More Pics!

Here are some more pictures of my hike. It's hard to look through them and pick out good ones because there are so many. These are a few of my favorites from the last month. I'll start you off with my three favorites from the entire trip.

My second night on the trail

Hartman Creek

Marathon County

Boo Radley's house?

Mission Lake County Park in Marathon County

I looked at the clouds and decided that walking through the impending storm would be a great idea...

Antigo

Hillbilly Hilton in Langlade County. It's really neat on the inside and I definitely want to come back here some day.

Langlade County

The Prairie River ford in Langlade Co.

What I woke up to in the Underdown Segment

Grandfather Falls Dam. I love the fact that we build dams at the most picturesque areas of rivers, otherwise that would just be wasted energy letting the river flow on its own.

Grandfather Falls at night

It was tough fit for my tent

The big pines in the New Wood Segment

Fun beaver dam crossing in the Camp 27 Segment

Taylor County

Porcupine!

The very first thing I worked on at a MSC project way back in 2006.

Chippewa River Segment.

Sunset at the Chippewa Moraine Center

Blue Hills

There should be more of these along the trail so people have a better understanding that what they are walking on is part of something much larger and perhaps will lead them to explore more of it.

Smell the glove

Pretty scenery but sketchy trail!

Barron, Burnett or one of those counties up there

Straight Lake

You wouldn't find this in Minnesota (and maybe Sheboygan)

I don't think they meant PBR when they made the sign

Mindy Creek in Polk Co.

The end with PBR in hand

I won't be able to post my reflections and ruminations until the weekend. Work beckons and I want some more time to work on them so hold tight!

The Finish

Sept. 23
The forecasted flood never came as I woke to a dry ground, but daylight brought the rain. Lightfoot's Early Morning Rain wasn't going to work today (unless I'd go with the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald but it was a little too early in the year for that) Dylan's "Buckets of Rain" or "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" fit the weather a bit more. It rained the entire day and pretty hard at times. It wouldn't be my hike if I didn't get horrible weather at the end. It's days like this that can really put you in a bad mood, but I always remember that no matter how bad it is, through all the clouds the sun is always shining. You may not be able to see it, but I take comfort knowing the sun is up there, waiting to warm my face and dry out the land once again. Similar to the sun is the Cafe Wren in Luck. It's a warm, inviting place that helps give us the power to go about our days. I stopped in and they let me lay my stuff out so at least I could pretend that it would dry out. My lunch was delicious! Rain looks a lot more pleasant through a window while sipping on a hot chocolate.

While getting ready to head back out into the rain I talked to a host of people. Three old ladies who were self-proclaimed "esker lover" asked me about the esker east of town so I filled them in on the location. Boy, they were happy to figure out where that was! I don't think they will be disappointed because it is quite the sight. Then a couple started talking to me about Charlie, my backpack. They were from Colorado and lived a few miles from where Osprey is located which led us on a path of great conversation about how awesome Wisconsin is. Talking about the sweetness of Wisconsin is one of my favorite past-times. I finally ventured out into the rain to finish the miles to Centuria. I was singing out loud to help pass the time and to drown out the sound of misery falling from the sky in the form of rain. I wish Rambo was there to help me remember the lyrics to the oldies. I went with Neil Diamond for awhile and then onto the Beatles and other classics from the 60's. Days like today are ones that I would've liked an iPod so I could put on some Pink Floyd and just zone out. That's the one group I've missed the most on my hike. I think listening to Floyd along the way may have increased my enjoyment of the environment around me. I'm not talking about the Floyd you hear on the radio either, I'm talking about the Animals album, Echoes, Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Songs that are long without many lyrics enabling you to fully appreciate the majesty of the music. The first thing I did when I got home was take a shower with Echoes playing. That may be my favorite song. Anyways, enough about how awesome Floyd is.

I made it to Milltown and decided I needed a beer so I stopped in at Hack's Pub. It was a real nice place with a great beer selection but a PBR was what the doctor called for. Pete called to figure out where I was because I was camping at his place. He assured me that there would be a break in the rain, at least that's what the radar said. I looked outside to see it raining even harder. Hmmm. Another PBR please. I cruised the last few miles to bustling metropolis of Centuria. Got to Pete's in time for dinner. They made chili and mac n cheese to mix together. What a great idea! I love learning new ways to eat mac n cheese. Pete's two young kids started crying when I showed up. I'm a pretty scary guy. After a bit, Aspen, the older one, opened up and stopped being so shy. He kept calling me Jason (apparently he has taken kindly to my coworker) but that's close enough to Dave. June on the other hand never appreciated me being there. I thought I was going to get a high five the next morning from her after showing them how to balance a spoon on your nose, but it was not to be. Aspen was pretty rambunctious and kept wanting me to throw him up in the air. Once upon a time, I was in pretty good shape so something like that wouldn't be too hard, but after two months on the trail, my arm muscles have been savagely depleted. He wore me out.

Pete helped Tricia put the kids to bed we headed over to the Glass Bar. We couldn't go to the Harvest Moon bar even though tonight was the Harvest Moon because of Centuria politics. If you want a great laugh, read up on the happenings of the Centuria Village Board. This writer for the local paper has it out for the "younger, inexperienced" board members and sensationalizes everything. I wish I could write for the that paper and counter her pieces with outlandish articles of my own. I would love it. I'd have to invest in a thesaurus to spice up my articles enough to equal her verbosity. Anyways $1 tappers of Icehouse were waiting for us at the bar. We had some pizza and eventually switched over to Sand Creek. We got the bill at the end of the night and were blown away. We had just spent $50 at a Centuria bar. Seriously? $50 in Centuria and we started with $1 taps of Icehouse. Holy cow. That shouldn't be possible but that just happened. Tomorrow might be rough.

