By Barbara & Jerry Larson
 We began leisurely hiking the Ice Age Trail in the area around Madison and our farm in Green County in 2002. It became such an eagerly anticipated part of our lives that we decided to hike other segments beyond our locale. Somewhere in the Kettle Moraine forest in southeastern Wisconsin, we made the decision to hike the entire trail. We set a goal of finishing the trail for our 50th wedding anniversary in September 2006, and thus began our incredible foot journey of over 600 miles across our beloved state of Wisconsin, following the terminus of the last glacier that receded thousands of years ago.
We’re very proud of our Ice Age Trail, one of only eight National Scenic Trails in the country. In Wisconsin, we have the best set of different Ice Age glacial formations anywhere in the world, and geologists from around the world come here to study the effects of glaciation. Ray Zillmer, whose vision led to the creation of the Ice Age Trail, wrote in 1958, “One of the most important chapters in the geographical and geological history of the United States – much more important to the country than the features which most of our present national parks are dedicated to preserve and commemorate – is the Glacial Age.”
Many Wisconsinites may not know that the Ice Age Trail is only about 50 percent completed. Much of the proposed trail runs through privately owned land, and the Stewardship Fund will be crucial in helping willing landowners allow the trail to pass through their property or for buying the land outright. We were only able to hike the completed segments of the trail, as the paved roads connecting the finished segments are not as kind to older joints as the “good earth.” It will be truly wonderful when the Ice Age Trail is completed at over 1,000 miles and long stretches of road are not part of the trek! As we traveled around the state, we were delighted at the opportunity this gave us to truly ‘see’ Wisconsin, and all the varied terrain and history of each area. We would study the historical photos in the local supper clubs, for example, and chat with the people dining with us, learning even more of the ‘lore’ in their locale.
 Out on the trail, it was thrilling to realize we were traversing glacial formations thousands of years old. We especially enjoyed hiking the moraines, eskers, and kames, looking for the kettles, and imagining the immense glaciers that caused this unusual topography.
Along the way, we were very appreciative of the Ice Age Trail interpretive centers that taught us the history of the mammoth glaciers that once covered much of Wisconsin. We also made some very good friends in the IAT volunteers who helped us plan each day’s trek and shuttled us in the morning so we could leave our car at the end of the day’s hike. Our adventure would never have been possible without these kind and hard-working volunteers who maintain and create new trail as more land is added.
We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with our family at St. Croix Falls, the western end of the Ice Age Trail, and shared with them some of our favorite hikes in the area. It was the culmination of a marvelous journey.
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