neck, horses, cows, a Red Tailed Hawk, heard a Pheasant, Birds, Tweety Birds, flocks of Doves especially in the cornfields.

Wed. Nov. 23, 2011, Ice Age Trail near Kewaskum, Wisconsin

Foggy Morning near Kewaskum, WI

Sunburst Ski Hill



Weather and Details:  Started at 6:46 a.m., finished at 1:15 p.m.  7.5 up and down miles.  Low of 28 degrees and very foggy in the morning and got up to 48 and sunny, then cloudy by the time I finished.  Felt good all day.  A very nice part of the trail. - County S to the Sunburst Ski Hill parking lot.

Wildlife:  Crows, birds, Pileated Woodpeckers, cows, rabbit, old male chocolate lab, some scruffy little gray and black long hair mix puppy that was bouncing around everywhere with a girl on her bike and grandpa walking with her.

Lots of deer hunters, wore full blaze orange so no issues, I had time to go and felt like going, so that's how it goes.  Not sure how anybody gets a deer on public land like that with so many other people, I did find that the secret is to just go deeper into the woods, farther away from the roads.  Everyone likes to be near the road probably in case they get a deer it's not so far to haul it out.  But deeper in was far better, no one really.

Riding the bike shuttling back on County H reminded me of how much I dislike being on busy roads like that, people are blasting by at top speed, good grief.  I've been spoiled by the nice long trail in Kettle Moraine.

Finished at the Sunburst Ski Hill, the property the trail goes through behind the ski hill is closed during the gun hunt season, so will need to come back and finish that after it's over. Thought about staying down there overnight but weighed it all out and decided to head for home.  I was right by Shelter #1 and that would have been fun, was tempted.  Good thing I did head for home because I'm really feeling it now and could use a good night's sleep in a warm bed.

Sunday November 6, 2011, IAT south of Dundee, Wisconsin

Just south of Dundee, WI

Very blue berries

Hiking on an Esker or Drumlin - it's complicated..

Good view of the trail

Details & Weather:  Temperature in the morning was around 43, got up to 55, very mild. Started hiking at 6:35 a.m., finished at noon - 5.5 hours.  6.25 total miles of Ice Age Trail. Towards the end of the hike it was really a blustery day.

General:  Slept at Campbellsport so I could get an early start.  A little cool in the morning but not bad. At first didn't see anyone for a long time, then ended up seeing (and hearing) several Squirrel hunters, a hiker couple with their dog, a woman runner with her Border Collie, then 3 older ladies hiking, so it was probably the busiest I've seen it out on the trail. Started out strong, but the last 2 miles were getting hard in general, out of shape it appears.

Lesson's Learned:  Had 4 extra AA batteries with me and none of them worked in the camera - all dead so used my cell phone instead.  Need to bring some more food on the trail, I could have used some I think. Should have worn an orange hat.  Scratch bike lock combination into lock. Bring light gloves. Put more air in bike tires.

Wildlife:  Flushed 2 Grouse and heard them take off; Jay; Chickadees; A Doe and her fawn perfectly silhouetted on a ridge line, the fawn bleated at me when it saw me; heard Geese; Squirrels; Squirrel hunters; Sheep; a Llama; horses; a black Lab; Calico Cat; black Border Collie with a red scarf; a black & white Mixed Dog.

Dangers:  Likelihood of getting shot by a squirrel or bow hunter was high since I was wearing all earth colored clothes and hat, should have worn something orange. Had to be careful to avoid slipping down several slopes with marbely rocks. When on the bike there were a couple of drivers that couldn't see the need to move over a little to the left when passing me even though there were no other cars around within a 3 mile radius.  I gave them the appropriate feedback, so I'm sure now that they've seen the error in their ways, that next time they'll move over...

Ice Age Trail, south of Parnell Tower, Sept. 10, 2011

Sunny day

It's been over 2 months since I've been on the trail and felt good to be back on it.

Details & Weather: It was a perfect day, ended up being in the low 80's in the afternoon so when I was out there it was clear skies and very nice with perfect hiking temperatures.  Spent the night in Fon du Lac, woke up a little later than I wanted, drove the rest of the way and started hiking at 7:20 a.m.  I was having major deja vu all morning, probably from being down in these parts a few years ago with the BSA Troop I'm a part of.  Hiked until 10:20 a.m. Went a little over 3 miles, not the most productive day of hiking for sure. Then I cut it short because I realized I lost my glasses somewhere on the trail. Searched high and low and even doubled back to a spot I took a break at, but no luck.  The trail gods have taken their toll, maybe it's because of the 2 month break I took...

