The Kindness of Strangers

Aug. 26
Mary Jane Thalacker carries the moniker of "Strawberry Lady" among hikers and she lived up to her name with a bowl of berries sprinkled with a little sugar for breakfast. I sure do like strawberries. Gary gave me the honor of signing his kitchen RV so my name will live on as he travels around to fairs and other events peddling his BBQ. I'll miss those guys, they were great!

I made it to Westfield and loaded up on groceries as I was not sure the next time I'd be able to restock would be. I tend to putz around quite a bit so between the grocery store and library, I spent over 3 hours in town somehow. Realizing, I needed to move on, I saddled up and headed out of town only to come across a bar called the Thirsty Beaver. With a name like that, I had to stop in for a drink...or two. An hour later I hit the road with many miles between Johann's and myself. I arrived at the I-39 wayside and the start of actual trail again. The 25 mile roadwalk between sections was getting a little old. Walking in Waushara County, I started to enjoy the scenery more than in the past. When I first came to the county a few years back, I didn't care much for the sandy soil, scrubby oaks and pine plantations, but actually getting out and being able to enjoy the land made me start to appreciate it more and realize that it is quite beautiful.

I got to Johann's in Richford in time for the start of the Packer game against the Colts, lucky "planning" on my part. People had been talking up this bar so I hade some high expectations and it lived up to them. A lot of the good conversation and jokes I heard aren't appropriate for this blog, but don't worry, I still wrote them down in my journal! Not everything was inappropriate though. I had a great "all you care to eat" chicken meal for $6. I wasn't very hungry but was still able to polish off 6 pieces of chicken and 2 helpings of the mashed potatoes. Not my best effort, but I feel I still got my money's worth. Johann came in and we talked for awhile about this and that and he let me pitch my tent behind his hotel across the street. Perfect! With my tent set up, I headed back to the bar and found one of the ladies walking around in a dress. Turns out no one believed that Miss Cindy had a dress so she had to prove them wrong. Later on, she felt bad for me sitting by myself at the end of the bar so she invited me over for some conversation. Her birthday was a few days earlier and I don't think she has stopped drinking since. Miss Cindy's (there are two Cindy's at Johann's so one was Cindy and the other was Miss Cindy) shot of choice was three quarters Jack Daniels and a quarter of apple pie which she sipped on the whole night. She also claimed I was the smartest person to ever thru-hike the trail. She knows those things I guess. Being a modest gentleman, I accepted her claim. Things started getting a little weird with language not fit for the blog. I think the only sane/regular person there was the bartender with tattoo covered arms. She was very pleasant and easy to talk to, plus she had a PBR tat on her arm. Can't go wrong with that! A couple shots and a few beers later, it was time for bed.

Aug. 27
The bar opened early for breakfast so I ambled over and had a little grub. Miss Cindy was back drinking already so I figured a bloody was in store for me. Regular Cindy was working the bar/kitchen and was pretty interested in the IAT and gave me a Johann's bandana to remember them by. Very nice of them! Miss Cindy, not wanting to be left out and always the thinker, had me autograph a piece of paper so if I ever get famous, she'll have proof that we met. I think she's on to something!

The cool temps of the past few days were slowly leaving as higher temps moved in. Waushara County has a great stretch of off-road trails just past Johann's. The Mecan River segment was a very enjoyable stretch. I'd like to come back in the fall and see what she has to offer as the leaves fall onto the river a hundred feet below and are carried away until a branch or log stops their downstream slide. I hiked the short distance on a spur trail to an overlook of the river. I sat in silence wit the only sound being the breeze ruffling the still green leaves. That is until a couple deer walked into the river and frolicked around, acting like kids trying to cool off in a stream on a steamy day. The deer eventually moved on and so did I. There is a kiosk at the end of the segment with a hiker log book. I apparently missed a log book earlier in my journey, but not this one. I opened it up and saw that Matt and Cici had written in it two weeks prior when the MSC project just North of there was going on. Pretty neat!

