tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69692589515815581752024-02-18T21:08:31.478-06:00"Our Hike" by Robin GrapaSurviving Aplastic Anemia catapulted me into a life of constantly striving for adventure. After being told I was in remission, I started off with a big one -- hiking across the country with my mom in 2006. That epic journey took us nine months to complete and was titled, "Our Hike" for Bone Marrow Disease. This blog is record of those adventures that shaped my life... and beyond.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-27845910557974292102013-01-21T13:10:00.002-06:002013-01-21T13:10:59.007-06:00This blog has moved!Hey everyone,<br />
Just wanted to let you know I moved this blog to Wordpress for my next series of adventures. I played around with some features, and found Wordpress to be the easiest to update via smartphone 'cause, well, that's going to matter! I'm dropping my physical address and going mobile! It's time to put in some miles!<br />
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Check out the link below to see the new blog -- and don't forget to subscribe! I won't be updating here anymore.<br />
The link below will take you to the entry that describes my next adventures! I'm really excited -- they're pretty big!<br />
Thanks for following!<br />
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<b><a href="http://somanymiles.wordpress.com/2013/01/15/robin-and-adams-big-adventure/" target="_blank">Click here to check it out!!</a></b></h3>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-65502552007507188312012-12-19T08:49:00.000-06:002012-12-19T08:49:38.162-06:00Another wetass hike<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wCudv1jnRzE/UM_B3rJIuVI/AAAAAAAAFWY/h12mapqbB-g/s1600/1355636840595.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wCudv1jnRzE/UM_B3rJIuVI/AAAAAAAAFWY/h12mapqbB-g/s1600/1355636840595.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wet camera lens = blurry photo!</td></tr>
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Seriously, flashbacks to our last High Cliff hike. We started out hiking in a beautiful 45 degrees, overcast sky and no rain. 15 minutes into the hike we were putting on our raingear. That raingear stayed on for the remainder of our 20-mile hike. It did stop raining at one point -- when we were done hiking. Rachel and I are convinced we are being tested. When the hike is done, we might be wet and cold, but we're alive, we're well, and we could get up in the morning and do it all over again with a smile on our faces and a billion things to laugh about along the way. Test passed. But I tell you what... hiking in the rain is still hard, no matter how you look at it. But that doesn't mean it's bad. Not bad at all.<br />
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So it was another wet hike. Like I said, it's hard. It's harder to stop to do anything. Eat, sit, pee... especially that last one. All your clothes stick to you. It's hard to pull up 3 layers of wet clothing, and you end up wetter in the process because your raingear isn't in full-coverage mode when you're doing your business. Ahh such a rough life... :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vMLaQKXRKL8/UM_B4ltRWJI/AAAAAAAAFWg/VZ_SY4MkfqQ/s1600/20121215_093034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vMLaQKXRKL8/UM_B4ltRWJI/AAAAAAAAFWg/VZ_SY4MkfqQ/s1600/20121215_093034.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parnell shelter snack bar.</td></tr>
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We managed to stop and take a few breaks. Our first was at the Parnell shelter 3 miles in. It was the only covered shelter on our route so we had to take advantage. From there on it was short, standing breaks: take pack off, grab snack, eat snack before it gets wet and soggy, pack back on, continue hiking.<br />
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After 10 miles we turned around and ran into Randall. He braved the rain and met us on trail and hiked the rest of the way out with us. That was a nice distraction for us. Rachel and I don't really run out of things to say, but it's nice to have such good company and some fresh conversation. You can only talk about pickles for so long...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl7OcOeOg-LRp9jlQLOM-m_UzVh7NfCjaEKG2msylu0hAAyVfzEe19CePteG5sYcV12IkSF0vFfqys7QAnHLId5MfJ_ESxAgP6pQ8b0X5vRbuyYvGl2KW9gcZ2ExDa7TzonB5taB5CwE/s1600/PC150100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl7OcOeOg-LRp9jlQLOM-m_UzVh7NfCjaEKG2msylu0hAAyVfzEe19CePteG5sYcV12IkSF0vFfqys7QAnHLId5MfJ_ESxAgP6pQ8b0X5vRbuyYvGl2KW9gcZ2ExDa7TzonB5taB5CwE/s1600/PC150100.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yay! It's Randall!</td></tr>
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When we got to the Parnell shelter we stopped in for another covered break. We met the only other hardcore backpacker on the trail, who introduced himself as Tony from Milwaukee. He was staying the night in the shelter and let us stick around so we could make some hot coffee and mashed potatoes. Much-needed energy for the last 3-mile stretch.<br />
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The last 3 miles were really cool, too. We experienced snow fog. There was still patches of snow on the ground and it was raining, so the forest floor was letting off this steaming, rolling fog. It was really pretty.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JrM69aKSHoI/UNHQw5ScdII/AAAAAAAAFXg/V-ktv29qHZ0/s1600/PC150098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JrM69aKSHoI/UNHQw5ScdII/AAAAAAAAFXg/V-ktv29qHZ0/s1600/PC150098.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snog (snow fog). It got super-thick once darkness settled in.</td></tr>
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It got dark and we found ourselves trying to navigate some very hard-to-see trail in the fog. Our headlamps were only able to illuminate a glowing ball of light in front of us. I cold feel my senses were in hyper mode just to navigate the trail. It was fun and helped the last couple of hard miles go by a little faster.<br />
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"This is what it would look like if you were stuck inside a marshmallow." -Randall referring to the fog.<br />
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Once back at the car, we jumped in, picked up Randall's truck and head back to his house where we decided against camping outside where it was still wet and cold. Camping on the warm and dry living room floor with our sleeping bags just seemed so much more appealing, so that's what we did. We ate pizza, had some drinks and worked on some wind screens for our stoves with Randall's expert help. :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--kBcQlwN91k/UM_B6FBWhbI/AAAAAAAAFWo/tkBOytZOEjc/s1600/1355684958255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--kBcQlwN91k/UM_B6FBWhbI/AAAAAAAAFWo/tkBOytZOEjc/s1600/1355684958255.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brand-spankin' new Rooster/High Life Jetboil wind screen! Booyah!</td></tr>
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All in all it was a great weekend. Hikes like that might be kinda hard but they are always so worth it.<br />
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Quote of the weekend:<br />
<b>"Wring us out. We're done."</b><br />
-Rachel<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-21522768004197453292012-12-04T16:02:00.002-06:002012-12-04T16:02:39.431-06:00Weight strugglesI wrote an entry draft about a month ago and never posted it. I don't know why... because I wrote it to hold me accountable so I would stick to a health "plan" that I was working up. I've done pretty well sticking to this plan since I wrote it but I certainly did slack off a little more than I should have. Especially during Thanksgiving. So after re-reading it, I thought that if I <i>had</i> posted it, maybe I would've gotten a message or two of encouragement, and that might have been all I needed to stick to the plan better. Knowing someone read it... and then I'd have to prove to them - and myself - that I could do it.<br />
<br />
Better late than never, right? New plan, round 2.<br />
<br />
But first a quick update - I haven't lost a pound since I wrote the entry I'll post below. In fact I've gained a couple. I haven't fallen completely off track, so I don't know what to blame. Wait, yes I do. I need to be real and kick my butt out of denial. I've been eating a lot. [head cocked to the side, looking upwards] There was that pint of Ben & Jerry's Red Velvet Cake I ate in one sitting... the giant, 3-foot long bag of movie-theater-style popcorn I ate almost all by myself (in 2 nights, and there's still some left! Really!)... the Friday night Taco Bell binge (I didn't need to get the burrito supreme meal AND the quesadilla - oy!)... there's also the couple bottles of wine I indulged in over a couple of nights... and I'm sure if I sit here in this thoughtful position staring at the ceiling I'll come up with more. *Sigh* The list does goes on.<br />
<br />
Reality check. Robin, stop eating like you have the metabolism of a Spartan. You do not.<br />
<br />
So here's the post from last month. From here I will <strike>try to</strike> get back into those 5 pairs of jeans sitting at the bottom of my pants pile by March... so I don't have to go shopping! <br />
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*****<br />
<u>Original entry, written November 11, 2012</u><br />
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Last week I was throwing out some old things that have been
sitting around my desk at work for... years. I came across my old Weight
Watchers weigh-in booklets from when I first joined. It was incredible for me
to think that I lost all that weight, and I remembered how exciting it was to
hit that first 10%, then the second. I am very proud of how far I’ve come in my
battle with weight over the years, and surprised at how much I’ve grown up in
that department. I now exercise regularly and eat healthier. I do tend to “fall
off the wagon” from time to time and go on a binge-eating adventure, but I can
usually recover in a week... sometimes in two, depending on how bad the
binge-session was. So I still definitely struggle today, and I will forever be
obsessed with food and its tempting taste. I’ve come to terms with that.<br />
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However, in the past year or so, I’ve convinced myself that
this larger pant size I’m fitting into lately is just my age, and that it’s
okay, and that I look alright anyway, and that I guess I feel alright with it,
and this is just the weight I’m “supposed” to be. Well, I think I’ve been lying
to myself to justify a slow, progressive weight-gain that wasn’t necessary for
my age or any other reason.<div class="MsoNormal">
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After looking through my Weight Watchers weigh-in booklets,
I realized that just 3 years ago I weighed twenty pounds lighter. I know I felt
great then – my endurance was amazing, I could train for hours at the gym and
on trails, I was light and jumpy and energetic. I now find myself feeling
frustrated in my aerobic classes because I can’t kick it quite as intensely as
I used to. Again, I blame my age. And maybe that does have a little something
to do with it, but I’m not 80 with brittle bones. I am a healthy, 33-year-old
