A Long Slog

I recently completed a long-standing effort  to complete the Wisconsin Ice Age Trail (IAT) by hiking all the segments and running all the connecting routes (CR).  Sort of a long story, but here goes ...

I had been hiking segments of the Ice Age Trail in central/southern Wisconsin for a number of years before attending an IAT seminar at a local outdoor sport store - possibly the unveiling of the 2014 Atlas & Guidebook.  A speaker at the seminar described an interesting effort  to hike the entire trail section by section.  I bought the Guidebook and Atlas, stumbled upon the 2014 1000-Miler spreadsheet on the IAT website and started logging my IAT activity.

Initially, renewed IAT activity became part of a training regimen used for another hiking project: Climbing Colorado 14ers.  Trail hikes and long runs in the spring and early summer were a great way to get cardio (and feet) in shape for mountain hikes in July/August - and much more interesting than running around town or training at the gym.  IAT connecting routes ended up being perfect for long runs and exploring and hiking new segments became a hobby in it's own.  The IAT became an interesting puzzle to solve.

As IAT hikes gradually moved farther and farther from home, single-day trips became more difficult.  Initially, IAT segments and connecting routes were combined to make the drive worthwhile.   Ultimately, the driving distance to pickup a new segment was just too much for a single day.  I started locating base-camps, recruiting backpack buddies for multi-day hikes, and ultimately acquiring a comfortable camper.  It has been very fun way to explore Wisconsin towns and state/county parks and campgrounds.

Based on this "technique", the IAT route followed became a tad scattered and fragmented. Hikes/runs were often completed solo, combining trails or connecting routes based on time available or endurance.   Most hikes and runs involved dropping a bike at one end, hiking or running to the bike, and biking back to the car - typically running/hiking uphill and biking downhill rather than strictly following the "W to E" spreadsheet. I also took advantage of occasional shuttle offers from friends and family.   Ultimately, a very twisty path though the IAT! 

T'was a very fun project and decade.  I will continue to hike my favorite local segments and see if I can find/explore the new segments added in my wake.

// IAT Essay //

Photos

Not very good at taking photos, remarkably few to choose from ... but here goes