From prairies and forests to drumlins and valleys to lakes and rivers, the Ice Age National Scenic Trail covers some of Wisconsin’s most eclectic terrain. The thousand-plus-mile trail zig-zags its way through thirty-one counties, showcasing a land shaped by glaciers.
Not surprisingly, the trail beckons the hardest-core of hikers — and also an adventurous mother and her four kids.
Desiree Thompson lives just outside of Milwaukee with her husband Aaron and nine-year-old Tariku, eight-year-old Lydia, seven-year-old Asher and four-year-old Levi. For Desiree, who homeschools the kids, the Ice Age Trail has become an outdoor classroom, an inspiration and a chance to bond as a family.
What does hiking mean to you and why did you want to share the experience with your family?
I grew up with a love for camping and hiking — I love getting into nature and exploring new areas. In college, I took classes for fun in camping and backpacking and ended up with minors in adventure education, environmental education, and youth programming and camp management (I majored in elementary education). There is so much we can learn from a hike in the woods; from caterpillars to butterflies, the changing leaves, moss, mushrooms, weather, trail maps …
How often do you hike, and do you do it with specific goals in mind?
We hike a few times a week, weather depending. I don’t want to get caught up in a thunderstorm (or, as winter approaches, a snow storm) because I want my kids to enjoy hiking and not be miserable. As we move into colder temperatures and snow, we will do less, although I hope we can still get out to enjoy some trails.
Our goal was always between three miles and five — although we have had a few seven-mile days. We have now hiked enough where three feels too short but seven is still too long; five miles is our happy spot.
What are your favorite segments to hike?
We love Lapham Peak! It is our sweet spot, the first place we really hiked on the Ice Age Trail. I also love it because from the tower you can take the path one way and you will be in the prairie and meadow area. Or you can take the trail the other way and you will be in a big oak forest with hills and rocks. There is so much diversity all within a small area.
Now that we have completed all of Waukesha County, we also really like the Monches segment [near Hartland]. My kids love any trail that has water, and Monches has a lot! The trail goes right over the Oconomowoc River and there are several rocks that I let the kids explore. And this segment is only three miles long, so it’s very doable.
What have been some of your best memories on the trail?
Although I said I don’t like to be caught in the rain, we were hiking a road segment with my husband one day and we did get caught in a downpour. We had two miles to go when it started and by the last half mile it was raining so hard. At the end we were all running sopping wet in the rain to get to the car. It was hilarious.
The first time we all saw a deer was awesome. My kids are very loud so I had kind of given up on wildlife at that point. But when they saw it they all stopped talking and their eyes got huge. To see the excitement in them was my highlight.
And we have met so many nice hikers: segment hikers hoping to be thousand milers (do the whole trail), day hikers who just prefer one spot, backpackers on a week’s journey. Sometimes when we were by ourselves, I would wonder how many people were on the trail at that time — it’s a connectedness that bonds us no matter how far we go!
How has the Ice Age Trail become part of your kids’ curriculum?
We keep a nature journal and each week do a new painting of something we have seen on the trail. I try to focus our art lessons on specific themes. We have painted a leaves, trees, nuts and even learned about constellations and done a night sky. Besides hiking, this is my kids’ favorite activity of the week.
We also get guidebooks for animals, birds and plants from the library. The kids love to look through them and identify what species live in our area and then see if we can spot that on the trail. It’s a great way to learn the subtle difference in animals. For example, there are so many varieties of woodpecker and we have seen a few different ones on the trail.
And there are some trail segments that have information boards or signs. In Washington County (the Holy Hill Segment), they label different tree species. There are also signs along the trail for special people important to Wisconsin, stating what they did for the environment or how they helped Wisconsin or the U.S.A. as a whole.
What has hiking taught you? Taught your kids? What would you like it to teach them?
Hiking has taught us probably more than we can mentally recall. Besides all the education I mentioned, it has taught us to slow down! It has brought us together to watch leaves fall, caterpillars crawl. It has taught us what a mile feels like beneath our feet —and our kids are pretty spot on with guessing how far we have gone.
Some days, it’s hard to get kids to even put their shoes on! How do you get your kids to go on long hikes?
FOOD. FOOD. FOOD. When my little one can’t go another step, I pull out a bag of trail mix, or a granola bar, or a cookie, apple, sausage … and he will magically run forward and keep moving. Food is key when hiking with little ones (and big ones, too).
If he is feeling sluggish, we play some trail games — basically I Spy, but on the trail. This has not only gotten him to keep going and look around but it also helps him learn colors. It is one that he loves to play.
Any tips for other parents looking to get out in nature more as a family?
If you are serious about the Ice Age Trail, get the Ice Age Trail Guidebook. It has every single segment in it along with parking spots and helpful hints, and phone numbers for when things get crazy on the trail. It is a wonderful tool and we always have it on us.
But there are so many trails out there. We actually found a trail in our neighborhood park — we have lived here five years and just discovered it this fall.
Our other advice is just do it! You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t have to really know what you’re doing to start. You will figure it out along the way.