The real treat of the day came when I crossed the road and started the Greenwood section. On the post was a brightly shining MSC Project 2010 placard. I'm not sure if the glue holding it on was even dry yet! I loved the views from the prairie with the rolling hills and short grasses, reminding me of an alpine meadow (I'm sure most of the plants I enjoyed were weeds or invasives, but I still liked it!). The new posts and blazes looked resplendent in the afternoon sun, especially because the birds had christened each post with a lovely coating of white. The trail entered the woods and I was greeted with newly minted tread that wasn't "close enough," but perfect. I notice that the quality of tread goes up at projects that I'm not a part of. My "close enough" philosophy and copious amounts of distracting the volunteers really decreases the quality of the product. I had been told of a huge bench and ottoman awaiting me in the pines and sure enough, they were there and I thought it would be a great spot to take a nap. So I did. My only disappointment came when I found out the ottoman was a footstool, not a remnant of the Ottoman Empire quietly residing in the woods of Wisconsin, waiting for the empire to rise once again. Later in the segment, I ran into Randy, the local chapter coordinator and builder of the bench and ottoman, Pam from NPS and a DNR real estate guy. It was nice to see someone I knew! Bohn Lake was up next and with it came the memory of throwing Gary's meticulously carved pumpkin into the fire, which made for great pictures. Thanks Gary!

Aug. 28
Today I was going to make a dash for Hartman Creek State Park and my first shower in a week! About halfway through my hike there was a bar in the town of Heffron (you can get the bar and church in the same picture!) that I was really looking forward too. The Companion Guide just said "Heffron, meals" which translates to "Heffron, bar." Signs kept pointing me towards the bar, actually Heffron Tavern, building my anticipation. I arrived at 11:15 to find the place closed. What a downer. I sat on the stoop and made my own lunch, complaining to myself about how a bar could not be open at 11 on the weekends. I loaded up and was about to leave when the door opened and a guy popped his head out and said the bar opened at noon. I was saved! Cold PBR buoyed my spirits. Mark, the owner, was pretty groggy at first but after half an hour, he woke up and became more friendly. I had a great time talking with Mark. He figured that I knew about Northern Wisconsin and the North shore of Lake Superior, and he was correct. He was thinking about taking a trip up there for the fall colors and wondered if it was worth it. Oh yeah, I said, it would definitely be worth it. I went to the boundary waters in late September and the colors inland were terrific. Our conversation moved from road trips, to our disdain for late March and April, to the advances of the pickle industry in the last 50 years. As we sat in the bar, the farmers across the street were harvesting cucumbers for pickles. They had quite the operation going and it was neat to see how fast they harvested the pickles and filled up the semis.

I said goodbye to Mark and headed North towards Hartman Creek. I got there and started talking to the girl at the office. Turns out she graduated from my high school two years after me and used to hang out with some of my friends. Nice! I was about to leave and set up camp when this lady started talking to me. One thing led to another and next thing I knew she invited me over for pizza! I pitched my tent and showered (that felt so good after a week without one) and headed to their campsite. Char and her husband Chris from the Dells were camping with Lon and Pat from Kewaunee and they welcomed me in. Lon used to be a scoutmaster so he knows a thing or two about cooking with a dutch oven. Those pizzas were amazing! They come camping that weekend every year so the ladies can go to a nearby Amish auction so for dessert we had a cornucopia of excellent baked goods with ice cream to go with them. Lon asked if I wanted maple syrup for the ice cream. Being new to the maple syrup on ice cream game, I was caught off guard and I think seemed a little too eager for another chance to taste the deliciousness of the perfect match. Lon makes his own maple syrup so that was an added bonus! I ate well that night! The night descended on us as our conversation kept rolling. A campfire was lit and awhile later, we all turned in. Nights like this is what makes my trip so enjoyable. The kindness of Char, Chris, Lon and Pat to allow a dishevelled drifter into their camp and dinner table is almost overwhelming. My night at Hartman Creek was a truly great experience.

Aug 29.
I peacefully slid awake as I hear a chipmunk trying to scratch its way into my tent, I shooed it away. It had been a beautiful night to camp. The humidity of the day dropped and so did the temperatures increasing the allure of a well-built campfire. As I walked around the campground, with most folks still sleeping, the birds and squirrels scurried about. The smell of the first tendrils of smoke wafted through the trees as the few people up got their fires relit without the use of a match. The sunlight was creeping down the trees and with the filtering effect of the campfire smoke, created a gorgeous panorama. Ah, the scenic beauty of early morning! The only human-made noise was the low drone of air conditioners running in campers. Ugh.

Went over to Lon and Pat's site for breakfast. We had more Amish goodies and toasteted cinnamon raisin bread slathered with Lon's homemade maple butter. Mmm! That was delicious! Char's brother Jim stopped by and instantly started chatting away. He was well versed in the IAT and was good friends with Jim Powers whom I had stayed with weeks earlier. What a small world! We rehashed a good part of our conversation from last night because Jim was intrested in my trip. That was a great way to pass the morning. I'm glad I ran into Char at the office and she invited me over for dinner because they made my stay at Hartman Creek a great one. I gave them a few pointers about their upcoming camping trip to Wyalusing. I told them what trails to check out and ones to avoid and even neat things off trail to see. Having worked there the past few years, I told them to drop my name to someone at Wyalusing, but on second thought, I'm not sure that's a good idea! They left me with a fudgecicle and I went on my way.

