Lapham Peak Segment (Part 1)

So...I guess it's been a while since we did any hiking on the Ice Age Trail.  This little endeavor sort of fell by the wayside as these sorts of endeavors often do.  It took a random hike one Sunday afternoon on the Moraine Ridge Trail at the Lapham Peak Unit of the Kettle Moraine Forest, where the yellow-blazed trail of the Ice Age makes several crossings, to remind us of our desire to section hike the entire Ice Age Trail. 

The Lapham Peak Segment is a 7.8 mile long, hilly section of the The Trail that winds through woods, prairies, and meadows that were once part of a glacial spillway (river).  In an effort not to have to take two vehicles in order to park at one end of the segment and drive to the other end, we've decided to split the Lapham Peak Segment into two hikes. The first of these hikes occurred last Sunday.

We started from the Evergreen Grove parking area at Lapham Peak and followed the blue blazed connector trail until it met up with the yellow blazes and we were off for a quad-burning first mile almost straight uphill!

 The burning was worth it when we spotted a hawk coming in for a landing in a nearby tree.

We passed by the highest point in Waukesha County (1,223 ft above sea level) which is crowned with a 45 foot observation tower that provides 360 degree views of the surrounding area on clear days.

We proceeded down the dozens of shallow stairs and continued along the rocky, narrow path to where it intersected the Moraine Ridge and Kettle View trails and continued South. The terrain was mostly rolling hills, punctuated by the usual rocks and roots - and we encountered only a handful of other hikers; especially after we walked beyond the Lapham Peak Unit boundaries.

 Eventually, after one busy road-crossing, we popped out at (what we thought was) the Southern terminus of the Lapham Peak Segment.  It turns out we need to go back and walk a little section that coincides with the Glacial Drumlin trail to truly hit the end - although to be fair, you'd think it was done when we saw the sign on the other end!

After a brief stop by a creek for a snack, we turned around and headed back the way we came.  The way back was equally pleasant, with the exception of having to climb up all those stairs to the tower!

 

Miles Hiked : 3.50
Total Miles Completed: 6.60