thousand-miler: adventures hiking the ice age trail

But while the AT winds through 14 states, the Ice Age Trail is all in the state of Wisconsin. It’s kind of amazing to think the Ice Age Trail covers 1,000 miles which is almost half as long as the Appalachian Trail.

You simply must get out there to see them for yourself. Along that “edge” are many amazing geologic features and natural wonders you just won’t encounter anywhere else. The trail roughly follows the outline of the most recent glaciers to cover Wisconsin about 10,000 years ago. Croix River to Lake Michigan’s Shores in the most east-northeast are of the state – at Potawatomi State Park to be precise. It’s a thousand miles long and winds from Wisconsin’s western border on the St. Far fewer know about the National Trail System or realize there are opportunities to explore trails in the same class as the AT in every part of the country.

Their collective experiences shed light on the motivations of thru-hikers and the different ways hikers accomplish this impressive feat, providing an entertaining and informative read for outdoors enthusiasts of all levels.Most everyone with even a slight interest in the outdoors has heard of the Appalachian Trail, but for many, it’s a “far away” thing. In addition to chronicling McManus’s hike, Thousand-Miler also includes the little-told story of the Ice Age Trail’s first-ever thru-hiker Jim Staudacher, an account of the record-breaking thru-run of ultrarunner Jason Dorgan, the experiences of a young combat veteran who embarked on her thru-hike as a way to ease back into civilian life, and other fascinating tales from the trail. Woven throughout her account are details of the history of the still-developing Ice Age Trail-one of just eleven National Scenic Trails-and helpful insight and strategies for undertaking a successful thru-hike. Follow along as she worries about wildlife encounters, wonders if her injured feet will ever recover, and searches for an elusive fellow hiker known as Papa Bear. In prose that’s alternately harrowing and humorous, Thousand-Miler takes you with her through Wisconsin’s forests, prairies, wetlands, and farms, past the geologic wonders carved by long-ago glaciers, and into the neighborhood bars and gathering places of far-flung small towns.

In thirty-six thrilling days, Melanie Radzicki McManus hiked 1,100 miles around Wisconsin, landing her in the elite group of Ice Age Trail thru-hikers known as the Thousand-Milers.

Thousand-miler: adventures hiking the ice age trail