Boy, it was a hot one! The Waupaca River looked like a nice river to canoe down until I saw all the trees down across it. Too bad! My friend Tony, who worked with me on the trail crew last year, picked me up at the end of the day and brought me back to Stevens Point. We went swimming right away and did that ever feel good! There was a cookout at his house that night but I had to leave early and do my fantasy draft. They didn't have internet at their house yet so we went to campus to find a computer which turned out to be a lot harder than expected. A computer was finally found at a kiosk in their athelitc facility so I had to stand there for the next 3 and a half hours while freshman milled around getting a feel for the place and Tony and his friends were eating great food and drinking. Not a pleasant experience. I got back to his house and was so hungry I resorted to eating two brat buns with sauerkraut and ketchup (not too bad actually!). In the next hour I slammed six PBR's, I think that may have done the trick. We ended up at a random house party, a bar and then an after bar where Tony passed out while playing quitar and I found a couch and tried sleeping. I didn't feel like walking in the morning once I stepped out in the heat so I decided to take a day off. I think I deserve one of those every now and then! My time on the trail the last week was really fun. I met a lot of great people and saw a lot of neat things. This trip reaffirms my belief that people are generally good people who want to help. Some folks think everyone is a threat and are always on guard, but they miss out on some wonderful chance encounters and meeting new friends. With one month down, I have another to go and I hope it is as great as the first one!

Inspiration, move me brightly

I'm skipping ahead a few days to get caught up as yesterday was a doozy.

Aug. 25
Got going at 7:30 and the first thing I see is an old guy walking the biggest dog I've ever seen in my life. I got closer and realized it was not a huge dog, but a little horse. The guy was walking a pony. We talked for a bit and I learned he had been retired for 27 years after working 30 years at the GM plant in Janesville, but he doesn't expect to hit the 30 year retirement mark. Being an expert in breaking horses, I delved into that topic and then onto fishing and finally the Amish.

I made it to John Muir Memorial Park and came across a ball field, because if John Muir was anything, he was a fervent baseball fan (I don't think baseball had even been invented yet..). Quiet Jim from MSC just finished his section hiking of the IAT and ended with the John Muir segment. I really like Jim ending there. Without John Muir, we may not have had the IAT because Muir was the father of the National Parks. Congrats Jim and great choice on the last section! It was pretty awe-inspiring to stand and walk through the same land a giant of American conservation had spent his teenage years. A day or two earlier, I had walked past Aldo Leopold's shack. Waukesha County has the Conservation Hall of Fame along the trail, but the last few days I've been seeing where some of those folks came from. What made Wisconsin such an epicenter for conservation and ecology? Was it just happenstance that Muir and Leopold lived in the sand counties or is there some underlying factor that makes Wisconsin so special? Both guys traveled near and far but Muir kept his family farm on Fountain Lake near to his heart and Leopold kept returning to his shack on the Wisconsin River. We may not be surrounded by snow-capped mountains, deep and wide canyons or the shimmer of the ocean, but we do have lakes and rivers that support a vast array of flora and fauna. We are blessed with such a beautiful state but most people don't realize it or really care about it. That disconnect from nature is a huge problem with the world today. We treat the outdoors as our toilet (which I have been doing lately) and ignoring the delicate nature of it. This starts with kids who never get out and appreciated what real nature is. That's why the Summer Saunters program Luke and Chris started in Lodi is a great idea. They take youngsters out to various sections on the IAT and have them hike and write about their experience. It may not seem like much, but it's planting a seed in their mind that hopefully, with enough nurturing, will grow into a love or at least appreciation for Nature. It's one thing to learn about this stuff in school, but its another thing to go out and actually see, feel and smell the land.

Luke and Chris work with kids from a small town who probably are already somewhat well versed in the woods and prairies, but Leah followed the blueprint and started a Saunters program in Milwaukee. She said some of those kids had never left the city, much less viewed a forest, meadow or peaceful stream. To get them out of the city and into a more wilderness setting would have to be an eye-opening experience for them, laying the groundwork for more thought, appreciation and curiosity about our world. The Milwaukee Saunters program can be nothing but good. You don't have to thru-hike or disappear into the wild to gain a better understanding of the world of wilderness. Take a canoe trip down a quiet river, go to a park and hike the trails, walk through a prairie with a wildflower book and try to identify a few flowers or maybe go camping somewhere a little more rustic that doesn't have all the amenities you have at home. Going a day without a shower won't kill you! Get out of your comfort zone!