Sept. 24
The deluge of the previous day was replaced with 40 mph headwinds, temps in the 50's and a random mist. Perfect last day! I knew I was getting close to the end because the weather had turned nasty for the last few days. I don't think the weather is ever nice in Minnesota and sometimes that carries over along the border. The rain was from the Viking fans crying over their lost season and the strong winds came from them jumping off the bandwagon. It's like in Lord of the Rings as they near Mordor, there was always clouds, lightning and storms swirling overhead. The sun finally came out after Frodo destroyed the ring, perhaps Minnesota will be nice after the Vikings move to LA. I don't think my little hangover helped things either, but it was the last day and the end was in sight so as the Men at Work song goes "Ain't nothing gonna break my stride, nobody's gonna slow me down oh no, I've got to keep on moving." Tim told me a few days earlier to savor the last few miles. I sure savored the last few bites of my second helping of apple crisp that Tricia had made. I'm not sure that's what he meant, but it was excellent! I reached the St. Croix segment after being blown around by the wind and had lunch along the river. The setting was perfect for reflection on my journey. I wrote a bit in my journal and got going again to warm up. It was chilly! Walking along the river was a joy, but crossing a few of the streams entering the river was a bit more tricky because of the rain. A friend called and said he would meet me at Lions Park. It was unexpected, but great as Manfest Mike brought PBR and venison sticks! A true man! Manfest Mike had to go get to his deer stand so I loaded up my pack with the extra PBR's and set off to complete this sucker. Mindy Creek was nice, but more beautiful sights awaited at the western terminus. I was crossing a street and Wanda tried to run me over. We chatted as she stopped in the middle of the road but my mind was on the finish.

I entered Interstate Park and opened a PBR. I was going to finish in style. The heart started racing a bit as I hit the visitor center. I finally saw glimpses of the river again but yellow blazes were not to be found. I came to a T and had to stop and get out the companion guide to figure out the way to go. That's ridiculous. I would've felt pretty stupid getting lost with a few hundred yards to go after making my way 1100 miles through some pretty wild country. I guessed right and drank the last of my PBR as I walked into the pothole trail parking lot. Hell if I'm going to finish without a full beer in my hand so I tossed the empty into my pack and pulled out a fresh PBR as a group of people from Minnesota looked on. Refueled, I hiked with eager anticipation. I rounded a corner and saw the western terminus! I made it and not a soul was there to witness it. People told me to hike my own hike so it was fitting I ended alone. I think if I hadn't been drinking, I would've cried, plus Pete was on his way and I don't need him seeing me cry as he is going to be my boss the rest of the year. Not the impression I want to leave. My feelings were all mixed up, should I feel happy, sad, relief or pride. I think they all came out. Pete showed up a few minutes later and he took some pics of me at the end trying to look stoic. Stoic comes easy after two months in the woods. I sent a text to my texting buddy who helped me through my hike and next thing I knew I was talking to Tim on the phone, followed by Luke. Everything was a blur.

We headed to the Cassel Tap to celebrate with my buddy Riles who was there to pick me up. They have amazing bloody marys. I took a shot and had some beers as I tried to comprehend what had transpired the previous two months. My phone was blowing up and so was my mind. Riles and I headed back to Menomonie where we proceded to drink til 5:30 in the morning and then got up at 9:30 to get to the bar for the Badger game. The drinking didn't stop until we passed out at 9:30 that night. What a way to celebrate!

I'll post my reflections and ruminations on the trip Tuesday hopefully along with some pics. Turns out I took 1545 pictures so a few of them should be decent.

Just Like Beggar's Canyon Back Home!

Sept. 20
Had another great breakfast while Wifeswap was on TV. I've had the pleasure of watching two Wifeswap episodes while on my trip and I have to say I'm a fan. The people they find to be on the show are classic. This episode had a family that lived on a farm and only ate raw food while the other family was well-to-do and lived in a big city. Hi-jinks ensued. Finally got rolling at 10:30 after Aunt Nancy dropped me off in Brill. I'll have to make it back up their cabin again. Made good time to Haugen in time to have a beer but the one bar I saw wasn't open. I didn't look too hard to find another, but it looked like a beer-free day... I was pretty excited about the days hike because I would be going through Camp Phillips, which is my old scout camp (I like how I talk about finding beer in one line and then the next I'm talking about my old boy scout stomping grounds). The trail comes right to the campsite that my troop stayed at back in the day so I was knew the area well. It was here where I first heard about the IAT all those years ago and now I was back to hike the whole thing. I walked all around camp to see if anything has changed and just to check it out again. They had a new shower building. Wusses. Maybe my memory is a bit fuzzy, but I don't remember showering while at camp. We'd go swimming and then rinse off but that was about it. The trading post was closed, quashing my hopes of a thelmas lemonade with a couple squirts of flavoring from the slush puppy machine. We drank a ton of that while we were up here. Another new thing they had was a big rock with a plaque affixed to it commemorating the group of scouts led by Chris Mckrackin that hiked the whole trail in 1999. Pretty neat and hopefully it plants a seed and gets more people involved with the trail in the future. The rest of the day went by OK other than when I took a wrong turn while talking to Tim on the phone. Whoops! As the beautiful sunset was making up for a cloudy, windy day, I came across a guy chainsawing along a logging road. He instantly offered me a beer. Score! Talked to Ty for 20 minutes and would've like to stay longer but I needed to find a spot to camp before it got too dark.

Sept. 21
Holy cow did it storm hard last night. Absolutely downpoured with heavy thunder and lightning. I used that as an excuse to get another late start. It was a pretty nice day with most of the walking on ski and snowshoe trails. Ran into another guy who was section-hiking the trail. He was working his way east so he had a long way to go. Late in the afternoon/evening I finally crossed into Polk County. My last county! It's a big one though with 63 miles of trail. My friend Barry called and left the best message ever. He began by painting the picture of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: A New Hope flying down the alley about to blow up the Death Star. Obi-Wan starts talking and tells Luke to let go and use the force. Luke switches off his computer, prompting the command center to ask if everything was OK and why he switched off his targeting computer, Luke calmly replies that everything is fine. My friend Barry said that was me, I had turned the computer off and I was hiking on instinct (Just like Beggar's Canyon back home!). Anytime I can get a message comparing me to a scene in Star Wars I'll take it. I love it! Didn't feel like cooking at the end of the day so I settled for cold instant mashed potatoes. Yum! I sure eat well.

