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Nimblewill has
trekked nine of the
eleven
National Scenic Trails.
Of the two remaining,
one is the
Ice Age National Scenic
Trail (IAT). It’s
located entirely within
the state of Wisconsin,
where it meanders the
leading edge of the last
receding ice age.
Five distinct ice
ages are believed to
have occurred on Earth
over a period of close
to 2.5 billion years
(Yes, that’s
ten-hundred-million
times 2.5!), the most
recent being the
Pliocene-Quaternary.
During this ice age
there occurred periods
of ice sheet
advancement--and
retreat. The last
advance ended some
10,000 years ago with
the remnants of that
advance covering a great
portion of Wisconsin.
The IAT follows this
southernmost line of
glacial deposits along a
far-sweeping horseshoe
shape for nearly 1,100
miles.
It crosses a wide
variety of lands,
consisting of rolling
hills, savannas,
prairies, and marshes,
over private land,
through municipal,
county, and state parks,
plus national forests.
Features with
strange-sounding name,
such as eskers, kettles,
moraines, and drumlins,
compose the landscape.
To date, only 51
individuals have hiked
the entire Ice Age
Trail. Nimblewill
hopes to become number
52! He’ll be keeping
journal entries, taking
pictures and videos of
wildlife, sunrises,
sunsets, glacial
features, plus folks he
meets along the way.
This Odyssey 2012
page lists his tentative
itinerary, gear list,
and sponsors, and soon
to appear--journal
entries, photos and
videos. Please check
back often, then plan on
following another
predictably
unpredictable
Nimblewill Nomad
adventure. Sure enough,
we’ll have a great time! |