The same problem applies to food today. We don't know where it comes from, only caring about the cost. That's why I liked when Hotz and I went to Brennan's to get food for dinner and Luke and Letha having great local and fresh food and Jennifer having a beautiful garden. It frustrates me when I have friends who have the means to eat better (local and fresh) but choose Walmart because its cheaper. The local stuff is healthier too! Ok, enough with the unoriginal preaching!

I walked across Buffalo Lake into Packwaukee for lunch. They take pride in the Indian name of the town, but why not just name the lake Tatanka Lake too? That would be a lot more interesting! I had lunch at T's Causeway and these two younger fellows walked in. One talked about "two story beer bongs right out of the dorms in Madison." Oh, this might get interesting. They started talking pretty big about how much beer they could chug when the bartender, who was a pretty good looking lady, said she had something of a beer bong. She pulled out a horn, not quite a beer bong, but something awesome to chug out of! The bartender filled the horn with their beer of choice, Busch Light of course and the first guy started to chug. He stopped halfway through complaining that it was too cold. He eventually finished it and his friend tried and did the same thing. So much for being badass drinkers. I'm at the end of the bar by myself, watching all this go down. Now is my time to make a move. "Fill it up again" I say. "I'd like a shot at that." I chugged it without stopping putting the youngsters to shame. I mean its only a single beer, anyone can do that. Yeah, its cold, but you just man up and do the job. Pussy's.

A short time later another guy walked in and tossed a box on the bar. He told the bartender to cook them all. Turns out he worked for a food distributor and had some food the needed to be eaten up so he brought the fish down to the bar to cook in the deep fryer. Nice! I had four pieces and figured it was time to move on. On the way out of town, the sheriff stopped me and warned me about the rabid raccoon ahead... interesting.

I walked to Gary and Mary Jane Thalacker's house who have hosted hikers in the past. They were so nice! Gary brought me out a huge plate of BBQ pork over spaghetti and a side salad. Oh man! I mowed through that without any trouble even after all the food I ate earlier in the day. Gary retrofitted an old RV into a mobile kitchen. It may be one of the coolest things I've seen. He travels around and is a BBQ vendor at various events. We should hook up with him for an MSC event. Then he showed me the smoker where he cooks his meat. "Just open the lid and smell" he tells me. I opened it and was whisked away to a land of BBQ and smoked meaty goodness. I had to do everything to stop drooling. I found out Mary Jane was a big Civil War buff. What more could I ask for? I had a place to pitch my tent, surrounded by the tools of BBQ pitmaster and got to talk Civil War for a bit. Doesn't get much better than that! I'll have to stop back there after I'm done with my hike, they were awesome. Gary also showed me the Ox Cart Trail which is an old trail that they used back in the 1800's before we had real roads. It was the main highway in the area and would be a great place for the IAT to cross. Fascinating stuff. In the morning Mary Jane brought me a thing of strawberries to keep her title of "strawberry lady" current. That was a good night and morning!

Time to get a move on. I'm thinking about making a push to Waushara County and Johann's!

Devli's Lake Pictures

My co-worker came out and hiked Devil's Lake with me. And this is all I have to show for it.

You, Me and the Devil Makes 3

Aug. 22
Woke up to Luke yelling at me for not finishing my beer the night before. I don't know how it happened, but that was a travesty. The last few sips of the warm Lake Louie was great. Luke and Letha got me going just in time to catch the ferry. I enjoyed staying with them. Being a teacher, Luke is of course loaded. When he picked me up for lunch the day before, he had $100's falling out of his pocket. He didn't know what to do with them all. His friend Chris, on the other hand, is also a teacher but doesn't flaunt around his affluence. Luke may be an asshole, but he's from Iowa so you can't hold it against him too much, plus he is a helluva griller. He is also sort of my trail mentor as I knew nothing about hiking before talking to him, again, amazing for an Iowan. Letha is so pleasant and nice and is great at feigning interest in what I had to say. There are "gems" along the IAT like Gibraltar Rock, but I think we should have a list of unofficial gems like the Washington House in Two Rivers, Luke's grilling and maybe this Johann's I keep hearing about in Waushara county. I'm sure there are plenty more out there.