Sept. 22
Got started before 8 which hadn't happened in quite some time. I wanted to get some miles under my feet and end up at Straight Lake by the end of the day. The McKenzie Creek segment is really nice, especially when you get to the DNR land. There are some huge red and white pines dotting the landscape, along with the rivers and creeks creating a beautiful backdrop to hike through. If I were a tree, I'd like to be a white pine with hemlock a close second. Those trees can be massive! I'd have to say a beech would be my last choice because I don't trust them with their smooth bark. I ran into Pete picking mushrooms by McKenzie Lake which sounds about right for an IATA staff member. My coworker Jason was found shortly there after. I don't think he missed having me around. Pete challenged me to make it to the Swerkstrom cabin by 5 so we could hit happy hour in Luck. It was going to be tough even with a lightened load, but motivating me with beer seems to work pretty well. I busted ass. The Pine Lake segment has the dumbest section of trail along the whole IAT. Right at the beginning you cross a road to enter a field. The trail brings you to back corner of the lot and then goes at a 45 degree angle back the way you came following a pond. The trail continues around the pond to the other back corner and then turns to head back to the road. I'm walking this and when I came to each corner I audibly yelled out "You've got to be kidding me!" You don't realize whats going on until it's too late. You cross the road about 50 yards from where you entered, it was like someone was playing a game to see how much trail they could fit into a couple acre lot. It's so stupid. They say the IAT is about half completed, I'd be willing to bet that if the whole thing gets off-road sometime, it will be longer than the Appalachain Trail which is twice as long at the current Ice Age Trail. As a thru-hiker the twists and turns can be annoying at times. I know that from point A to point B it's about 4 miles as the crow flies, but as the IAT goes it would be more like 7. I understand that you have to work with the land and the features and straight trail is boring, but sometimes it gets a little ridiculous when I'm trying go west and the trail goes east. Kickapoo is Algonquin for "one who goes here, then there" and I think that would be an understatement for the circuitiousness of the IAT.

Anyways, I survived the Lombard Street of the Ice Age Trail and continued my assault towards Straight Lake. I didn't read the notes too carefully so I, of course, started walking down the wrong driveway when I got a Hwy 48. That cost me 10 minutes. I got back on track and climbed up the esker seperating Long Lake from the Straight River. That's quite the esker! I made it to the new parking lot for Straight Lake on I at 4:10. I don't think I'm going to make it in time. Damn! Working the 3 projects at Straight Lake in the past year, I've had the joy to walk the segment quite a bit, but you don't fully appreciate it until you've walked over 1000 miles and come to 5 straight miles of MSC quality tread. It was an unabashed joy to traipse through the forests and along the lakes on some of the best trail you can walk on. I ran into a runner and another couple walking the segment so it was great to see others enjoying the gem they have at Straight Lake. I think it's my favorite section of trail.

I made it to the cabin at 5:15 to find no one there. I laid out and relaxed while waiting for them to come back from where ever they were. Pete, Jason, Fred, Chet and his brother all came out of the woods 20 minutes later. Chet "Grey Ghost" Anderson unloaded a 12er of Leinie's O bottles and a 30 of PBR. Nice!! We sat around and talked for awhile. Chet thru-hiked the trail last year so he was picking what was left of my brain. I'll be working with him when I get back to work so I'm sure we will delve deeper into long distance hiking talk. I'm sitting outside the cabin and thinking that I'd be back here in a week to start working again. We have no electricity or running water and I'll be camping, so I'm not sure if my new home for the next couple months isn't a downgrade from the conditions on my hike. Oh well, I'll have Jason to annoy at least.

Done and Done!

I have conquered the IAT! Does that make me a conquistador? I think it does. I completed my hike at about 5:15 Friday night, holding a PBR! Pete came and took some pictures to verify that I actually completed it so hopefully people believe me. I'll have a full update with ruminations in the next few days so stay posted. Tonight is time to celebrate with my buddy Riles in Menomonie! Thanks for all your support!

The End is Near

Sept. 16
You would think that staying at home would enable me to get a great nights rest, but I'm pretty putzy so I only got 5 hours of sleep and still didn't get back to the trail til shortly before noon. Whoops. I started with the Chippewa River segment which was the first MSC project I worked on. Five years seems so long ago but the snow/sleet/freezing rain of the project still stick in my head. The fact that I keep coming back is a great testament to the people who show up at the events month after month, welcoming the new folks and putting up with people like me. The mosquitoes were coming back out after a few weeks of peaceful walking, but they weren't horrible. The trail was in great shape, although a bit overgrown in places. Randy called from the MSC project to tell me they were talking all morning about my leadership style...I don't know if that is a good thing or not. I was almost to the end of the Harwood Lakes segment when I heard heavy breathing coming from behind. My heart skipped a beat and I jumped around only to find an old guy jogging. Jesus, he surprised the hell out of me! I made it to the Chippewa Moraine Visitor Center as a beautiful sunset was unfolding before me. I walked the last few hundred yards in the waning light of another day. I didn't quite make it as far as I wanted, but being only a mile or two short isn't too bad.

Sept. 17
I got a good nights sleep but woke up to an early morning rain. Gotta love Lightfoot. The rain stopped and I headed over to the visitor center and found Brenda and Rod working. I've known them from the beginning of my ice age volunteer era so it was great catching up. My hike didn't start til 10:20, but it was a good morning so it didn't bother me. The last few miles of the Chippewa Moraine segment was very enjoyable. Greens grip on the forest is weakening by the day as orange and red take their turn in the forefront. It's a beautiful thing. Water drips from the leaves as the flora tries drying out in the post shower gloom. The green that remains pops out in a way that the diffused light of a sunny day cannot discover.

