You can really build character on the Ice Age Goat Path
It was the last weekend in October, and we were on the Ice Age Trail in a foreign county for the first time. In the short history of Boy Scout Troop 72, we were already intimately familiar with most of the 17 miles of the Ice Age Trail in our own Chippewa County, through our many previous day-hikes and backpacking weekends. So we thought we'd venture out and try a different part of the thousand-mile trail, this time in the Chequamegon National Forest near Medford. Boy, were we in for a surprise! We learned that all segments of the Ice Age Trail are not created equal.
We eventually made it to Spearhead Campground on Mondeaux Flowage, with just enough time before dark to get camp set up and cook supper over a fire. The park ranger had reassured fellow troop leader James Sandomierski earlier in the week that there would be fresh water there, so we didn't bother to bring our filter.
Sunday morning, we dads had our tents all packed up and were ready to hit the trail, but the boys were not moving very quickly toward that end. They announced that they didn't want to backpack that day. Their new idea was to simply hike to the cars, and then drive back to get our camping gear.
Fortunately, I had prepared a mini-sermon due to the predictions of sub-freezing temperatures. I read to the boys from James 1:2-4: "Dear brothers, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything."
Sunday's hike was even tougher than Saturday's. Not only was the trail much rougher than expected, but it also meandered for much longer than it appeared on the map. At one point, after finally heading east from the flowage, we purposely took a parallel logging road just to get a break from the endless obstacles of the trail. As Murphy would predict, our logging road hit a dead end after a mile, so we got the chance to use our compasses to navigate through the woods back to the trail to finish our trip.
If you want to hike some challenging terrain, try the Ice Age Goat Path near the Mondeaux flowage -- you'll be "strong in character" by the time you're done. As for us, our next backpacking trip will be back in home sweet home, Chippewa County.
---- You can reach Tom at toma@arneberg.com. |
This page is maintained by
Tom Arneberg
(toma@arneberg.com)
|
![]() |