Jim Carpenter – Roger Carpenter

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.

Day 104, October 4: West Virginia

See my current, real-time location and daily trail log.

According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy the West Virginia portion of the AT is only 25 miles. After hiking 9 miles today I expect my stay in the state will end tomorrow! Virginia, the next state going southbound, has the most distance of all 14 states along the trail.

Shenandoah River from a highway bridge near Harpers Ferry.

Dedicating my hike to Jim and David

I very fortunate to have good health and strength at my age (62) to even consider a 2,800 mile hike. I do not take my health and sense of well-being for granted. After careful thinking, I chose a main theme of my thru-hike: gratitude and hope. With that theme in mind, I dedicate my efforts on the CDT to my brother Jim Carpenter and friend David DiCesare. Two small tags representing Jim and David will hang on my backpack from the southern terminus of the CDT, up north into Glacier National Park and Canada. Continue reading “Dedicating my hike to Jim and David”