Lake Whitewater, shortly after entering the Southern Kettle Moraine State Forest.
My first group of backpackers! They were finishing up a weekend 3 night trip I believe. I was brainstorming water options as I had run out on this 95 degree day. Didn't want to have to filter. Lucky for me the group topped off my 2 liters as they were eager to shed weight for the final couple hours. Thank you Laura(I believe) and company.
The man himself, Nimblewill Nomad. Check out his website nimblwillnomad.com. I'll be making an appearance there soon. He has more miles on his feet than you do on your car. A true long-distance legend. His pack weighs a mere 6 lbs. Meeting him gave me great inspiration for days.
Southeastern Wisconsin
After putting on 28 miles to reach Shelter #2 I stopped into the ranger headquarters to say hi and get water. Of course it was closed as I didn't arrive till 7pm or so. I knocked on the door and was questioned by a startled ranger. He didn't seem to know much about the Ice Age Trail and was very suspicious of me finding a place to camp. He did his job well but it was a bit frustrating to be treated as an outsider as he didn't believe the information I gave him and had to see my ID. I told him I was hoping to camp at shelter #2 which he counter by saying it was already reserved. I would go ask if they would mind me sleeping with them then, as there was no place else to go. He agreed advising me to call the headquarter so I was put on the list if they let me stay. He mentioned they were an easy going bunch. As I walked to shelter #2 the ranger ran to catch up with me. I'll ask them with you he said, I know them. No one was there yet when we arrived to we began conversation. The more he learned the more like able he got and by the time the campers got there he pretty much told them hey, this is Paul, he's gonna camp with you tonight.
Of course it wouldn't of mattered as the group with the shelter gladly opened there arms to me giving me immediate refreshment and fresh wrap from town.
We got along great, and liked just about everything in common.
I spent the night laughing hysterically and enjoying the company. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset, explored an old homestead, and ate pork chops for dinner.
This is the view from the shelter. I stayed up at late as I could, about 3am, before passing out in the shelter. It was way past my usual 9:30pm bedtime. This led to the latest start of my trip. Didn't get moving till after noon but my spirits were as high as they could be. Thank you again Jeff, Jessie, Megan, Zach, and Lindsey. I can't wait to see you again.
The next day as I was trekking over a huge savanna, I heard screaming in the distance. Of course it was the shelter group driving by in there cars, bodies hanging out the windows and sunroof cheering me on.
I still made great distance that day even though I had to walk later into the night. It was nice though, as the late cool air was a nice change from the usual relentless heat and sunshine. This picture is just before quitting time, on top of a observation tower. I enjoyed the tail end of a beautiful sunset as other onlookers bombarded me with questions about my trip.
I'm a sucker for this kinda stuff.
Just north of Delafield, thought it deserved a picture.
The next day I made it within a mile of my friend Dan's house where I played guitar mentioned in another post. Dan came out to hike the next day!
Holy Hill. Beautiful spot in a beautiful piece of Wisconsin that I was unfamiliar with.
And again.
We had a short walk on road before ascending Holy Hill. A dog ran out from a house and began to follow us. Try as we might, she would not return home. She ended up leading us down the trail for 2-3 miles up to Holy Hill. Her name was Millie, and I enjoyed her company, nicest dog ever. We were rather far from her home now and decided to call the owners to come pick her up. As Dan is on the phone a family comes down from the chapel on Holy Hill. Strangely, the kids are deathly afraid of dogs and a scene begins to develop as Millie goes over to greet them. Before I know it Dan is getting screamed at by the father who's demanding that he "CONTROL YOUR DOG!" and "PLEASE GET YOUR DOG!". Of course Millie only barely listens to us and we ultimately do not have control over her. Dan tries to explain that it's not our dog as he is still on the phone with the owners. We are accused with arguments "HOW DO YOU KNOW ITS NAME! ITS YOUR DOG! CONTROL YOUR DOG!" This frustrates both Dan and I as we are threatened with a call to the cops. In all the shouting I reach into my bag and pull out some of my beef jerky. Lucky this distracts Millie to the point where she will listen to me but only fuels the anger of the Family dad. He now has more reason to believe it is my dog and continues his threats and tantrum as his children and wife are weeping at the sight of this dog. Now I at least have Millie under control but the man will not stop harassing us as we try to explain that the owner is on her way and it is not our dog. I end up leaning into this man pretty hard with a furious pitch about how I walked over 900 miles to get here and had to sacrifice some of my jerky and if he would just listen he'd see. The owner shows up, even nicer than the dog. Thanks us gratefully and we explain to her what is going on. She doesn't understand the severity of the exchange and decides she can defuse the situation with a chat. Much to her surprise she gets screamed at, I'm not joking, screamed at. We now relate to each other as she thanks us and continues on. Dan and I continue our walk dumbfounded of what just happened. After all this, we both wished Millie was still leading us down the trail.
Rocks
The next day Laura joins in the fun!
Much to my surprise I am invited for one last dinner after spending two nights with Dan's family. We go to a great restaurant that I believe is on the site of an old stagecoach stop. It's beautiful and I have the best fish fry of my entire life. Thank you Schwatz family.
The next day I am joined by Nate, Donnie, and Sam. We have a great day full of conversation. We move fast and everyone is dog tired when we finish. Wyatt and Evan(the little ones) join Nate and I for a mile the next day.
Picking a rare healthy patch of berries.
Just before quitting time, a beautiful overlook in which we can see where we started for the day. It's always amazing to look over the horizon and think that you stated so far away.
All together.