woman, and I have no reason in the world to not feel like I did just three
years ago. This was a kick in the butt for me. I can do better. That’s what
this is all about.</div>
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I really don’t obsess too much over the numbers when it
comes to weight, but it’s a much easier milestone to shoot for. “I’ll get to
this weight and then evaluate how I feel compared to how I am at this other
weight.” It really is mostly about how I feel, and most of the time I do feel
great at my current weight. But I also know how good I felt at 20 pounds
lighter – not to mention the 5 or so pairs of pants I’d love to fit into again
– sadly that is mostly so I don’t have to go shopping, which I now dislike so
much I can almost confidently use the “hate” word... but I won’t. Because I
very-much-dislike that word. So, anyway, I’ve decided I’m going to try to get
back to that 2009 weight and see if there is a difference in how I feel between
the two. If there isn’t, I’ll feel much better about using my 30’s as an excuse
and let my body just settle where it needs to settle. But for now, as I wrote
in a Facebook status, “It’s GO time!” and my goal is set.</div>
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This week I’ve written my meals and food out on a sheet of
notebook paper each night so that in the morning I could be sure to pack the
right foods I needed at work to follow the menu. I’m trying to switch up my
breakfast and lunches so that I’m not eating the same exact thing every day,
which is what I tend to do on a normal basis. I figured I had to do something
different to see a difference – I actually already eat quite well during the
work day because of the structure of working in an office – one advantage to
this environment! It’s at night when I usually can’t stop eating, and so far,
the written menus have helped. I write out what I plan to have for dinner,
along with a dessert “if I feel like I need one.” The dessert has consisted of
plain greek yogurt with blueberries and raspberries – and I can add some almond
milk and cocoa powder into a smoothie if I want. It’s a treat, and is almost
milkshake-like, which is my favorite [unhealthy] food.</div>
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To shock my body, I decided to do something different with
my exercise that I’ve wanted to do for a while, too. Mornings. Ouchy. I love
mornings SO very much, but I just hate getting out of my comfy, warm bed. And
almost always, the comfy, warm bed wins. But this week so far, I’ve gotten out
of bed three days in a row and dragged my butt to the YMCA for a walk/run on
the treadmill, stretching and whatever else I feel like. It’s not intended to
be my main workout for the day, or a super-hard calorie burn... the intention
is to get used to getting up earlier, and get my metabolism roaring right away.
So far, so good, and I'm just hoping it might have some sort of affect.</div>
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Side-effects? So far, I’ve got sore muscles and a rumbly
tummy. The foods I’ve been making for my lunches apparently have a lot of fiber
in them. For example, I made a super-yummy Mexican dish with quinoa, black
beans and corn. I also eat a couple servings of carrots with it, then a couple
servings of Brussels sprouts for dinner. Then add in the oatmeal, pita pocket,
raspberries, blueberries and apple... and my fiber count is rising. I plugged
in all my foods into a calorie counting website and discovered my fiber intake
yesterday was 50 grams! Wowzers! I know fiber is good for me, but I might be
pushing it. So once I’m through this quinoa dish, which packs in about 13-14
grams/serving, I’m going to try to dial it down a bit. I don’t need 10 trips to
the bathroom in one day – unless it’s because I’m drinking so much water. Water
intake is another thing I’ve been working on, but not doing so great at. One thing at
a time, though!</div>
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So there you have it. That is where I am right now with my
fitness and health. Not like you need an update or anything, but I wanted to
write this down to hold myself somewhat accountable. It’s so easy to say to
myself, “I’ve been doing so well... I can have a burger and a milkshake this
weekend.” Which I actually can – I believe in the “everything is okay in
moderation” theory. It’s the snowball affect I struggle with. Once I eat that
burger and milkshake my portions on everything else go out the window. It’s a
vicious cycle. Not that I need to be perfect, but I just need to be aware and honest with myself so that I can be strong and make better decisions.
Writing this out will help me with that.</div>
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Thanks for listening. You really didn’t have to. :)<span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-62687097925661378252012-11-01T11:44:00.001-05:002012-11-01T12:01:44.086-05:00Missing Nevada.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ERgDJkU_vqQ/UJKk5616B9I/AAAAAAAAEwc/nchXWP2Djbg/s1600/tj3149_101606_134155_189166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ERgDJkU_vqQ/UJKk5616B9I/AAAAAAAAEwc/nchXWP2Djbg/s1600/tj3149_101606_134155_189166.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking into the sunset along Hwy. 50 in Nevada. (2006)</td></tr>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nevada</b></div>
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Endless road, clumps of sage.</div>
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Mountains, sunsets and lonely rage.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Glaring sun, lack of shade.</div>
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All by ourselves, but got it made.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Big culverts and a tree full of shoes.</div>
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Counting steps by ones, then by twos.</div>
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Far off ranch, deserted and still.</div>
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Gallon jugs of water, stashed along the way.</div>
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Dig up some sage, set up the tent.</div>
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Sleeping bag, hard ground, no rent.</div>
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Echoing coyote yelps, no breeze.</div>
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Crisp, cold night, sleep with ease.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Wide open sky, desolate land.</div>
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Beautiful and perfect, every grain of sand.</div>
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To walk every day... is true, pure bliss.</div>
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I think it’s mostly the freedom I miss.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsbsZtRHKP-L5IrCUFTz2IUDHs5pClGaXhwxQpEa_QXnmC-Wi3FOzp8llpFzrpzqUF37xHKwLvyH2gCgcbYUM0CZFyZayiV5j83Np6rjvLJmYWH8NtYcQ3WflJykqgln9BnoWrqbNK2w/s1600/tj3149_101606_135330_189183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsbsZtRHKP-L5IrCUFTz2IUDHs5pClGaXhwxQpEa_QXnmC-Wi3FOzp8llpFzrpzqUF37xHKwLvyH2gCgcbYUM0CZFyZayiV5j83Np6rjvLJmYWH8NtYcQ3WflJykqgln9BnoWrqbNK2w/s1600/tj3149_101606_135330_189183.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's always somewhere to go.</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-84811274637180059592012-10-29T14:23:00.000-05:002012-10-29T16:48:14.497-05:00Backpacking in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yl0pnVO0kQQ/UI6vQVC8BcI/AAAAAAAAEpw/tKPlQzzGNEs/s1600/PA270610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="452" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Yl0pnVO0kQQ/UI6vQVC8BcI/AAAAAAAAEpw/tKPlQzzGNEs/s1600/PA270610.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a Halloween-themed backpacking weekend, complete with Franky, Ghost and Jack lanterns!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
How did the Kickapoo get its name? Well I have my
theories, which I conjured up in my mind as I hiked Saturday and Sunday along
some really awesome regularly and recently used equestrian trails. There were
many a’ poo I nearly kicked. But after getting home and doing a couple of
simple Google searches, I learned that the Kickapoo is really the name of an
Indian Tribe (which was my second guess). Kickapoo actually means “stands here
and there” or “wanderer.” I like that. I like everything about the name – and
everything about the Kickapoo Valley Reserve. What a wonderful place to spend
outside. And it’s got a really interesting history. </div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>A super-quick history lesson by Robin:</b> Because of some
major clear-cutting lumber work done on the land in the late 1800’s, the water
tables got all goofed up, causing too much runoff and some pretty major
flooding, so in the 1960’s, several families were forced to move out of the
valley because they were going to dam it all up and make a giant, man-made lake
to help with the flooding issue and create some recreational opportunities. In
fact, one of the businesses we stopped at was going to have lakefront property
and be a yacht club. But the early 1970’s brought on the environmental
movement, and they didn’t think it would have the positive benefits they originally thought, so the project was abandoned half-way in. There’s still half
of a dam built, and it sounds like some local residents are still kinda’ ticked
off about the whole situation. I don’t know how it would’ve been as a giant
lake, but for now, it remains a beautiful valley of trees, trail, the Kickapoo River
and some really cool bluffs and overlooks. And that business we visited? It’s a
really cool bar/restaurant that invites in hikers and horse riders (the trail
goes right by it!) and it also rents out canoes and river equipment... instead of
yachts. Now that’s some cool stuff right there.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiZBBcUpW-ZCyCA3N4S0q6_F0m2cJOV4E3emuxP27O6q-UhmMH3MaXXLemEvnh9-1QXcZuewxk8PNg5BLK3qFn62bjkr-UzqvMVwQMmw4OAhIYFmvJnI3CySMyluMA9imMPfqM13Tz-s/s1600/PA270679.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAiZBBcUpW-ZCyCA3N4S0q6_F0m2cJOV4E3emuxP27O6q-UhmMH3MaXXLemEvnh9-1QXcZuewxk8PNg5BLK3qFn62bjkr-UzqvMVwQMmw4OAhIYFmvJnI3CySMyluMA9imMPfqM13Tz-s/s1600/PA270679.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If the dam had been finished, we'd be lookin' at a big lake here instead of trees, hills and farmland.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This backpacking trip was another Fox Cities Backpacking
Meetup trip, and one of my bestest backpacking buddies, Randall, was the
organizer. He did a great job bringing all 10 of us to a new place, and the
route he planned for us was really fun with some spectacular views. We started out
on Friday night meeting at a cart-in campsite at the Wildcat Mountain State
Park. We arrived during daylight, which is always nice, and we started off the
weekend with a Halloween-themed camp. Randall brought along a few glowing
lanterns for ambience, and later passed around some banana-liqueur-soaked gummy
tarantulas. They were scary-looking for sure, but tasted pretty good! One of
the Friday night highlights was a unique, random flyover. We had about 3 GIANT
planes fly over our camp – I mean RIGHT over our camp. RIGHT over the treetops.
