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).