Ice Age Trail - Clover Valley Segment

     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 27^th.  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.

Ice Age Trail - Jerry Lake Segement

Coming Soon

Ice Age Trail - Eleven Lake Segment

Most of the Eleven Lake Segment in Taylor County.
Coming Soon!

Ice Age Trail - Mecan River and Wedde Creek Segments

     A warm August Saturday found me travelling to Waushara County to tackle a couple segments of the Ice Age Trail.  The Mecan River segment starts on Buttercup Dr about 4 miles north of Coloma and generally follows the course of the Mecan River  down to Hwy 21.  A connector route (meaning pavement) through the corner hamlet of Richford leads to the Wedde Creek segment.  My hope was to have enough time and energy to finish both of them. 

     As usual this would include utilizing the bike as a shuttle.   By 08:15 I began the 7 mile bike ride from Hwy 21 to Buttercup.  The temps were already in the mid-70’s and a warm day in the upper 80’s was promised.  The last time Ruth and I made our way to this part of the IAT earlier in the year we were chased by rain.  Today would be no different on my solo journey.  The weather forecast was for scattered rain throughout the center part of the state.

Hwy 21 Parking

     I arrived at the Buttercup parking area at 08:55.  The hills were few and only one presented any challenge.  I walked up most of the hill that carries Chicago Rd to 7^th Ave.  Along the way I passed a family of five out for a short bike ride, a group of senior bike riders.  At the Buttercup parking area a younger couple was biking away as I was coming in.  At the start of the ride on Hwy 21 I passed a growing group of Trout Unlimited folks.  The temps were still low, the sky was sunny, and the roads were busy.

     The first part of the trail is a mown path between two private properties.  One is a prairie loaded with goldenrod, grasses, stunted oaks, and fir.  The other  side to the East, had scattered woods with several small structures in varying states of disrepair.  Once past the private lands the trail leaves behind prairie but is a mix of meadow and the stunted oak and fir and even one very small pine plantation where every tree is dead.  The terrain is very interesting.  While not exactly hilly the trail traverses over small hummocks with the meadow, oak, and fir.  Then quickly through a short stand of pine and into a thick oak forest.  I had the trail to myself with the exception of some deer that I spooked in the oak forest.  Very little road noise was present.  Quiet, pretty, and interesting in the first ¾ mile.

    A campsite for through-hikers can be found in the oak forest. 

    I look ahead to see that the trail leaves the oak and enters into a hay field.  I was expecting to quickly skirt around a hay field before entering more woods.  However, the IAT folks have a thoroughly wonderful  surprise for hikers.  On the bike I was able to see part of this hay field after rising to the summit of Chicago Rd hill.  I had no idea then, but the trail traverses a meandering diagonal across the entire hay field.  Rolling up and down, surrounded by crickets, bees, and woods this stands out to me as the most enjoyable part of the day.

     At 09:34 the hay field came to an end.  The farewell to the field comes within 5 feet of a another field where fresh manure had been spread.  Yum.  The trail crosses a border of tree there and enters a wide meadow.  The short 10 minute hike through the meadow was spent watching a hawk make repeated attempts to snare some critter.

     I crossed Chicago Rd and into another little parking area at 09:45.  This parking area sits above the Mecan Spring which begins the Mecan River.  When I say above, I do mean above.  The head of the river lies over 100ft below the trail and parking area.

High Above the river's source

     The trail parallels the road and continues to sit high above the river.  At 10:00 my tummy told me it was time for a break.   At this spot the trail is glued to the edge a pine forest that slopes steeply to the river.  Low ground cover offers occasional glimpses of the water below.  A quick 10 minute break was enough to stretch and eat a handful of trail mix.

    Soon the trail cuts through a brief prairie and it seems like every half mile I scare away a deer or three.   The river has coursed a little further to the East than has the trail, but we’d be meeting the river again and again before making the car.

    I crossed Cty GG at 10:33.  Not long after I ran into a hiker moving in the opposite direction.  As a retired farmer living nearby he hikes 6 or 7 miles a day on the IAT in the area.  He used to walk just the roads but a relative turned him on to the trail.  He has dreams of hiking parts of the trail farther away, but the commitment to do that is just a little beyond what he and his wife would be likely to do.  Still he thinks about it.  This is a similar dilemma with which I struggle as well.   At this point in my life there is no possibility of taking off three months to through-hike.  That means hiking the trail in segments.  There are not segments within less than 2 hours of my home, which means that any hike, be it 6 miles of 16 miles, is a full day event.  Trying to cover a number of segments in a long weekend is something we’ve talked about, but the ability, the commitment has not yet shown itself.  We had a good 15 minute talk on the trail and the importance of such “wilderness” areas.  We also talked about what a hidden surprise Waushara County is.  This is a usually a drive-through county between I-39 and Appleton, Oshkosh, Green Bay. 