It was super-loud and super-awesome. We all stared up into the sky and
followed them out of site. I have no idea what kind of planes they were, but I
was so excited that I exclaimed, “Hey! I can’t believe those flanes just plew
over like that!” Sigh... yeah, that was the beginning of my oral-ambidextrousness
during the weekend. All in all, we enjoyed a nice fire and slept in warm
sleeping bags at night as the temps dipped down to 22°F.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6u5YIE5xz0/UI6u50augbI/AAAAAAAAEkM/VjMKp8seAic/s1600/PA260490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6u5YIE5xz0/UI6u50augbI/AAAAAAAAEkM/VjMKp8seAic/s1600/PA260490.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gummy tarantulas! Scary!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast and packed up
camp. Rachel was first to don her Halloween costume. Returning from the
bathrooms, she came up the trail towards camp dressed like a bee! We later
learned that Darth Vader also enjoys backpacking – although sleeping out in the
cold leaves a chilly layer of frost on his helmet. We also had a prison inmate
amongst our group, but he was a pretty cool guy, so it was cool with us. I went
as a two-part costume. I wanted to find something easy and not too expensive,
so I safety-pinned about 50 mini Snickers bars to myself and went as “Bear bait”
or, as a few of our Meetup members would refer to as a “Snicker Locker.” My
costume lasted about an hour on the trail before I stopped and unpinned the
remaining Snickers that hadn’t already fallen off and/or been eaten. It didn’t
look like the hikers behind me minded as I dropped them along the way!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhen5ad82xMizLDoWP-TzrUoVWcDDDzlD5yTq_My4mFKpD-Namvt5RUqYk3fu27Jm6NpEtG6Oe7cjFl3Bwiu1Rg-7tKOmfCnxedybM14tO-vI6a_bnRbTkG_cIxd_9VGanE0yt2ESiWbjs/s1600/PA260543.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhen5ad82xMizLDoWP-TzrUoVWcDDDzlD5yTq_My4mFKpD-Namvt5RUqYk3fu27Jm6NpEtG6Oe7cjFl3Bwiu1Rg-7tKOmfCnxedybM14tO-vI6a_bnRbTkG_cIxd_9VGanE0yt2ESiWbjs/s1600/PA260543.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Costume: Bear bait/Snicker Locker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Saturday morning, after shuttling cars, we hit the trail
for a little over 8 miles. We hiked some nice rolling hills, through woods;
down into a little river valley with a snaking creek and bluffs on either side,
then through some farmland, and then the trail went right past the Rockton bar.
Well, why not stop in for a quick drink!? We all enjoyed a drink of choice,
then head back out on the trail, past a line of “parked” horses (riders were
having lunch in the bar – what a great idea!), and then continued towards camp.
We hiked past some gorgeous fields of seeding wild grasses that glowed in the
sunlight, and back into some hilly forest until we came out onto a dirt road
where our campsite was located.</div>
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I was a ball of energy, and I’m not really sure where it
all came from. Maybe it was the jelly beans; maybe it was the crisp fall air.
But I cruised up the giant hill next to our camp and sat on giant tree for
quite a while as I looked down on our camp and everyone milling about getting
tents set up, starting a fire, and chit-chatting about this and that. It was a
nice moment. Then I got another burst of energy and started to collect some big
downed branches for firewood and had fun dragging it down the hill with me. I
felt like a plow through the crisp leaves, using the steep decline to give me
some momentum. Fun!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvxD4XDy3r2PRptVUehv9Npu7GgqxZLME6PAsmVO64OQmbGiN9nYCCjDvbnsOddQRWgubPgLpgpbTyx1G8h1UR_SmqEzLwpPQFF1s6eWYj02VYpB_jqnKCLF8OOs_mJliwd-zScbmrM8/s1600/PA270593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFvxD4XDy3r2PRptVUehv9Npu7GgqxZLME6PAsmVO64OQmbGiN9nYCCjDvbnsOddQRWgubPgLpgpbTyx1G8h1UR_SmqEzLwpPQFF1s6eWYj02VYpB_jqnKCLF8OOs_mJliwd-zScbmrM8/s1600/PA270593.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty-colored pheasant feathers</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After that, with still a little left in me, I explored
the area around our camp. There was constantly-flowing water well at our camp that
created a small stream, so I followed that for a while until I came across an
area where local pheasant hunters decided to clean their birds. We saw a couple
of live pheasants on this trip, which was pretty cool – they are beautiful
birds. Even though the butchering area I stumbled upon was kinda’ nasty, I did
enjoy getting some pictures of their pretty feathers close-up. The colors are
just amazing. Then it was back to camp for hot drinks, dinners, more
Halloween-themed fun (Randall broke out the temporary tattoos!) and an
appropriately haunting nearly-full moon. I picked up a kid’s activity booklet
for Smokey Bear at the Visitor’s Center on Friday, so I pulled that out while
sitting around the fire, and as I read, I discovered the truth to his name... finally!
I’ll get to that later. But for the evening, we again had a great fire, Mad
Libs, fun conversation, laughs and more hot drinks until we all crashed into
our tents and the warmth of our sleeping bags. This weather was getting COLD!!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-238xf2xFjrg/UI6vTDg0jZI/AAAAAAAAEqk/35Xj5XaPIaM/s1600/PA270632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-238xf2xFjrg/UI6vTDg0jZI/AAAAAAAAEqk/35Xj5XaPIaM/s1600/PA270632.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloween-style full moon. Can you spot the food bags hanging in the tree?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
On Sunday morning, I woke up at about 5AM with the urge
to pee. I hate getting up to pee when it’s so cold outside – it’s so hard to
get out of the cozy warmth of that sleeping bag! I tried to ignore it, and was
successful for about 45 minutes, but had to finally give in. I strapped on my
headlamp and found myself enclosed in a beautiful dome of diamonds. No, I wasn’t
dreaming. We had a nice, decent layer of sparkly frost covering the entire
inside of our tent. It was definitely cold! We later found out that the temps
dipped down to 14°F overnight! Awesome! Even more awesome that I slept nice and
warm all night! Yay!</div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Anyway, I found my booties and put them on, crawled out
of the tent and took my walk. It was still pitch black out, but it was really
nice. It was completely silent, and the stars were super-bright against a deep,
black sky. That explained why it was so cold! Everything in the forest had a
sparkly layer of frost on it, just like the inside of our tent -- every blade
of grass, every edge of bark on the trees and every fallen leaf. It was pretty
amazing. But... not amazing enough to keep me from crawling back into my warm
sleeping bag for another hour!</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d3tultrwzkE/UI6vUOXbrwI/AAAAAAAAEq0/aGBYlq7Mqps/s1600/PA270638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-d3tultrwzkE/UI6vUOXbrwI/AAAAAAAAEq0/aGBYlq7Mqps/s1600/PA270638.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bear rope stash bag all frosty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After I got up again we had breakfast around the fire. I
tried something new, and that was fun – and successful. I mixed an instant
packet of Jell-O vanilla pudding in a bottle with 2 cups of water and a scoop
of protein powder. It was tasty and nutritious! I’ll be doing that again for
sure. I also had a packet of oatmeal, a latte and wouldn’t ya’ know it... a
couple pieces of bacon fell from the bacon tree right above us and landed right
next to me! That was a nice treat... it had been taunting us since all the
low-hanging bacon had already been scavenged.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Packing up the cold, frosty tent was a serious reminder
of winter. Snowballs of frost fell out as I stuffed the cold nylon into the
stuff sack with quickly numbing fingers. After the job was done, I ran over to
the fire to rewarm them and continue with the morning chores. It didn’t take
long before we were all packed up and ready to hit the trail again.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Things got really interesting right away Sunday morning.
Just a little ways down the trail was a stream. Our trail crossed that stream. The
outside temp at the time was a chilly 35°F, and the river water was even
colder. And there were not any places for a dry cross – no downed trees to balance over,
no rocks to hop across on... just a wide, low, running river. And it was wide
enough that there was no chance of jumping across. We had one choice. Wade.
