Posts – Roger Carpenter

Ice Age Trail Days 48-52, May 10 to 14: The Roads to Janesville

Verona to Janesville

Janesville, WI, May 15, 2025 by Greg in Wild / Roger Carpenter

Since leaving Verona on May 10, it was hard to stay present in the trail right in front of me. The reasons for looking ahead to Janesville five days ahead included the vast majority of the 78 miles were on roads or rail-to-trails. The hot temperatures on some days made me wish for more patches of shade to rest within. To compensate for the less than ideal conditions, I indulged in grocery stores for fresh foods, any place with an espresso machine, NA beer, or ice cold soft drinks. Those existed in towns named New Glarus, Montello, Albany, and Evansville. Those towns were also the best sources for water. Some parks have wonderfully pure well water that I pumped into my water bottles the old-fashioned way (muscle power). I focused my attention and photos on little things: wildflowers, interesting features of the towns, the nice campsite in a county park named Magnolia Bluff. Despite setting my tent near the parking lot, it was a quiet and restful night. I needed the rest because I had a 28-mile roadwalk the next day.

Ice Age Trail Days 43-47, May 5 to May 9

Devils Lake to Verona

Verona, Wisconsin, by Greg in Wild / Roger Carpenter, May 10, 2025

See my current location on the trail and the places I hiked recorded by Garmin InReach.

On May 9, I reached milepost 750 in perfect weather for hiking. The vibe of the hike gradually changed as foliage got greener and taller, wildflowers became more numerous, the sky clearer, and days more sunny and warmer. The dues I paid hiking in the chilly Northwoods are paying off in the south. Madison is nearby and east of Verona. The vibe surrounding the IAT is influenced by great coffee places, more hikers on trail, runners, cyclists, and even golf courses. Hey, this hike is going very well! And, there are 404 miles ahead with opportunities to enjoy more of Wisconsin, the moraines, and the unexpected things the trail provides.

Ice Age Trail Days 39-43, May 1 to 5, 94 miles: Is it spring now?

May 5, 2025, Devils Lake State Park, Wisconsin, by Roger Carpenter / Greg in Wild

My real-time location: Garmin InReach

The view outside from my hotel window on May 1 was not encouraging. The parking lot had large puddles of rain that fell most of the night. My weather app predicted high temperature in the upper 40s. “Really?” I thought. The hike would be easy because it was one more day on the ‘great IAT roadwalk to southern Wisconsin”. Great! It should be warmer in the south, right? Less rain? Maybe, just not that day. I needed to hike 26.7 miles, but a brief stop in the small town of Montello could provide midday relief.

Ice Age Trail, by Greg in Wild — No shelter from the rain.

Neither the rain nor wind were strong, but both were persistent. After 12 miles, as I felt the cold dampness deep under my base layers and rain jacket, I noted a pit toilet building in a parking area next to a lake . Without hesitation, I went inside to get dry and perhaps warm up.

Ice Age Trail Days 31-38, April 23 to 30, 162 miles

April 20, 2025, Westfield, Wisconsin, by Roger Carpenter

I left chilly Antigo knowing that I was, at last, leaving the Northwoods and heading south. Would the weather begin to warm with the change in latitude? I also knew that over the next eight days and 162 miles, much of the IAT route would be on roads. It meant no more bushwacking around fallen trees like I did in the Kettle Bowl segment. The sight of newly blossomed wildflowers along the Plover River lifted my spirits. While the Northwoods was teaming with beaver, Geese, and Wood Ducks, the presence of flowers was a good omen.

Ice Age Trail Days 25-29, April 17 to 21: The Cold Northwoods

April 22, 2026, Antigo, Wisconsin, by Roger Carpenter / Greg in Wild

No wonder it still feels cold! For four weeks, I hiked the portion of the IAT that stayed in the northern part of Wisconsin…the Northwoods. Warmer weather is coming, especially as I begin to walk southbound out of Antigo, where I enjoyed another zero day. The map, below, has the waypoints I recorded at every overnight stop.

Merrill area Trail Angel, Ruby, drove me back to the IAT, where I headed east along miles of roads before entering the Underdown segment of the Trail. My destination was a wonderful shelter that protected me from the rain showers that fell overnight. It was true luxury! The shelter included a small table where I prepared dinner. How awesome is that! The shelter was reminiscent of the Appalachian Trail.

Ice Age Trail Days 21-23, April 13 to 15: It is COLD!

April 16, 2025, Merrill, Wisconsin, by Roger Carpenter / Greg in Wild

I appreciate the numerous kind comments written on this blog and Facebook about the passing of my brother, Jim. The thoughts expressed have comforted me and helped me move forward on the IAT. Thank you.