I walked into the first bar I saw. The Salisbury Resort was the winner. It was 11 and everyone was drunk. Nice! I feel orderind a PBR garners me respect in a small town bar that my backpack Charlie cannot. I had a great time meeting Rudy, Dick, Chris and a guy they call The Lord. I got a few free drinks and on my way out they gave me a free drink ticket so I'll have to stop back! The day was growing old and I was pretty far behind schedule so I trucked it for a few hours until I came to the Backwoods Bar. A few people told me to stop there for lunch and I'm not one to turn down a meal at a bar. Walking in, I was instantly in awe of how awesome the place was. It felt like a place I could spend a lot of time at. My burger was great and you could substitute cheese curds for fries for the same price! I love it!

Made it to Weyerhaeuser at 5:45. I could either find a place to stay here or walk the last 2.5 miles to the start of the next section. My decision would have to come over a few beers at Porky's. I sat down next to Harlan who was all dressed up, I guess two old-timers had passed and the wakes were today. He was pretty drunk and hard to understand but he was fun to talk to. His daughter came over and asked what I was doing and where I was staying. I was leaning towards heading out and camping in the woods but she talked to the bartender and got me permission to camp next to the bar. She wanted to bring me back to the house but wasn't sure how mother would take it and didn't have her cell phone to call and check. She talked about how mom would make me a great dinner and breakfast but I didn't feel like imposing so I didn't offer up my phone to make the call. The bar it would be! They left and this other lady came over and told me how her cousin walked from Chicago to California and when he moved back home to start a bakery he was shot in a KMart. Sad story. I sat at the bar for a few more beers and then decided to see what else Weyerhaeuser had to offer. The next bar was Burdy's which was a sports bar and completely caught me off guard. This place was new and nice, neither of which I'm used to in a small town bar. The menu was pretty good and they even had IATA membership brochures sitting on the bar! Next up was the Whistlestop, but it turns out it was closed already, but it opened at 7am for breakfast. Sounds like my breakfast is taken care of.

Over the last few weeks people have stopped on the road to ask if I needed help or a ride. That's pretty nice of them. A lot of people ask what I carry for bear or wolf protection and I hold up my fists like a boxer. They can't imagine going out into the scary woods without a gun or bear spray, but show me a report of a bear or wolf mauling in Wisconsin. You can't. Bears will run from you unless you get between a mom and its cubs. Yeah, an animal that runs away from you sounds like something I should be afraid of. Wolves have better things to do than bug you. People are scared of them because of old wives tales and myths. I'm more worried about dogs or even humans. Stories about dogs mauling or injuring humans are pretty common place in the news. A pair of German Shepherds attacked me the other day, barking and circling me with evil intent. Hmm, should I be afraid of an animal I may not see, and if I do will most likely run away, or the animal that runs at me and is nipping at the heels? I think people are pretty irrational about wolves and bears. I like what one guy said to me in a bar, "I wouldn't be worried about the bears but if it does attack, you better put up a fight at least!"

Sept. 18
Woke up to a cool, crisp Autumn morning with a beautiful sunrise. Packed up and headed over to the Whistlestop ("the whistle goes woo woo!") for breakfast. Had a great breakfast with an OJ and a bloody to get me going. I liked the bartender who referenced Road House at least twice in an hour. Met up with the less mysterious Ginger Lee who was being shuttled by local chapter member Jim Kurz. That guy has done some hardcore canoeing in his day! It was perfect hiking weather, probably the best day of the trip so far. We ran into a slew of hikers on the trail which I always like to see. We also ran into an army of bear hunters with a legion of dogs running about the woods. They didn't seem to know that the IAT is off-limits to ATV's, but I wasn't about to say anything because I didn't think Ginger wanted to walk the rest of the day by herself. The Northern Blue Hill segment was really nice when it ebbed and flowed with the many creeks it encountered. Ginger wasn't sure she was going to make it the full 19 miles but through all her whining and my sarcastic comments, she made it. She was doing a lot of complaining about her feet but seemed to stop and comment on the pretty leaves and mushrooms quite a bit. Everything little thing amazed her which amused me.

I was going to stay at the sweet picnic shelter at Murphy Flowage but there was a big party going and the campfire surrounded by chairs told me they werent going anywhere any time soon. While I was putzing around, two couples arrived from the trail and I got talking to them. I'm pretty sure if Ginger wasnt there with a car, I could've went with them for supper and a place to stay or I could've schmoozed with the party that was going on and filled my belly over there. Oh well. My Aunt and Uncle live in Birchwood, just North of there, so I gave them a call to tell them I was in the area and would like to meet up the next day, but no one was home. Ginger and I headed to Rice Lake for supper. She had been talking about stopping at this pie place south of EC on her way home, but I thought why wait so we ate at the Norke Nook in Rice Lake. I debated whether to have a root beer float or a piece of pie for dessert, but I couldn't decide and ended up getting a piece of pie with a scoop of ice cream! (ala mode-e) My Uncle John called and offered to pick me up in Birchwood so Ginger and I headed back up there. I had never been to their cabin, but it's a real nice place. I'll need to get back up here again. My Aunt and Uncle were here, along with my cousin Mike and his girlfriend. I had a piece of apple strudel to top off the night! Excellent! I had the pleasure of watching Michigan St. beat Notre Dame right before bed. After that, I slept great.

Sept. 19
My Aunt Nancy made bacon and waffles which hit the spot and my uncle dropped me back off. I was a little nervous this morning because the TV crew from Discover Wisconsin was coming to film and interview me. They showed up late (typical show-biz elitists) and filled me in on what was going down. The put a microphone on me and had me walk towards and away from the camera while asking me questions and then had me talk some more while standing in front of the creek. All in all it went OK, but in the half an hour after the filming all I could think about was how lame I was. As soon as the camera turned off, my mind opened up and the poetic juices started to flow, but it was too late. My great one-liners and evocative words were left in my mouth unsaid. I missed my chance to shine. The episode should be airing in April, hopefully they don't cut my whole segment.