Boots came off, pant legs were rolled up, and we all followed one another
across through the chilly water. The water was definitely a bit shockingly cold,
but the killer was the sinking mud on the other side. Our feet would sink down
into the mud just over our ankles as we quickly crawled ashore. By the time I
sat down I could not feel a single toe. I took a towel to them to wash the mud
off, and it may as well have been someone else’s foot altogether! I could not
feel a thing! Once I got the mud off I pulled out my booties and put them on to
try to get at least a little feeling back in my toes before putting my socks
back on. That worked pretty well. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4PCAgR_oVeI/UI6vWkrMGrI/AAAAAAAAErg/CtthVv1MjKg/s1600/PA270655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4PCAgR_oVeI/UI6vWkrMGrI/AAAAAAAAErg/CtthVv1MjKg/s1600/PA270655.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the trip's highlights was having to wade through a freezing cold creek and up a muddy bank! Awesome, but cold!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I like to think I’m invincible, but admittedly, I am not.
I think my nemesis is cold feet, and walking through that freezing cold river
gave me flashbacks from my childhood. Whenever I went ice fishing with my
parents, they knew to bring along at least one set of extra boots, socks and snow
pants, because EVERY SINGLE TIME, I would step in an ice-fishing hole up to my
hip. Every time we went. At least once per trip... right up until my feet were
a little too big to get in the hole. Then I just tripped over them and fell onto
my face. I don’t know what it is with me and ice fishing holes. I am happy to
say I’ve gotten less clumsy over the years and haven’t stepped in one in a
long, long time. But how much do you want to bet now that I said that here, it’ll
happen this year!? That’s the way it goes! Hah!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Anyway... so once I got my feet dried, cleaned and a
little bit of feeling worked back into them, I strapped on my shoes and hit the
trail hard. Thankfully there was a hill right away. My feet warmed right back
up and felt normal within 10-15 minutes. Ahhh, yes.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5_xF44esxoI/UI6vXguXqLI/AAAAAAAAErk/gv0AvyNHLpU/s1600/PA270661.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5_xF44esxoI/UI6vXguXqLI/AAAAAAAAErk/gv0AvyNHLpU/s1600/PA270661.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun scrambling rock bluff.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The trail came to a neat overlook that had a rock that
jutted out over the forest, and it was perfect for climbing on. A few of us
scrambled to the top and snapped some photos, and then we hit the trail once
again until we reached another amazing lookout over the Kickapoo Valley. We ate
lunch there, and I discovered that I really love cereal for second breakfast! I
mixed my powdered milk with cold water and Cinnamon Toast Crunch and really
enjoyed that. It was a sunny spot, too, so the break felt great, and it was
warm! The next stretch was back out to the visitor’s center where the cars were
parked and the hike was over. We all met up at the Rockton bar for burgers and
drinks before heading our separate ways back home.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And, as promised, back to Smokey Bear – to top
off such a great weekend, I was really excited to come home with the story behind the famous Bear’s true name. This has been a conversation that
has come up quite a bit on past trips – in fact; it was quite the conversation
on a Pictured Rocks trip a few years ago when a group of guys were actually
conducting a survey to see what other people thought because they couldn’t stop
arguing as to which one was correct. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, what is his true name? Is it “Smokey Bear” or “Smokey
THE Bear?”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It’s amazing what you can learn from a children’s
activity booklet! His real name is just “Smokey Bear,” and the confusion came
in when they added the word “the” as his middle name – get this – because they
needed an extra syllable for the “Smokey The Bear” song! There ya’ have it
folks. That’s the story! It was a serious revelation for us backpakin’ folk.
For reals.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Cye2B7Oi1I/UI6vRLgNxPI/AAAAAAAAEqE/zKASWtnBlAA/s1600/PA270617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Cye2B7Oi1I/UI6vRLgNxPI/AAAAAAAAEqE/zKASWtnBlAA/s1600/PA270617.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here it is in writing! It's a big deal!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
“Hey, I just ate pizza grass.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This trip was awesome. Bacon trees and pizza grass. What
else could you really ask for?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-92119112637711523912012-10-15T16:07:00.003-05:002012-10-15T16:37:37.580-05:00Hiking in the rain is hard.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UjH7MvXlvoop-DQk2VviTA5glJUdMvuZz8Peh6GZHUgxfJfOZvqPZnGhZhOkApIGpECwH5a1noJk7xTRtiwDcFJ6O_nDAKw3tkIL_grzz8EUNNq5jESvV1_9BH90HwQxJ1StcCAuYrM/s1600/PA140453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7UjH7MvXlvoop-DQk2VviTA5glJUdMvuZz8Peh6GZHUgxfJfOZvqPZnGhZhOkApIGpECwH5a1noJk7xTRtiwDcFJ6O_nDAKw3tkIL_grzz8EUNNq5jESvV1_9BH90HwQxJ1StcCAuYrM/s1600/PA140453.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those are some seriously, soaked-through backpacks, folks!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Hiking in the rain is hard... but just like any tough
experience, it is also rewarding. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I remember back to 2007, shortly after my mom and I
finished thru-hiking the American Discovery Trail. We did a few speaking engagements
to a variety of audiences. There were a few questions we were asked each time.
The most popular was “How long did it take?” to which we’d answer, “8-1/2
months.” The second most popular was, “How many pairs of shoes did you go
through?” to which we’d answer, “Nine each.” And third, “What did you do when
it rained?”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I thought back to that question and it came back to me, quickly
and clearly... as I hiked along, soaked to the bone. I have a poor memory, but
with repetition things tend to stick.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“What did you do when it rained?” My answer to that
question? <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“We got wet.”</b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D5GuJ7GURzg/UHxQyWBlpeI/AAAAAAAAET4/mZCFXoHjvQI/s1600/PA130444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D5GuJ7GURzg/UHxQyWBlpeI/AAAAAAAAET4/mZCFXoHjvQI/s1600/PA130444.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were totally soaked through at this point (about 12 miles in). Still smiling, though!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
There's just no other way. You just get wet. Water is tricky. It’s not
like snow that will pile up, and might get damp as it melts, but still allows
you to brush most of it off. Rain seeps into every nook, cranny, wrinkle,
divot, weak spot... and it just gets you wet. Plain. And. Simple. When you’re
hiking in rain, all day, and there’s no place to hide from it, there’s no way
to avoid it. You just get wet. And to go out into the wild thinking you’re going
to stay dry because you bought a $400 “waterproof” rain jacket is just going to
bring you down. If you are in a light rain or an off-and-on rain, and you are
naturally granted the opportunity to give your gear a break, “waterproof”
works. It’s perfect. And you smile and think to yourself, “I’m so glad I spent
all that money on this jacket!” I’ve been in that exact situation before! But when
dealing with an unrelenting, all-day downpour? Nope. It doesn’t matter – it’s not
going to work. It will get in. Rain will find its way!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I consider hiking in 35-45°F temps with an all-day rain
without a break one of the toughest conditions out there, right next to a
strong, cold, nonstop wind – that’s right up at the top of my list, too. The
toughest conditions usually end up being in the “they never give up and go
constant all day long” category – because you don’t get a mental break from it.
And 9 times out of 10, I’ll break mentally before I break physically. Which can
also save my ass, to be honest. If I break mentally, I’m more likely to set up
my tent and curl up in my sleeping bag to get warm and start over again in the
morning – or high-tail it to the car and crank up the heater. Even if I wanted
to hike 20 miles, but only hiked 16.5. Conditions can sometimes create an
equally or even tougher challenge than what you originally set out to do. And
know what? That’s one of the coolest things about this kind of stuff. That’s
why I love it so much!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQ29nliC0NM/UHxQoGrBtKI/AAAAAAAAESA/8Dx_ZYyyXLg/s1600/PA130425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BQ29nliC0NM/UHxQoGrBtKI/AAAAAAAAESA/8Dx_ZYyyXLg/s1600/PA130425.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One big advantage to rain-hiking? It makes the late-fall colors even more vibrant!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So let’s go back to the rain thing. When Rachel and I
were hiking on Saturday we had the 40-50°F conditions, with the all-day
downpour that never let up. We did just fine for the majority of the day, but
as the day wore on, the rain came down harder and harder and the temperature
actually dropped about 5°. Our trails became rivers in some places, and in
others it became ponds 6 feet in diameter. The rocks and roots were slick; the
leaves covered some of said rocks and roots, as well as some deep puddles.
