There comes a time in every adventure where the clock flips from counting up and begins to countdown. The wonder and mystery of what might happen turns into a reflection of what was. Have I learned something about myself through all of this or have I just proven things that I already knew to be true? Does an adventure require meaning or is meaning found in
Losing gear on the trail is never a good feeling. You never want to leave trash for others to have to pick up and everything you’re carrying is something you need. I didn’t lose any gear for the first 5 or 6 weeks of this hike. Since Brianna’s injury, I have managed to lose almost all of my sun gear. My Glacier gloves got left on the
“Walk on the beach for 2.1 miles” was the sign that greeted Brianna and I first thing this morning. Brianna wasn’t ready to hike a full day, was ready to jump on for a couple mile beach walk. The IAT bought me this box of chocolates in the form of a beach after a fight we’ve been having that I thought might never end. This
Hiking to exhaustion everyday sounds difficult because it is difficult. I do so enjoy being purposefully tired. Earned days off feel amazing. Short days that leave me with gas still in the tank feel hollow. Food tastes better when you are truly hungry. Water is sweet as wine when your throat is dry cracking from thirst. When the Bible refers to the miracle of turning water into wine,
Last night was a blast! Trisha and Zach took us out to a local restaurant for a traditional Wisconsin Friday fish fry and old fashioned dinner. After dinner came the Colorado tradition of bar hopping around for shots and drinks, but I was far too tired for any of that and retreated back to our basement bed at Trisha’s for sleep. Uncle Tim wanted to
IAT completed. Everyone has been asking if I am/was excited for today. There are a lot of feelings, to include excitement, for sure, it’s just so very complicated. It feels good to have finished this hike across Wisconsin and to have done the things we have done. More than anything, I feel relieved that I’m through the gauntlet. My body could hike more, but I don’t want
My dream of completing an IAT thru-hike did not start when I was a child. I did not grow up with a dream of hiking from the western side of Wisconsin over to the east side. In all honesty, I did not even know the IAT existed until December of 2020 found me searching the Guthook app for trails that might be done
Hi Martin, Congratulations on your feat of hiking the entire Ice Age Trail! And thank you for sending in your “Thousand-Miler” application. The information you’ve included is helpful to our efforts to track long-distance hiking stats for the Ice Age Trail. You are currently in the #289 position in our database out of 289 total certified Thousand-Miler treks. Our first Thousand-Miler finished on