Hiking Dude Blog

I walked 37688 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 17.5 miles today.
A few separate trail segments were completed today with a wide range of terrain and plantlife. We ended the day with a roadwalk. Check out my current location on the map.
The forest over the past couple days is migrating from prairie and oak to more pine. Many acres of land have been planted in pine to be harvested just like any other crop. Pine forests make great camping spots as we've experiened the past two nights. They also hold many deer at night that get startled and snort when they discover our tents. It makes for fitful sleep but still fun.
Many turkey and deer crossed our path today as well as a few snakes. I don't mind the first two but could do without the last.
Total miles is short today because trail angels Jon and Nancy shuttle our vehicle and hosted us tonight. They are wonderful, outgoing folks and I hope to post more about them tomorrow. Right now, I've got to get some rest on this REAL bed. I feel great after 5 days of camp grime was removed in the lake and then a quick shower.

We met this little guy on the trail this morning. Anyone have a guess as to what kind of snake he is?
The temperature is steadily risng today and our forested trail walks are done - only road walking for the next hour or so until our friends find us and we call it a day.
We met a great local guy named Randy on the trail yesterday and again today. He likes to hike the trail for exercise, nature, and solitude. Taking a few minutes to visit with him was a fun break.

I walked 54800 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 26 miles today.
HALF WAY!!!
Our campsite is almost exactly at the halfway point of the trail. Check out my current location on the map.
I know the actual trail miles change as new sections are created and reroutes occur, but with the best data we have this is the spot. I expect the second half to go quite a bit faster since our legs are stronger, the weather has cooled, and there will be fewer restaurants and such to visit. :-)
So, here's a picture of what my home away from home looks like now.

Finally found a trail register to sign! Nearly halfway through the trail and there is a register at the Mecan River segment. I saw that two thru-hikers signed it way back in June but only a few day-hikers since then. Papa Bear and I left our marks.
By the way, the Mecan River is the fist clear, beautiful river I've seen. It is spring-fed and crystal clear. And, this trail segment is very nice.

Richford is the last small town we expect to see for awhile. So, we stopped to rest and have a big meal of chicken at Johann's right on the trail. Now, we won't need to cook tonight.
It appears that this may be our last free water source for a couple days. We'll carry more than usual, but we may have to gather our first raw water of the trip tomorrow. We've also been fortunate to have toilets when needed for the first 500+ miles and tomorrow may see us digging our first cathole - we'll see. :-)
In case I don't have coverage tonight, our anticipated camping spot is at 559 miles - half way!

An early morning goodbye to our hosts and we roadwalked north to Westfield. The designated route stays east of hwy 39, but we went into town for breakfast and water and then north on a road - added no distanfe.
In Westfield, we drank from this artesian well which was a monument to a local firefighter.
Each day the weather has been getting nicer. Today, it is breezy and cool. We are making good miles and now have some nice trail sections ahead. We're at a wayside on hwy 39 and are headed to Richford and a late afternoon rest break there.

I walked 44289 steps on the trail today.
I traveled about 20 miles today.
First, here's a BIG HELLO to Mrs. Thalacker's 3rd grade class!
Papa Bear and spent a nice, cool afternoon in the Packwaukee public library during the hottest part of the day. The librarian was wonderful and the library was very nice. It also doesn't add any distance to visit it.
We ended our long day of roadwalking with a 4-mile walk north to the home of a trail angel couple. The Thalackers (pictured here) are another perfect example of the great folks we've been fortunate to meet. They are actually one couple I really hoped to see because I had heard of them before my trip started.
Gary welcomed us to their farm which has been in the family for generations. After we chatted and got to know each other a bit, Gary gave us a big sample of his special BBQ pork that he makes - it was awesome! He also showed us his antler carving which is very interesting.
Mary joined us and I enjoyed our talk immensely. It was so nice to have a couple people to talk with about so many things, learning about each other's lives and interests. It was a relaxing evening for two weary hikers, and a generous helping of Trail Magic.
We're now tented in a dry, soft pine forest that Gary and his family planted about 25 years ago. How cool is that?
Hike On

Arrived in Packwaukee after crossing the empty Buffalo Lake. Johnny T's has $1 bbq sandwiches on Wednesday, as you can see. :-). They are just across the bridge.
The lake is empty because they've drained the reservoir behind the dam that is being worked on in Montello - evidently an issue of contention among the locals.
We're now heading to the library to check email and wait for a trail angel to call us about a place to camp tonight.
A 2-hour break at mid-day sure does make the legs feel better! Then, we can hike on another 8 miles or more later, but today it will probably just be about 4 more miles for a short day.

John Muir had a huge impact on the wild places of our country. He founded the Sierra Club. This memorial park to him has a spring-fed kettle lake and a trail around which is part of the Ice Age Trail. Yes, we walked the loop :-). This was after our morning grass walk to get our shoes nice and moist :-(
With the good sun, our shoes are drying quickly.

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.