Cruising along on the trail, you wouldn’t even realize there was an
eight-inch-deep pool of rainwater built up until you stepped in it. When I’d
find myself stepping into one of these pools through the pretty, floating layer
of leaves and feeling the cold, fresh water hit my warm toes, it reminded me of
a booby trap. Remember when you were kids, and you’d dig a small hole, then
cover it cross-wise with small twigs, then cover that with leaves? Then you’d
sit behind a tree and wait for your sister to walk by and step in it? I was
never successful with this kind of booby trap, but my brother and cousin sure
were! Well, it made me think of that. Thankfully, by the time I started
stepping in deep pools along the trail, I’d already given up on dry feet, so it
just made me laugh and feel a little nostalgic for my childhood... and miss my
brother.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Xcqo94ZCWag0Wi93Z_iXyEKCC7a_wPcPRNb-B4d_lIdE_U1UvGgkemmd3kAT7qOHoluzr9hKxXFbe9tbEjI5blTJ4BgcJeOKEOBCsLFOxA6Ow7EncbuIt6Y0KN8QV_qJU0bK7CjG0cg/s1600/PA130407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Xcqo94ZCWag0Wi93Z_iXyEKCC7a_wPcPRNb-B4d_lIdE_U1UvGgkemmd3kAT7qOHoluzr9hKxXFbe9tbEjI5blTJ4BgcJeOKEOBCsLFOxA6Ow7EncbuIt6Y0KN8QV_qJU0bK7CjG0cg/s1600/PA130407.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We did manage to find a pavilion to take a break in at about 9 miles in. Hot caramel latte to the rescue!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
However you look at it, my and Rachel’s 20-mile dayhike
on Sunday turned into a 16.5-mile crazy-rain challenge. We tested gear we weren’t
originally planning on really “testing.” It was all good stuff, though. We
smiled, laughed, hiked and had a typical good hikin' time – even when we lost our
trail and had to bushwhack up and down a steep hillside full of unstable, moss-covered
rocks, wet leaves, tangled vines and lots of downed trees. Towards the end of
the day, though, we knew we were done when our gloves were so soaked we had to
wring them out, our fingers were freezing cold and our bodies were starting to
follow, despite the layers we switched out throughout the day. Everything was
wet, and once that happens thrown in with a chilly temperature, and no matter
how much you walk, you just get and stay cold. Hypothermia can set in during just
these types of conditions (wet + cold = bad), and we weren’t at that point, but
we sure as heck weren’t going to push ourselves another hour or two and see if
we could! We were going to keep this a happy hike, and that’s exactly what we
did! We were smiley and happy when we finally got back to the car, stripped
ourselves of the heaviest and wettest of clothing and gear as quickly as we
could, jumped in and cranked up the heat. It was fabulous.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We drove straight to the nearest gas station, changed
into a dry set of clothes, grabbed a hot cocoa, a corn dog and a rice crispy
treat, and went back to Rachel’s house to unpack and just see exactly what kind
of “wet” we were talking about.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
First observation? The giant puddle underneath where we
set our packs on her entryway. Um, yeah. Kind of wish we’d had rain covers on.
Mostly everything else inside was wet, too, with the exception of a few things
that were in sturdy gallon-size ziplock bags or a hardy waterproof stuff sack.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Last observation? That was a brutally awesome 16.5 miles
that we took on strong, laughed at, tumbled over, cruised on and got totally
100% completely soaked through on. Thanks, rain. We’re always up for new
learning experiences when it comes to backpacking.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zDqUJaj4mXZFNhK4zbvqOw7bz8ggL11uq-9q4s-3gO6tJbLlTPFGZT2zzH50Yxq7V2Upu7JWZNB3Dcd7dUFQmHioCk4ci0lacEfdCXfSWPZAM9y1z-ThJ4cxTr-HKes6ThE0FRAqD4E/s1600/PA140456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5zDqUJaj4mXZFNhK4zbvqOw7bz8ggL11uq-9q4s-3gO6tJbLlTPFGZT2zzH50Yxq7V2Upu7JWZNB3Dcd7dUFQmHioCk4ci0lacEfdCXfSWPZAM9y1z-ThJ4cxTr-HKes6ThE0FRAqD4E/s1600/PA140456.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even the waterproof camera struggled in the pouring rain!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Things we learned and/or were reminded of:</b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nothing
is waterproof</b> when it rains really hard, constantly, all day long. Nothing.
No matter how you describe it, no matter how much you pay for it, and no matter
how you use it. Water will get in. It is really sneaky that way.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">It’s
important to eat and drink</b> when you’re hiking lots of miles, even if the
weather makes it difficult. Unless you enjoy bonking and feeling random parts
cramping and hurting. Eat. Drink. And keep eating and drinking.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">A good pack
rain cover would be worth gold</b> on an all-day-rainy kind of hike. Even
referring back to #1 above, it won’t keep water out completely, but for the amount
that it would... <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it would be worth it.
Packs get heavier as they (and everything in them) get wet. Ugh. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
I’ve ready SO many opinions
about “oooh, yaaaah... just make sure everything INSIDE is in waterproof stuff
sacks and ziplock bags.” First, it still gets heavy; second, your pack is SOAKED
and no matter how you look at it, that sucks; third, that only works in a
sprinkle, not a pourdown; fourth, it’s hard to get at anything when everything
is tucked away in ziplock bags and stuff sacks – referring to #2 above, even
food, and that’s no good. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
Lesson learned! This is my new
opinion – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">rain covers are GOOD.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Bathroom
hand dryers are the freakin’ BOMB diggity</b> when it’s cold and rainy outside.
If you can be lucky enough to find one on your route.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Black squirrels
are super-awesome.</b> And they’re not afraid of the crazy down-pouring rain.
Just like me and Rachel. (Can you hear that horn tooting? Yup, that’s ours.)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4KV-UU117bOwXW_mraCNcpol4hcSHCbH0ZQDxNAHu3cc043PWqmwxdo6dwziR4YYYOfDEUJeuwKrzSGOdHI0f35x6H03_HhJmanup2EbMk4nkNgpjLmlVbZoDSSHkge-Yz5NZZIugbk/s1600/PA130415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4KV-UU117bOwXW_mraCNcpol4hcSHCbH0ZQDxNAHu3cc043PWqmwxdo6dwziR4YYYOfDEUJeuwKrzSGOdHI0f35x6H03_HhJmanup2EbMk4nkNgpjLmlVbZoDSSHkge-Yz5NZZIugbk/s1600/PA130415.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the hand dryers in the bathroom. Aaaaaah.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin-left: .5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was a great hike, we were totally worn out at the end
of it, and that exhaustion even carried over to the next day. It was good. As
challenging as the weather can be when backpacking or hiking, it’s always good
to have a plan, and we did. We took the opportunity to talk about our strategy
if we were actually out backpacking and needed to spend the night in the woods –
how we’d first set our packs down on our sleeping pads and get the tent set up
as quickly as possible. Pull whatever was dry out of our packs and toss it in
the tent. Then we’d take turns getting in and putting on dry clothes and rolling
up in our sleeping bags to get warm. We’d toss as much of our soaking wet
clothing in a trash compactor bag and tuck it under our feet. Then we’d pull
out a cold dinner – probably the bagels and peanut butter we didn’t eat for
lunch because it was too hard to stop and get out in the rain. Then we’d sleep
and start over in the morning. Hopefully it wouldn’t be raining. But if it
was...</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We’d get out, we’d hike, we’d get wet, and we’d talk
about how awesome it was to be out hiking.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-41374360154288848732012-10-09T12:26:00.000-05:002012-10-09T12:26:55.052-05:00Fall Backpacking in the Porcupine Mountains, 2012<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NW23tYypTq8/UHMIIrqJnWI/AAAAAAAAEE0/Y442Egu3S7c/s1600/PA060181.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NW23tYypTq8/UHMIIrqJnWI/AAAAAAAAEE0/Y442Egu3S7c/s640/PA060181.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall colors at the Government Peak Trailhead along M-107 where we started hiking on Saturday.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">“I have a backpacking
hangover and it’s pretty awesome” was my Facebook status yesterday morning,
and that’s exactly how I felt! I had puffy eyes, was tired and my skin hurt –
probably a little dehydration mixed in with forcing my body into acclimating to
colder weather a little too quickly. It was freaking out. But what better way
to get used to the colder temps of late fall and early winter than to dive into
the beautiful woods of Upper Michigan and sleep in it... hike in it... eat,
pray and laugh in it...?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">This year’s annual Fall
Porkies Backpacking Trip was another good one. Each time I go on a backpacking
trip it is different from the last – each trip turns out amazing in its own
unique and sometimes unexpected way and I’m unable to compare it to any other. The
reason I even mention this is because when I get home from the latest excursion
and start writing out my blog, I feel tempted to say “this was the best trip
ever.” But I can’t do that every time or it would totally lose its meaning. Each
adventure is just as awesome as every other one, but in its own way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YO5CCqYtQSU/UHMIMMSzV4I/AAAAAAAAEFk/Uwuf2VypaPc/s1600/PA060203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YO5CCqYtQSU/UHMIMMSzV4I/AAAAAAAAEFk/Uwuf2VypaPc/s640/PA060203.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The crew at Trap Falls (from L-R): Tim, Jen, Caitlin, Matt, Rachel, Robin, Ross, Jason, Brian, Jan, Graham, Nancy, Jenna & Darwin, Randall, Patty, Keith</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">We originally set this
trip for a maximum of 12 backpackers because that is what the group limit is on