The Hemlock Creek segment is quite beautiful with the fast water running along the superbly crafter tread. There is a sign along the segment that tells you how far it is to the eastern and western terminus. I think there should be more of these along the trail. A lot of people who hike the trail in their area don't realize that the segment they are on is part of a much larger trail that spans our great state. Plus, its fun for long distance hikers to see their progress. After talking smack about bears the other day, I of course, run into a pair of bear cubs today. I didn't have time to get a picture. Darn! The bears turned and ran directly down the trail where I was headed. I waited around a bit to see if mom would show herself, but she did not appear so I continued in pursuit of the young ones. To my dismay, I never saw them again, but at least I got to see a bear on my hike! I made it to Brill along the Tuscobia and headed to the Wagon Wheel for an NFL update and some drinks. This lady in there was pretty hammered and said if I was doing this hike, that meant I was rich or had rich parents. I could never do something like this without being rich. In the hour she was there she spent $20 which could get me pretty far on the trail. I love drunks. My aunt and uncle stopped in and brought me back to their place for another night. They made brats and potato salad for dinner and it was good. For dessert I had chocolate cherry cake which might have been better than my moms.

Well it's Sunday night and I have been on the trail for nearly 8 weeks, but I'll be done by this time next week. A shade less than 100 miles of trail lie between myself and the end. Work and the real world await my return, but I'm not sure I look forward to them. The weather looks like it may be crummy for my last few days but that's how it's been most of September. I don't think rain can stop me at this point. I'll cross the finish line Friday evening or early Saturday afternoon. I'll zero in on the day as it gets closer and keep people posted. Ah, the end is near!

The Scary Northwoods

I'm sorry about the dearth of posts lately as the internet has yet to be discovered in the Northwoods. That limited my options of getting a blog entry out to pony express and pigeon. Horses and the IAT do not get along very well so that eliminated the equine solution leaving me with the pigeon route. I was going to send an attachment with the pigeon but apparently they are out of passenger pigeons so a homing pigeon it had to be, attachmentless. Anyways, here's what I've been doing.

Sept. 6
My parents dropped me off at the start of the Lumber Camp Segment, leaving me alone with the scary Northwoods. Shortly thereafter, I came across the famous Hillbilly Hilton. Not being a hillbilly, I was confused by the lock but I eventually figured it out. The Hillbilly Hilton is quite the place and I would really love to come back up and actually spend the night. It's the old root cellar from the logging camp that has been converted into a small shelter complete with two beds and a wood stove. In the week or so before I arrived, two scout troops and about 10 people signed in saying they stopped in. Quite busy! The rest of the day was mostly pleasant as I ran into Lee from the local chapter and walked through Veterans Memorial Park at Jack Lake which is a sweet campground with brand new showers and a disc golf course! Just before you hit the park, there is a primitive campsite on a different lake that had an outhouse, fire ring and a canoe with a paddle and life jackets. Now that's a primitive campsite! The trail had been easy to follow all day until I crossed Hwy 45 and hit a new logging area. No blazes were to be found so I just kept heading west until I came to a T with a trail heading north and one going south. I didn't find any blazes and knew that I was supposed to be going west so I got the compass out and bushwhacked my way through the woods and a sweet bog/swamp thing. I ended up 20 yards from where I was supposed to be. I'm guessing if I took the south road I would've hit the blazes in less than a 100 yards. Oh well! I walked a few more miles and pitched my tent around the raindrops foretelling of a storm to hit later that night. It was a helluva storm!

Sept. 7
Today was one of those miserable days that I usally associate with spring, 50 and windy with drizzle. In the Western Highland Lakes segment there was a chunk that was blazed really well which turned out to be the work of Randy. He was pretty proud of this when I met him a few days later. I came to the area known as the 5 points but I did not see any Natives or Dead Rabbits though. A few hundred yards farther down the trail the signage disappears in an area of logging...if only they would've continued the blazing a little farther! I, of course, found the right way with my great instincts and penchant for being right. Parrish Hills was next up and it was rugged. The blazing was easy to follow but there were times I wasn't too excited about going where it wanted me to go. Fording the Prairie River with drizzle and temps in the 40's was not something I wanted to do late in the day. I stumbled, shivering and thirsty into a bar along the trail on Hwy 17. Turns out pizza and PBR cure all ails! I left after dark and headed into the woods to find a campsite.

Sept. 8
It was a chilly night. Morning brought clouds and high winds. Lovely! I crossed into Lincoln County early on and found my first tick! A deer tick at that. Good thing you can't get Lymes twice... The Harrison Hills segment brings you to the highest point on the IAT at Lookout Mountain which measures 1920 feet. I climbed the fire tower to look across the Northwoods and to have lunch, but being a chicken, the high winds forced me down. When the endless Harrison Hills segment finally ended I was tired and plopped down at the trailhead and turned my phone on to check the time. A voicemail from Randy was awaiting me with the promise of Leinie's! He told me of a new section of trail just ahead cutting off some roadwalk before hitting the Underdown section so I saddled up and headed that way. I was looking for some flagging and an old railroad bed when I ran into fellow DNR employee Gary Bart. He was looking at the management options of the new parcel so he walked with me through most of the route. Nice guy! I got to the otherside and found Randy waiting with some cold Leinie's and plenty of beef sticks. I devoured both. That was much needed! Continuing on, I found a nice site along a lake in the Underdown segment as darkness fell.

Sept. 9
It was an even colder night but I slept great! I'm not sure the last time I slept for 10 hours while camping. A late start I got, but morning on the lake was beautiful. A nice day after a couple crummy days helped boost the spirit. I breezed through the rest of the Underdown and started a 10 mile roadwalk. I ran into an old guy working on fixing the gravel road and had a great conversation. Dave Fox was his name and he said I just missed seeing a wolf cross the road. Darn! After 20 minutes I got the boots moving again. An hour later a truck pulled up and it was Dave who wanted to give me a CD he had recorded of country classics. He had sold enough to enable him to give one away every now and then and he thought highly enough of me to give me one! I knew quite a few songs on there from either Randy singing them or hearing bluegrass versions of them. I thanked him and trucked along. Now the trick was to not destroy the CD before I could get it to safety.

