Matt's cottage is great. It's the kind of place I'd like to have if I ever had a cabin. The place is at least 85 years old with all kinds of Crystal Lake memorabilia. They painted it "cabin" brown which really adds to the character. I like it! I got a late start because they took me out to breakfast. It was worth it I think. (I can't confirm whether Matt's dad Charlie is the same Charlie Kaufmann of screenwriting fame. Writing such movies as Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
I hit the trail at 9:30 and was immediately besieged by hordes of mosquitoes. The wind was calm most of the day but every now and then a whisper of wind would power through the leaves and push back the would-be vampires. Should be a fun day! I had 32 miles of uninterrupted trail ahead of me, and the oldest Ice Age Trail in the state. Trail construction and layout standards have changed a lot in the past 50 years. The trail was very steep and rocky but the scenery was beautiful. The dramatic terrain created by the glaciers is quite striking. My legs felt better today so that was a positive. I was going to meet Jim Powers at 8 at Mauthe Lake, 22 miles from where I started, so I had to summon my inner Shackleton to blast through the final 9 miles of the day. Needless to say, I made it. I had made the Kettles run in just over 10 parsecs...err hours. Another day in the books.
Aug. 7
Got another late start - Jim and I just couldn't stop talking - but I made it 10 miles in the first 4 hours. I thought I'd go high class so I had lunch at McDonalds. After lunch I had the blahs, not sure if that had to do with what I ate but I ended up walking 5 miles before taking a break, my longest stretch yet. I did see my first hiker on the trail though while I walked through the Otten Preserve! I see the same amount of wildlife in the woods as on road walks, but the animals along the road are dead. Had a treat in the Southern Kewaskum segment when I had to walk through 2 feet of water! That was a blast. It actually wasn't too bad, the hard part was taking off my boots and putting on my sandals among the thousands of mosquitoes. As I kept walking, I hit the West Bend segment, I feel like I'm starting to get somewhere! The day was dragging on and I didn't have a place to stay yet. I called Brad to help me find a place but to no avail. Shit. I ended up calling on my friend Katie to pick me up even though she lived 30 minutes away. I owe her! I think her parents were a little weirded out by her bringing home a stinky, weird, random dude. I'll take the shower and bed though! Thank you Katie! I pushed it the last 2.5 miles to finish before dark and made it in 35 minutes. I was flying! I noticed that this blog is a little boring compared to the rest. I think it may be because I didn't walk past a bar for the last two days. It's been a little rough, but I think I'll survive! Rain is in the forecast for the next few days, should be fun!
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