What I learned Backpacking the Ice Age Trail

By Cameron Gillie, Thousand-Miler and Contract and Volunteer Photographer for the Ice Age Trail Alliance

Hiking an entire National Scenic Trail is bound to change you in some ways. You have a whole lot of time to think about things as you walk alone with only your thoughts for 1,200 miles. I’m a photojournalist, and I set out to tell the story of Wisconsin’s landscapes, communities, and people for a photography book. Here’s what I learned on a personal level.

The Landscapes:

The terrain left behind by the glaciers is, in my opinion, Wisconsin’s premier natural feature. Arizona has the Grand Canyon, Florida has the Everglades, and Wisconsin has the Ice Age National Scenic Trail. Every day I hiked the Trail, I developed a much deeper appreciation for the wonders of the natural areas of Wisconsin.

When we first moved to Wisconsin in 2008, I looked into the Ice Age Trail. I had never heard of it, and at first glance, I thought, “How interesting can a hiking trail across the agricultural state of Wisconsin be?” I never gave the Ice Age Trail much thought until years later when I took a freelance photography job for the Ice Age Trail Alliance. As I traveled around the state photographing trailbuilding events, I also hiked Trail segments. Almost every time I finished a hike, I would say to myself, “Wow, that was way cooler than I thought it would be.” Last week, as I was finishing the Trail, I hiked the beautiful Mckenzie Creek Segment. I said it again, “Wow, that was way cooler than I thought it would be.” In fact, it may be one of my favorite segments. The Trail never stopped amazing me right through to the end.

Driving across Wisconsin, the roads generally follow the easiest terrain. Walking a National Scenic Trail, you take the more inspiring route – the path less followed. The Ice Age Trail is a surprisingly rugged trail following the terminal moraine left behind 12,000 years ago as the glaciers receded. It’s a far more picturesque way to cross the state than driving.

The Communities:

The small towns of rural Wisconsin are full of friendly, warm people. Even the smallest towns will surprise you with interesting characters and their stories. Stop in a tiny grocery store for a soda, and you might wind up in an hour-long conversation.

I’m originally from a small town in Northern Minnesota. I’ve always joked it takes forever to get across a city because of traffic, and it takes forever to get across a small town because you have to stop and talk to everyone. It took me 113 days over two years to complete the Trail, in part because I kept stopping and having so many of these hour-long conversations.

Across Wisconsin, there were, of course, many cafes and bars, just as I expected. But, there was also the unexpected, like a Monastery in St. Nazianz where I was their guest for the night. There was a small, sunrise wedding I happened across in Devil’s Lake State Park. I met a girl, and her mother, walking her sheep down the road getting them ready for the Portage County fair. A New York Times best-selling author, passing through town, sat at the table next to me in a coffee shop in Kewaskum. You’ll never know who you will meet crossing the state on foot.

Open doors and talk to strangers! Stop in a cafe to order lunch and talk to the owner. You’ll meet hard-working people who love their communities and their neighbors. Your backpack is always the conversation starter. Ask them a few questions, and you might wind up hearing all about their lives and the rich history of their town.

The People:

I saw hiking the Ice Age Trail as a reintroduction to my rural Minnesota roots. I have lived in what a small-town boy would call “big cities,” where I worked as a photojournalist. So, I’ve lived on both sides of the political and cultural lines assigned to rural and urban communities by politicians and cable news channels.

Before I even started the hike, I vowed not to talk politics with anyone I met along the way. I just saw people as human beings and didn’t label them liberal or conservative. If a cafe owner is cooking me a hamburger after spending days in the woods, why should I care at all who he voted for? I’m just grateful for his food and hospitality. You’ll never meet anyone you agree with on absolutely everything, not on the Ice Age Trail or anywhere else.

I met a lot of great people along the way. I think that was the best part of the hike. I’m thankful for the conversation and hospitality. After days in the woods, it was always nicer than you can imagine coming in from the cold, the rain, heat, bugs, or whatever mother nature was throwing at me that day. Just sitting down on a chair to rest weary legs and to have someone to talk to was always sublime after a 14-mile day. I’m usually an introvert, but the best piece of advice I can give anyone hiking the Ice Age Trail is to talk to strangers and enjoy their company! The people you meet along the way are the best part of any journey you take.

One thing that continues to blow my mind every time I look at a map of Wisconsin, and the Ice Age Trail is, “I walked that entire distance!” This may seem weird, but it makes the state seem so much smaller to me than it used to. Maybe Wisconsin is much smaller, and we are all far more connected than we think.