If you've ever looked at your mailbox before, they all say "approved by the postmaster general." Does the postmaster general actually approve each design or do they delegate that to someone else? I could see their secretary coming into their office saying "guess what day it is!?" Shaking their head in dismay the general sighs and mumbles "mailbox approval day..." I'm guessing it would be similar to Big Block of Cheese day on the West Wing.

With these thoughts in my head I got lost trying to find a shortcut to the Grandfather Falls segment. I shake my head in dismay thinking about my bullheadedness that steered me through the thick woods. Stupid me. This debacle set me back so the only way to make it up was to go to a bar which Jankow's just north of Grandfather Falls was happy to help with. The people in there were awesome! I got a few free beers, a pudding cup, a couple capri suns and two Hersheys chocolate bars! After getting my fill, I walked off into the sunset.

Sept. 10
I didn't sleep all that well even with the sound of Grandfather Falls in the background. I had a big day ahead of me so I got up early and started my 27 mile dash to Wood Lake County Park. It was a gorgeous day for hiking and I took advantage. The trails in Lincoln County were all mowed in the last month which I am very thankful for but when I got into the New Wood Segments I came upon tread built by MSC. It was an absolute treat to walk along the finely crafted tread. That segment really made me appreciate what great work the folks at an MSC event do. It's pretty wild walking the New Wood Segment along the New Wood River. It almost feels like it shouldn't be Wisconsin because it's so beautiful yet, remote. I loved it. The Camp 27 segment has an awesome beaver dam you have to cross. I loved the fact that there are carsonite posts on either side essentially saying "yes, you do have to cross that thing." Next up was the Timberland Wilderness segment which I remember working on, but I could barely recognize the landscape because of the logging that had gone on. It's quite a shame. I arrived at Wood Lake with daylight to spare so I went for a swim and made myself two dinners! I think I deserved that after 117 miles in 5 days. That night it rained a couple inches...

Sept. 11
It was still raining when I got up but I sure didn't want to start walking, but walk I must for the mysterious Ginger Lee was meeting up with me. She arrived thanks to a shuttle from a local chapter member and I began to get ready. I didn't really know what to expect from Ginger because I knew almost nothing about her and couldn't find anyone who even knew her until I got to Rita's in Antigo. She turned out to be quite affable, looking like a young Laura Dern, even though the weather was less than inviting. Ginger was a chatty Kathy as we walked through the rain drenched woods of Taylor County. I guess she had an encounter with a bear and doesn't want that to happen again. The trail was wet and very overgrown with bramble making for a not so pleasant walk but we pushed on. I ended up walking about 15 miles with part of that on Rustic Road 1. I'd have to say that it was a very beautiful rustic road with 2 lakes that looked like a nice place to have a cabin. Ginger picked me up after the Rib Lake segment and we headed to pick up my tent which I had left to hopefully dry. It was dry and we went to Camp 28 looking for a room to dry off and get a good shower in. I really needed that shower! There was a drawing for Talladega tickets at the bar that night with the drawing after the race. I had all intentions of being there but Wanda called right when the race was ending and I missed my chance to go to Talladega and experience NASCAR for free. To ease my loss, there was a show about the rustic roads of Wisconsin on TV. I love coincidence!

Sept. 12
Had a crazy dream last night where I was watching a movie and Shaq was a guys butler screaming "There's no ketchup in the bathroom!!" Wonder what Freud has to say about that one? We went down to the restaurant for breakfast and ran into Drew Hanson who we missed the day before on the trail that goes through his land. It was great running into him up here! I loaded up on bacon grease because nothing keeps the bears away like bacon grease (actually bacon grease is to bears as chocolate is to Augustus Gloop). Ginger dropped me off and I set off looking forward to having another person hike with me by the days end. Matt the Hoofer met up at the start of the Chequamegon and the Mondeaux Esker. He had some cold PBR waiting in the car! The trail was very wet, or you could say underwater, for a large portion of the afternoon, but the day was perfect for hiking and so was the company. We made it to the Mondeaux Lodge just before it closed and ordered a pizza. I was getting out my money when Matt said he was taking care of it. His dad had slipped him $20 to take care of us while hiking. That's the second time Charlie helped me out. He's like those benefactors of old who financed the great expeditions of the world. Shackleton had James Caird, Janet Stancomb-Willis and Dudley Docker and I have Matt's dad. Ships and newly discovered land was named after them, but I have no ship and haven't discovered anything new yet so perhaps I could name my backpack "Charlie."

Sept. 13
We awoke at the Mondeaux Flowage on a beautiful fall day. We cruised most of the day, at least while Matt had the lead. He walked with ease through the forest like a well-rested thoroughbred while I plodded along with the weary feet of a rented mule. We had some good conversation about great adventures and challenges. This fall, Matt is hoping to Walk the Wauk in a single day. That's like 46 miles. He's crazy, but I said he should let me know when he attempts it because I might want to give it a shot myself. We made it to Jerry Lake by 5, giving us ample time to rest, set up camp and get a campfire going. The campsite has a great pit toliet that overlooks the lake, reminding me of the best toilet I've ever used which is on Smoke Lake, just east of Sawbill Lake in the Boundary Waters. Oh man, the sun was going down and I had an amazing view of the lake while I enjoyed the moment. The campfire was warm as the night cooled down. Today was a good day.

Sept. 14
Matt and I parted ways after breaking camp, he biked back to his car and I hiked on to Lake Eleven. It rained after Matt left which made sense because Matt is a pretty smart kid and he knows when to get out of a bad situation (or at least rain). The segment was in better shape than the last two but there were still some wet and overgrown sections. I stopped for lunch and sat down with my back against a hemlock when a porcupine ambled down the trail towards me. I sat there and watched him get closer and closer before I realized it was a porcupine and I shouldn't let it get to close. Kabobs were not on the lunch menu. I yelled a few times to get it to stop about 10 feet from me. It didn't seem to concerned about me and putzed around on logs and in the trees while I finished lunch. I talked to a guy the next day who said porcupine is the only animal you can eat raw without having to worry about any disease's or things like that. Interesting. If you are the person who lost a granola bar on the Lake Eleven segment, don't worry because I ate it. I was planning on ending my day at the Sitting Bull in Polley, but it was a little hectic in there while they destroyed the old bar and began building a new one. I stayed and drank my fill until a local offered up his yard to pitch my tent. Sounds great! He was telling stories about how a previous owner of the bar had offered a free drink to anyone who rode their horse to the bar. Mike, the local, asked what you got if you rode a horse into the bar. Free drinks all night was the answer so Mike of course went home and got his horse and rode it through the door and into the bar. He said he was too drunk to ride the horse home so he held onto its tail and let it lead the way back. Classic.