I took a pleasant trip across the ferry and immediately stopped for ice cream. It may have been 10:30 in the morning, but it tasted sooo good. My bureau coworker Joe called and said he would hike through Devil's Lake with me. Hell yeah! We met up, had a PBR, and I ate the lunch that Luke packed - all the leftovers from the previous night. Now, thats trail food! It was nice walking with Joe beause he knows the park so well and filled me in on everything I was seeing. I had never explored Devil's Lake before so hiking through it was a real treat! The views from the bluffs were amazing and the rock work to build the steps was mindblowing. My knee was hurting pretty good going up, but going down the pain went away. The pain is coming from under the knee cap so it can't be too serious!

We got to the park office and Katie came to pick us up. We went to my campsite, had some beers and dominated the taco's Katie had brought. She planted taco's in my head Thursday and I was finally able to scratch that itch Sunday night. They were great! Giese stopped by and had a beer or two with us. It was a lot of fun to have 3 friends hanging out with me at the end of the day. I have some pretty special friends! Giese left and we dropped Joe off at his car so Katie and I went swimming as night was settling in over Devil's Lake. The air was a bit chilly and so was the water, but a Baywatch entrance helped warm me up. What a refreshing way to end the day! It was a lot of hard walking through Devil's Lake and I know more awaits me as I continue my journey.

The Master Griller

Aug. 21

Brad was determined to get me on the road at a decent time and failed. I decided I was going to slack pack by dropping my pack off at Luke's house in Lodi. Slack packing is a great thing. Brad dropped me off by Hwy 12 and I got going at 9:30. I made pretty decent time getting to the Lodi Marsh. Right before I turned onto Lodi - Springfield road, I came across a pumpkin patch with some monster pumpkins. There were a few that I would have trouble rolling over. I entered the Lodi Marsh segment with high expectations knowing who takes care of it, but the first tree down across the trail squashed that ideal. The segment is quite beautiful with glimpses of what's to come through Columbia County, big valleys and hills. I waltzed into Lodi in search of a beer so I called Luke to see if he wanted to have a drink or two. He picked me up and we headed to a bar on the outskirts of town where we met his friend Chris. A bloody, snit, beer, order of cheese curds and a philly cheese steak later, I was ready to hit the road again. It took awhile to get my stomach in order after that impromptu meal. At the Lodi High School, they built a sweet bridge that is the largest structure built on the trail. It's pretty impressive. By the end of the day, I made it to the Merrimac Ferry after passing through the Murphy property which is where the October MSC project is. I've been helping with trail layout there so it was nice to see what Tim and Luke had been up to while I've been hiking. They didn't mess anything up too bad. There are some amazing views from the property looking across Lake Wisconsin towards Devil's Lake. That project is going to be awesome!

Luke picked me up and we headed back to his place for dinner. Luke and his wife Letha pulled out all the stops for dinner. Before we had the big meal, they laid out a great spread of fruit, bread, cheese and chips and salsa. I would have been content with that but more food was to come. We had beer can chicken, tenderloin, corn on the cob, grilled tomatoes and grilled eggplant. That was one of the best meals I've had in a long, long time and the best one I've had on my hike. I have had some great meals so far, but they all bow down to Luke and Letha's. I like to grill and think of myself as a decent griller, but Luke put me to shame with his bounty of perfectly cooked meats and veggies. I can only dream of attaining his skill of taming the flame.

I've had it pretty easy so far as I've only camped 7 times since the start of my journey, but that is about to change. My long run of friends along the trail has come to an end, leaving me to my own devices. My meals wont be as good and sleeping accommodations will not be as posh, but my hike will go on. I have a nice run the next week and a half before it gets real up in Langlade and Lincoln Counties. The untamed trail of the Northwoods awaits!

Trucking Along

Let's do some catching up....

Aug. 16

Randy made breakfast and I put some of Jim Powers homemade maple syrup on the pancakes. Great way to start my day! I got going at Devil's Staircase after Randy packed me a lunch consisting of leftover chicken legs and bacon. Now that's some trail food! Devil's Staircase is a pretty neat section as it squeezes between cliffs and the rock river. There is some amazing rock work towards the end of the section that if you get a chance, you should go check out. Taking a shortcut through a new residential development, my cavalier attitude blocked me from looking at the directions so I took a wrong turn and ended up in a bean field...whoops. I figured it out and continued the road walking. I ended the mostly uneventful day at the Albany trailhead for the Sugar River Trail, where Jennifer was kind enough to pick me up. We headed back to her place after deciding that a big salad would hit the spot. Jennifer has a nice garden that supplied most of the ingredients in the salad which was quite delicious. After the salad was when the magic started. She introduced me to ice cream with Honey Bunches of Oats, topped with Cowboy Dave's maple syrup. Oh man! That may be my new favorite food. Cowboy's maple syrup has a great smokey flavor that goes amazingly well with the cereal and ice cream. I started the day with maple syrup from one MSCer and ended the day with syrup from another! I then found out that Jennifer is a direct descendant of Roald Amundsen who is the first person to reach the South Pole. I'm a huge fan of polar exploration and have read quite a bit of literature on the topic, so being this close someone as awesome as Amundsen is a big thrill. We spent the next half hour discussing polar expeditions. That may not be everyone's cup of tea, but that was right in my wheelhouse!

