Ballweg Road Ice Age Trail

    The second trip to Morton Forest Park hasn't happen yet but there are plans for this coming Tuesday. I thought I'd share this hike from a couple weeks ago.

   Not all these pictures were taken on the same hike but are from Ballweg Road..

    A few weeks ago I invited my hiking companion from Baxters Hollow to join me for another outing. Sure! was the quick answer. I reminded him that I tend to stop and look at all the small details, slowing down the hike; now when we do go I can point out all the gems (no problem). Ballweg Road, off Highway 12 at Springfield Hill, was our destination. I'm no stranger to Ballweg Road; I attended St. Norbert's Catholic grade school for all eight grades and the bus had traveled this road daily. Once you’re off Highway 12 on Ballweg road, the trail parking lot is easily seen on the right. We slipped on our blaze orange vests and started an amazing journey through time.

     I appreciated the fact that this 1.5 mile part of the Ice Age Trail had been planned with a loop back to the parking lot. I would recommend taking the path to the left when facing into the valley. This soon will bring together a history of long ago, mingled with the not so long ago. It would seem this valley (Roxbury) played an important role in the early days of Wisconsin as a gateway to the Wisconsin River valley. The first thing we stopped to explore was the trickle of a spring-fed creek, perhaps it finds its way to the fresh-water pond that borders an old family homestead. I was pleased to find the path taking a less challenging route midway up the side of the hills. The logs and rocks that had been moved were incorporated naturally to stabilize the trail from washouts.

  There were a few prairie plants in an area that most likely was once a goat prairie. Also in this area the tree line opened enough to give a good view of the wetlands and farm fields that dotted the landscape. A great place to come to during spring and fall bird migration. Here and there hikers had paused to stack and balance some small rocks to create totems. There also were the remains of some woodland plants that I didn't recognize so there will be trips back to satisfy my curiosity.

 

A couple other things we found fascinating: there was a rotting birch tree that had gray turkey-tail type bracket fungi growing on it. Just below a couple of them a woodland creature had drilled a hole creating an overhang above the entrance. Then there was the bittersweet vine that stood a good eight feet from the tree trunk that now supported its journey skyward. My thought on this was they must have grown up together; years ago the vine grabbed the very young tree's top and has been taken along for a free ride ever since.

 

Nearing what would be the highest part of the trail, several aspen trees had been girdled; this seemed odd to us but our attention was soon drawn to an awesome white oak grove. It was clear that these majestic sentinels have spent well over a hundred years bearing witness to the changing seasons. The underbrush had been cleared below the massive crowns. How miniscule our time is in nature’s plan compared to theirs. From here we was drawn down toward a bog-like opening. A few steps later a sign cleared up the question about the girdled aspens.

 When the oak grove was cleared it was feared that the aggressive new growth of the aspens would move in that direction. When we reached the opening to the bog area we were stunned by the number of apple trees that had long ago reached their best years. This part of the path was a bit damp but presented no problem. This must be a lush garden of “Eden” in spring. Far too many apple trees to count. 

The high-bush cranberries were laden with more bright red fruit than I've ever seen on one plant. I have high-bush cranberry in my yard but this is the first one I've seen in the wild. 

  Beyond this was a hedge of shrub roses bejeweled with red rubies. This all seemed too planned to have been done solely by nature. Soon a footbridge appeared; it crossed the flow of water that was leaving that golden nugget that once delighted early settlers. Once on the footbridge the small log structure that had caught our eyes many years ago from the old Highway 12 came into view. Out of respect for the last of its kind in this landscape we didn't venture near.

     No longer needed but it played a large role in the history of this valley. There, fully intact, was the cattle tunnel that ran under old Highway 12. My young companion would have ventured into it, it was open on both ends. I didn't have the nerve to enter it who knows what might hangout in there, so we moved on.

 

    The parking lot was a short distance from here. That was one of the best nature hike I've been on, was his response. I need to get him out more.

 

   I hope you’ve caught the history line I’ve tried to convey in this column. I’ve intentionally left out a point of interest to finish out this theme. Where the stone totems had been built someone had laid out a cross in a circle symbol. This was a common form derived from the ancient Mississippi culture of Mound Builders. Sometimes known a Solar Cross the circle represents the sun, and the cross the four points (north, east, south and west). As with all of these symbols there are many other ideas about its meaning and use. Some modern adventurer had taken time to acknowledge those who had long ago traveled a similar path of exploration. It's not a good idea to get too creative, but this small feature will probably go unnoticed by most people just out for a hike. But it caught our eye before it disappeared into the fallen leaves.