Category Archives: Thousand-Miler Journals

From Gear Junkie to Thru-Hiker

Posted on
Jake Braun posing in front of the mammoth statue outside of the IATA Headquarters in Cross Plains, WI. Photo by IATA Staff.
Jake Braun posing in front of the mammoth statue outside of the IATA Headquarters in Cross Plains, WI. Photo by IATA Staff.
When you’re a tech nerd who reads Reddit and researches camping and outdoor gear for fun, it only makes sense that you’d thru-hike the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, right? Right!

That’s at least the reason Jake Braun decided to thru-hike.

Continue reading →

The Ice Age Trail Healing Journey

Posted on
Nicole Peters pictured at the Eastern Terminus in Potawatomi State Park (Sturgeon Bay, WI) at the end of her thru-hike. Photo provided by Nicole Peters.
Nicole Peters pictured at the Eastern Terminus in Potawatomi State Park (Sturgeon Bay, WI) at the end of her thru-hike. Photo provided by Nicole Peters.
As Nicole “Tree Hugger” Peters lay in bed, chronically nauseous and in pain throughout her body, one thing occupied her mind: the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

“Planning for a thru-hike of the Ice Age Trail kept me going,” she says. It was what she thought about when she was really sick.

Continue reading →

First Thru-Hiking Duo of the Year: Star-Lord and Sunshine

Posted on
Sunshine and Star-Lord posing outside the Ice Age Trail Alliance headquarters in Cross Plains, WI. Photo by: Maura Hanley.
Sunshine and Star-Lord posing outside the Ice Age Trail Alliance headquarters in Cross Plains, WI. Photo by: Maura Hanley.
For most, an Ice Age Trail thru-hike is the event of the season. But, for Chandler “Star-Lord” Cole and Stephanie “Sunshine” Lorenz, it’s the perfect way to wind down after becoming Triple Crowners—a titled given to those who hiked the entirety of the Appalachian Trail (AT), Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), and Continental Divide Trail (CDT).

Continue reading →

Wild Turkey Alert: New FKT on the IAT

Posted on
Collin "Wild Turkey" Britton posing outside the Ice Age Trail Alliance headquarters in Cross Plains, WI. Britton stopped by for a visit while setting a new FKT. Photo by Melissa Pierick.
Collin "Wild Turkey" Britton posing outside the Ice Age Trail Alliance headquarters in Cross Plains, WI. Britton stopped by for a visit while setting a new FKT. Photo by Melissa Pierick.
When Collin “Wild Turkey” Britton reaches the Eastern Terminus of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail on Friday, September 23rd, he will set the new fastest known time (FKT) for a self-supported thru hike.

Continue reading →

A Summer to Remember: Would you Accept a Kohlrabi?

Posted on
Bryn Langrehr posing next to a sign for the Pothole Trail at the start of her thru-hike in St. Croix Falls, WI. Photo by Bryn Langrehr.
Bryn Langrehr posing next to a sign for the Pothole Trail at the start of her thru-hike in St. Croix Falls, WI. Photo by Bryn Langrehr.
The last summer before getting a “real job” is often one you’ll always remember. This is definitely the case for Bryn Langrehr, who is spending her summer thru-hiking the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

Continue reading →

The Trail was Calling: Ernie Ruiz’s Thru-Hike Journey

Posted on
Ruiz posing in front of the Visitors Center in the Antigo/Langlade County trail community. Photo by Ernie Ruiz.
Ruiz posing in front of the Visitors Center in the Antigo/Langlade County trail community. Photo by Ernie Ruiz.
Most thru-hikers who have visited us at the Alliance have thoroughly and painstakingly researched the Ice Age Trail (IAT). However, Ernesto “Burn” Ruiz (or Ernie) is an exception. He didn’t plan his Ice Age Trail thru-hike. He simply got “the itch” and felt the need to get on the Trail.

Continue reading →

FKTs, Trail Food, and Anime with Dosu Kinuta

Posted on
Dosu Kinuta and the iconic hot dog shirt at Ice Age Trail Alliance headquarters. Photo by IATA staff.
Dosu Kinuta and the iconic hot dog shirt at Ice Age Trail Alliance headquarters. Photo by IATA staff.
Have you encountered a hiker with a blue backpack and a hot dog shirt on the Ice Age Trail recently?

If you didn’t get a chance to say hi, let us introduce you.

There’s only one hot dog shirt like that, so we can confidently say that you caught a glimpse of the one and only Dosu Kinuta!

Dosu is a thru-hiker from New Hampshire currently attempting to set the Fastest Known Time (FKT) for a self-supported thru-hike on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Continue reading →

Meet Arlette Laan, the woman hiking all 11 National Scenic Trails

Posted on
Arlette Laan posing on enormous erratics along the Trade River Segment. Photo by Roberta Smith.
Arlette Laan posing on enormous erratics along the Trade River Segment. Photo by Roberta Smith.
Once Arlette completes the Ice Age National Scenic Trail, she will be the first known woman to have hiked all 11 National Scenic Trails. She is working towards that goal as we speak! We are excited for the Ice Age Trail to provide the backdrop for this incredible achievement.

Arlette graciously took some time from her busy hiking schedule to answer our questions. Read on to hear from this inspiring long-distance hiker and dollmaker from the Netherlands.

