Ice Age Trail (IAT) - Merrimac Segment

On the border of Devil’s Lake State Park sits a quiet section of the Ice Age Trail in the Merrimac Preserve. This section is 3.5 miles each way through oak savannah with views of the Baraboo Bluffs in the distance. In total, the Merrimac Preserve has ~10 miles of trail giving you many loop options. The few people and wide trails make this a favorite of mine for trail running.

Today I did an out and back parking at the IAT Merrimac Trailhead with my turnaround point at the IAT Roznos Meadows Trailhead. The Merrimac TH is almost always a better parking option. It’s less crowded and you don’t need a state park sticker.

For the first of November, the weather is surprisingly warm and sunny. The hike begins by walking through thick oak and hickory forest. After 1.5 miles you pop out into a meadow and cross a road getting good views of the bluffs. A bit past the trail junction, there is a warming hut for snowshoe and cross-country skiers. 

The rest of the trail is more open, with a boardwalk crossing a swamp and then back into the oak savannah. Roznos Meadows is surprisingly crowded today with cars parked along the shoulder of the road. The hikers must be heading into Devil’s Lake State Park because we’ve only seen a handful in the preserve. 

We turn around here and head back. Just before reaching the car, we are treated to a small garter snake sunning itself.  

Links:

6 Days in the Pecos Wilderness

It’s been a year since I’ve been backpacking. A whole year. 😢

With the pandemic and being extremely busy at work, backpacking in 2020 seemed like a lost cause. Then my friend, Eric, texted a fully worked-out route in the Pecos Wilderness . All I needed to do was show up. After a bit of juggling, I managed to get the time off. Away I went!

Our route was a touch over 36 miles. Lots of high elevation ridgewalking, views, and alpine lakes. Perfect! In total, our trip was 6 days with a rest day in the middle. The pace was great for the shorter and cooler days at the end of September. Plenty of time to rest and soak in the views. And for Eric’s 9-year-old canine Daisy to hike with us.

The night before we started we camped at Jack’s Creek Campground. An excellent jumping-off point .5 miles from the trailhead. It had been two years since I saw Eric, but pulling into the campground his old familiar Tarptent was easy to spot amongst all the RV setups.

The first day began with a climb and leveled once we were up on the ridge. The ridge was mostly through active grazing land at the start with our first views. Then it changed to an aspen forest before dropping into the Pecos River valley. Right before the descent, there was a spectacular cliff viewpoint. This would make a great dry camp, but we pushed on a little further.

On day 2, we continued our hike up the Pecos River. The hiking was mostly through the forest. Pecos Falls served as a scenic spot for lunch. As we climbed higher along the Valdez Trail, the weather turned to drizzle with thunderstorms in the distance. Around dinner, there was a quick break in the weather allowing us to set up camp and shovel down some food before the next round.

The next morning we woke up to a magical (and extremely cold) frost inside and outside of our tents. We decided to break camp as fast as possible and high tail it to the ridgeline for breakfast in the sun. The rest of the day was entirely along the ridgeline with phenomenal panoramic views in every direction. There was a mix of trail and cross country travel, but it was easy to navigate. We ended the day at Truchas Lake, which we had all to ourselves.

The clear alpine lake was a perfect spot for a rest day. We spend the morning basking in the sun around the lake, reading and watching the world go by. In the afternoon, we explored the upper lake and boulder field. Chirping pikas and marmots were busy preparing for the nearing winter. The weather was stunningly warm for late September.

Day 5, back on the trail. Another sunny day almost entirely of ridgewalking and 360-degree views. We found a stunning spot in the sun and out of the wind for a 2+ hour siesta. Dropping off the ridge, we camped at Pecos Baldy Lake with views of East Pecos Baldy.

On day 6, we did a morning summit of East Pecos Baldy, about 1,000ft above the lake. Then back to camp for lunch. It’s another stunning late September day. The aspens' full yellow foliage is on display. We get to the car in the late afternoon, sip a post-hike beer, recap the trip, and part ways.

Overall I'd highly recommend this route. I enjoyed going counterclockwise to warm up my legs through the forested section and get the spectacular ridgewalking in the second half of the trip. However, either direction works. Best to tailor your trip to time the ridge walking with the clearest weather window for the views. At 36.5 miles you certainly could do it faster if you don’t have a full week. Many thanks to Eric for planning and getting me back out there. And to Daisy who was the best hiker in the group!

