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  1. #1
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    Default My first multi day hike....where to start??

    My friend and I are newbies at this and we want know where is the best place to start. We live right in the Kettle Moraine Southern Unit so that has all been covered with day hikes and such. We want to start preparing for the AT hike in 2013. We figured we'd 'practice' with a few 3-4 day hikes, but have NO Idea where to start. I cannot seem to find any detailed maps of anything. We are interested in Nicolet area. Thoughts?? Ideas??? Thanks!!

  2. #2
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    I'm not sure what to tell you. When you say Nicolet, does that mean the Former
    Nicolet National Forest which is now part of the Chequamegon/Nicolet National
    forest.

    You could try doing the North Country Trail in Northern Wisconsin
    Check out www.northcountrytrail.org then check out the
    Wisconsin Chapters. There is an 120+ mile section of continuous
    NCT in Northern Wisconsin

    You could also try the Superior Hiking Trail north of Duluth. That
    might be the best training preparation for the AT because it has
    a lot of ups and downs. Check out their website at
    http://www.shta.org/

    You could also check out the Ice Age Trail in Northern Wisconsin.
    You might already have their atlas and trail guide. I think they
    have a 70 mile stretch of continuous trail in Northern Wisconsin.
    It's not as far north as the NCT.

    I have photos of the Northern Superior Hiking Trail
    on my website at
    http://sites.google.com/site/isawtman/

    Regards from me, Todd aka Tman

  3. #3
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    Good suggestions from Todd.

    Detailed maps of the Ice Age Trail are available at your local REI or even Barnes and Noble, or you can order them from www.iceagetrail.org. Backpacking opportunities in the Ice Age Trail are primarily confined to the two main units (South and North) of the Kettle Moraine SF and to areas of the trail in northern Wisconsin, primarily this would be Langlade, Lincoln, Taylor, and Chippewa Counties. For the North Country Trail in WI you can order maps from them and also see http://www.northcountrytrail.org/htg/guides.htm for some guides for the longer stretch which is mostly in Ashland and Bayfield Cos. though there are also shorter opportunities in Douglas Co.

    Nicolet area (which is northeastern Wisconsin in Vilas, Oneida, Forest, Florence, Langlade, and Oconto Counties) has some backpacking opportunities, but I'd recommend you call the USFS and ask for a trail guide which they would send you for free. However, they would not be that long distance unless you were to do some kind of off-trail route so that's probably not what you want.

    You can email me at [email protected] as I don't check this site all that often.

  4. #4
    Registered User turtle fast's Avatar
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    You have many choices, but your best bet and close too is to hike the Northern Kettle Moraine State Forest. It gets you used to your gear on a longer hike and is near to many towns and services if you needed something. You may also look to hike at Devils Lake, a circle around the lake and a journey to Parfeys glenn and back...then camp at one of the campgrounds. The camping is not really backwoods but the ups and downs of the terrain are a good training ground for the AT.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by naturegirl View Post
    My friend and I are newbies at this and we want know where is the best place to start. We live right in the Kettle Moraine Southern Unit so that has all been covered with day hikes and such. We want to start preparing for the AT hike in 2013. We figured we'd 'practice' with a few 3-4 day hikes, but have NO Idea where to start. I cannot seem to find any detailed maps of anything. We are interested in Nicolet area. Thoughts?? Ideas??? Thanks!!

    My favorite section is the one by Medford wi and Merrill you can do about 30 miles one way by medford so you could do an out and back of 60 miles. There is a loop you can do as well to add a bit more. If you need a map or anything let me know i can e-mail you one.

  6. #6
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    One word of warning, I've hiked the AT and IAT, and please don't go to the AT expecting the terrain to be much like the IAT. I completely agree that it's a super idea to do a gear shakedown, practice backpacking, see if you like it well enough to do six months of it, but just remember that the IAT will be considerably easier than the AT.

    Jane

  7. #7

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    Looks like I'm a few years late to the party, but I was pretty much doing the same kind of hikes you were considering to help "prepare" me for the AT. Do you have any suggestions or words of advice for a novice hiker?
    **Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.**

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