the backcountry permits in the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness Area. The trip filled
up so fast, Rachel and I decided to take advantage of our co-organizing and
open the trip up for more people. We changed the max to 20 people, and we’d
just purchase two backcountry permits, each with a group of 10. It was
stretching the rules a little bit, but it’s exciting to see so many people
interested and it’s really hard to turn anyone away. We had a few people that
had to drop for one reason or another last-minute, and we had a couple people
add on, too. Our final attendance was 16. That’s a pretty big group, and the
incredible thing with this large group is that all of us had great backcountry
chemistry - meaning we all got along great - and from comments I received and
smiles on faces, I think everybody had a really awesome time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">One of the biggest
highlights of the trip, which is the whole reason we planned this trip this
time of year was the fall colors. They were AMAZING. We got there a little
after the reds fell from the big maple trees, but we got some super-vibrant
golds and oranges that were still strongly hanging on. The forest was literally
lit up with a golden hue in many places, lighting up the trail like a naturally
golden-lit tunnel. Leaves were also scattered all along the forest floor, still
just as vibrant as they were when hanging for their last minutes on the
branches above. Being completely surrounded by the bright colors made for some
seriously jaw-dropping hiking. And it never got old. Each corner or hill
brought a new scene, and we all “oohed” and “aahed” as we wound through the
forest. </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eoy3pF1ZeLxCRJEWvBEJdp3niknXd-0A9kiAagUP5yEcWqcbDunLm_OgO3F6-ytUfP6Fqoft8Ngi41vqPmq9pCE__ji7CttKcBPC9aYF0B1WYWyIFQPH0MLEm8l-Unt1rBpfBlN-Oho/s1600/PA060227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7eoy3pF1ZeLxCRJEWvBEJdp3niknXd-0A9kiAagUP5yEcWqcbDunLm_OgO3F6-ytUfP6Fqoft8Ngi41vqPmq9pCE__ji7CttKcBPC9aYF0B1WYWyIFQPH0MLEm8l-Unt1rBpfBlN-Oho/s640/PA060227.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeling rich in a forest of gold.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"></span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">We got some challenging weather
on this trip, too. It was colder than normal for this time of year, or at least
it seemed that way. But for a beginner trip, we all did great dealing with that
challenge. We hit some pretty crazy snow on the drive up that made us feel like
we were traveling in a galaxy far, far away. It was on and off for most of
Friday night and Saturday morning, and with a forecast of cold daytime temps,
below-freezing nighttime temps and a “100% chance of snow,” we were all
prepared for some nasty weather. But guess what? The weather decided to not be
quite as dramatic. I think the weather said, “Hey, just for you hikers down
there, I’m gonna give you a little of this: BOOM! SUNSHINE!” The sun peeked out
for us every once in a while and really warmed us up and lit up the woods’
vibrancy even more – and on Sunday, we had mostly blue skies, with an almost
electric fall breeze. This made for the perfect combination, allowing us to
witness leaves being softly wiggled from the branches and flutter down to the
ground. After this trip I feel like we’ve truly entered cold-weather hiking
season, and now I’m mentally ready.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTNSf7EMLF6oLhWf0RQKtcj3PfCOvfEgESH3YLVPZTtnoM-yjiDz4hSfBADw9w8V1Tg9tmyh_ZhNcdaBL1o3VbaaNUKhjE6XGHIEoOB3O8bFR6uty0XRHoUaKywA1OeEgUXEVfA6kjco/s1600/PA060231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTTNSf7EMLF6oLhWf0RQKtcj3PfCOvfEgESH3YLVPZTtnoM-yjiDz4hSfBADw9w8V1Tg9tmyh_ZhNcdaBL1o3VbaaNUKhjE6XGHIEoOB3O8bFR6uty0XRHoUaKywA1OeEgUXEVfA6kjco/s640/PA060231.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome sunshine with a forecast that called for a 100% chance of snow!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;"> On the last day we hiked
through some amazing pine forests with giant trees towering overhead, and a
soft, windy trail until we reached more deciduous forest where we began the
climb back up to the Lake of the Clouds overlook where our cars were parked. We
were rewarded for that climb back up to the escarpment with some stunted maples
still donning their gorgeous, deep-reds. Those reds were mixed in with the strong
oranges and yellows – and when you added in the green from the pines and other
shrubs along the rocky cliff, we were all finishing our walk through a rainbow
of foliage. It was shockingly beautiful.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_OVYfad6-cs/UHMInq-0DPI/AAAAAAAAEMU/BILmcBSDndU/s1600/PA070329.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_OVYfad6-cs/UHMInq-0DPI/AAAAAAAAEMU/BILmcBSDndU/s640/PA070329.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colors along the Big Carp River Trail with Lake of the Clouds in the distance.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Another highlight from
this trip was, as I mentioned earlier, our group chemistry. We had a larger
group of 16 people (and one awesome dog), and we all got along great! We had a
variety of experience levels, but everyone was supportive of the others, and we
were all still able to hike at what pace we wanted and enjoy our day. I really
enjoyed the mix of current friends and new friends. I love meeting people on
the trail and find it’s the best way to really get to know people. I laugh
because if these people stick with me on a 2-day backpacking trip and can put
up with my poop-humor, then I’ve found friends that I’m sure I’ll see again!
It’s all in fun, and everyone had a really good sense of humor. I’m just always
happy that people don’t run from me when I get on a roll with the potty humor.
I figure, ‘hey – we all poo in the woods, why not crack some jokes about it?’</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">To add onto the highlight
of having such a great group, I had the extra bonus of my parents hiking with
us. My mom and dad are super fun, and have become really great friends with a
lot of my backpacking friends, too. I love to hear my closest friends complimenting
me on what awesome folks I have! I tend to agree – and I really enjoy sharing
their awesomeness with others, so I usually nudge them to come along on some of
these trips, although I don’t have to try too hard... they really enjoy it,
too. I felt blessed that I was able to hike with them this weekend – it’s
always great fun for me and it always brings us a little closer. There’s
nothing like spending time in the woods with someone you love – friends become
family and family becomes friends.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eo15Ou3ca20/UHMIRrMk5eI/AAAAAAAAEGw/-E3wgRS-nhk/s1600/PA060222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eo15Ou3ca20/UHMIRrMk5eI/AAAAAAAAEGw/-E3wgRS-nhk/s640/PA060222.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom and dad hiking on a steep decline. I love hiking with them!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Being the organizer for
the trip (and I think I speak for Rachel a little here, too) can be a little
stressful at times. You first have the pressure of trying to make sure everyone
has a good time... and second, doing so as safely as possible. My theory when organizing
is to just be sure nobody feels left behind, and as a result everyone will have
a nice time. I think, and I hope, that we accomplished that this weekend. I
figure if we get even one person on a new backpacking trip that comes back for
more, we’ve done a good job. Organizing routes and planning trips is really fun
for me, but hiking along with other people that love backpacking or are just
starting out and learning is super rewarding and even more fun. I still learn
something new every time I go on a trip, and it’s fun to share the knowledge
I’ve gained from past trips with others, as well.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Every once in a while I
feel creative and want to do something special for the group when I organize
and this usually involves some sort of food. One year I made a tiramisu, and
another time it was orange cakes. This time Rachel and I made mini pudding
pies. I picked up some pre-made mini graham-cracker pie crusts, three flavors
of pudding (pistachio, chocolate and cheesecake) and we brought different
toppings – crushed pistachios, dried strawberries, dark chocolate chips and
mini marshmallows that ended up all melding together, which was funny because
they were impossible to top our pies with, so we ended up burning them in the
fire. Oh well, the rest of the stuff turned out great, and it was a big hit!</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUI82ZfTBs2LNLQfuAs5J_kEQz6a5i_tM2AZzAugc6lyKYO6F4PIRJ12YPzCAVSvBiCMq2NMUYCDNN77Kfz3POjnRtobVxCcamyfQQqvzop1HRQC0eJPsqRlU2kaPzXlCpr4Vu9Erlh6w/s1600/PA060247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUI82ZfTBs2LNLQfuAs5J_kEQz6a5i_tM2AZzAugc6lyKYO6F4PIRJ12YPzCAVSvBiCMq2NMUYCDNN77Kfz3POjnRtobVxCcamyfQQqvzop1HRQC0eJPsqRlU2kaPzXlCpr4Vu9Erlh6w/s640/PA060247.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pie choice shown: Cheesecake with strawberries and dark chocolate chips. Yum!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">And one more highlight –
the simplicity of backpacking. There are so many fun things that happen in the
woods as we’re walking or sitting around the campfire -- conversations we have
of previous trips we’ve been on, or experiences we’ve had in life in general,
or jokes, trail talk, or maybe a mushroom that looks like one of those yard
decorations – you know the ones – with the lady bending over and her bloomers
or whatever you call them are sticking out. I have a picture. Can you see it?</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-XrEpyhtK26qkVcHgHMOKcBDzu4SDir-tIMCg9XArdNaznZuDjbPcqWiXVIIjP5FnYCSnemO7PCuYGQIHya_QG_IRFFT8WU5c4Fr-jYygQ9m8r1jcyBS0s2Z5Kv41C7Hor_Hi93_ktc/s1600/PA060208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-XrEpyhtK26qkVcHgHMOKcBDzu4SDir-tIMCg9XArdNaznZuDjbPcqWiXVIIjP5FnYCSnemO7PCuYGQIHya_QG_IRFFT8WU5c4Fr-jYygQ9m8r1jcyBS0s2Z5Kv41C7Hor_Hi93_ktc/s640/PA060208.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Anyway, a lot of the things