Wildlife:  Chipmunks (mini-bears), Crows; Squirrels (lots of them, they are getting ready for winter), a tiny frog.

Ice Age Trail, Kettle-Moraine Parnell Tower Area, Friday June 24, 2011

 

 

Details & Weather:  Started hiking at 7:30 a.m., finished at 12:15 p.m., but that includes about .5 hour for drying out feet & some brunch.  Weather was 58 degrees when started, up to high 60's or low 70's when finished.  Very overcast day, some drizzling throughout the morning.  Very wet hike due to walking through tall grass, completely soaked through pants, got into my Gortex boots and socks.  I need to find out what's wrong with my boots.  They are one of the top 5 pairs of boots for fit that I've ever owned, so want to keep them going for as long as possible...  Hiked for 5.5 miles from Greenbush Group Campsite parking lot to the trail intersection at Scenic Drive.

Wildlife:  Blackbirds, Red wing Black Birds, Tweety birds, Swallows, Robins, Doves, pair of Sandhill Cranes, heard a Blue Jay - reminds me of my backyard in Paris, TX whenever I hear one in the morning like that, Yellow Birds (name TBD still), Red Squirrels, Chipmunks, a Doe by the power lines, and then a Doe (or 2?) with 2 fawns in the pine forest - they were close enough I could see the spots on the fawns - neat.

Dangers & other notes: Slipping because it was so wet - did a big slip once but came down in slow motion sort of, makes you think especially when you're out there by yourself, Poison Ivy - lots of it, Mosquito's trying to suck the life out of you, a couple of horseflies but my Mosquito net hat blocked them, trench foot.  Note to self not to ever spray bug spray on the Mosquito net hat - don't like inhaling it & tasting it when it gets on the mesh, Ravioli is delicious, don't slip anymore, bring a dry pair of shoes, keep bringing extra socks for sure (that saved me today), keep the map dry, bring a long sleeve shirt - the jacket is working fine but sooner or later it will get too hot for it.

It was a very nice hike, had the whole trail again to myself again. Saw 2 other cars in the parking lots and some people biking, but there was not another person out on the trail - very peaceful.

IAT, Greenbush, WI, Friday June 17, 2011

Everything is green

Great Wisconsin Birding and Nature Trail too

  Hello!

 Wade House

Details & Weather:  High's in the mid-70's and sunny.  Started hiking at 11:40 a.m. and went for 3.2 miles and biked back for about 3.2 miles. I'm up in the area where my friend and I hunt for morel mushrooms.  Felt a little off after the first leg so decided to stop after that.  Was a nice hike north of the Greenbush Group Campsite to the Plank Road parking lot.  On the way back on my bike, stopped at the little store (garage really) in Greenbush to get some snacks and a bottle of Sprecher Root Beer (my fav) thinking that might help but it didn't, so done for the day. Had the trail to myself again, only people I saw was when I gave some directions to a family with a Yellow Lab on their way to the trail from the parking lot.

Wildlife:  In the deep woods so I heard lots of birds but didn't see them, saw a gopher/ground hog (?) up in a tree (I need to verify what it was).  Thought to  myself that I should know the names of a lot more of the trees and plants I'm walking by, especially after living up here so long.  Not to mention the name of whatever that animal was up in the tree.

Ice Age Trail, Sat. June 11, 2011, Around Elkhart Lake & Glenbeulah

 Hillside of flowers

 LaBudde Creek

 Trail Bridge at LaBudde Creek area

Details and Weather:  Cool, wet day.  51 in the morning and got up to about 61.  Rainy when I started hiking, then stopped around 8:00.  Began at 7:01 a.m., finished at 12:35 p.m. Hiked 8.5 miles and rode the bike a little further than that due to the route back on the final segment to the Plank Road Trail parking lot. Corn is 4-6" tall. Mosquitoes are starting to come out so need to prepare next time. Need to bring food next time to stop getting gouged buying sandwiches.

