2021 22FT MAGIC TILT BOAT TRAILER - $4,890 (FOLEY).

The Ice Age Trail showed me that life changing trail magic is real and available to anyone willing to believe. I began walking the new path I was seeking. While my feet walked a trail’s path, my mind released a destructive one. Most of the 15% done with others came near the end of the year after the magic had done its work. I solo hiked 85% of the trail, which allowed time for reflection, healing and growth. I celebrated the completion of the trail with nearly a dozen fellow Wannabes, three of my five children and one of my grandchildren. After an eight day stretch on the trail in late April, I drove home, leaving the Sturgeon Bay segment for May 15. My youngest daughter was on an extended visit with her brother’s family in Texas. But I chose to delay the finishing by three weeks. That would be perfect…to complete the trail from one April to the next. I was closing in on finishing the trail by late April 2021. The farms, small towns and hidden burgs that make up Wisconsin’s countryside were highlighted along these routes. A chance to experience every day America. Road walking offered an experience that a footpath through the woods did not. The Walk Across America and The Walk West had a lifelong impact on me. When I was twelve, in 1980, I read both of Peter Jenkins’ books telling of his experience road walking across the country.

Road walking was actually appealing to me. I began to wear a bandana over my face to protect against wind burn. Those were last minute decisions in Janesville and Algoma.Ĭlosing in on the Eastern Terminus required long road walks, as did previous portions of the trail. I resorted to getting a motel twice during the trail year. It didn’t occur to me to make reservations early for Potawatomi State Park as I was used to empty campgrounds. A friend in Sheboygan hosted me the last two nights on the trail after campgrounds officially opened for the season. I slept in the basement of a couple’s home who offered a wonderful meal and homemade cookies. A shuttle volunteer offered their lake house for shelter when early spring rain was forecasted. Covid was sweeping through both of our workplaces.Ī couple from Illinois messaged me the directions to their land for camping. We wore coats and ate socially distanced dinners together in her garage. One of my garage hosts in December was a Thousand Miler, who I had hiked with a couple of days Up North. With minimal contact, I arrived at a convenient time for my hosts, always bearing a gift of maple syrup from my area and was gone before sunrise. I stayed in garages, setting up a camping cot next to Fiona. I began to reach out for assistance and the response was generous. I felt a responsibility as a nurse to advocate for responsible Covid behavior.

With Covid surging, social distancing was crucial. Her contribution allowed me to experience the magic of skinny dipping on Summit Moraine and listening to loons call at Camp Susan on Highland Lakes. Getting a teen out of bed before dawn took bribing with Kwik Trip coffee and donuts. My high school daughter shuttled me for all of Langlade County where bike shuttling would have been quite long. By May, I moved on to segments in surrounding counties. I did the Marathon County segments twice in April of 2020, I have a Facebook hiking page and I didn’t want to promote unsafe travel while being asked to shelter in place. Sunbeams filtered through the trees, illuminating the carpet of ramps that spread as far as I could see. The magic of the trail introduced itself to me on a sunrise hike. This was perfect, as the time I chose to begin the trail coincided with the beginning of Covid. Because the trail winds around Marathon County, I was able to access many miles of the trail within an hour’s drive. The trail began for me in my home county of Marathon on the Plover River Segment.

2022 Trailbuilding and Habitat Management Events.2022 Annual Conference & Membership Meeting.Dogs on the Trail: Guidelines and Regulations.16 Hikes During the Nine-Day Gun Deer Season.Hiker Resources – Map, Guidebook, and More.Ice Age Trail University – Virtual Sessions 2022.

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