A Postcard from the Moss: July 2025
Ice Override Preserve
I love sending postcards when I travel, so once a month I share photos with a postcard-length blurb about a place I’ve recently visited.
Last week, I returned to a mile-ish of trail that I helped build in 2023—the Ice Override segment of the Ice Age Trail—to take notes for the upcoming edition of the Ice Age Trail guidebook. This segment didn’t exist when the last edition went to print, which means a new entry needs to be written!
It was a warmer day than I expected, so the shady woods at either end of the segment—plus a small stand of hemlock and maple in the middle—were very welcome. The middle of the trail is exposed, as it winds through the densest thicket of raspberries that I’ve ever seen in my life.
It was fun to walk through with hiker eyes instead of trailbuilding eyes, looking for potential water sources and points of interest, rather than tread that needs de-berming. I sat on both of the benches I passed, I wrote a note in the trail log (found in a mailbox), and I used the Seek app to identify the trees and plants around me. At each turn in the trail, I paused and looked around to see what caught my eye.
All in all, I spent about two hours meandering through the short section and then back again to my starting point. Much of it was how I remembered it, but there was something special about walking it with a notebook in my hand, rather than a pick-mattock.
How to visit:
Ice Override Preserve is located in northeastern Wisconsin, about a five minute drive (or twenty minute bike ride) south of downtown Antigo. There aren’t great parking options near the trailhead and the preserve doesn’t offer potable water or bathrooms. However, there is a dispersed camping area (DCA) in the preserve for multi-day backpackers who need a legal spot to camp while hiking the Ice Age Trail.
Such great photos! That final mossy rock, your favorite, is exquisite.
Your pics look amazing 🤩