Google Tag Manager icon Winter comes to the Ice Age Trail Skip to main content

Featured

The Cruise--Details

I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1)  I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2)  This trip didn't include much of the normal topics:  good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.   We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port.  My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music.   Rememberi...
3 comments
Read more
Labels

Winter comes to the Ice Age Trail


Due to my frugal/cheap nature, I was one of the last humans to give up my dumb phone from Tracfone in favor of a smart phone  I still cheaped out, buying the least expensive iPhone, an SE (small edition).  I justified my lesser spending on the basis that it fits better in my hand and pocket (which it does).  Even I have to admit, however, that I really like some of my apps that were not previously available to me with the old flip phone.

One of the features that I recently discovered was the default “health” app, which combines with the pedometer app to keep track of my steps/mileage.  I don’t believe the pedometer is completely accurate, but it’s close enough.  What I immediately determined was that there were quite a few days when I just wasn’t getting off my butt.  As a result, I set 10,000 steps per day as a goal. 

That works out to be about 4-5 miles, and I frequently exceed that by quite a bit.  The major benefit to me is that I no longer have very many days when I don’t get in the 10,000 steps.  If it’s 3 pm., and I’m still “in the red”, I make every effort to get enough steps in to get “into the green” and make the confetti rain in the app.  Kind of silly, I know, but the app keeps me from sedentary days, especially helpful when it’s wet or cold.

The main gun deer hunting season is over, so I am back at my regular hikes on the Ice Age Trail.  Today, I ambled from the the Lodi Cannery property off Hwy 113 to the bluff overlooking the Lodi Marsh.






I don’t generally hike with a hiking stick or poles, but I change that up during the winter when the trail is snowy or icy.  I use a pair of cross-country ski poles that I kept after giving up cross-country skiing.  The poles definitely give me more of an upper body workout on the uphills and provide balance for moving more rapidly on the downhills.

Frankly, I love this time of year for hiking. There are so many positives.  I rarely see anyone else hiking.  No bugs.  I don’t get too hot or cold.  I burn lots of calories.  Plus, cold air is so wonderful to breathe.  There is a freshness to the air that one doesn’t encounter in the summer.  The dry prairie winter colors are amazing to me.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts