Today was a beautiful day to hike the Ice Age Trail! It started out crisp and cool but ended up delightfully warm and was sunny all morning and afternoon. I was a little concerned the warm temps would thaw out the frozen ground and turn the whole trail into a muddy bog, making today’s hike less than enjoyable. There was a little bit of mud here and there but for the most part the trail was dry and hard-packed and very easy to walk.

I drove about an hour to the southeast to pick up the Ice Age Trail near Palmyra to walk almost all of the Blue Spring Lake segment. I started at the parking lot on County Highway H and walked all the way to the campground for horse riders near Little Prairie Road. This was an out-and-back hike, so every mile I hiked out was a mile I had to hike back. By the time I got to the campground I was running out of gas, so I didn’t walk the last three miles of the segment. That’ll have to wait for another day. Still, I think 7.8 miles is a pretty good hike for an old guy like me who hasn’t been on the trail for a few months.

One of the attractions to be found along this trail is the Stone Elephant, a big rock which, I guess, is supposed to resemble an elephant. I squinted at it for a long time but I never could see an elephant. It sort of resembles the head of a whale, but only when I’m squinting at it. Whatever the case, I took my photo while standing alongside it because that seems to be the thing to do.