Aug 17.

We reprised the cereal with maple syrup combo for breakfast, but switched the ice cream for yogurt. It wasn't quite as good, but I'm not complaining. Jennifer dropped me off right as we were getting into a great conversation on the classic movies Jurassic Park, Congo, and Independence Day. The mid-90's were a bastion for awesome movies with even better quotes. Jennifer was going to pick me up at the end of the day so I was able to slack pack. After walking for awhile I decided it was time for a break so I was about to cross a street and sit down when a bus pulls up full of kids. I half expected Luke to jump off with his Summer Saunters kids and start walking, but a lady hopped out and told some kids to start walking. The bus rolled away as I sat down. A bit later, I rose and continued my hike. I had gone a mile or so when I started getting passed by kids running. I realized that the bus probably had the long distance team from Monticello on it. The first kids who ran by were quiet with good form, but the last ones to pass were breathing hard like Gimli walking through Lothlorien and had horrible form.

Onward I traveled, making good time. Sometime in the morning I realized I had a tunnel to go through and I didn't have my headlamp with me. Hmmm. I thought I'd be a man and descend into the darkness without the aid of a light. That changed pretty quick after entering the tunnel and was wishing I had the light of Galadriel in my pack. I opened up my cell phone to guide the way, but the feeble light it gave off was swallowed up by the hungry darkness. I noticed a light shimmering on the wall ahead of me so I thought someone was coming the other way, but then the light went off. My mind flashed through movies like My Bloody Valentine where the killer used a pick to bash the heads of the victims. I had no idea what was ahead of me when the light reappeared and I figured it was someone coming from the other end. Lucky enough it was just a guy walking his bike through. No pick wielding murderer or balrog. By this time I could see the light at the other end and continued on my way. I was almost out when an owl hooted and I nearly crapped my pants. My underwear was saved that disgrace. My feet kept me moving all the way through the Brooklyn Wildlife Area. I made 24.5 miles, my best day yet! Jennifer picked me and brought me to Theresa's place in Belleville. We ordered pizza, talked trail, and played some cribbage (I won 2 of 3 of course). I like seeing all my trail friends off the trail and in their own environment so I get to see who they really are. I know that Jim really loves his dog, Jennifer has a sweet taste in books and Randy is still Randy. Not a bad day!

Aug. 18

Theresa got me going early because she had to get to work (what is this work thing I keep hearing about?). I got going at 6:45, my earliest start yet. I had a little extra hitch in my step today because I was going to end up in Madison! My friend Joelle offered to hike with me through Verona. I hadn't had anyone walk with me yet so I eagerly took her up on the offer. She brought me a little lunch consisting of watermelon and cookies. Perfect! Through fair Verona I strolled with Juliet. She stopped by the Wisconsin version of a modern day Apothecary on her way and picked up a few potions (or at least a 6er of Capital), which we enjoyed along the way. We passed through prairies with blooming compass plants, which by any other name, is still a compass plant. Juliet and I made it to the end of the Verona Segment and enjoyed the last of the beers. Neither of us committed suicide, but it wasn't a total loss. My friend Hotz picked us up and dropped Joelle off at her car. I was hesitant to get into his vehicle because he was wearing a shirt and tie and I looked like a hobo, but in I went. It was great walking with someone and have them there to listen to my ramblings. I thank Joelle for the beer, cookies and walking with me!

Hotz and I went to the store to pick up some food to grill. Ribeye's were on the menu, along with a plethora of vegetables. We picked up a couple 40's and headed back to the house to do some grilling! Rich and Nicole stopped by with baby Alex who is getting so big. It was nice to see them and see that they are doing well. Hotz's lady came home and we dominated the dinner food. Hotz's house may have been the nicest place I had stayed so far, I'm sure not complaining!

