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Where The Mammoth Once Roamed

Hello,
My name is David Miller. I am a 24 year old Wisconsinite and have recently embarked upon the beginnings of what I hope to be a 1000 mile expedition of the Ice Age Trail in its entirety. I’ve found such joy in the endeavor and no words do justice to how incredible the trail is. The attached photograph was from earlier today as I hiked the 5.5 mile Scuppernong Segment. In view of the recent troubling COVID pandemic and the associated quarantine, I feel that a ray of positive light is needed in our society these days. So, I just want to express my gratitude to the Ice Age Trail Alliance and all the countless volunteers who’ve built this incredible conduit across our beautiful state. I look forward to volunteering in the future from my residence in the Sheboygan area. In my first 30+ miles in Waukesha and Jefferson County, I’ve taken to writing about my experiences on the trail. So, I’ve written a poem to commemorate my thoughts and reflections. It is part of a larger poem book on the topic of nature. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for all you do!

Where The Mammoth Once Roamed

I walk on a path where the glaciers once scraped
Across a vast land the Driftless Area escaped
Where tales of the Ice Age and cavemen awake
And mighty foot falls may shudder and shake

The ground which is littered with granite erratics
Steeply carved eskers that rise so dramatic
Depositing sand in drumlins and kames
That we have hence given a bevy of names

A proud winding footpath departs civilization
Though now and again crosses a railroad station
It embodies the spirit of wisdom and wild
Showing joy can be found in time lengthy exiled

Through the middle of nowhere, it runs off the grid
Where all best kept secrets are humbly hid
Just stay on the path, for you may yet find them
On a meandering creek of a trail that does bind them

Along fields filled with mullein and bright goldenrod
Brooks filled with brown trout, not Icelandic cod
Deep in the water, deep in the drink
We ponder existence, in reflection we think

About who we are and who we might be
If we extricate our souls from what weighs down heavy
To hike is to live, so therapeutic
From across the Heartland or even to Munich

So I’ll declare here, if only once
Lest ye call me a fool, a clown or a dunce
I am for hiking and hiking’s for me
For I feel most at home in the hole of a tree

We should not abandon from whence we were made
And nature’s abundance we’d best never trade
For the vices of man, the filth of the city
That sullies the land and pollutes, such a pity

But I digress to strap on my boots
Clad only in plaid and camo, not suits
I sling on my backpack and ask what’s the matter
Oh shucks, I’ve forgotten my hydration bladder!

But it’s nary a worry for a bottle will due
To quench my mad thirst with a liquid so true
So pure and so fair, so clean is the air
As I stride out again so keenly aware

Of the beauty and peace that does permeate
A wildland made of love, not greed and not hate
I’ve seen rocky vales, untold scenery
And through it all the most luscious of greenery

As I walk through the woods between Earthen realms
From Wisconsinite plains to thick groves of elms
Across grassy fens and rivers that foamed
1000 long miles where the mammoth once roamed
-David Miller on April 16th, 2020

A Billion Wild Flowers

I swear if I had the ability to – I surely would’ve counted a billion wildflowers today. Fields of color flooded the Lodi Marsh trail. Several times I stopped because the sight took my breath away. Luckily my hiking partner was knowledgeable enough to point out many of the varieties. Until today I was blissfully ignorant of the names. Gratitude and appreciation filled my heart for my experience this wonderful afternoon.

Lodi Marsh

May 24th. When Mr. K’s 4th grade class went to Lodi Marsh we saw a giant space full of mud! When my class went around I, took off my shoes and went straight through.

My terrible, horrible, worst hike ever!

My terrible, horrible, worst hike ever
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in a movie? Have extreme drama 24/7? Be the only one smart enough to see horribleness in others?
This story is kind-of similar to that, but not completely. This is 4th grade drama.
I thought this day as going to be fun. But boy, i was wrong! First, my only pair of sneakers got all muddy, then, the person who i thought was my friend befriended my mortal enemy! Then i ran out of water, next i stepped an an ant hill,and finally i was almost pricked to death!.I hope you can relate! -_-

Another 18 miles on the Ice Age

Story here:

Seven plus hours on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail boiled down to a slice of instants. The hike started on the east side of Delafield and included the Hartland, Merton, and Monches trail segments and their connector routes. I stopped walking on the Waukasha/Washington County Line and met Cory for my return ride at Ox & Cat’s Sports Bar and Grill. Ox & Cat’s make their own pizza.