Wildlife:  Blackbirds; Red Wing Blackbirds, Robins, Tweety Birds, Crows, Swallows, a pair of Cardinals, Turkeys crossing the road and then others in a field, heard a woodpecker & a rooster, Yellow Birds (Name TBD), a Dove, Chipmunks, Squirrel, a Black Squirrel, Mouse (D), Cows, some Border Collie Mixes, German Shepherd, 2 White Husky type dogs, another Paris Hilton Dog! (Saw it twice today out on walks), some sort of Poodle mix, some sort of black Terrier mix who followed and barked at me for about .25 mile when I was on my bike, a big nice and very old Basset Hound that said hi to me, the lady said "He goes where he wants to...", some Golden Retrievers and a Golden Retriever Mix, and a Black Lab.

Noteworthy:  Finding the LaBudde Creek segment of the trail, must have walked and biked by the north entrance of it without noticing it either time; hiking south of Glenbeulah and being on the actual trail-trail was good.

Ice Age Trail, north of Elkhart Lake, WI June 4, 2011

 Heading to Kettle Moraine area

 Sheboygan River

Details & Weather: High was 78 degrees already in the morning, getting up into the upper 80's later on. Started hiking at 7:25 a.m. I'm in bike mode again! Worked like a charm. Finished around 11:00 a.m. Hiked 7.5 Ice Age Trail miles!, biked 7.5 miles for self-shuttling.

Wildlife:  Geese, Red Wing Blackbirds, Doves, Tweety Birds, Swallows, Robins, Blackbirds, Yellow Bird (TBD), Cardinal, Crows, Horses, Belgian Horses, Chipmunks, Shetland Ponies, a Black Lab & Yellow Lab together.

Noteworthy: Very nice part of the hike. Shuttling with a bike is a must, not sure why I didn't start this sooner (probably because I didn't have the bike....) Stopped and got a double brat at a church brat fry in Elkhart Lake. It's a very nice town, I think it's the first time I've been through there.

Ice Age Trail north of Elkhart Lake, WI June 3, 2011

Horses along the way

Awestruck at level of resourcefulness, or painful to look at?

Details & Weather: Started hiking at 7:54 a.m., had to wait for a thunderstorm to pass by. Felt a little off so didn't go for very long, ended at 10:20 a.m. Went for 7.5 Fl Abo Dude miles.

Wildlife: Blackbirds, Red Wing Blackbirds, Tweety Birds, Swallows, Robins, pair of Mallards, Turkey Vulture, Cats, lots of Horses, Collie mix, a Doe and Fawn walking & running across a big field.

Noteworthy: I like getting into Kettle Moraine country, much more to see.

Ice Age Trail, Still South of Valders, Monday May 30, 2011

Getting into more hilly country

Spring Lake, Town of Meeme, WI

Details & Weather: Started hiking at 7:00 a.m., finished at 10:45. 53 degrees in the morning and very foggy, getting up to 84 degrees today and sunny. Went 10 miles total - all roads. The first part by Spring Lake was nice, then south of School Hill was flatter and getting hot, then started getting hilly again. Can start to tell I'm in the outer edge of Kettle Moraine country.

Wildlife: Crows; Black birds; Red Wing Black birds; yellow birds(real name TBD); Tweety Birds; Chickadees; Robins; Doves; Pigeons; Swallows; Sandhill Cranes; Geese; Raccoon (D); Mole(D); Squirrels; Yellow Lab; Great Pyrenees; Pit Bull Mix & a Paris Hilton Dog; a Bijon Friese; Orange Tabby Cat; Golden Retriever;

Notes: Memorial Day. I wish Blogger would fix the system so I can post pictures again. Lots of nice people along the way. Wish my bike were fixed already.

IAT, South of Valders, Friday May 27, 2011

Farm ruins along the way

Details & Weather: Nice sunny day. Brought the bike for the first time to help increase IAT mileage since I'm self-shuttling. Dropped the bike off where I left off, found a good parking spot, hiked and rode the bike back. Everything was working perfectly until the bike chain broke about 500m from the car. Good timing. Tried to get the chain working again, got it all connected but didn't really trust it anymore so I gave up on the bike. Did some more hiking but only ended up doing 3 hours. Started at 7:15 a.m. and finished around 10:00 a.m. Hiked 6.5 miles, biked 2.5 miles.

Wildlife: Swallows; Tweety birds, Red Wing Black Birds; Black Birds; again no Crows; Sandhill cranes; geese; pair of Mallards; Cows; Horses; a Border Collie; a Lab mix; and a Chipmunk.