we talk and giggle about on the trail or around the campfire are things I can’t
even remember specifically. But that’s okay, because it’s all just a small part
of the whole experience that makes it so wonderful. I come back remembering
being bent over laughing so hard my belly hurt. And I know whatever the heck it
was we were talking about was really freakin’ funny, and those are the memories
I’m most likely to hang on to. I’ve never had a good memory – especially for
specifics – but overall, I leave with a lasting memory like, "Wow, yeah. That was an awesome trip."</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Also in the simplicity
category of highlights from this trip is the exercise – this is a highlight of
any trip for me. The fact that I’m walking with everything I need to survive on
my back, and burning up so many calories in such an amazing place makes me feel
so happy and healthy. I wish I could do this every day.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-orvlQt-fLng/UHMIWonmcoI/AAAAAAAAEH0/kRrPkC_PaOA/s1600/PA060244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-orvlQt-fLng/UHMIWonmcoI/AAAAAAAAEH0/kRrPkC_PaOA/s640/PA060244.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful swamp just before Mirror Lake.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">The Porkies always feels
magical to me. I’ve mentioned it before in my blog about how I took my very
first backpacking trip here, so it holds a special place for me anyway. But
others have said the same. It has some awesome trails, great campsites, and lots
of pretty water – rivers, streams, lakes, and the big Lake Superior. The
forests are wild, and if you don’t talk as much as I do, you might even catch a
glimpse of a deer or a bear. Or a squirrel. I saw a chipmunk and a few birds on
this trip. Yeah, I talk too much sometimes!!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">After a couple of days of
fresh air, finishing up and feeling the accomplishment of a good hike, and
seeing everyone at the end full of smiles and still laughing about this or that
is what this is all about. We had a few people that hiked out a little sooner
so they could get on the road towards home, but the remainder of the group met
up at the parking lot for a post-hike toast. We ended up finding a place to eat
after much indecision and closed restaurants, and we all ate like we’d never
seen food before. We had a few last laughs, I had a milkshake, we hugged, said
our farewells and all hit the road in our own direction towards home.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qU8iyPKF2LI/UHMId9CLJQI/AAAAAAAAEJg/Z9-y0se2c1w/s1600/PA070277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qU8iyPKF2LI/UHMId9CLJQI/AAAAAAAAEJg/Z9-y0se2c1w/s640/PA070277.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lined up along a bridge on the Big Carp River Trail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">I could go on and on and
on about the incredible overall feeling you get from a trip like this, and I
would never feel fully satisfied with my descriptions, because there are just
not enough words, analogies or adjectives... you just gotta’ get out there and
do it. Walk into the woods and absorb as much of the fresh, wonderful natural
surrounding as you can. Sleep in it. Eat in it. Nap in it. Laugh in it... Live in
it.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Besides, where else will
you learn about “Robina the musical,” and Little Pickles, and Kneescab, and
Snapper, and the newest, greatest gear invention – the Camelfront? ...among
many other crazy, whackadoodle things? Yep, it’s here. It’s these woods, and it’s
with these people.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Happy and blessed. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W_dlfolrOEs/UHMIcWZYN5I/AAAAAAAAEJQ/jYkbObnTrbY/s1600/PA070273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W_dlfolrOEs/UHMIcWZYN5I/AAAAAAAAEJQ/jYkbObnTrbY/s640/PA070273.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror Lake. This was the view from our camp Sunday morning.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-55699681236018629052012-09-24T15:12:00.000-05:002012-09-24T15:12:42.885-05:00Happy, Simple and Peaceful.<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPf4WaaQhmPEkKMraqjiN0qiJQi8y8wy463pPvpj4aEpyNehFcUjEXF05cRV0DV6LqWmNCVht4AggtXvd9c1envCBHciVpJR4qSo5urgEONMsV3tEL4stSLmywhy4z7XrfPLFHtq6uBQ/s1600/P9220042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQPf4WaaQhmPEkKMraqjiN0qiJQi8y8wy463pPvpj4aEpyNehFcUjEXF05cRV0DV6LqWmNCVht4AggtXvd9c1envCBHciVpJR4qSo5urgEONMsV3tEL4stSLmywhy4z7XrfPLFHtq6uBQ/s640/P9220042.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With the sun blinking through the canopied trees
overhead, my feet softly crunching the leaves along the ground, and the
chilled, crisp air brushing against my cheeks turning them rosy, I hiked. And as
I hiked, all I could think to myself was, “I really needed this.”</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I had a random emotional week for some unknown reason,
and I felt constantly antsy and impatient. I was tense and had the pleasure of
dealing with a really bad headache on Thursday, and learned after taking
Ibuprofen for it, that I must be newly allergic to the pain killer. I’m not a
fan of the stuff, anyway, so if I’m at the point where I’m taking it I’m
probably already cranky. Then when I do take it, I suffer annoying,
uncomfortable side effects? Gah. I was so ready for the week to be over!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I wasn’t planning on heading out on a 23-mile hike solo.
Originally I was going to hike with Rachel, who seems to be the only person
willing to go on these crazy endurance hikes with me, and has since become my bestest hiking buddy. We were going to hit the
trail together on Sunday, but our plans got a little twisted when I learned
that Adam’s work schedule was only going to leave Sunday open for he and I to
spend some time together. So that left Saturday the only day I could get a hike
in, but unfortunately Rachel couldn’t go that day. I was determined to get on the trail, so I
planned to go Saturday. I threw a post out on Facebook to see if there was
anyone crazy enough to hike along with me for 20+ miles, but I had no
takers. It looked as though I was on my own, which was okay. Hiking solo allows
for some serious head-clearing.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0136lCKII3I/UGC0kTLby8I/AAAAAAAAD60/poS_rz7SofE/s1600/P1010060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0136lCKII3I/UGC0kTLby8I/AAAAAAAAD60/poS_rz7SofE/s400/P1010060.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What better way to clear your head after a hard week, than to take a walk through these woods?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I started the hike at 12:15pm and hiked until a couple of
hours past dark at 9:15pm. I went a total of 23 miles, and during those miles, I
don’t recall thinking about anything more important than, “hey, there’s another
black cloud headed my direction and it looks it’s going to rain,” or “the wind
in the leaves is like an orchestra playing and my heart beating from that last
hill, my breathing and my footsteps on the trail are like the percussion
keeping time.” Yeah, things like that. Talk about everything falling away. I
love to hike, and this is one of the biggest reasons. When I’m out there, mile
after mile, all I can think about is where I am at that moment, where I’m
headed and what comes up in between. It becomes... simple.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8YnVLb1o0uU/UGC0iU9eyZI/AAAAAAAAD6U/S27vm27YYBI/s1600/P1010055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8YnVLb1o0uU/UGC0iU9eyZI/AAAAAAAAD6U/S27vm27YYBI/s400/P1010055.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall colors are definitely here!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was an appropriate day for a hike, too. It was the
first day of Autumn, and there was no doubt that it was here. The air was
crisp, the leaves were starting to change on the tops and tips of trees, and
several were already on the trail for me to crunch as I walked along. There was
a breeze that carried leaves with it, too. They’d fall all around when a gust
would come along, making me feel as though I were walking through a fantasy
land. The sun was peeking through the trees overhead and playing a light show
all around me. The sky was a perfect blue with bright, white, puffy clouds that
every once in a while would hide the sun. Then the sky started to change. Clouds
spread out across the horizon and turned so dark they looked midnight navy in
color. They moved quickly and soon started to drop rain... then small hail for
a short while, then back to rain.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hixwk2TFEDc/UGC0lBPbfLI/AAAAAAAAD68/2-RaE5_7RLw/s1600/P1010061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Hixwk2TFEDc/UGC0lBPbfLI/AAAAAAAAD68/2-RaE5_7RLw/s400/P1010061.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dark clouds, blue skies, white clouds, sunshine, breezes - a perfect mix on a fall day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My rain gear came on, then came off, then went back on
again. Finally, after about 5:00pm it gave up, and the sky turned back
to blue and once again spotted itself with clouds. I stopped a few times to shift gear around, add
and take away rain gear, go to the bathroom, and take a couple of longer breaks. The
first of the longer breaks was to make some Ramen, which I promised myself I’d
do. It was nice to have a hot meal on a cool day. I continued on after that
until my half-way point, then turned around and stopped at the same spot where I enjoyed my warm meal, only this time just to
refill my water and take my shoes off for a bit. My feet were happy to have the
fresh air.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFNEx-q4exIfMgoTJj7bOLjim9vByqgk3Nx0YhYCCgKaxnZ2nJEvLkvShZOMJ7cHZ4oyTjujunMPTqd1Q2fDPZ3Vw4jXAvbZFZkmL95Pu1EdsyklUxoCnTCviq4tJwxkEMt4pwTY0rf0/s1600/P1010083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijFNEx-q4exIfMgoTJj7bOLjim9vByqgk3Nx0YhYCCgKaxnZ2nJEvLkvShZOMJ7cHZ4oyTjujunMPTqd1Q2fDPZ3Vw4jXAvbZFZkmL95Pu1EdsyklUxoCnTCviq4tJwxkEMt4pwTY0rf0/s400/P1010083.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't know a single person that doesn't enjoy the sound this makes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I hiked into the dark, which is spectacular and scary all
