The 400 State Trail opened in 1993. On Saturday the trail celebrates 30 years, with festivities happening from Reedsburg to Elroy.
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On Saturday, Wisconsin's 22-mile 400 State Trail will be celebrated with bicycling events from Reedsburg to Elroy.
On Saturday the Department of Natural Resources will celebrate the reopening of the Elroy-Sparta State Trail after completing some $2.3 million worth of repairs to a 20-mile stretch of the popular route, which runs through Monroe and Juneau counties.
PHOTOS: Emily Ford aims to become the first woman to thru-hike the Ice Age Trail in winter
Duluth resident Emily Ford and Diggins, the Alaskan husky, hike the Ice Age Trail through University Ridge Golf Course in Fitchburg on Friday, Jan. 22. Earlier that same day, Ford and Diggins crossed the 400 mile mark of their hike in Verona.
Emily Ford and Diggins hike through University Ridge Golf Course while thru-hiking the Ice Age Trail in Fitchburg on Friday, Jan. 22.
On their 25th day on the Ice Age Trail, Emily Ford and Diggins, the Alaskan husky, make their way through Dane County. If Ford completes the entire length of the Ice Age Trail, she will become the first woman and only the second person to complete a winter thru-hike of the trail.
Ford stops to set up camp for the night at University Ridge Golf Course in Fitchburg.
Emily Ford assembles her tent alongside the Ice Age Trail at University Ridge Golf Course in Fitchburg Friday afternoon.
Emily Ford sets up camp for the night and awaits the arrival of a friend who plans to meet her to swap boots. Due to the abundance of road hiking on the Ice Age Trail, Ford has worn down the soles of her first pair of boots.
Three-year-old Alaskan husky Diggins shakes off some snow as Emily Ford sets up their camp for the night. As soon as Ford sets out the sleeping bag inside of the tent, Diggins likes to jump in and lay down.
Emily Ford assembles a backpacking tent alongside the Ice Age Trail in Fitchburg. Ford remarked that it doesn’t get any easier to set up her tent even though it's the 25th night of their journey.
Emily Ford borrowed Diggins from her owner to act as a companion on the thru-hike. Being an Alaskan husky, Diggins is better suited for the winter journey than Ford's own dog.
Diggins eats dinner out of a travel dog bowl as Emily Ford sets up camp for the night. While hiking, Diggins carries her own backpack, which contains her food, blaze orange colors in case of hunters, a dog coat, her bowl, a bell and light so Ford can find her in the dark, and Musher's Secret to protect her paws.
Duluth resident Emily Ford unpacks warm overnight gear from her backpack to prepare for a night of frigid temperatures.
Duluth resident Emily Ford unpacks bedding to prepare for a cold night on the Ice Age Trail. Ford hopes to reach the Western Terminus of the Ice Age Trail, located in the scenic St. Croix Falls area, in March.
Diggins patiently waits for the shelter and warmth of the tent and bedding as Emily Ford sets up camp for the night. Ford applies a salve called Musher's Secret to Diggins's paws to protect them from the elements.
Emily Ford sets up a propane backpacking stove before cooking dinner alongside the Ice Age Trail in Fitchburg.
Emily Ford turns on the propane tank of her camp stove before making dinner. Ford carries dehydrated meals in her backpack and receives a resupply from friends who meet her at various points along the trail.
Ford is mostly consuming dehydrated meals, but she does occasionally get other food from “Trail Angels”, which is a term used for people who generously provide help to distance hikers.
Emily Ford uses a propane backpacking stove to cook a dehydrated meal of chicken Alfredo while thru-hiking the Ice Age Trail, at University Ridge Golf Course in Fitchburg on Friday. Ford told a cautionary tale, advising hikers to double check the seal on bags of food after she ended up with a pocket full of chili one evening.
With Diggins inside the tent and Ford dinner cooking on a camp stove, the pair has settled in for the night and will continue thru-hiking the Ice Age Trail at sunrise the following morning.