Aug. 19

Cross Plains (CP) and the IATA headquarters awaited me today! Hotz dropped me off on his way to work at 7:30 and I got going. It was nice with him because he lives a few hundred yards from the trailhead in Madison. The trail takes you though University Ridge Golf Course which was neat, but it was pretty disappointing to find the trail not kept up at all. I guess I expected a little more from the biggest chapter in the state on a highly visible section. Making it through U-Ridge, I passed by fancy neighborhood after fancy neighborhood. I questioned the need for a house that big. The houses are too big too enjoy and look pretty dumb anyways. The ones I did like though, were the prairie style homes inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. As the trail dipped in and out of the housing developments, I was dismayed by the similarity of all the houses. Each neighborhood has its own set of rules about what you can and cant do with your house or yard, even the mailboxes have to be the same (My friend Richie though, has the only black mailbox amongst the throng of white ones, which I like a lot. It's adds a little character to the place). I just don't understand what the appeal of that is. Yea! My house looks just like yours! One of the big problems with America today is the lack of creativity. We used to lead the world in creativity, but we have been slipping in recent years as education has been declining. Teachers try and instill the kids with the ability to think on their own and be creative, but those same kids go home to a neighborhood of sameness and lack of creativity caused by the iron fist of homeowners associations. Homeowner associations are a form of socialism in America. They are a mysterious group that has complete control over everything that goes on in the neighborhood, from the color of the house to the type and height of a fence. They let you do little things with your yard to keep you "happy" but in reality, its not enough to quell the monotony of boring houses. People need to be let free and think for themselves, I mean its their own house for pete's sake!

After ranting in my head about the homeowners associations, I arrived at the IATA office in CP. All the staff gathered around to gawk at the thru-hiker in their midst, anxiously waiting to hear my stories from the trail. Pretty quickly, they realized I wasn't as interesting as they thought and one by one they went back to something way more entertaining, work. It was great to see everyone there though. I had a few beers and chatted with whoever would listen. At this point I realized that most of them had been reading my blog so they already knew everything so I had nothing new to say. Mike and Brad worked up a plan for a fish fry the following night and Kevin invited me over for a few drinks after work. I showered at the office and was about to leave when Sharon, Tim and Brad stopped me and forced me to disassemble my pack and get rid of unnecessary items. I was in for a beat down. Sharon, who has hiked thousands and thousands of miles, told me to ditch a bunch of my stuff, but I held my ground on a few things. I ended up parting with my pudgie pie makers and pick-mattock, along with a few other items. I put my pack together and with my tail between my legs, I headed out (actually, they said my pack wasn't too bad which I thought was good coming from such esteemed hikers). Katie had offered up her place for the night so she came along to Kevin's where we "happened" to walk in as dinner was being served. Katie was planning on my making taco's for dinner so I didn't want to eat too much of Kevin's food. We ended up drinking, talking and being amused by Kevin and Krista's kid Charlie. He's going to be a helluva soccer player someday. The night flew by and next thing we knew, it was well after 9 and too late for tacos. Damn.

Making it to the office was a big goal of mine. I figured that if I made it that far, I would have gained enough credibility so, if I couldn't go any farther, I could show my face at MSC events again. The staff was great and extremely helpful. I love those guys (and gals)! Next up for goals is getting farther than Jennifer got while hiking the AT, 500 miles. Only 100 more to go to do that!

Aug. 20

Katie stopped at Kwik Trip in the morning so I could get a few snacks and a bit more breakfast before hitting the office and starting back up. No cooking or baking from her this time. I said my goodbye's to the staff and got on my way. The humid was terribly thick, making it hard to breath. I worked up a dandy of a sweat. It was nice walking the Table Bluff segment because I have fond memories of that project in 2006. I was so hungover on the Sunday of the project from a going away party in Madison that all I wanted, or was able to do, was carry duff buckets. Also, that's where I learned about the chilly willy....

I struggled with the humidity throughout the day, not making very good progress. I was almost to Indian Lake and running short of water, when I saw a couple of old guys sitting on the porch so I thought I'd try and get my water refilled. The old guy, who must have lived there, warned me that his water was unfiltered and from the well. I didn't really care if I was drinking well water, I just wanted something wet. He was walking into the house and I told the other old guy I was hiking the Ice Age Trail. The owner guy stopped dead in his tracks and asked me if I was a member of that group. In my head, I'm thinking "Just say no, just say no" but what came out was "Actually, I am." Shit. He shook his head and went in the house. With a full water bottle he came back out and we started talking. He went on a rant about how the ice age folks don't know anything. How would they know where the glacier went? The guy then brought up that he found some rocks with shells in on his land. I mentioned that this used to be covered by an ocean, but he countered with his theory. Someone bought some shells and lost them over there and thats why there are shells in the rocks. Hmmm. He kept rolling, saying historians don't actually know if Black Hawk came past the area in the 1830's because how would they. He also said that we don't owe the indians anything because they were dumb enough to sell their land for a couple bottles of whiskey. He didn't take my argument, that we killed most of them and stole their land, too well. I needed to get out of that conversation.