     At 11:03 I met the intersection of the Mecan River Vista trail.  Taking the spur out to a high point above the river I found a bench about 3 minutes later.  Maybe in younger days I would have attempted the climb down to the river, but today that didn’t seem like a very good adventure to undertake.

At the bench on the vista

     After the spur the trail cuts through a pine plantation along private property.  There is no mistaking that you are next to private property.  There are nearly a dozen no-trespassing signs and every third tree is marked with orange tape. 

    I hit the first crossing of 9^th Ave at 11:37.  The temperature had definitely begun to rise, but I was able to keep well hydrated.  The canopy of the forest and a light breeze in the meadows was keeping the rising temperature a non-factor.  The sun was still the only weather feature with no clouds present.

    Crossing 9^th Ave the trail hangs within feet of a marsh section of the river, now on even elevation with the waterway.  Along this short loop through the swamp the bug activity increases dramatically and the flies make their first appearance.

     By 11:55 I was back out of the swamp and travelling along the pavement of 9^th Ave.  Along the way I had a short conversation with a few of the Trout Unlimited gang that were out along the river building new habitat.  By 12:06 I was back at the car.  I drank some water I’d left in the car (very warm!) and headed to pick up the bike – munching on food along the way.

    

      I was back at the parking lot on Hwy 21 at 12:35 with the bike and began the bike ride down the trailhead on Czech Ave.  At 13:00 I found the parking lot and stashed the bike.  The actual trailhead was still another half mile down the road.  Eight minutes later I was at the trail head making my way back East along the Wedde Creek trail.  The trail drives quickly through an old pine plantation.  The plantation looks to have been logged about seven or eight years ago and is now a scrub forest of oak and fir with almost no ground cover.    I crossed the bridge over Wedde Creek at 13:27.  This is a low swampy creek with abundant reeds and grasses.

Wedde Creek

     After the creek crossing, the trail enters a narrow prairie before heading into a pine plantation.

     I hit the end of the trail at 13:33 and was not looking all that forward to the 2.8 miles of pavement.  Thankfully, on this day, my usual hip, leg, and back problems were registering at their lowest level I can remember in months.  Still, I’d had a full day.  The heat and exertion were beginning to tell. 

     County JJ passes a game farm, a cemetery, and then through the hamlet of Richford.  As I made my was along this road I passed by a soybean field and thought that the sprinkler system was much too far away.  Hot sun, tired legs, and walking on pavement.

     I took note at 13:50 that clouds were beginning to overtake the western sky and that did provide some relief.

     I met the cemetery at 14:00 on the button.  This is a very well kept location and even from the road some stones from the 1800’s could be read.  Twenty minutes later I was back at the car.

     The total trip was 10.8 miles of hiking and 8 miles of biking.  For me, that is no longer a simple walk in the park.  My, how things can change in just a few years.

     There are still a few segments left in that part of the state to tackle.  Some of them are off in the woods and fields, while others are through rest areas along the interstate.  What has been great about these hikes here is that this area of the state has surprised me twice.  I very much look forward to return trips to complete other segments.

Black River State Forest - Tanner Flowage

GPS Track File

     Mid-August and summer was coming to an end.   There could be no better way to spend a Sunday evening in August than going for a hike.   I’d have a few hikes this Summer in the Black River Forest and looked forward to trudging through one more of the little two tracks that run off into the woods.  This time I would actually know where this one would lead. 

     The previous hike I wandered along a muddy overgrown path to the southern end swamp of a flowage – the Tanner Flowage.  The aim for this hike would be to take a two-track to the tanner flowage and then pick up the forest road back to the car.  

     I made the forest and parked just before 16:00, locking the care near the intersection of Kling Rd and Shale Rd.   I followed Kling Rd up a bit to where a two track heads straight east through a mixed pine forest.  I could not have asked for a better day with light wind, 75F, and a nice sun.  The flies, of course, made their presence known, but were a damn sight better than in previous weeks.

Kling Rd heading North

    The first three-quarters mile of the trail is dominated by a mix of pine plantation and thick oak forests.  Wildlife was out in plenty today as I spooked three deer (that I know of!), several turkey, and two blue jays that were not very happy to see me.

     The trail comes to a clearing where it’s apparent folks park their trucks for the day while hunting.  After the clearing the trail is wide, but is overgrown with wet swamp grass.  The going was still very easy and is still largely bordered by trees, though the flowage is no more than 50 yards to my right.

      

     Finally, after crossing a couple of small streams, the flowage comes into full view.  Blast my blundering ways.  Had I advanced on the flowage slowly and cautiously, more thoughtful perhaps, I would have been able to get some good pictures of several cranes.  They saw me and bolted before I could even get the camera off my hip.

