Crisp, sunny autumn days provide the best hiking conditions. Not too hot, not too cold, not too humid, not too buggy. At dawn on a fine autumn morning, I set out to hike the connecting route (CR) from the Cedar Lakes Segment to the West Bend Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (IAT). This connecting route stretches 5.5 miles (8.9 km) along the back roads and county highways of Washington County, Wisconsin. While I don't much care for the road-walking experience that makes up nearly half of the IAT, the scenic beauty along this route by far made up for the off-trail hike.
Hiking along the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (IAT) through Green County in autumn and winter, the hiker will find icy old railroad beds that have been converted into the multi-use Badger State Trail and Sugar River Trail. Through Green County, the IAT also takes that hiker through wildlife areas, and down country roads along connecting routes. Views of the Sugar River and plentiful wildlife sightings greet the hiker, with the stretch through the Albany wildlife area providing an opportunity for a particularly large variety of bird sightings.
Along the IAT through Waukesha County, I crunched through prairies and forests over ice and snow. I found the promise of warmer days in the scent of soil thawing. I thrilled at spring's first Dutchman's Breeches. Rustic wooden bridges carried me over the scenic Bark and Oconomowoc Rivers as the leaves turned to gold. The IAT through Waukesha county presented its magesty in all seasons.
Unseasonably warm weather brought thousands of Leaf Peepers and Trick-or-Treaters to High Cliff State Park for the 2017 Halloween Walk. Our family arrived on a Friday evening. We set up camp on a Friday night while the sky glowed with a vibrant pink sunset, a wonderful background for the brightly colored maples. We enjoyed a nice campfire and a quiet night in camp.
What is funniest thing about hiking the Cedar Lakes Segment of the Ice Age National Scenic Trail (IAT)? I saw no lakes and no cedars. I saw the Polk Kames, kettles, plentiful gold maple leaves, cornfields, US Highway 41, and the Slinger Speedway. The Cedar Lakes Segment of the IAT is a short and sweet segment from the Slinger Segment of the IAT to Arthur Road (Highway NN).
