1,000 milers pass through Cornell on Ice Age Trail

By Ginna Young Conditions may not be the best right now for hiking the 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail, but this summer, Laura Hinesh, DeForest, and Patty McCormick, De Pere, took advantage of good weather for their goal of traversing the entire trail. Hinesh, the “Energizer Bunny in Human Form,” became a 1,000 miler (hiker) in August, while McCormick, known as the “Bear Whisperer,” looks to finish her trail goals once the snow leaves next spring. The two became hiking partners, after Hinesh wanted to get out of the house to unwind and turned to social media to ask for help. Through the 1,000 Miler Wannabe, Ice Age Trail Alliance and Women Hiking Wisconsin Facebook pages, Hinesh asked if anyone wanted to hike with her through the northern sections of the trail, because the areas are so remote. “And I found a great response to that,” said Hinesh, adding that she has never really been a hiker. “I really like just getting out in nature. And we’re (she and McCormick) still friends today.” Hiking is nothing new to McCormick, as she grew up hiking in the woods with her dad and took her own kids when they were little. “Then, I just kind of stopped,” said McCormick. Since her kids were pretty well grown, McCormick says it was nice to have Hinesh hike with her, as McCormick’s husband doesn’t enjoy hiking and the year has been stressful. “It was good for me to get out of the house,” said McCormick. “It was a lot of work and a lot of planning, once I got up to the northwestern area of the trail,” said Hinesh. She says on the trail, some portions are almost impassable. However, that didn’t stop her and it took about nine months for her complete the course, once she set her mind to it. Since Hinesh had already been through Cornell, once by herself and once when she was reaching her goal of visiting all the state parks, it was fun to show McCormick around. The two stopped at the historic pulpwood stacker, the Cornell Visitors Center and for ice cream at a local shop. “It was really neat to be able to just do that and get through there,” said Hinesh. McCormick says she thought the Cornell section of the Ice Age Trail seems well groomed, which wasn’t the case in some areas of the trail. “Some of them…are horrible,” she said. “Definitely more remote than our trails down here, just getting to places, because the cities are farther apart. Cornell is really cool.” Cutline: Patty McCormick, De Pere (left) and Laura Hinesh, DeForest, stopped in Cornell, in late summer, as part of their goal to hike the Ice Age Trail. The two stopped not only at the city’s Visitors Center, but also at a local business for ice cream. [caption id="attachment_105589" align="alignnone" width="226"] Laura Hinesh (front) and Patty McCormick paused to snap a photo, showing them hiking the Ice Age Trail over the summer. Hinesh made her goal of completing the 1,200 miles of trail, while McCormick plans to finish the less than 200 miles she has to go, next year.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_105590" align="alignnone" width="227"] Laura Hinesh, DeForest, takes a moment to reflect on reaching 1,000 miles on the Ice Age Trail Aug. 11, at Eastern Potawatomi State Park in Door County.[/caption]