If you go:

Sneaky Wisconsin River Camp

It’s been a sedate summer. Most of the camping trips we had planned have been postponed. While it’s nice to focus on staying close to home the vibrate neighborhood festivals that make Madison so fun in the summer have been cancelled. To add to it, K and I both got new jobs at the end of June. With lack of other things to do we’ve thrown ourselves into them and barely taken a day off. 

Realizing it had been over a month since we slept in a tent - a crime in the summer, right? - we decided we needed to do something about it. Even if it was just for a night. So we took a short drive to the Lower Wisconsin Riverway. 

The LWR is the longest free-flowing stretch of river in the Midwest, 92 miles long. Leave No Trace camping is allowed on the sandbars. Most people access it by boat, but there are a few spots that you can park and walk a couple hundred yards to some great camping spots. We chose a spot near Arena, WI about an hour from Madison.

In total we were probably at this spot only about 14 hours. But it was a great recharge with great swimming, beaching and a spectacular sunset. 

If you go:

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/lands/lowerwisconsin

Madeline Island Lockdown Escape

How’s everyone holding up out there? It seems trivial to post about what I’m doing when so many are suffering, but I’ll give it a shot.

First off, I’m grateful all my friends and family are safe. There are a few silver linings to living in lockdown. My garden is looking fantastic. I’m caught up on all the shows I wanted to watch. 

But I’m going stir crazy. No friends and limiting my adventures hyper-locally is getting dull. With summer is going into full swing I figured/hoped a weekend camping trip is an ok socially distanced activity. 

If you pretend both the air and water temperature are 20 degrees warmer, Madeline Island can feel almost like you are somewhere tropical. The azure blue water of Lake Superior and sandy beaches certainly look the part.

Our pandemic splurge was a set of paddle boards. Big Bay Town Park was a nice spot to play with them. Lake Superior was calm and we played with them on the gentle waves. The next day we took them out on Big Bay Lagoon which was even better. The water was glass like and there were a number of nooks to check out.

There isn’t a lot of hiking in either Big Bay Town Park or the adjacent Big Bay State Park. But the roughly 1.5 mile boardwalk trail connecting the two parks is a nice stroll between the bay and the lagoon.

On our way home Lake Superior was again very calm and we took the paddle boards out to the sea caves in Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. It was an amazing trip, but I was too scared to bring my phone out on the open water. Sadly, no photos.

If you go:

Waterfall Gully & Mt Lofty Hike

Adelaide’s a hot, dry city, but the hills offer respite on a sweltering day. And the aptly named Waterfall Gully offers waterfalls tucked in amongst the greenery. It’s part of a larger trail network that weaves through the Adelaide hills.

For this hike we started at Measday’s Lookout and hiked down the second and first falls. After that we steeply climbed up to Castle Rock and got a nice view down the valley. Then we worked our way past Cleland Wildlife Park and up to the summit of Mt Lofty.

It was hot out and we appreciated grabbing a cold drink at the full service cafe at the Mt Lofty lookout. Sadly the views from the top were hazy. The way down was through shaded gum trees with occasional views of the city and ocean below. Overall a fun 5.75 mile hike and I’d certainly love to come back and hike the other trails in the area.

If you go:

Beach Camping - Innes National Park

It’s the first time we’ve been back in Australia in over 3 years. Amazing how time flies. After a winter chock full of cross country skiing, landing in the summer sun of Australia is a jarring (but very welcome!) switch. Especially since the first thing we’re doing is a family beach camping trip.

South Australia’s beaches are stunning. Given the huge size of the state and small population you don’t have to go very far to get a beach entirely to yourself. Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park is roughly 3 hours from Adelaide and loaded with such beaches. And don’t forget the wildlife! There were resident kangaroos at the campground and an emu family roaming the beach.

Camping with the in-laws is a bit different than my normal set up, but we certainly don’t lack for creature comforts.

And if you’re wondering if this car can tow all of this, it can. It did however get a flat tire and the battery died twice. But we eventually made it, set up camp, and had a wonderful few days of exploring the beaches and tide pools.

American Birkebeiner Race

I’ve never done a real race, in any sport. Maybe it was the swagger of completing a thru-hike or the lubrication from a couple of beers (probably both) but when a conversation with my ski racing friends turned to the 55km American Birkebeiner the next thing I knew I had signed up. 

