The Ice Age
Trail in Southern Wisconsin has many trail segments but also makes heavy use of
paved bicycle trails and connector routes (county roads). This is a necessity as farm land has
conquered what was once vast prairie broken only by streams, rivers, and
sporadic stands of wood. Today, the farm
land gives way to subdivisions 40 acres at a time. The IAT Alliance has and continues to seek
out what bits and spots they can put hikers as far from a road or building as
is possible.
The Clover Valley
Segment of the IAT is a short 1.6 mile jaunt through prairie, swamp, and woods
with its western end at the Rock & Walworth county line.
The wife and I
dragged the kids along for the 5km out and back walk along this segment on
October 27th. A typical
October day with early November weather, the sun was as high as the wind and
the temps peaked out around 50F.
The drive from
Janesville is a quick one along Hwy 59 and then south on Hwy 89 to Island
Rd. The parking lot, large enough to fit
four or five vehicles carefully parked, is easy to spot on the south side of
the road. The trail starts out along a
tree lined corn field. Today, the corn
was harvested on this field. That was
the main activity of the day with trucks and tractors in nearly every field we
passed (and there are many many many fields between Janesville and
Whitewater). A hunter walked along the other side of the
field with his shotgun at right shoulder arm.
When a trail
carries through fields and prairie any stand of trees always seems to have one
that stands out as unusual or noteworthy.
These same trees can be found in the deep forests as well, but are often
lost among their brothers and sisters as just another textured brown part of
the wooded backdrop.
In one area
tall swamp grasses are tossed about at head’s height on either side of the
trail. Leading the way, Ruth plays her
hands across the tops of the brown heads.
I’m reminder of a scene from Gladiator.
This brought my thoughts to another mown field thousands of miles away
in southern England, but today there would be no sign for a lost Roman Temple -
just another corn field bordering a swamp.
What was in this place before it was farm land?
After a short
bit of prairie the trail winds through a brief stand of woods. This spectacular bit of forest starts off
with birch, still with most of their leaves, and is speckled with various other
trees. The foliage on the forest floor,
what little there was, has died back leaving a mat of fallen branches and
fallen leaves. The trail is still easy
to follow, but in two weeks the yellow blaze will need to be your guide.
After the
woods there is a sound, a bird, but what is it?
Not a goose, not a crane. Still a
half mile away and the sound cannot be placed.
Shortly, though a farm comes into view and the crowing of two roosters
confirms I have no ear for animal sounds after all.
Finally, the
trail comes to an end at a bench and a county road.
The area the
trail runs through is a mix of leased private land and posted private
land. Stay on the trail so we can keep
it. There really isn’t another spot for
the trail to go. Much of the trail will
be closed during the gun deer season.
There are few
true hiking escapes south of Taylor County, but this small bit of trail offers
a variety of habitat and is a place I will return to.
