See more photos from this hike and others in the Gallery and please check out our Etsy store!
Sara and Topher
Tuesday's are no work, no school day in this relationship and you know what that means, hiking day! On our last hike, we had ended where the trail crossed over a County highway, so picking up where we left off was easy-peasy. The trail-head started out in the lowlands and prairie of the Eagle segment and had been lightly dusted with snow the night before. I was surprised that the only tracks on the trail were from field mice and the coyote's that pursued them, and with these tracks as our guide, we set off for, "Site 2." Right around the time that the last Coyote tracks wandered off the trail and into the distance, the trail transitioned from vast prairie to dense wooded forest. I love the diversity of terrain that the Ice Age Trail has to offer and it's always a treat when we transition from one environment to another. We were a little more than halfway through our hike when the forest was abruptly torn in half by a set of railroad tracks. It's kinda fun finding random stuff like this in the middle of nowhere, there was even a tiny little railroad crossing for snowmobiles and hikers. It was not something I was expecting to find, but it did offer a nice element to the photo's we took of the scenery. I've noticed my S100 renders color very different than my D700 and as such it almost gives a hand-colored look to the train tracks photo. It was about a mile or so after the train tracks, that we started encountering some decent sized Kettles, which is always a good time when there is solid ice under a light dusting of snow, hahah. Luckily we have some good gear that has never let us down and it came through for us yet again. Right before you get to site 2 if you are heading West on the trail, you will pass through a beautiful low lying Oak Savanna. Once on the other side, climb up the drumlin and follow the sign to your left that says, "Site 2." The site sits atop the drumlin and offers a spectacular view of a low-lying area complete with stream running through it! The view was so spectacular, that we decided to put off more miles and simply slow down to enjoy life. Few things in life are this great, an amazing trail that offers spectacular views and a challenging life goal, having the time to dedicate to being out hiking, being able to start a fire in the dead of winter and cook a meal in the middle of nowhere, and most importantly being able to do all this with a person who shares the same passion about it, as I do. We ended up losing track of time and stayed a little too late, but as luck would have it, the overcast sky dissolved into the night and a bright winter moon illuminated our path back through the sleeping prairie, to the trailhead whence we came.
See more photos from this hike and others in the Gallery and please check out our Etsy store! Sara and Topher
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Sara & TopherWe are a working artist couple based out of Austin, TX. This blog chronicles our life and artistic ventures, as we work to make the world and environment a little better every day. Archives
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