The Birkie race is based on the story of the Birkebeiners, a faction during the Norwegian civil war in the 1200s. Clad in birch bark leggings, two skiers smuggled 2-year-old Prince Haakon to safety through rugged mountains, forests, and blizzarding weather. The legend is the inspiration for the American Birkebiner race which stretches from Cable, WI to Hayward, WI.

My “training” strategy for the race was just to ski as much as possible. Easier said than done. We don’t get any snow in Madison until early January, giving me about 7 weeks to train for a brutal race in a sport I did not feel very confident in. 

A few weeks before the race, I got a job filming an event on the Birkie course. Between filming, I was able to try out different skis. To no great surprise, my second-hand skis were not very good. So I ordered new skis, which arrived 2 days before the race.

The night before we spent waxing our skis. And I even slept ok. 

At the starting line it’s not quite chaos but pretty damn close. There’s a warming shelter, sponsor tents, and some haphazardly placed signs on where to go. My friend’s waves start off before me and I’m left alone with giddy and terrified emotions. 

The gun goes off and we’re away. I’ve never skied around this many people before. It’s a bit of a traffic jam. Not great for a guy who hasn’t mastered stopping. And damn these new skis are FAST. I fall a few times while getting the hang of them. 

Just after the first checkpoint another skier is splayed across my track. They try to get out of the way but end up making it worse. I fly into soft snow and so do my glasses. I manage to find them and get back up.

I don’t get the hang of how to stop and grab water and snacks. Plus I’m towards the end of the pack and they are starting to run out. By the time I reach OO checkpoint, just under halfway, I’m exhausted and need calories and water. I take off my skis and eat about dozen cookies. I walk around to loosen up. 

A race official comes up to me and asks if I’m quitting the race. I must look like shit. I hadn’t considered quitting, but something about being asked flips a switch in me. Hell no I’m not done. I destroy a cliff bar and hit the trail.

After that I’m in the zone. I start ripping down hills and blasting back up them. I’m passing earlier waves now. Bitch Hill is my bitch. At some point I drink pickle juice. The snow is starting to get soft which is making this so much harder. I descend to Lake Hayward. Nice and flat for 4km. I can do flat. I grab a shot of Jägermeister from a spectator and down it without breaking my stride.   

The lake seems impossibly long but it eventually ends. I’m exhausted. Now just up and over the bridge and down Main Street. My biggest fear the last few days has been falling in front of everyone. My wobbly legs manage to hold and I make it down the street to the finish line. A volunteer throws a medal over neck. My time of 05h 50m 11s isn’t going to impress anyone, but I achieved my goal. I finished!

McKeever Cabin

I’ve been feeling a little stuck in Madison this winter. I’ve been doing a lot of cross country skiing since I (foolishly?) signed up for the 55km Birkie ski race, but I’ve been lacking in backcountry adventures.

Luckily, my uncle suggested we try the McKeever cabin in the UP. It’s only a 1.33 miles snowshoe back to the cabin but it’s a great cure for my backcountry craving. Wide open skies, freshly groomed trails, toasty fires and backcountry bloodies, it’s even better than I expected.

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I wasn’t sure what to expect on the ski front, it says groomed on the website but you just never know. Turns out they were excellent! They are groomed approx. once a week. We were lucky enough to have that day fall on our first day there. Not a huge trail system but three nice loops kept me satisfied. The cabin is situated in the middle of them, which means a mid-ski stop for snacks and a bloody mary.

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The cabin itself is small, has four bunks and a nice woodburning stove. It’s similar to the ones in the Porcupine Mountains on the other side of the peninsula. The stove is either on full blast or not on so it’s a bit a of a trick getting it just right. The best is there is an old hand water pump that works in the winter. A huge bonus. No melting snow for water. We met a ranger who stopped by to test the water, which they do every month, and she confirmed it was safe to drink unfiltered.

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I also go to dust off the pulk I built for a Thanksgiving Hut trip a few years back. It was much easier to pull on the mostly level trail vs up the side of a mountain in Colorado. Shocking.

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I credit my uncle for inspiring my love of the outdoors, especially backcountry pursuits. He taught me many skills but also to not to take it too seriously. And never, ever, skimp on food. For this trip we had bloodies, ribs and a smorgasbord of other delights. On past trips we’ve had backcountry surf & turf and tacos. It’s always great to get out there with him (and my cousin!). He’s 68 and still crushing it. Champion.

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