Sept. 15
Storm clouds were on the horizon as I put my tent away. Mike brought me into town and I had a breakfast burrito and two pancakes. I've been scarfing down food the last few weeks and if the scale is right at my parents house, I have gained back a lot of the weight I lost early on. I walked over to the grocery store to get a few things for the day and came across the bakery. So many good choices but I went with the creme filled long john. Then, the strawberry cream cheese filled donut talked me into buying it too. I would later regret that decision. The rain was ending as I left Gilman and headed west towards Cornell. My parents were going to pick me up at the end of the day so I had a good meal and a warm bed to look forward to! I got to the corner of Hwy 64 and 27 and decided to check out the bar. Good thing I did because 10 minutes later it was pouring outside while I was pouring a beer down my throat. I tried the shake of the day but lost yet again. I've been trying the shake of the day in most of the bars I've visited but have yet to win. I feel like I have a good chance of finally winning in the last week of my journey. After a few High Lifes to support the troops, I walked through Cornell and across the big blue bridge. A guy pulled over and asked what I was doing and if I needed a ride. We blocked traffic, but who cares, its Cornell. A real nice guy who I see has already checked out the blog. I walked another 50 yards when another guy stopped wanted to talk to me. Turns out this guy was Chris McCrackin who hiked it with a bunch of scouts in the late 90's. It was really fun talking to him as we tossed stories back and forth. My Eagle Scout award has garnered some street cred along my hike. He recognized my dad from scout camp. What a small world! Chris is hiking it again with his younger son which would be quite the accomplishment to hike it a 2nd time. He was real supportive and gave me encouragement to keep on going until the end. When I'm done, I'll have to meet up with him to talk more about our hikes. My dad picked me up and we headed home to good meal. After dinner was a different story. What's the last thing you want to do after walking 900 miles? That's right, move furniture around the house. I think that's the only reason they wanted to come pick me up today. They needed the muscle to move stuff around after getting new carpet this week. I was not amused. Oh well. It rained pretty good all night so being home was better than being in the rain.

I'll get back on the trail tomorrow and hopefully hike the actual trail miles in Chippewa County. This weekend I guess a camera crew from Discover Wisconsin is going to meet up with me at the Hemlock Creek segment. That should be interesting! My Aunt and Uncle live in Birchwood so I'll get one more night inside before the end of my hike. I'm still shooting for next Friday. 170 miles in 9 days should be manageable. My feet are growing weary but the end is near. I'll make my final dash for the finish line and enjoy my last week on the trail. I'll be meeting friends and a coworker along the way, helping to spur me on. I've come a long ways but the end is in sight. I'm going to actually do this! Holy Cow!

Sept. 12

Hello all! I’m going to give you a quick update and hopefully fill you in with the rest of the details in a few days. I’m currently in Rib Lake after busting some ass the last week. I covered 117 miles or so in 5 days through what everyone says in the toughest trail. Langlade and Lincoln counties were a breeze to walk thanks to the efforts of the local chapters. I did lose blazes in Langlade county for a bit, but that was through new logging areas and I found my way shortly. I think I could walk through Lincoln county at night because the trails are so well blazed and there is actually a little tread for most of them. The horrors of the two counties were not to be. I thoroughly enjoyed the two counties as it reminded me of walking the woods near my cabin in Winter, WI. That’s not to say its all been easy. My cavalier attitude and manness got me into some pretty thick stuff (not lost) when I tried to take a shortcut to an existing section of trail. Idiot. Other hikers have said they were so glad when they got onto Tower Rd. and finished Lincoln county, but have they hiked Taylor county? Hands down the worst section of trail I’ve come across in the last 600 miles was the Wood Lake segment. The part right before the trail hits the Hanson property at the end goes through a logged area that hasnt been maintained in a quite a long time. If you like walking through bramble for hundreds of yards with no discernible path, then the Wood Lake segment is for you! The hike through the bramble is slower than a spelling bee full of stutterers! I was hiking with the mysterious Ginger Lee and she didn’t think the trail was too bad because that’s how sections of Langlade and Lincoln were for her. I’m sure glad conditions have improved! We split a room at Camp 28 and she’s going to drop me back off where I ended Saturday at the end of the Rib Lake segment. Tonight I plan on staying at Mondeaux Flowage, Monday at Jerry Lake and Tuesday at a bar in Polley, which is just south of Gilman on the recommendation of Matt the Hoofer. I’m moving right along and should be ending my journey in the next two weeks. Somewhere around the 24^th I’m shooting for. The exact date is hard to pin down because I don’t know the weather or whatever else comes in my way (and I still have 260 miles left, (according to the compainion guide but there are miles to shave off on the suggested road walks) so a lot could go wrong!) I’m looking forward to discovering what awaits me!

Call Me Oberon, Oh, Did The Tempest Blow

Sept 2.

Wow, that last post sucked. I had all these great things to write and THAT crap came out. My posts would be better if I kept notes throughout the day instead of trying to recapture my thoughts at the end of the day or even days later. Someone asked if I used a recorder to tape my thoughts. Have you ever heard me talk? It would take me so long to paint the picture of my travels that I would need to carry tons of tapes and batteries. It would be amusing to be in court giving testimony, just struggling to spit out my words and then they had the court stenographer try and read back what I what I said. High Comedy!

