One memorable moment was a downhill stretch into a field edged with grasses, creating a "stunning effect, like a carpet being unrolled for royalty," she recalled. "Whether you're from Wisconsin or somewhere else, when you hike a trail like that, you get such a deep connection with the land and with the outdoors," McManus said in an interview. Her book, just out from the Wisconsin Society Historical Press, documents the challenges that she and others faced hiking the Ice Age Trail - from getting lost to blisters, injuries, ticks, bears and dogs - as well as the rewards. Melanie Radzicki McManus hopes to bring more attention to that route with a new book, "Thousand-Miler." McManus, 55, set women's records for fastest-known times on the Ice Age Trail, completing it in 36 days in 2013 and 34 days in 2015. You may also be familiar with the Pacific Crest Trail, a 2,650-mile (4,265-kilometer) route from California to Canada.īut unless you live in Wisconsin, you may not know about the 1,100-mile (1,770-kilometer) Ice Age Trail. You can hike a mile or 5 miles.Chances are you've heard of the Appalachian Trail, the hiking path that runs 2,179 miles (3,507 kilometers) from Georgia to Maine. "I would just hope people - whether it's the Ice Age Trail or a trail in their own backyard - just get out and explore," she said. McManus said that while the Appalachian and Pacific Crest trails are the best-known of America's long-distance trails, "don't overlook these smaller ones." She recommends the Point Beach, Chippewa Moraine and Kettle Moraine areas for beginning hikers to experience the Ice Age Trail. A study by the University of Wisconsin concluded that 1.25 million people used the Ice Age Trail in 2012. Of course, through-hikers on any trail represent a tiny fraction of those who use it. In contrast, the number of Ice Age Trail through-hikers to date is still under 150 and the trail's first known through-hike wasn't reported until 1979, the year before it was designated a National Scenic Trail. Some 17,500 hikers in all are believed to have completed the Appalachian Trail. There were just 10 through-hikers on the Appalachian Trail in 1970, but more than 1,000 completed the trail last year. Long-distance hiking has boomed in popularity since the 1970s.
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