Continue reading →

The Case for Connector Routes

Posted on
By Mary Cieslewicz, Thousand-Miler
Hiking with a buddy will ensure those connector miles fly by. Photo by Mary Cieslewicz.
Hiking with a buddy will ensure those connector miles fly by. Photo by Mary Cieslewicz.
Anyone who hikes the Ice Age National Scenic Trail speaks enthusiastically about its fauna, flora, and geological features. Each hike offers lessons on myriad topics: beavers, butterflies, derechos, erratics, fossils, flowers, and ticks. In addition to traversing natural spaces, the Ice Age Trail is also composed of connector routes. These rural roads link off-road sections of Trail together, and in many cases, they bring hikers into cities and towns. The designers of the Ice Age Trail intentionally placed the Trail near populated areas, hoping close and easy access would increase its usage.

Knowing many aspiring Thousand-Milers merely tolerate road miles and other hikers eschew them entirely, I devote this essay to the joy of hiking connectors, hoping to inspire an appreciation for the miles marked not by yellow blazes but by white stripes.

Continue reading →

What I learned Backpacking the Ice Age Trail

Posted on
By Cameron Gillie, Thousand-Miler and Contract and Volunteer Photographer for the Ice Age Trail Alliance
Cameron Gillie celebrating the completion of his thousand-mile journey at the western terminus of the Ice Age Trail. Self-portrait by Cameron Gillie.
Cameron Gillie celebrating the completion of his thousand-mile journey at the western terminus of the Ice Age Trail. Self-portrait by Cameron Gillie.
Hiking an entire National Scenic Trail is bound to change you in some ways. You have a whole lot of time to think about things as you walk alone with only your thoughts for 1,200 miles. I’m a photojournalist, and I set out to tell the story of Wisconsin’s landscapes, communities, and people for a photography book. Here’s what I learned on a personal level.

Continue reading →

Trail Magic

Posted on
By Yolanda Deloach, Thousand-Miler
Yolanda Deloach on the Ice Age Trail. All images in this article were taken by Deloach on her thousand-mile journey,
Yolanda Deloach on the Ice Age Trail. All images in this article were taken by Deloach on her thousand-mile journey,
The human experience allows for growth and change if we are open to it. During our life experience, we may find ourselves lost. Lost in a situation we could not have imagined we would ever encounter. Ultimately, it is our choice to stay on the wrong path or seek a new one.

My year on the Ice Age Trail helped me to leave a spirit crushing path. During my newbie trail days, someone had told me that there was magic on the trail. I was intrigued, but I also thought it was cliche–something cool to say about trail hiking. But as my miles added up, this magic began to reveal itself.

Continue reading →

The History We Make: From Newbie to Thousand-Miler

Posted on
By Lou Ann Novak, Guest Writer and Thousand-Miler
Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Ice Age Trail Alliance, Thousand-Miler Journal, Thousand Miler, Thru-hike
Lou Ann Novak, clearly in her happy place, while on her journey towards becoming a Thousand-Miler. Photo by Lou Ann Novak.
My Ice Age National Scenic Trail experience began in April 2016. I knew nothing about the Ice Age Trail then. I had seen the yellow blazes, but didn’t know what they meant. One day out of curiosity, I searched for ‘Ice Age Trail’ on the Internet.

From the first, I was amazed at how each step seemed to leave the urban world behind. I thought how pleasant it would be to explore a few segments, but I really wasn’t hooked (yet). I bought the IAT Guidebook and Atlas. I enjoyed the mental exercise of planning my hikes. I would review the Guidebook and then map out my route. Since I was a solo hiker, I parked the car, biked one way on public roads and then walked the Trail back to my car.

Continue reading →

Adventure Is Better When Shared

Posted on
By Dad & Daughter Duo, Mike & Emily Hoffmann
Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Father and Daughter, Hiking, Eastern Terminus
Father and daughter duo Mike and Emily Hoffmann began their Ice Age Trail journey on March 31, 2020, starting from the Eastern Terminus in Potawatomi State Park. Photo courtesy of Mike and Emily Hoffmann.

“Do you want to keep hiking, tomorrow?” I asked my dad.

At first, we weren’t even sure that we would make it the whole 1,200 miles. Each evening, for the first few weeks, with sore muscles and tight tendons, one of us would ask the other about getting back on the Ice Age Trail the next day. Luckily, the answer was always “yes,” and after a while, the questioning faded, and to hike onwards became our unwavering mission. Our determination to walk the Trail together led us to make many great memories.

Continue reading →

Thousand-Miler Journals: 3 Weeks or 30 Minutes

Posted on
Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Thousand-Miler Journals, Thru-hiker, thru-hike on the Ice Age Trail, IAT,

This captivating section of the Firth Lake Segment in Chippewa County evoked fond memories of the time spend building it. Photo by Ryan Jansen.

Article by thru-hiker, Ryan Jansen

Three weeks or 30 minutes. Both are amounts of time, separated by a year, I spent on the Firth Lake Segment. The two experiences were very different. One occurred while I was a crew member with Wisconsin Conservation Corps (WisCorps) and the other while on my 2018 thru-hike.

Both had the similarity of being experienced through the lens of a unique perception of time. Trail-Time. A meditative, obligation-free state of mind. The senses peak to the point of almost combining. My thoughts felt 3D and immersive, to the point where I struggle to say if I was fully in my head (my brain often was occupied with thoughts to the point of blocking out my surroundings) or out of my mind (my thoughts felt like they left my skull and were in plain sight). Continue reading →