As for the pictures; there are more than 21 images in the camera, certainly. But several things contribute to the scant number of pictures taken and the subsequent yield. This hike took place December 18 giving me a short daylight window to start with. Since I really wanted to be done hiking before it got completely dark I needed to keep moving. The time available to pause and snap pictures of wonderments was limited by the time and distance involved.

Continue reading here.

 

At Greenwood State Forest

Greenwood has great prairies, though I found a lot of weeds, maybe we can deweed and restore it.
I was looking for prairie chickens, always wanted to learn the prairie chicken mating dance from the native americans.
Lost my way and got displaced, still trying to find my way back, the people on the way to Hancock for supplies. I could not find the door at one house and kept circling it and tapped on the window, the woman inside got so scared she called the cops, the cops then gave me a ride to plainfield, I am writing at the Citgo gas station.
Started in waukesha on trailhead 67, hurt my foot many times. Intend to do the whole trek. Preparing for a Himalayan expedition where I will serve as a medic.
Loved the trail and all the volunteers I met, though I would like more dispersed sites, liked the one after Mecan river.
Found God and Mother Divine, Kalki and Christ. Would love to meet at GreenWoods to group meditate and share Pagan Music.

Park School 4th Graders Hike

Park School 4th Graders Trip to Lodi Marsh

Thursday, May 24, 2018 the Park Elementary 4th Graders from Cross Plains Wisconsin went on a hike at the Lodi Marsh near Lodi. They did a 1.6 mile loop through prairie, savanna, and woodland. They saw lots of plants and flowers including: Shooting Star flowers, Violets, Columbine, Buckthorn, Poison Ivy, Burr Oak, Garlic Mustard, and Honey Suckle.
The weather was amazing as well, not a cloud in the sky though very hot probably 85 degrees. They ate lunch in a shady area and had a lot of fun and viewed the beautiful Lodi Marsh on top of the hill. They had a wonderful time and I hope you do too!

Lodi Marsh Segment

My story from the Lodi Marsh is… Lodi Marsh has many different, ecosystems, flowers and plants. There different things at the Lodi Marsh like the Violet flower the shooting star flower. Read more if you like to find out about the Lodi Marsh.

My favorite part was the mud there was so much mud it was like a pigs pen.

One thing I saw was that there is a lot of Savannah a lot of trees and prairie. Also a question I have is how can all of the ecosystems live in one environment.

Hope you liked it!!!👍 because i did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trails

So think that you’re having a walk on the Lodi Marsh and you have a couple questions about the trail.

How did this place form? How many species are there? Why did it form? Why did the animals come?

One thing I did not like about it is the mud.Yuck! It had so much mud that it got in my socks! It was so hot I kept on pouring water in my hat and putting it on my head. During lunch I built a teepee with sticks and some kid wrecked it.

Well, those where mine.But anyways, we have alot to learn.You can go on the Lodi Marsh too.

The Lodi Marsh Segment Field Trip

On May 24, 2018 Mr.Kramer’s class went on a field trip to the Lodi Marsh it was fun other than that we had to walk thru mud and get our shoes super muddy. And me August, Henry, Aiden went into the tall grass and we took a short nap.

Reaching The Rock

Abby is my lover & protector of the Great Outdoors. She is a section hiker whose practicing for a future of thru hiking adventures. Since our move to Wisconsin 3 years ago from Salt Lake City, Utah she has become very intrigued by the Ice Age Trail. She has set a goal to section hike the entire Ice Age Trail by end of year 2018 which means I get the honor of tagging along on her adventures. After two trips to Lodi, Abby finally made it to The Rock. She sat perched on those outcroppings for hours & took in all the beauty that these new Wisconsin lands have to offer.

Walla Hi Segment

Recently hiked the new Walli Hi Segment. Just wanted to say “great job” on constructing a fun, winding little segment through a beautiful piece of forest!

