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Hikers step out of the woods, take a first in parade

The word is HOT! That describes the weather two weeks ago with high temperatures around 100 degrees.

We did have a fair turnout for our Tuesday walk as temperatures dropped slightly toward evening, and we were pleased to have a nice breeze to keep us cooler.

We hiked from our meeting place to Esterly Road and back on the Ice Age Trail, a distance of about four miles. This always is a nice walk and we kept hydrated by drinking lots of water.

The next day was July 4 and Ellen Davis went to the U.S. Highway 12 trailhead to meet anyone who might want to hike. She was met by three others. They took the Ice Age Trail that we had hiked the evening before, but came back on the horse trail, making it a half-mile shorter hike.

They found that the horse trail needed mowing, as the grass was quite tall and Ellen found a tick on her when she got home. Ticks are most often found in grassy areas that have not been recently mowed.

In the meantime I pushed Monty, the wooly mammoth mascot for the Ice Age Trail, in a wheelchair for the July 4 parade in Whitewater. It was too hot for Monty to march as the weather was not as cool as he is used to when the Wisconsin glacier was there more than 10,000 years ago.

Several other Ice Age Trail volunteers dressed in hiking gear joined us as we played kazoos, handed out trail literature and candy, and fought water gun battles with kids along the parade route. It was all great fun and we received the first-place prize in the costumed marchers division of the parade. Many thanks go to Barb Converse who spent countless hours putting our parade entry together.

Happy trekking, Russ

Events

-- Meeting of the Walworth/Jefferson County Chapter of Ice Age Trail Alliance, July 17, at 7 p.m. at U.S. Bank, Elkhorn, in the downstairs community room. Contact: Carol Prchal, (262) 495-8502.

-- Ice Age Trail work, July 21, at 9 a.m. Meet at the U.S. Highway 12 Ice Age National Scenic Trail parking lot five miles east of Whitewater. Contact: Andy Whitney, (262) 470-1716.

-- Butterfly Tyke Hike, July 21, at 10:30 a.m. Explore a butterfly garden with your toddler (up to 4 years old). Learn how to attract butterflies to your garden and interact with butterflies and moths. For more details, contact Barb Converse at (262) 473-7304.

-- Ice Age Trail University, July 23-28, at Devil’s Lake State Park: Learn crew leadership and project support skills. Contact Gary Klatt, (262) 473-4973, www.iceagetrail.org.

-- Weekly walks: The Walworth/Jefferson County Chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance meets at 4 p.m. each Tuesday and at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at the U.S. Highway 12 Ice Age National Scenic Trail crossing located about four miles east of Whitewater and about a quarter-mile east of the intersection of U.S. Highway 12 and Sweno Road. The parking lot is at the west end of Sherwood Forest Road, which is a short road that intersects U.S. Highway 12 at each end. All ages are welcome. Contact Russ Helwig, (262) 473-2187.