Each Ice Age Trail thru hiker has a different reason for seeing their quest through to the end. For Heather “Steady” Werderman the reason is simple: she’d have nowhere to live if she quit.
That’s because Werderman, who has been hiking every spring-fall since 2011, only rents a home during the winter (typically at the beach). That’s when she rests, earns a living in IT, and plans her next hiking adventures. “You give up “normal” to do this,” she says about her hiking lifestyle. Werderman, a Michigan native, says she didn’t grow up in an outdoorsy family, but was introduced to hiking through geocaching.
So far, Werderman has completed seven National Scenic Trails. The Ice Age Trail, which she started in St. Croix Falls on April 20, will be her eighth.
Every hike of her IAT adventure, Werderman says, was planned over the winter while in Gulf Shores, Ala.
She hikes at least 18 miles each day, from DCA to DCA; but sometimes more depending on the distance between campsites. Like all thru-hikers this spring, she’s endured crazy temperature swings—from the 20’s to the 90’s in just two weeks. But unlike some who’ve abandoned their thru-hiking attempt, Werderman has embraced the solitude of the Ice Age Trail. “I’m used to hiking alone,” she says, noting that when she hiked the Appalachian Trail she’d start out very early to avoid others.
Of course, solitude was not in the cards when she hit Devil’s Lake State Park on Memorial Day weekend. “I spent a lot of time waiting for people to hike up the rocks,” she says.
Aside from enduring a very wet Jerry Lake segment, which she did not enjoy, Werderman has been pleasantly surprised by the IAT. It’s much hillier than she thought, and “miraculously,” she says, “I’ve seen very few ticks and mosquitos.”
Werderman is currently on schedule to meet her end-of-June completion date for the IAT. That’s a good thing, since she has plane tickets booked to take her to her next adventure: the Pacific Northwest Trail.
Once that’s complete, Werderman will finish out the fall on the Potomac Heritage Trail and New England Trail. When she completes those, she will have hiked all 11 National Scenic Trails.
Then, she’ll rest and relax at her winter rental in Myrtle Beach, S.C. and plan what’s next.
Keep up with Heather “Steady” Werderman on Instagram!
Happy Hiking, Heather!
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