Indian Summer Hike

On Tuesday ,September 19th, my dog Nala and I spent a couple hours together adventuring and enjoying the scenery of the Ice Age Trail, West Bend Segment. We enjoyed the last few moments of summer that we could take in including: the seventy five degree weather, the late hours of sun and the warm summer breeze. On our hike was saw three fawns and a six point buck, it was nice to sit and watch them eat and meander along. I know as these few summer days come to an end I am able to look forward to my new adventures on the Ice Age during these soon to come cool fall months.

September 17, 2017

It had been a hot day so we stopped at Brown’s Lake to swim first. The wind picked up and turned to chilly for swimming. So we headed to the Ice Age Trail. We stopped at a Ice cream Lauber’s General Merchandise and Authentic Old Time Soda Fountain. 2020 Church St. East Troy, WI. It looked like a store right out of Little House on the Prairie. Round tables with metal antique chairs, booths along the wall. Show cases of antiques, an old phone booth and phone, the old fashion malt blenders found in pharmacies when I was a kid. I got a Turtle sundae, generous portions of everything, Pecans, hot fudge, whip cream, cherry, butter scotch, and thin wafers on top. While we ate our ice cream a trolley went by the menu told the story of this shop and antiques. Not far from the ice shop we saw a sign that said Old World Wisconsin, and not far to the trail. Could not find a bathroom anyway we walked the grassy trail on a cool sunny day. Stopping to kiss, take pictures and talk .

Trails offer solace amid incredible beauty

Even though I live in the city of Milwaukee, I try to make time to explore the Kettle Moraine whenever I can. Over the years, my favorite segment to hike has always been the trail near Whitewater Lake. My brother’s house was located directly across the street from the trail, and whenever my family visited for Christmas or a summertime pool party, I would try to get relatives to hike it with me. It’s a short trail, probably about a mile in length, and runs parallel to Clover Valley Road. On one end is a bench and a pretty stream, over which a boardwalk was built.

The hike is just long enough for one to burn off a turkey dinner or catch vast amounts of fresh air and quietude after being inside with chatty relatives. I almost always got my younger brother Pete to hike with me, but since he passed away in 2017, the house has been sold, and the hikes are now just a memory.

That doesn’t mean I don’t hike anymore, on the contrary. I have already explored the Monches segment in the Northern Unit with friends and another segment at Scuppernong Springs near Eagle. It’s not quite the same without my brother, but simply being in nature and on the trail allows me to appreciate cherished memories of our walks together. The beauty of nature and the peace that is found there heals and restores the soul. I am so grateful for this incredible network of trails and the volunteers who maintain them. They are a real Wisconsin gem.

Photo: My friend Jeanmarie (left) and I stop for a photo along the Ice Age Trail segment near Monches in October 2018.

The Next Generation

On Friday, September 30th, a group of a few dozen Middleton High School students were bussed out to a Verona segment of the Ice Age Trail, where a prairie restoration project was in progress. Our mission was to pile thousands of tree branches and logs into a few giant heaps to prepare them for a winter burning. This initiative would help facilitate a more successful controlled burn in 2017.

Throughout the trip, I was amazed to see an incredible amount of enthusiasm displayed by the students as they completed simple, monotonous tasks. From 9am to 2pm, the entire group of often rowdy, apathetic teens paid close and genuine attention to the informational briefings and were constantly at work. Us kids really seemed to grasp the power of working together in a collaborative way as we worked together to haul log after log into the pile for hours on end.

But perhaps the appreciation of nature was our biggest motivator. Our love for the environment was really the factor that turned a group of apathetic teens into a team of empathetic preservationists.

When asked if we wanted to take a short hike, the group overwhelmingly responded “yes” with unexpected enthusiasm. On the beautiful hike, we were close listeners to our guide’s descriptions of different ecosystems, and when we saw the positive impact of our work on the natural environment, we gained a greater appreciation for initiatives like the Ice Age Trail.

This experience gave me hope for our future. Get a bunch of teenagers – typically associated with laziness and apathy – together with a few tools, a difficult goal, and a passion for nature, and incredible things can happen. The group was engaged and spirited in their work for the entire five hours, which, perhaps, shows a positive sign that our future generations will fight for the betterment of the environment.