Indian Lake was nice, but the humidity was killing me. I cooled off on the end of the segment and set up a pick up from Brad. Storms were on the horizon as I walked. I crossed the bridge to nowhere over Hwy 12 and took a shortcut to where Brad was picking me up at. The wind started blowing like a banshee, so I took my hat off to keep it from flying away. Brad brought me a requested Gatorade and we headed to his place. Not a bad farmhouse! I cleaned up and we headed over to Wollmer's house. Now that is a house with an awesome basement. I could get real comfortable down there! We went to Lodi for the perch at Dolphin's. You get 8 big pieces with coleslaw, a bun and beans. Quite the plateful. I was the only one who finished because I'm a fat ass (I weighed myself at Brad's and I was down to 162...Yikes!). I have had a few epic fish fry experiences over the years so 8 pieces was nothing to sweat. The night ended after watching a bit of the David Hasselhoff roast on Comedy Central. There were some pretty vulgar jokes, but still funny. I got to bed a little later than I wanted, but oh well, I'll manage!

Sly Stallone and a snit

I'm a little behind on the posts but I should be caught up pretty quick!

Aug. 14
Barry's parents headed up North for a week of vacation in the morning so I got kicked out of the house and moved into a motel. I needed a day to rest my feet. Turning on the TV I was pleased to find Cobra starring Sly Stallone just starting (Stop being Sly and be a little more Frank). What a great film. The best was the end where Sly and the bad guy are fighting in a steel factory with molten metal all over the place. I couldn't help but compare that to the battle between Obi-wan and Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith on the planet with the lava and volcanoes. I'm pretty sure George Lucas stole that idea from Cobra. Of course, the movie after Cobra was the first Star Wars movie which started a marathon of the original trilogy. With Star Wars, a House marathon and a Top Shot marathon all playing throughout the day my day was set! The cherry on top was the airing of Independence Day, my favorite movie of all-time. What a lucky guy! I did not move much all day, quite the change of pace, but a much needed one!

Aug. 15
Barry's grandma came and picked me up to bring me back to Milton to continue my hike. First, she bought me breakfast at Ray's in Edgerton which serves food on plates the shape of a pregnant triangle. If thats not a sign, I don't know what is! Barry's family was extremely generous and kind-hearted. If only more people were like them in the world. After being dropped off, I hiked to Janesville where I came to Terapin street. The spelling may be a bit off, but my mind went instantly into Terrapin Station by the Dead. With nothing to believe in, the compass always points to Terrapin. I love that line. Some rise, some fall, some climb, to get to Terrapin.

Janesville is starting to grow on me. I didn't care for it before, but the nice parks and trails were great. There was a billboard in town thanking Janesville for having the number 1 Cost-Cutters in the nation for the past 21 years. I'm not sure that is something to brag about. Next to that billboard was a sign for a guy running for some political seat. It said something like "Mike Johnson #44". Gotta love someone using their old football number to run for office! Janesville is like that kid in school who is reading the Boxcar Children books in 6th grade while everyone else is reading Huck Finn or other classics. They finish the book and run to the teacher so excited that they read the whole book and the teacher just pats them on the head, smiles and says "good job." They may not be the brightest kid in class but their enthusiasm for what they do endears them to you.

Walking into Janesville, I ran into Randy who picked me up and brought me to a bar for a drink. Now that's how staff should treat volunteers! He called his friend Sara and asked if I could stay over. She said yes, so Randy dropped me back off and I finished my hike through Janesville. They have a great bike trail through town, with lots of people using it. I like to see people actually using the beautiful trails. The trail runs by where the local water ski show is held. It is also the place where my friend Emily won the national champhionship for water skiing a few years back! That's awesome! Making it to the Devil's Staircase segment, I had Randy pick me up. We headed to a bar for a bloody and a snit before heading to Sara's house for dinner. While Randy cooked the chicken on the grill, Sara and I discussed classic Katherine Hepburn movies and musicals. I got the feeling Randy doesn't talk about "cultured" things like that. I think the only cultured thing about Randy is his smell. I give Randy crap, but he's a good guy. The dinner was great and so was the company. Sara was extremely nice and a treat to talk to! Randy made malts for dessert and we washed them down with some amaretto which I somehow spilled. Whoops! Time for bed.