Waushara County Ice Age Trail Alliance holds annual meeting

The Waushara County Chapter of the Ice Age Trail Alliance held its annual meeting with special guest Cameron Gillie. Cameron recently published a photojournalism book covering his recent backpacking hike of the WI Ice Age Trail. Approximately 70 people came to hear how Cameron took over 20,000 photographs and condensed them into his 350 snapshot adventure portfolio. Mr. Gillie graduated from the Colorado Institute of Art with a photography major. During his successful photography career, he endured what most of us would never wish for, quadruple bi-pass surgery. The arduous and exhausting recovery time gave Cameron time to think about life and create a new challenge to encourage his physical stamina while documenting his progress. What started as short recovery hikes to the end of his road turned into an average 10-mile hike, covering 1,200 miles in 4 segments needing 113 days of boots to trail walking in a little over two years from 2019-2021. Cameron said there wasn’t a bench he never passed up along the way, found a few hotels, and was witness to 3 full seasonal changes in beautiful Wisconsin. Along the trail, he was offered an inside view of a fishing boat off of Lake Michigan, a barbershop museum, a lighthouse, and as a guest overnight at an Eastern Orthodox Monastery. There was also a tour of the only privately owned for generations gas station with a home above it and a chance meeting with a New York Times best-selling book author. He also had a chance to meet a runner who finished the entire WI Ice Age Trail in 21 days, 13 hours, and 35 minutes. Mr. Gillie had extensive experience in tent camping having a stop at Raisin Cain in Hefferon (Almond) at the halfway point enjoying a cold beer while visiting with the owners that offer tent camping along the route on their property. Among the trails, Cameron met a massive snapping turtle, hoards of deer, and a black bear. He laughed and stated you have to like bugs, which were the most abundant wildlife along the trail! Cameron presented a picture of a sunrise-red rainbow arch which awed the audience. Mr. Gillie’s poignant advice was, “Remember, the Ice Age Trail Hike is about the journey not just the final destination.” Cameron’s book also has a segment covering the Ice Age Trail Alliance volunteers he met along the way. Without their 100s of volunteer hours, the trail would not be easy to navigate or have such great places for resting and camping. He likened the volunteers to having an extended family attitude where folks cross county lines with such a willingness to get work done, no matter the obstacles. He also mentioned that many hikers appreciated the Ice Age Trail Angels, a network of volunteer drivers available to help hikers in need. Mr. Gillie’s wife is now on her own Ice Age Trail hike adventure. Cameron’s photography book can be found on his Facebook page called Around WISCO. Following his presentation, the Waushara County Alliance finished up the afternoon with its annual meeting discussing plans for handling erosion from the uptick in foot track within the county, replacing the handrail at Bohn Lake, and seeking the replacement of a brush cutter and the addition of a power wagon for trail maintenance. Coming up for the club is the Blue Ribbon Kids Day partnering with the Wautoma grade school, Walk the Wash, Glow Hike, Sunrise Hike, and the June 1st National Trails Day Hike. The next monthly meeting will be held Tuesday, April 16th 6 PM at the Coloma Library. The group welcomes anyone interested in more information about the Ice Age Trail as a hiker, volunteer, or just curious to attend. More information can also be found at https://www.iceagetrail.org/getinvolved/volunteer/chapters/waushara-county-chapter/