Dane County Chapter Hike – Table Bluff Segment (Liebetrau Prairie)

Come out for a short evening stroll on this Dane County Parks property that is part of the Table Bluff segment of the Ice Age Trail. The trail has some gentle, rolling hills and an expansive section of land restored to native prairie. A portion of the trail does loop through a section of woods. This 1.5-mile hike offers a grand view toward Blue Mounds (on a clear day).

Dane County Chapter Hike – Verona Segment

Start your Thursday off with a hike on the Ice Age Trail at Prairie Moraine County Park, southeast Verona. We’ll hike through prairies and woods where you can enjoy Dane County’s most visible section of the glacial terminal moraine. Total will be ~4 miles as we’ll enjoy the trail up to County M through a section we call Moraine Kettles due to some nice kettle ponds we’ll go by. We’ll also explore off the IAT in Prairie Moraine a little by going up to the observation platform for some great views of the Sugar River valley.

May Full Moon Hike

The Hike:

Greetings Walkers and Hikers! Grab your jacket and get out of the house! Another Full Moon hike is coming up!

Join us for a hike to celebrate another glorious evening under our next full moon, Tuesday evening, May 21st.

Wear appropriate clothing for the weather and bring a light.

This month’s full moon is called the Flower Moon. In most areas, flowers are abundant everywhere during this time thus the name of this Moon. Other names include the Full Corn Planting Moon, or the Milk Moon.

This will be a low key, family appropriate walk.  Leashed, well behaved dogs are welcome.

Event details:

Tuesday, May 21st at 7:30 pm @ Slack Road Trailhead

Location details:

We will meet at the Slack Road Trailhead; Watch for the yellow Ice Age Trail Event signs.

Questions? Contact Bill at billpatti@charter.net or 608-843-3926.

Pencil in these upcoming events:

May 25th – Tyke Hike

June 1st – National Trails Day – Mammoth Fun Run/Walk

June 22nd – Trail Maintenance Day

June 19th – full moon hike

Full Moon Hike

The Hike:

Greetings Walkers and Hikers!

We will walk up to the prairie for a good look at the rising moon. Wear appropriate clothing and shoes for the weather.  This walk will be more than a mile one-way, low key, and family friendly. Well behaved, leashed dogs are welcome.   

Event details:

Sunday, April 21st at 7:30 pm @ Riddle Road/Robertson Trailhead

Location details:

We will meet at the Trailhead; Watch for the yellow Ice Age Trail Event signs.

Questions? Contact Bill at billpatti@charter.net or 608-843-3926

This month’s full moon is called the Pink Moon, though it actually will not be pink in color. The name came from the herb moss pink, or wild ground phlox, which is one of the earliest widespread flowers of the spring.

Other names for this month’s celestial body include the Full Sprouting Grass Moon, the Egg Moon, and among coastal tribes the Full Fish Moon, because this was the time that the shad swam upstream to spawn. Others refer to the reappearance of certain animals, including Moon When the Ducks Come Back (Lakota), Moon When the Geese Lay Eggs (Dakota), and Frog Moon (Cree). Along the same vein, Sucker Moon (Anishinaabe) notes the time to harvest sucker fish, which return to streams or lake shallows to spawn. According to legend, now is the time when this fish comes back from the spirit world to purify bodies of water and the creatures living in them. (This name may also be applied to the February Moon, to honor the sacrifice of the sucker fish in order to feed the Anishinaabe peoples, traditionally helping them to survive the winter.)

Pencil in these upcoming Full Moon Hikes:

May 21

June 19

July 18

August 17 …the untraditional birthday hike!

Full Moon Hike – Lodi Valley Chapter

Join us for a short walk in the light of the full moon.  The March full moon is often called the Worm Moon to signify the warming earth as in preparation for spring.  Meet at the Twin Pines trailhead of the Lodi Marsh Segment on Lodi Springfield Road.

Wear appropriate clothing for the weather, sturdy shoes, and bring a light as well, and in case of slippery conditions, a walking stick is useful. Leashed, well behaved​ dogs are welcome.