For three days and 51 miles, I experienced most of the discomforts an upper Midwest hiking trail in early spring: rain, deep, cold water, boggy trail, mud, snow and freezing temperatures. To make the experiences even more complete, I fell into a creek up to my lower torso! This is what the hiker community calls Type 2 fun! As I navigated the IAT gauntlet of these trail conditions, I kept reminding myself that I was not bothered by heat, humidity, mosquitos, and ticks. I came to the IAT well prepared because I made good decisions about clothing and gear. The photos, below, are in chronological order and provide the best description of the 51 miles of the IAT.

I carried an image of Jim on my backpack while hiking the Continental Divide Trail in 2016, one year after he was diagnosed with lymphoma.

Ice Age Trail Days 15-20, April 7 to 12: Mourning a Loss

Soon after Pat Kosher, a Trail Angel in Cornell, gave me a ride back to the IAT on April 8, I received a message from Chalice, the wife of my brother Jim. He was going to enter hospice. Jim seemingly had beaten lymphoma that was diagnosed in 2015, but complications from infections made him progressively weaker for three months.

The reality of Jim’s situation shifted my energy on the trail to one of despair, fatigue, and pain. There was no doubt that sadness made my body ache and my hiking uneven. The hummocks were mostly devoid of wildlife except for the occasional squirrel and waterfoul flying away. Silence was no comfort.

Pine cones held up for Jim as a wish for a peaceful passing

On April 9, while thinking constantly of my brother, the tedious, muddy, and boggy trail served to remind me of the courageous battle Jim fought for nearly ten years. So I fought the Ice Age Trail’s boggy Jerry Lake segment all day, desperate for dry, level ground to pitch my tent. When I finally found a suitable campsite in a dark, dense forest carpeted with fallen leaves, I realized Jim’s wife had sent no updates that day. Waiting. I moved slowly while preparing my dinner until I collapsed into my sleeping bag. Zipping the tent fully shut helped me hide from the universe for eight hours. In the darkness of midnight, I checked for messages. Nothing.

Days 9-14, April 1 to 6 on the Ice Age Trail

The snow was nearly all melted when I departed the comforts of Rice Lake. After the Uber driver dropped me off at the start of Tuscobia Trail, a wide, flat rail-to-trail, I entered another snowy but easy 11-mile hike to the Bluegill capitol of Wisconsin, Birchwood. Along the way a enjoyed a can of Hamms with my lunch in a bar. The friendly nature of the people I meet is make the short town stops a pleasure. Necessary, too, because sometimes bars are the best places to refill my water bottles! It is also reassuring to know that Bigfoot is alive and well in Wisconsin! With a forecast calling for more snow overnight, I stayed in a motel again.

On April 2, I ventured back to the IAT with 1 to 2 inches of new snow. There are many kinds of snow. For the next two days, I walked in a fresh, slightly wet.snow that lit up the hummocky forest dotted with ponds built by beavers that engineered dams several feet high and solid enough to walk on. At least one such dam crossing was the official IAT trail.

Ice Age Trail Days 2-7, March 25 to 30

From inside my tent next to the St Croix River I heard what sounded like a large object splashing into the water. Again and again it was the same splashy sound. A big fish, or a very big fish? It was 24 degrees outside, and I could no longer delay my exit from my warm sleeping bag. I looked to the river. Beavers! The two beavers near my camp would slap their flap-like tails before diving into the depths of the river. Perhaps it is their way to scare up breakfast. But the sound of beavers set the tone for the first week of my hike.

One of the many wetlands along the IAT, this one with a beaver creating a wake in the water

On Days 2 through 5, the weather was outstanding, and the conditions enabled me to enjoy the sights and sounds of wildlife along the IAT. The many ponds and small lakes are homes for swans, Canada Geese, Snow Geese, ducks, and, of course, the beavers. I stopped often to listen. I heard several species of owls hooting day and night. Sometimes, near one of many partially frozen lakes, two Geese would honk in protest of my presence. Nearly all of the first 98 miles of my IAT experience have been solitary except for the birds, waterfowl, a couple of deer, and beavers. Oh, but I will never forget the tiny, curious chipmunk peeking through a tiny hole in the trunk of a large tree.

Ice Age Trail Day 1 was great!

March 24 2025: Cindy and I arrived at the parking lot near the western terminus at noon while I had the Day 1 jitters. A 5 minute walk to the plaque deaignating the IAT and I was ready to start the 1200-mile hike in sunny, chilly weather. Oh, how I was thankful for the nice weather. It could snow in late March. I was grateful for Cindy’s loving support and driving me 45 miles to the trail from St Paul.

Below are photos of the day, 7.9 miles to a riverside campsite on the St Croix River. Check out the links, too!,

Garmin MapShare: location and tracks.

Description of the Ice Age Trail

Roger Carpenter / Greg in Wild