How One Day Is Now a Journey

On a Sunday in January, after a snowfall the night before, I decided to go out for a hike. Living near this part of the trail I thought I would just go for a walk on this path. What I did not know as I laced my boots up was that I would fall deep deep in love with those yellow trail blazes.When the walk was completed I felt like a fire had been lit inside me. I just had to hike more and follow those yellow blazes.

Five months later I have hike many more miles. The road miles the trail miles, nothing can blow that fire out. I decided I am going to hike the whole thing. It won’t happen all at once but it will happen.

This trail will be one of the loves of my life. It has taught me about myself, the kindness of others and most all the true beauty that we call Wisconsin. I am grateful to this trail and always will be! I am grateful to the people who care for it and love it as much as I do and most of all I am grateful that it has given me a deep appreciation for the state that I have lived in my whole life.

I know the feeling of finishing this journey will be an amazing one but in the meantime I can’t help love each step!

The beginning of my IAT quest

I decided to begin my quest to complete the IAT (by segment) this Easter Sunday. In the rain I backpacked starting at the Waterville Segment and camped overnight in Lapham Peak. Continued on Monday hiking the Delafield, Hartland and Merton segments. I underestimated my mileage and thought I was almost finished when I met a very nice couple who happened to be IAT volunteers. The gentleman then informed me I had at least another 3.5 miles to go to complete the Monches segment, at which point I decided to throw in the towel for the day and called my ride. I went back and completed the last bit the next day. Thank goodness I met these folks as I was exhausted and sore from carrying the 35 lb. backpack all day and don’t know if I could have hiked another hour and a half.

Dreaming of Straight Lake

 

I was first introduced to the Ice Age Trail at the Straight Lake segment. A friend took 4 of us on a hike there. That was the beginning. From there it was a work day in our chapter. Then a M.S.C event at Devil’s lake. From then on I was hooked. I joined the Alliance.

The next year I attended many M.S. C. Events. Also many local chapter events, there was no stopping me. I loved it, and couldn’t get enough. The people I have met, both staff and fellow volunteers are just the best. Its hard to believe this has all happened in just over two and a half years. I hope I have many more years to come,enjoying working, learning and walking the Ice Age Trail.

Christine Darsow
St. Croix Falls

Trail Family

I learned about the IAT when I was living in Baraboo and went out to monitor the trail with Nancy and Shirley. I didn’t know where we were going, because the trail was lacking sufficient signage. After we completed our hike, I asked if they needed a trail maintenance coordinator. They took me up on my offer. I soon met Luke and Tim, who trained me on mowing and blazing the trail and proper signage. From there, I joined the first Mobile Skills Crew that received training from Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado. I really felt like this was a place I belonged. I love learning new things like chainsawing, first aid, CPR, support, crew leading, and watching the organization grow. I’ve met a lot of really great people and formed many life-long relationships. I consider everyone to be family. I have never worked for an organization that was so respectful and appreciative of its volunteers and treated them so well. All of the staff are very helpful, and I love to promote the IAT. I love attending outreach events and trying to sell others on what a great asset the IAT is for Wisconsin. I hope that someday everyone will get to experience it. I always bring up the trail during conversations with others. It is truly a remarkable thing to be a part of and I am grateful I took that first step toward Parfrey’s Glen from Solum Lane in 2002.

First Hike

The trail really has really shaped who I am becoming as a father and educator. Formerly teaching 4th grade, I had a very limited connection to the trail other than sharing with kids how it was not yet completed. That distant and impersonal connection became very personalized when one day, my wife and I happened to drive past a number of cars parked on the side of the road. After taking a closer look, we discovered the Monches trailhead in Waukesha County and vowed to come check it out soon. Within a month of that initial visit, we were members of the Alliance and just a few months later, I took the next step and started leading Tyke Hikes. Now, I lead regular hikes, will be lead a Saunters program this past summer, and am on the trail regularly with my wife and daughter. The trail has opened my eyes to new experiences with my daughter, a new perspective on life with my family, and a whole new outlook on how I will educate the children in my classroom for years to come.

Bucks Lake Road to Co. F

We mapped the section, it was 8.76 miles. There was a lot of elevation change. One section crossing the stream we had to go on a beaver dam. It was a little tricky not knowing how safe the ice or dam was.