     This time of the year there isn’t much to a flowage.  The water is blue and all the plants are green.  Flowers have faded and the nothing has gone brown , golden, or red yet.  I waited a few minutes in the hope that the cranes would come back or a turtle would come up.  I was rewarded with a groundhog sighting, but not long enough for a picture.  She was up, over the dike, and in the other side in rather a hurry.

     Leaving the flowage to east I picked up North Settlement Rd, then Kling Rd and back to the car.

     This short 5 mile hike capped off my summer adventure in the Black River State Forest.  I write  this in late October not knowing where I’ll be living next summer, knowing there are many other trails and forests, knowing this might have just been a once in a lifetime hike – this short 5 mile August trip.

Say hello to my little friend

Black River State Forest - Wandering

GPS Track File 08/08/2013

     A few days after a hike along a pair of sandy roads in the forest I went back for more.  I signed off from work at 4:15, grabbed my pack and boots, some water, and drove north to the Black River State Forest yet again.

     I had no real plan for a hike, except to get into the woods and see where I went.  That would be within some reason, though.  Arriving at the Wildcat trail parking lot at about 4:49 I had a little less than 3 hours of daylight to poke around the woods.  On the drive up I thought about an access road that cut through the trails.  That might be a good path to follow.  The path is gated from vehicle access and must go somewhere into the woods.

This plant is all over on Shale Rd and Kling Rd and smells great!

     I picked the Red Oak trail this time and hiked in.  I did not make it very far, maybe 200m, before I saw a two track heading off to the north.  I picked that up and paralleled North Settlement Road for a short bit.  After a 1/4 mile the track ended at an old, not recently used logging road.  I followed that back to road.  The road took me north for another 1/4 mile before a two track went into the woods to the west.  I followed that a very short distance where it ended in an overgrown clearing.  In the middle of the clearing was a rock-encircled fire pit.  The fire pit looked to have seen use since Winter, but the state of vegetation gave that time as probably earlier in the summer, if not Spring.  Turkey hunters?  There were two other tracks from the clearing.  One of them I surmised went back to the road.  I followed the other that went west, but after about 200yds the trail turned into nothing, but trees and bushes.  I went back and took that third track which did head back to the road.

     From there I took the road up to the intersection with Shale Rd and turned to head west on Shale Rd.  There were a couple of very overgrown tracks that did not look to go very far.  One of them I could see from the road went in about 100ft and ended in bush.  I kept along Shale Rd for a 1/4 mile (ok 0.23 miles) until I hit a more prominent track at the edge of a pine plantation.  I took this north to see where it would go.
     The track cuts through a pine plantation for a 1/3 of a mile.  I stepped off the track once to see if there was a view of a marsh area.  I heard a heron just on the other side of the pines and could see there was a marshy area.  I could only get about 100ft out before I hit swamp.  No heron.
     The track was well worn, seeing rather frequent use during the summer.  After a 1/3 of a mile, though, a medium size tree was across the track and immediately the track went from well worn to something not traveled in years.  The grass and weeds went from none to 4ft high.  I began bush-wacking.  The trail was now an old two-track, but at times it was difficult to even discern that this was a trail except for the distance between the tree.  There were many wet spots along the way and the grasses and plants growing on the trail soaked my boots and tore at my legs as  I trudged along.  I brought out the head net as the mosquitoes now made their presence well known.  Another 1/3 mile of pushing through the growth and navigating an increasingly broken and swampy trail, the path ends at the edge of a large swamp forming Tanner flowage.
     The blue sky, the wildflowers in the swamp, the blue jays screeching in the trees and that same nearby, but hidden, heron, made that wet and rugged jaunt more than worth the effort.

Swamp of Tanner Flowage

Swamp of Tanner Flowage

     I stood for as long as the flies and mosquitoes would let me, and knowing I was pushing daylight, I turned back.   Once clear of the brush I took a quick 5 minute break to stretch and get some water in me.  Then I followed yet another track west along the northern edge of the pine plantation.  Shortly after the pine plantation this path fell apart into brush.  On Google Earth it appears that this path might continue a little west before turning south to meet Shale Rd, but in reality there is nothing navigable after 200m.
     I followed the same path back to Shale Rd and turned west.  A good part of the forest on this section of road was harvested just last year.  A short ridge is visible and I took a side trip to the top of this to get a view.  I had a notion of following this ridge west to the paved part of Shale Rd, but quickly gave that idea up.  The top of the ridge is littered with stumps, branches, holes, and left over branches.  Traveling through this terrain is challenging to say the least and there is no straight path.  I went back to Shale Rd. 

Top of the cleared ridge looking south

     The rest of the trip was somewhat uneventful.  I took a 10 minute break at the same berm at the same intersection of Shale and Kling before heading back to the Red Oak trail and the car.  I made the car by 7:41, just shy of three hours and still with some daylight remaining for the drive back home.