Hiking Dude Blog

It's good to have plans and it's good to keep them flexible.
We left Cross Plains early with the plan to shuttle our vehicle to Portage and reach it in 3 days. The temperature was 71 degrees at 6:15am.

Matt, of the IATA staff, met us on our roadwalk around 8am after we'd put in about 7 miles. He shuttled us to Portage and back to the trail. We hiked on as the temperature rose. Our plan was to reach Lodi.

We received word that a storm might build in the evening and the temperature rose. It was now mid-day and about 90 degrees. We drank all our water and received more from a generous farmer along the road. You could tell by the look on his face that he thought we were idiots for walking down the road in the middle of such a hot day - we agreed with him.

Our camping options in Lodi did not pan out so it looked like we might be stealth camping with a storm coming - not something we were looking forward to. So, my mom picked us up at the Lodi Marsh trail start and we arrived in West Bend for a break tonight. We'll have a few zero days in which I'm catching up on blogging, resting our feet, and watching the Green Bay vs. Seattle football game. We're hoping for a general drop in temps and humidity, but it currently looks like Monday is back up near record highs. We'll see and keep things flexible.

Folks talk about getting caught in the town vortex when hiking long trails. It happens when a hiker stops in a town for a rest, enjoys the food, enjoys the bed, stays another day, and suddenly realizes he's lost a week of hiking!

Well, you could say that has happened to me this past week. A two-day break was followed by very hot and humid weather that would be miserable, slow miles. That weather lasted longer than expected. Then, arranging travel back to the trail where we stopped hiking worked out to add a couple more days. This wasn't what we had planned, but I think it was the right thing to do for health and enjoyment of the adventure. So, it looks like the hike will resume on Sunday.

I'm fully rested, no blisters, no leg pain, no sunburn, full stomache, and hair freshly cut - ready to do the last 650 miles of the trail. We've purchased food for the next leg of trail, fixed and cleaned gear, and made a rough schedule.

As it turns out, this break fits nicely into my mental image of the Ice Age Trail. The first part was heading south roughly along the Lake Michigan shore, through small towns and the Kettle Moraine. The next part was a U-shaped loop across the bottom of Wisconsin through farmland and more towns.
The next part has us heading nearly straight north through the center of the state, transitioning from towns and farmland to the north woods. Once we reach Antigo, the last part of the trail aims West, traversing the forested wild areas of northern Wisconsin where it will be cooler and more remote.
I'm not sure if that's what we'll actually experience, but that's the picture I have in my head.

Leaving for the trailhead in an hour. Anxious to get moving again and looking forward to the 20 degree drop in temperature and new terrain to cover.

We picked up more supplies for the next month and that's one of the best parts of long hikes - I get to eat pretty much anything I want and as much of it as I can hold. :-)
You might notice that some of this is not healthy food you'd want your family eating every day, but on the trail we're trying to get lots of calories in a light load. I do have fish, cheese, crackers, raisins, and noodles besides all these snacks.

Camera and cellphone are charged. Maps are ready. Clothes are washed. Ready to go.

I sure hope we run into some scouts or hikers out on the trail during the next week or so. That would be a fun surprise!

Hike On

I walked 24378 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 11 miles today.
Picking up right where we left off at the Lodi Marsh, we started hiking at 5pm today. The hike into Lodi was great! The trail was well maintained, the temperature was comfortable and the humidity was much lower. It felt wonderful to be back on the trail again, strolling over the miles.
In Lodi, we met a family having ice cream and talked about the IAT with them a bit. Then, we met the owners of a beautiful house that we were admiring right on the trail through town. They've made it into a B&B and they were very friendly folks asking us if we needed anything. We also met a past mayor of town who offered directions though we were fine with our maps.
You probably figured out all this chatting took up some time. :-). Leaving Lodi, the breeze, setting sun, and fresh air were perfect for walking more miles. We completed a nondescript section and then roadwalked around Gibraltar Rock which is shown in this photo. We hiked on until about 9pm - well after dark - to our camping spot under some nice pine and walnut trees.
The crickets and fireflys are out and it's time to rest for another day. Tomorrow, we ride the ferry!

Up early and hiking by first light. Found a nice spot to sleep which as good since the specified camping area was ridiculously sloped when we reached it this morning.
Crossing on the Merrimac Ferry was fun! Too early for any snacks but the public restroom on the north side had hot water and soap so we washed up.
The weather is practically perfect and we're moving right along. We've met a couple out birding, a female trail runner, and a couple going biking. Now, it's on to th Devil's Lake area.

We made it around the big Devil's )ake horseshoe - a 10-mile loop that winds up nearly where we started! But, it was a beautiful area with great cliffs and TONS of people this Labor Day.
Now, we're hiking on out of the park towards Portage.

I walked 54194 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 24.5 miles today.
A stupendous day all around! From a fun ferryboat ride to camping in a generous person's yard, you couldn't ask for more of an adventure.
This pic is a view down the steep rocks on the East Bluffs at Devil's Lake. Dozens and dozens of people were going up and down them, from tiny children to old folks - amazing!
After hiking out of D.L., we reached Parphy's Glen where there was to be water. Oops! No water since the well was broken. We were given refreshments by a wonderful family eating there and then hiked on to find a place to camp. In a homestead frontyard, a woman returned our greeting and we asked for water. She shared her ice cold well water with us and then her husband let us set up our tents out back. It's now dropping to 50 degrees and may get a bit chilly by morning. On to Portage tomorrow.

We're up before daylight and on the trail through fog and sunrise. It's cold this morning - about 44 degrees - so we walk to warm up.
All roadwalks today heading to Portage and we've reached the Aldo Leopold center. Very nice building (with bathroom) so we're taking a break to check out the displays. He had a big impact on outdoor ethics and promotion of wild places. Hopefully, we'll find some water here also.

Arrived in Portage, crossing the Wisconsin River. The 10 miles from Aldo Leopold center to here was about the most UNscenic part so far but the weather was great so we chewed it up.
We found an all-u-can-eat Cinese buffet and nearly put them out of business! Now, after checking email at the Portage library right by the trail, we are off to either check out showers or hike a few more miles.
We met J & N from Waupaca on the trail - yet another example of great WI folks! We're hoping to run into them again later in the hike.
PS:. We stink :-)

I walked 55228 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 25 miles today.
After our nice, restful break in Portage, we resupplied with a few more days of food and set out. On fresher legs, we covered the Portage and Marquette Trail segments. Portage was missing a couple key blazes and took us through a pretty cruddy area, but that was just a small bit. The Marquette segment made up for it. An interesting walk along the Fox River with 21 little bridges and lots of opportunity to view birds, frogs, turtles, and deerstands - but no deer.
The weather makes a big impact on the fun level of a hike but so does the time of day. We hit this section in the evening - dry and cool. In the morning, our feet would be soaked and in midday we'd be sweating away.
So far, it looks like our decision to wait out the heat for a week was good. There have been few bugs and much nicer hiking conditions. Lots of dew today and probably tomorrow morning, but tenting under a tree will hopefully help - I'll know tomorrow.