For more information, call Bill @ 608-843-3926 or email at billpatti@charter.net

 

Featured image by: Rachel Roberts

Candlelight Full Moon Hike – Lodi Valley Chapter

Join us for a special candlelight hike at the Gibraltar Rock Segment on February 24. Hike along an illuminated path up the hillside to watch the full moon. February’s moon is called the snow moon. 

Meet at the Ferry Landing Parking Lot, Hwy 113 Lodi at 7:30 p.m.

Wear appropriate clothing for the weather, sturdy shoes, and bring a light as well, and in case of slippery conditions, a walking stick is useful. Leashed, well behaved​ dogs are welcome.

For more information, call Bill @ 608-843-3926 or email at billpatti@charter.net

 

Featured image by: Rachel Roberts

Full Moon Hike – Lodi Valley Chapter

Wolves have howled at the Moon for centuries, yet it is still there…

Join us on Thursday evening, January 25th, for a short walk (perhaps to howl?) in the light of the full moon at the Lodi Marsh Segment.  The January full moon is often called the Wolf Moon or sometimes the “stay at home” moon…but come out and howl!

We will meet at the Robertson Trailhead on Lodi/Springfield Road at 7:30 pm. Watch for the yellow “Ice Age Trail Event” signs.​ For directions visit:​https://goo.gl/maps/RE2C5

Wear appropriate clothing for the weather, sturdy shoes, and bring a light as well, and in case of slippery conditions, a walking stick is useful. Leashed, well behaved​ dogs are welcome.

For more information, call Bill @ 608-843-3926 or email at billpatti@charter.net

 

Featured image by: Cameron Gillie

Winter Hikes and More this December!

Winter beauty on the John Muir Park Segment. Photo by Alyssa Kohls.
Winter beauty on the John Muir Park Segment. Photo by Alyssa Kohls.
Our volunteer chapters are hosting winter hikes and snowshoeing excursions all month long!

Revel in the restful quiet of a snow-covered landscape. Feel the crunch of snow under foot, or snowshoe. Take advantage of leaf-off season to admire expansive landscapes of glacial features.

Hike under the full moon on the winter solstice, go for a festive jaunt with Santa, explore your favorite Segments of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail transformed into a winter wonderland.

Continue reading

Celebrate Spring with a Hike!

Ice Age Trail Alliance, Ice Age National Scenic Trail, Spring Hikes, Chapter-led hikes

Bring your tribe hiking on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.                                                         Photos by: Luke Kloberdanz, James Mills, Cameron Gillie

As the snow melts, trees bud out, and wildflowers begin adding a glimmer of color to the Trail, chapter-led hikes begin populating the Ice Age Trail Alliance calendar in earnest.

Continue reading

Full Moon Hikes

The Ice Age National Scenic Trail, the Ice Age Trail Alliance, Full Moon Hikes

Photo credit: R. Roberts. A full moon rising above a fine Wisconsin prairie.

Fireflies rising from prairie grasses – little flickers of earth-side starlight; soft, velvety nighttime air freed from the heat of the day; a glowing moon on the rise – a pendant hanging from a chain of stars.

These are summer evenings in their full grandeur. A perfect way to extend them, luxuriously past dusk, is to head out for a full moon hike. Several Chapters of the Ice Age Trail Alliance are honoring July’s full moon in this manner – happily leading hikes along various segments of the Ice Age Trail. Continue reading

Dane Moonrise Hike, Brooklyn SWA

We’re not sure what the leader has in mind for a route for this evening hike one day before the July full moon.  However, the Brooklyn State Wildlife Area has several vantages affording a view of moonrise, as well as sunset, and the hike is sure to include one or more of them.

(See Ice Age Trail Atlas maps 67f and 68f)

Washington/Ozaukee Chapter Moonlight Hike

Meet at Milwaukee River Segment parking lot/trailhead on Hwy H, east of US 45 – Just west of the Milwaukee River

(See Ice Age Trail Atlas map 86f)

Hike 5 miles round trip west to Badger Rd and back. Enjoy the full moon if the clouds cooperate and stay away

Hike rated moderate; Bring water and a flashlight; State Park sticker not required