Call me Oberon, oh, did the tempest blow. Two storms hit during the day, soaking my socks and boots, but I stil made over 25 miles. My biggest day! Go figure me best day in miles came on the worst day for weatehr. I stumbled into the Dell of the Eau Claire tired, wet and cold. Really enjoyedwalking that segment, but would like to walk it in better conditions. I love the trail quitely slipping through the hemlocks, while the river gurgles through the rocks and ledges that try to confine it. The failing light and falling rain enhance the morose feeling of the hemlocks. I loved it. The gloomy beauty of the trail could no rescue my spirit that was crushed by the stomrs and soaked feet, but a phone call did. Lovely Rita would be in Antigo tomorrow night and would be happy to help me out. Yes! I fell asleep, buoyed by the though of a bed and dry socks.

Sept 3

Woke up to high winds, cool temps and drizzle. Lovely! A fellow camper came over to complain about the weather and invited me over for breakfast, but that wasn't for an hour and I wanted to hit the road. Got to the new Plover River Segment and gazed in amazement at how nice the trail was, at least in the sections my crew built. There's a lot more work to do there, but it will be a great segment when completed. While walking the flag line on the north end, I head a tree cracking, cracking like it was being pushed. Maybe it was a bear! With my camera ready, I crept forward hoping to catch a glimpse of the bear. No bear was in sight but the cracking continued, until a tree fell down and gently grazed me. What are the odds of that? I guess if a tree falls in the woods and hits, it makes a sound.

Continuing towards Antigo, the weather somehow turned worse. The wind picked up and the drizzle changed to rain. Miserable. Stopped in to No Bob's for a beer, mainly because of the name. Nice place. Got directions to Rita's and headed there with the promise o a spaghetti dinner made by a neighbor. Oh, that shower felt amazing and the spaghetti was delectable. Rita and her friend Sandy came back and we hung out the rest of the evening. It was great to talk to trail friends!

Sept. 4

Slept amazing! We had breakfast and i putzed like usual, hitting the road well after 10:00 am. I only 15 miles to go and my parents were coming to see me for the weekend, so I wasn't concerned about the late start. My parents met up with me a few miles east of Antigo. I hadn't seen them for a while so it was good to see them. My mom walked the last nine miles with me as my dad slept in the car. We walked to the start of the Kettlebowl Segment. I would walk that with my dad tomorrow. Went to dinner at BB Jacks in Antigo and had excellent pizza. I feel I have a knack for sniffing out quality eating establishments.

The Badgers played UNLV late that night, winning by 20, of course not covering the spread. I've been waiting for John Clay to bust out and dominate, but he just can't meet my expectations. Its a long season, so we will see. I am eagerly awaiting my return to Camp Randall for the Gopher game. I hate Minnesota.

I slack packed the Kettlebowl Segment with my dad. It was a beautiful day to hike! Walking with my dad is kinda neat because he picks up on so many things in the woods that I missed: "An animal must've just came through because this puddle is cloudy" or "by the looks of the bear poop, he was eating cherries. It was great having my parents around for a few days. I got a bed to sleep in and it makes my foray into Langlade a little easier. I'm sure they had better things to do than spend a weekend in Antigo.

After walking a few miles, we ran into a couple and another lady hiking. The small world theme continued because of the ladies was the lady who stopped and asked I wanted a ride during a heavy downpour in Milton a few weeks earlier. Crazy! . Linda and her husband only have 100 miles to go to complete their section hike of the IAT. I think I'll see them again. The semnet was a bit easier to walk than expected. Half of it was mowed and the rest was blazed enough to enable an easy passage.

I did my laundry and we went out to eat. The food was agood and they poured an extra beer that I "had" to drink. Not knowing when the next time I would be able to refill my food, I (or at least my mom) bought a weeks worth of food. Hopefully its enough. I'm not worried about the bears because they've been pretty toothless the last few years. They on the attack and fail miserably to actually connect. I don't have bear spray, but I do have a football so that should scare them off. The next week through Langlade and Lincoln counties should be fun, granted I don't get lost and the weather holds out. The first tinges of color are creeping into the maples, a harbinger of the beauty to come. Antigo had a low of 38 the other night so cooler hiking temps await me in September. Remember, If I die, I want an open bar and Neil Diamond at the funeral (Riles would be the man to pick out the bar).

Singing in the Rain

Sept. 1
After dinking around in Point for a few days I made it back out on the trail. I stopped for lunch at a new place in BBQ place in Rosholt, pretty good stuff! If that had been the end of the day, the owner said he would've let me stay in the apartment upstairs. Darn! Alas, more roadwalk was ahead of me. You may wonder what I think about while I walk for hours and hours each day, well this line from Blazing Saddles sums it up: "My mind is aglow with whirling transient nodes of thought, careening through a cosmic vapor of invention." (ditto!) I only wish. I've been losing it a bit lately. Today I was thinking about how the willow is the Rastafarian/hippie of trees. Its leaves hang down like dreadlocks swaying to the rhythm of the wind. Speaking of wind, there is something comforting about pine trees and in general evergreens. No matter the season, the sound of the wind passing through their needles never changes. Oaks, maples, and ashes all change the tune they sing but not the pine, they always whisper with the same voice. Oaks sound like any other deciduous tree in the summer, but the fall colors change the noise to a rustle. Aspens flutter in the breeze until Autumn strips them bare. As you can see not a lot of deep thought is going on...

Sept. 2
I woke to a world shrouded in mist. The rain from the night hung on the branches and grass making the color a little less vibrant. Rain was in the forecast today. I passed a lady standing with her kids, waiting for the bus, who told me the heavy rain would hit in 2 hours. The next lady I talked to, said tomorrow was going to be even worse, rain, wind and temps around 60. Oh great. The impending rain quickened my pace. I hoped to make it to Hatley and shelter before it hit, but that was not to be. The lady was almost dead on with her rain prediction. Good thing I'm not a witch because I got soaked! There was no melting and according to the scale, I weighed more than a duck. The rain came down in sheets, drenching my wide-brimmed hat to the point that it drooped down around my head under the weight of the rain. I made it to Hatley, hoping to find a laundrymat, but no such luck. Oh well! I'm making a run to the Dells of the Eau Claire by the end of the day, but that's 16 miles away still. I'll see what I can do!