It was a beautiful Monday evening for a tyke hike in one of Wisconsin's Ice Age Trail communities. Eight outdoor enthusiasts kicked off the 41st Tyke Hike with a tour of Hartland's Public Library and its newest addition: the Ice Age information center.
After comparing heights to ice age creatures, exploring various ice age resources, and enjoying some ice age action figures, we read Lisa Wheeler's awesome story Mammoths on the Move before moving on out to the trail.
With this being a stroller-friendly section of trail. Embry assumed her usual post as hike leader while Oakley enjoyed a ride with me and Kevin, a fellow volunteer, pushed our stroller of supplies.
We walked from the library towards a nearby park. Along the way, we found a few spots for some natural exploration. We also checked in on an area of the trail that had done some garlic mustard pulling earlier in the year. It was awesome to see how the work we had done earlier in the year provided dramatic improvements to the landscape. I envision a service-themed garlic mustard pull Tyke Hike next year.
Normally, we like to trek down a bit further on the trail where we can sit by and/or wade in the Bark River. However, with the large amount of rainfall this summer, the water was a bit too high for a dip. We managed to have some fun killing time at the park instead.
Throughout the hike, information was shared about many Ice Age Trail related topics, including Ice Age Trail Communities, the Blazin' Babes, the 1,000 Miler Club, and our chapter's Walk the Wauk hiking incentive program. We also discussed some quirky tidbits about the trail, including enjoying the scenic Ice Age Alley that cuts right through the heart of downtown Hartland.
Our hike wrapped up back at the library, where we viewed the outdoor Ice Age display, focusing in on glacial landforms that are scattered all throughout the Badger State, thanks to glaciation.
Even though the numbers were low, the enthusiasm and fun was high.
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