Ice Age Trail finisher battles temperatures and weather

Andrew Nowak took his last steps toward completing the Ice Age Trail Nov. 20, finishing the 1,200-mile trail at the St. Croix terminus. His family and friends were on hand to greet the hiker, with many of them acting as support along the way. Submitted Photo

By Ginna Young

As the Ice Age Trail gains more and more popularity, more and more people are jumping on board to complete the 1,200 miles throughout Wisconsin. Included in the record books, is Andrew Nowak, Thorp, who started his journey Aug. 10, and finished it Nov. 20, at the St. Croix County terminus.

Andrew did the first 75 percent in order, but as he got closer to home and Cornell, where his parents live and he had support, the segments were completed as he was able. For Andrew, support meant people available to help carry things or who can pick up/drop him off, so he didn’t need to haul as much along the trail.

Having that support made it that much easier for Andrew, so he didn’t have to drag along his overnight gear.

“I think I only stayed in a hotel four times,” said Andrew, adding that was just to be close to his support people. “I spent the vast majority of my days sleeping outdoors.”

Andrew, who has a degree in outdoor education, walked a minimum of three miles a day, with a pack on most times, to prepare for his Ice Age Trail trek. Because he already does a lot of outdoor activities, he didn’t need to buy a lot of extra gear.

“Then, I would just try to hike some similar terrain,” said Andrew.

Taking his food along, Andrew’s meals mostly consisted of high-protein items, such as bars, meals-in-a-bag, almond butter, peanut butter and trail mix. The weather was probably the biggest obstacle between Andrew and his goal of completing the trail.

“I had 72 degrees difference between my hottest day – which was 90 degrees – and my coldest night, which got down to 18,” he said. “If there was strong head wind, I would have a slow day. Snow doesn’t bother me, but there were a couple thunderstorms that hit me pretty hard.”

As the weather turned more fall-like, Andrew found he could cover more miles, but had less hours to walk in a day, as light faded.

“At the end, I had to do a couple night hikes, which I’m not fond of,” said Andrew.

Andrew wasn’t always on his own, as his dad, Jim Nowak, walked at least one quarter of the trail with his son, including a two-day trek, for 45 miles. Andrew says he was glad he had someone with him who could keep up and to talk to while they hiked.

“That’s more than most other 70-year-olds can handle,” he said of his dad.

Now that his goal of trekking the Ice Age Trail has been checked off, Andrew’s thoughts are turning his next adventure, which could be the Superior Hiking Trail, which stretches from Duluth to Canada. That trail is lesser known than the Ice Age Trail, but Andrew thinks he could complete it in 16 days.

“The Appalachian Trail is definitely on my list, but it’s definitely further down,” said Andrew.

For those who want to hike the Ice Age Trail, Andrew recommends online apps and buying a guide/map book.

“Once you have all of your gear, just do a quick overnight somewhere, whether it’s on the trail or in your back yard, just to make sure you know how your gear works and that you’re going to be safe if you’re doing an overnight,” he said. “It’s important to know that you can trust yourself and even more important to know you handle carrying it, and know how to use it.”

[caption id="attachment_263794" align="alignnone" width="223"] Jim Nowak, Cornell, got in on the action with his son’s goal to hike the Ice Age Trail and didn’t let the first snowfall of the season slow him down. Submitted Photo[/caption]   [caption id="attachment_263797" align="alignnone" width="300"] With 1,200 miles of Ice Age Trail to explore, many interesting things can be found, including an uprooted tree that Andrew Nowak stopped at to show how large the root system is. Submitted Photo[/caption]