I lean down and tighten my shoe laces, double knotting them to ensure they won’t come undone. The wet leaves stick to my knee like bandages as I stand up and stretch my legs. I look around, taking in the woods around me. The tall oaks give shelter to birds, squirrels, and other wildlife. I take a deep breath. And I start running.
It’s spring - finally time to start running after the hibernation of winter months. I’m on the Ice Age trail in Waukesha County, and there’s no other place I’d rather run. Stretching 1,200 miles total with over 25 just in Waukesha County, I never have to worry about running out of room. My only worry is knowing when to turn around.

The Ice Age trail, although not unique to just Waukesha County, is truly a treasure. It is a place that you can go and escape into nature, a trail that you will never see the end of. Amidst my daily routine of school and work, the Ice Age trail is somewhere I can escape all the stresses and just run, freeing my mind of anything but my pounding feet and straining lungs.

Ahead of me, the path takes a sharp bend left. I reach it and stop, panting as my heart beats like a drum in my chest. The sun is barely filtering through the tall oaks; the tall oaks that seem to stretch for miles in every direction. I turn around, looking along the bumpy path to from where I came. And I start running.