Notes: The bike shuttling works, getting it fixed now, will keep doing that for sure as long as the trail is on these roads. Helps to not forget: Running shoes; map; camera; notebook. Abo Dude would be disappointed. Also helps to having a bike in good condition, but I guess the chain is allowed to break after 20 years.

Ice Age Trail, Valders and points south, May 22, 2011

 

 

 

 

Details & Weather: Drove to Clarks Mills and parked at the town hall area, was hiking by 6:45 a.m. then hiked until 10:45, so 4 hours total on the trail/road. Ended up being 10.5 miles. First went to Valders and back, then re-parked the car at Valders Memorial Park. A quiet Sunday morning, just me and about 80 pick-up trucks passing me by as I walked south on County J. It was very foggy in the morning, then that cleared up by 9:00 or so. Was warmer and muggy, thunderstorms coming in the afternoon. This section was all along the road, but it was still interesting as usual, always something to see. Did one last jump south of Valders to go another 2 miles along Hillcreek Road, then I was done, it was getting hotter.

Wildlife: Robins; doves; pigeons; swallows flying all over the place; blackbirds; red-wing blackbirds; tweety birds; several pairs of Sandhill cranes; geese; and to note for the first time ever since hiking I did not see a Crow while hiking; a Killdeer; cows; horses; a huge Belgian horse; 2 donkeys; an old Black Lab; a German Shepherd; and a barky black Shit-zu looking canine.

Noteworthy: The Belgian horse; the donkeys - the came down to the road to see me; the Manitowoc River fall/dam at Clarks Mills; the weather was nice; lots of nice yards along the way with tulips and other flowers; stopping and getting lunch at the Firefighter's brat fry in the Town of Brillion on the way home.

Ice Age Trail, Northwest of Valders, WI, Sat. 3/19/11

I've seen gorillas (I have pictures!) and now a stockade along this trail...

Definitely

Nice area for a break

Details & Weather: The forecast was for sunny but that didn't happen out here, came out at times but for the most part was overcast. Started hiking at 7:05 a.m., finished at around 10:30 a.m. Was in the lower 40's but still a little breezy so stayed pretty covered up. Felt good for the entire hike, broke through the wall(s) a little bit. Went for 2.5 hours, 8.25 Ken miles so getting better. Ended up in Clarks Mills just north of Valders. Now I'm close enough to home for awhile that Lynn can hopefully drop me off and I can get more miles done each hike. A good day overall even if it was all road walking.

Wildlife: Blackbirds (flocks); Brownish Birds; Chickadees; Crows; Doves; Ducks (Mallards); Geese; Killdeer; Red Tailed Hawk; Robins; Sandhill Cranes; Tweety Birds; Yellow Lab; fat barking old Beagle that scared the crap out of me; Coyote; Horses.

Notables: The house with the stockade and crazy fence along the road with all of the stumps and signs, very unique. The older lady walking and picking up cans along the road who was so in the zone listening to music that she didn't see me even though I was right in front of her for a time, then she was kicking the a can along the road :) Funny. Seeing the coyote at the park was cool, really reddish coat, but it was so big I don't think it was a fox.

Ice Age Trail, West of Manitowoc, WI, Sunday 3/6/2011

St. Bernard along the way

Chilly horse

Overcast day, it was sunny back in the valley

from Feb 2011 hike - flock of wild turkeys

Details & Weather: This entry is to cover the walk in February and today. I've hit some sort of wall, not making any real progress. Back in Feb I went for 3.5 miles then didn't feel well so stopped. Today I didn't make it much further at 5.5 miles. I thought it was going to be more sunny, but it ended up being around 25 and very windy so that was not good at all. The wind got to me early on. There were also a lot of cars on Alverno and Middle Road which are a pain. The trail should go along Dutch Road instead to avoid the traffic on Middle Road, it's exactly the same distance, something for me to work on if I'm ever king of the IAT. Today started at 10:22 a.m. and ended around 12:22. When I got back to the car to self-shuttle my legs were fine but head was hurting so I punted and stopped hiking for the day. Drove by the nearby Pinecrest Historical Village but it was closed for the winter.

Wildlife: Turkeys (in Feb), Crows, Doves, Pigeons, Tweety Birds, a Seagull, a squirrel crossing the road, horses, cows, a nice St. Bernard, old Black Lab, a bouncy Black Poodle.