Ice Age Trail Days 64-67, May 26 to 29: West Bend to Manitowoc

Manitowoc, Wisconsin, May 29, 2025, by Roger Carpenter / Greg in Wild

May 26:

I stopped when I heard the familiar but abbreviated croaking sound of a Sandhill Crane. To my right, and through small gaps in the bushes, I saw one crane, then another.  Neither seemed aware of my presence until two other hikers arrived. The two majestic, long necked birds sounded their loud protests, which also alerted their two babies. Both chicks came out of hiding and hurried toward their protective parents, which continued sounding off. I have never seen cranes with babies. It was another first on the surprisingly diverse IAT.  For the day I hiked 19 miles along trail that meandered up and over hummocks and along eskers. In mild weather the going felt easy, and I arrived at the Mouthe Lake State Park campground with energy to spare.

May 27:

BUGS! I wondered when they would become a problem. I applied picardarin on my face and neck. Later, I applied it to my legs to repel ticks. Thankfully, I have not noticed any ticks on me recently. But as the day wore on, I felt drained from the repetitive ups and downs of the moraines. The Far Out guide data indicated the total ascent for the 19 miles I intended to hike was similar to the previous day. But my Suunto watch was ticking off 500 feet, 1,000, 1,500 and over 2,000 feet of  climbing. With the warm, humid air encouraging the mosquitoes, I just wanted to find a campsite at 6pm. First, I needed water, which I obtained from an old fashioned hand pump in a county park along the Old Plank Road, a historic route that once connected two nearby towns. The park was not also a campground, but my fatigue level convinced me I was not going anywhere after cooking my dinner. After eating, a young couple who were riding their scooters on the roads in the Kettle Moraine area stopped where I was sitting. “I don’t know if it is technically allowed, but I think I am going to discreetly set up my tent over there,” I said while pointing to a grassy space under trees. “Don’t worry,” said the woman, “he works for the Sheriff’s Department, and it’s going to be fine. We are kind folks in this small town.” I shook hands with the couple before they scooted away. I slept very well that night.

May 28:

After a few miles of hiking along hummocks, I started a roadwalk toward Crystal Lake while checking the FarOut app on my phone. The milepost for 1,000 miles since the start of the IAT in St. Croix Falls on March 24 was approaching. I took a selfie at the precise point, which was in a neighborhood of very nice lakeview homes. I continued until a woman on a morning walk stopped to ask if I was hiking the Ice Age Trail. After I explained that I was thru-hiking, she told me about the book about the Pacific Crest Trail she was reading. “Is it Wild?” I asked. “Yes, and I just read the part where she arrives at Kennedy something,” she said. I smiled and said, “Okay, so now I have to tell you my story!” In the spirit of brevity, I will not go in depth. I first appear in Cheryl Strayed’s excellent memoir on page 86. You can read more here. Meeting someone reading Wild at the 1,000-mile point of this hike was an amazing coincidence.

Rain was in the forecast, and it began to fall with more intensity as I approached an intersection in the village of Rhine. At the corner stands a very old building that looked like tavern. The covered porch was the perfect place to rest without getting even more soaked than I was. At 3pm, the door to the Rustic Rhine bar opened, and I entered. The bar is the 8th oldest in Wisconsin, and the woody bar was inviting. I settled in for one beer before venturing out in the rain, which was diminishing. The 18 miles I hiked that day was much easier on the body, mostly because of the mellow terrain, and partly because of the pint of Spotted Cow I drank. Drinking a beer in the afternoon is one unique pleasure the IAT provides!

May 29:

It was a 28-mile roadwalk to the industrial town of Manitowoc. The roads are easy miles for the body but mentally difficult. Manitowoc is a port city on the shore of Lake Michigan. I needed to sleep before fully embracing the idea of seeing the huge body of water, which was the first sign that I was nearing the end of my hike. Only 113 miles remain to reach the Eastern Terminus of the IAT!

Greg in Wild hikes on!