Thousand-Miler: Adventures Hiking the Ice Age Trail

by Melanie Radzicki McManus

Overview

In thirty-six thrilling days, Melanie Radzicki McManus hiked 1,100 miles around Wisconsin, landing her in the elite group of Ice Age Trail thru-hikers known as the Thousand-Milers. In prose that’s alternately harrowing and humorous, Thousand-Miler takes you with her through Wisconsin’s forests, prairies, wetlands, and farms, past the geologic wonders carved by long-ago glaciers, and into the neighborhood bars and gathering places of far-flung small towns. Follow along as she worries about wildlife encounters, wonders if her injured feet will ever recover, and searches for an elusive fellow hiker known as Papa Bear. Woven throughout her account are details of the history of the still-developing Ice Age Trail—one of just eleven National Scenic Trails—and helpful insight and strategies for undertaking a successful thru-hike.

In addition to chronicling McManus’s hike, Thousand-Miler also includes the little-told story of the Ice Age Trail’s first-ever thru-hiker Jim Staudacher, an account of the record-breaking thru-run of ultrarunner Jason Dorgan, the experiences of a young combat veteran who embarked on her thru-hike as a way to ease back into civilian life, and other fascinating tales from the trail. Their collective experiences shed light on the motivations of thru-hikers and the different ways hikers accomplish this impressive feat, providing an entertaining and informative read for outdoors enthusiasts of all levels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780870207907
Publisher:	Wisconsin Historical Society
Publication date:	04/21/2017
Edition description:	1
Pages:	240
Sales rank:	324,079
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Melanie Radzicki McManus has been a news reporter at a Green Bay radio station, a press secretary at the Wisconsin State Capitol, and editor of two local publications. Since 1994, McManus has worked as a freelance writer and editor, specializing in travel and fitness. She has won numerous awards for her writing, most notably the prestigious Lowell Thomas Gold and Grand Awards for travel journalism.

Melanie Radzicki McManus earned a B.A. in communications and political science, then an M.A. in religious studies.

Table of Contents

1 My Journey Begins 1

2 Birth of a Trail 12

3 Running Like a Girl 22

4 Fighting with the Trail 34

5 Into the Wild 45

6 Rooted to the Trail 53

7 Wolves and Coyotes and Bears, Oh My! 62

8 Jim Staudacher, Trailblazer 73

9 Rough Waters 87

10 A Bump in the Trail 95

11 Bob Fay, Archaeologist 101

12 Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing 113

13 Adam Hinz, Seeker 116

14 Now Entering Langlade County 128

15 Drew Hendel and Paul Kautz, Explorers 140

16 Conquering the North 165

17 Jason Dorgan, Speed Demon 185

18 Hitting Halfway Heaven 209

19 Home-Field Advantage 224

20 My Journey Ends 242

21 Jermi Heisz, Warrior 262

Epilogue 283

Acknowledgments 289

About the Author 293

Editorial Reviews

Melanie Radzicki McManus’s Thousand-Miler is an absorbing and enlightening first-person account of a thru-trekking adventure...a congenial, adventurous, and inspiring trek through America’s wilderness, with broad appeal.
(Foreword Reviews, Susan Waggoner, April 25, 2017)

 Recommended Summer Travel Titles, among "Four books [that] top my to-read pile"  — New York Times Book Review, Cheryl Strayed, author of "Wild," June 4, 2017

 
Thousand-Miler weaves together practical advice, hiker profiles and cultural tales the author collected while setting a record for completing the more than 1,000-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail across Wisconsin in 36 days. The most touching chapter features veterans and the emotional need to “walk off the war” before transitioning back to home life. (Minneapolis Star Tribune “Great Cabin Reads” June 9, 2017)
 

From the Publisher