IAT Segments

I got to hike 30 miles on the Ice Age Trail last week while visiting relatives. This was done as two separate 15-mile day hikes, one on the north-west part of the trail and the other on the south-east part. Even though this national scenic trail is not yet complete, the finished segments are great.

I did the Grassy Lake and Timberland Hills segments up north and Cedar Lakes, Slinger, Pike Lake, and Holy Hill segments down south. Segments vary in length, anywhere from 1 to 15 miles on this trail, so they are mostly useful for just tracking progress.


With the frozen ground and leafless trees, it's hard to imagine how different this will be when I thru-hike in the late summer. I made good time with the cold temperature, no bugs, and low humidity, but maybe a bit warmer and less wind in a shaded forest canopy will be even better.
I know my hiking will be quieter - every footstep was a crackling of ice and snow or shlurping of sucking mud on the sun-softened southern slopes of hills.

I have to say again that the IAT volunteers have built terrific trail through their hours of relentless effort. Here's an example of some of their more impressive construction - a boardwalk over a swampy area. I'm looking forward to finding more little surprises like this one along the trail.


Scout On