So happy to hike with Summer again! Summer is a very cool woman I met last year while I was working on a different part of the Ice Age Trail. Summer is also almost close to finishing, so we joined forces and tackled miles 972.4 – 1030.1. I did skip 11 miles of road walking near Cornell so I could jump ahead and hike our planned miles, but I will go back and get that skipped bit in a few days.
Sept 14:
Cornell, Chippewa River, and Firth Lake segments plus their connecting routes. Miles 972.4 – 985.3. 12.9 miles with minimal elevation gain.
Summer gave me a gift that her husband made for me at her request! It’s a lovely small leather piece with a crown and the words “Prom Queen” (my trail name) on it. It weighs nothing and clips to my pack. Love it! So kind of them!
Summer and I had planned for an 18 mile day right off the bat, but we shortened our miles to beat a forecasted afternoon storm. The 13 miles we hiked went quickly and was a mix of town walking (Cornell) and well-maintained woods walking with plenty of lake/water views.
Sept 15: road walk, Harwood Lakes and Chippewa Moraine segments (miles 985.3 – 1001.3). 16 miles with maybe 1200 feet of elevation gain. Short road walk, then lovely trail with a few small hills and lots of lakes. I had expected soggy footing since there had been a deluge the night before, but the ground was firm and dry when we hiked it.
Sept 16: 18-ish mile roadwalk between Chippewa Moraine segment and the village of Weyerhaeuser (miles 1001.3 – 1019.9). Less than 800 feet of elevation gain. Hard pavement almost the entire way with parts in full sun. Summer’s good company and conversation made the miles go quickly though. Chris, Summer’s husband, treated us to a yummy grilled meal at Summer’s campground spot afterward.
Sept 17: Weyerhaeuser to the end of the Southern Blue Hills segment (miles 1019.9 – 1030.1). 10.2 miles with 900-ish feet of elevation gain. A few small hills, mostly woods, some muddy bits. Trail goes through private property with roaming cows in the trees.
Summer will be back in early October for another four days of hiking with me. She has her own adventures planned between now and then, and I look forward to hearing about them and hiking with her again when she returns.
