Tales of Unschooling Down the Ice Age Trail

It's October in Wisconsin again, and the weather has been lovely. Sunshine and little rain have made optimal weather for getting out and hiking for the Mammoth Hiking Challenge. The challenge is an annual fundraiser for the Ice Age Trail. This is our second year getting the family and a few friends to join us on several adventures down the 1200-mile trail that blazes through the Badger State.

While wandering down the Ice Age Trail last week, we discovered some adorable painted rocks. People placed them on the park benches so anyone who wanted a stone could take it. Of course, our boys were delighted to see each one and had to look at all of them.

I couldn't blame them because the rocks were spectacular. All the details and colors were carefully selected to create a charming masterpiece.

My mom, who was also on the hike, decided we should paint rocks with the boys and hide them along the trail, too. Our oldest especially loved the idea, and seeing that I already had all the supplies to do a painting project, we seamlessly weaved our rock art into the school week.

When exploring the trail, Watson remembered our visit to Sturgeon Bay in Door County, where we visited the eastern terminus of the Ice Age Trail. He asked if we could walk (a 4-hour drive from us) there today. He has no idea how long the trail is, but he said he wants to walk the whole path. I've often pondered the idea of completing the course myself, but honestly, the logistics would be a bit tricky with two little kids. It would be fantastic if God put a mutual dream in our hearts to do that someday!

I love how getting out and exploring can stir up so much inspiration. A few days later, we found ourselves back at the canal segment of the trail to place new rocks that we painted for others to collect. I wonder who will smile because we did.

#iceagetrail #explorewisconsin #mammothhikingchallenge #fallinwisconsin