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.