Woman completes 1,200-mile hike

STEP by STEP

Local woman completes state’s Ice Age Trail of more than 1,000 miles by foot by Mike

Disney World in Orlando, Florida might be the top Now imagine not only walking Ramczyk destination in the United States for families to vacation to Disney World, but hiking there, CORRESPONDENT with their small kids. through challenging terrains of

Who wouldn’t want to see Mickey Mouse, Donald hills, rocks, snow, ice, water and more. Duck, and the rest of the gang, right? Enter Elkhorn native Robyn Swanson.

Sure, you hop in the car and pull off your own The lifelong Southeastern Wisconsin resident version of the movie “Vacation” with a road trip or and mother of two was never really into hiking and secure airplane tickets and pray the baby doesn’t cry so preferred to go out of state for trips. bad that he or she stops the flight. That’s until she discovered the Ice Age Trail – right

It’s roughly 1,200 miles from Elkhorn to Orlando. in her backyard.

Robyn Swanson, of Elkhorn, marks her 1,000th mile of hiking on the Ice Age Trail. Swanson completed the 1,200-miles of the trail Thanksgiving week.

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With trailheads in Walworth County, the historic route is one of only 11 National Scenic Trails. It spans about 1,200 miles through Wisconsin.

Swanson, who only started hiking a few years ago, finished the entire trail – all 1,200 miles – the weekend after Thanksgiving.

She’s used just about every weekend over the past couple years to just “hop in the car and go,” at times driving four hours up north just to reach her planned route.

What was never really on her mind has become a passion, and it has changed her life.

“I first started hiking as something to do on vacations,” Swanson said. “I planned my trips with a hiking destination in mind. Smoky Mountains National Park, Zion National Park and local state parks were where I caught the hiking bug. I didn’t even know the Ice Age Trail existed, much less in my backyard. In the fall of 2018, I saw an article about two retired women who just completed the entire trail. I started to investigate and thought ‘why can’t I do this?’”

Swanson said she completed her first official segment in Hartland on Dec. 15, 2018.

“I was hooked,” she recalled. “My first goal was to complete the 1,200 miles ‘before I die.’ At the end of 2019, I had completed over 300 miles and made a new goal of finishing within five years. I wasn’t devoting all of my time to the Ice Age Trail. I was also trying to visit every state park in Wisconsin and do some out-of-state trails. I was set to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon in June of this year and amped up my IAT hikes to train for that.

“And then ... COVID. As my other trips got cancelled, I had more time to focus on the IAT. I suddenly found myself hiking solo more and more due to social distancing. When I was on the trail, I wasn’t listening to the news and wasn’t stressed about the things going on in the world. It was my therapy. It became apparent that I was going to get closer to finishing the trail sooner than I thought.”

Hiking in sections

Called segment hiking, walkers choose what part of the trail they would like to hike, then they can move on a different part instead of continuing from where they left off each time.

The Ice Age Trail is managed by a partnership among the National Park Service, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Ice Age Trail Alliance. There are approximately 121 yellow-blazed segments that make up half of the trail. The other half of the trail is made up of unmarked connecting routes linking the blazed segments.

“Segment hiking or section hiking means that you hike a certain section and then move on to another,” Swanson said. “This can be done in order but doesn’t need to be. If one decides to do a through-hike, they start from one end and follow the trail in succession all the way to the other end.”

The trail starts at the Western Terminus in St. Croix Falls and ends at the Eastern Terminus in Sturgeon Bay.

Swanson said she is at a very happy place in her life. She works for a local school district.

“I was never really an outdoors person,” she added. “Now I can’t stand to be inside.”

She started the journey by doing segments of the trail closest to home, now

Elkhorn’s Robyn Swanson has hiked the Ice Age Trail in segments, through all seasons.

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“We are lucky to live in a state with so much natural beauty. I have learned a lot about nature in the past two years, but I’ve also learned a lot about myself. It really is possible to do whatever you put your mind to.” – ROBYN SWANSON

every weekend trip is at least a four-hour drive. So there’s no more jumping in the car and just going, it takes planning.

“While working, you can only get so much done on the weekends,” Swanson said.

Taking in nature

She said she never realized the beauty in her home state and is fortunate to live in a scenic location.

Also, just as hiking has become her therapy, it’s helped her grow confidence in herself.

She’s been able to escape the craziness of the pandemic and the election by social distancing on a trail, alone, at times. Conversely, she’s also met plenty of new friends, many of whom have joined her on the trail.

“I think I will remember how beautiful Wisconsin is,” Swanson said. “I have seen areas of the state I never knew existed. We are

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lucky to live in a state with so much natural beauty. I have learned a lot about nature in the past two years, but I’ve also learned a lot about myself. It really is possible to do whatever you put your mind to.

“Most importantly, I will remember the support I received. I have had 22 different people join me on the trail at one time or another. You can learn a lot about friendships when you make a goal known. I’m also appreciative to my employer and co-workers who have been supportive when I take an extra long weekend here and there just so I can reach my personal goal. I am surrounded by great people.”

The Ice Age Trail isn’t the end for Swanson.

Her planned trip to hike to the bottom of the Grand Canyon last June is still a dream.

“I still want to get to the bottom of the Grand Canyon,” Swanson said. “I also want to bring more awareness to the trail and do more volunteering with the Ice Age Trail Alliance. Now, more than ever, it’s important to get outside and enjoy nature. You won’t be disappointed.”

top: Using the Ice Age Trail ThousandMiler Map, Robyn Swanson, of Elkhorn, keeps track of the sections she’s completed over the last two years. at right: Robyn Swanson has documented her walk of the Ice Age Trail by taking photos along the way.

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