at the same time. It’s spectacular because you get the full gamut of sunset. It
was... I don’t even know... it was beautiful. Inspiring. Warming. Colorful. So
many words come to mind and I could go on forever. I snapped some photos of it
and hiked on. Darkness fell upon me, and the woodland critters started to haunt
me. They made no noise or any sign they were there, but I knew they were
lurking in every shadow and around every corner. I hiked faster and faster, and
started to whistle to make noise. Then when I got tired of whistling I decided
I wasn’t going to be afraid any more. I talked myself out loud about the the pointlessness of
my fear of this woodsy darkness. There was nothing I could do except hike, so that’s what I
did. I started to look into the sky and smile at the bright half-moon and stars
that started to appear. I felt the air, and felt strong as I hiked up hills and
through meadows that dropped the temperature at least 5 full degrees. It was a
great time to spend in my own mind, practicing to shut out thoughts of
irrational fears.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aKa-gfZ6VSg/UGC0zLWUPJI/AAAAAAAAD_k/2beuEyBXvrI/s1600/P1010099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aKa-gfZ6VSg/UGC0zLWUPJI/AAAAAAAAD_k/2beuEyBXvrI/s400/P1010099.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Hello, God? It's me, Robin. Thank you."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Highlights: the first signs of fall
colors, the crisp air and changing skies, the sunset, and the strength I felt
as I hiked along, confident... and best of all, simply happy.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6kj_JhF2m_w/UGC0yXplrqI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/pIZuEECQ9_4/s1600/P1010097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6kj_JhF2m_w/UGC0yXplrqI/AAAAAAAAD_Y/pIZuEECQ9_4/s400/P1010097.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy, simple, and peaceful.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-51685622617250192352012-09-06T17:45:00.000-05:002012-09-06T17:46:00.812-05:00Pictured Rocks 2012 - Lakeshore Trail Thru-hike<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b>Thursday, August 30, 2012.</b></div>
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I picked up Brian in Neenah and we rode up to Munising,
Michigan to get the backcountry permits for the hike and our rendezvous
campsites at the Munising Tourist Park Campground settled before others
arrived. We got everything important taken care of right upon arriving in
Munising, so we set up our tents and head out for a quick visit to Miner’s
Castle, Miner’s Falls and the beach. We also took care of a few chores… you
know, important things like getting firewood, graham crackers and chocolate to
go with our marshmallows, beer and ice to cool it with… then back to our
campsite for the evening. As the sun went down we watched a couple of jet skis
buzz around the lake and make all kinds of noise while a few stand-up-paddlers
paddled around quietly while rocking over the jet ski’s waves. It made me never
want to own a jet ski, and made me really want to try stand-up-paddling.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IfUj1bpt-eM/UEeYTdaejkI/AAAAAAAADi8/5e-d_itZlCM/s1600/P8300008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IfUj1bpt-eM/UEeYTdaejkI/AAAAAAAADi8/5e-d_itZlCM/s400/P8300008.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miner's Castle. You may have seen this in a scenic calendar. Pretty popular spot.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miner's Falls. My first time seeing this falls!</td></tr>
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Eventually our hiking partners began to arrive. Rachel,
Sheila, Jen, Jon, Tisa, Gary, Susan and Kevin. We were only missing Graham who
let us know he was meeting us at the Munising Falls Interpretive Center where
we were scheduled to have the shuttle pick us up at 9am the next morning.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset at the Munising Tourist Park Campground.</td></tr>
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We all sat around a campfire, watched a giant coal boat
slowly hum past us while we all enjoyed a few drinks and snacks. We all got
“sapped” at some point at this campsite. We’ve stayed here before and have
never had a problem with pine sap, but it was everywhere on the picnic tables
and the ground, so we were all a sticky mess and dirty before we even hit the
trail. Just before we all retired to our tents for the night, we were lucky
enough to get one of those unplanned tent light shows from Jen as she
spastically wiped the sand off of her feet inside her tent. She had no idea the
rest of us sitting around the fire were hysterical from the shadows she was
creating on her tent walls! This became a running joke for the rest of the
weekend, and Jen went along with it, giggling right along. We had a very laid
back, fun group of people!</div>
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<b>Friday, August 31, 2012</b></div>
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<b>Day one on the trail.</b></div>
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<b>Grand Sable Visitor’s Center to Au Sable Group Campsite.</b></div>
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<b>7.1 miles.</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(L-R) Jon, Brian, Gary, Tisa, Jen, Sheila, Robin, Susan, Ms. Sock, Kevin, Mr. Sock, Rachel, Graham</td></tr>
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<b> </b> </div>
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At some point Thursday night my TMJ flared up. I was not happy about this since I was just coming off a really bad episode the week before this trip. I tell you, it can't be stress! When I'm on hiking trips I am the least stressed ever! I think I just sleep funny. Anyway, I tried really hard to not let it put a damper on my plans, but I was worried that I was going to have trouble eating the food I packed along, but thankfully, I was able to get through it okay. I did have to refill my ibuprofen bottle when I got home, though. That was pretty much the only down-side to the trip, so I certainly can't complain. Everything else went great.</div>
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On Friday morning we woke up and packed up camp as we all unsuccessfully tried to avoid being "sapped" again. I think we all had sticky, dirty spots on us and/or our gear somewhere. At this point I didn't really care because we were going to be heading into the woods and getting dirty, anyway.</div>
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When we arrived at the Munising Falls Interpretive Center parking lot where the shuttle was scheduled to meet us and pick us up, Graham met us there with donuts! What a treat! We took a quick group photo with Sock and his sock girlfriend and got on the shuttle, which arrived right on schedule as always.</div>
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On Friday we had a short day to the Au Sable Group Campsite - only 7.1 miles. So we took our time getting our hiking legs going. We saw our first wildlife in the first 3 or so miles. A beaver! He didn't care one bit that we were all lined up in the trail taking photos and video of him either! He just kept on eating his leaves and chewing on his bark like we would eat corn on the cob. It was fun to just watch and observe him so close up.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our beaver friend!</td></tr>
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A little while later we reached the Log Slide. This is a sand dune that drops down to Lake Superior about 500 feet, 300 of those feet being straight down vertically. It's a very steep drop, so when you run down the dune, the sand falls with you as you take long, flying, leaping steps. It's really cool because you kind of feel like you're floating down. Towards the end there's a few drop-offs that can be kind of scary if you've got some momentum going - somewhere in here Graham lost his glasses - and with all the cascading sand, there was pretty much zero chance of finding them - and we never did. Graham, Kevin, Brian and I all went down. Once at the bottom we jumped in the lake - it was too inviting to pass up. Then we started our way back up. Let me tell you what - that is WORK! I've done the Log Slide a couple of times before, and I forget each time just how exhausting it is! But it's so much fun, and such a great challenge! I sometimes wish I lived closer so that I could go every morning and make it part of a workout routine.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graham standing at the top of the Log Slide drop-off with a look on his face as if to say, "Yeah, I'm totally going to dominate this thing."</td></tr>
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Our next stop after the Log Slide was camp. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Au Sable East Group Campsite.</td></tr>
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We stayed at the Au Sable Group Campsite, which is about a 1/2-mile hike from the lighthouse where you can take tours of the buildings around the lighthouse and climb up to the top for some great views. Since we arrived so early, a few of our group who haven't done the tour head down to check that out. The rest of us took to the shoreline for swimming and lounging around in the sand and sun until the tour-bound group got back and joined us on the beach. It was a spectacular way to spend the first afternoon on the trail.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xlqqIQkVdIk/UEeYemRL05I/AAAAAAAADmQ/Gk7PxnGBxC8/s1600/P8310070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xlqqIQkVdIk/UEeYemRL05I/AAAAAAAADmQ/Gk7PxnGBxC8/s400/P8310070.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our very own beach at Au Sable.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MW7efDWRFqzh2zWA8MGP99zpUYyfU76gQ5MPUoaDeqHsLCn5-VZw2wZMkztLacHNiB6u_OSPb_YgafAY4N4PS8pL-tWa4BRC4vDjrHPGiorBSJWw3hOyezzq1PZOWBvmdEsgUfIAGHk/s1600/P8310077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MW7efDWRFqzh2zWA8MGP99zpUYyfU76gQ5MPUoaDeqHsLCn5-VZw2wZMkztLacHNiB6u_OSPb_YgafAY4N4PS8pL-tWa4BRC4vDjrHPGiorBSJWw3hOyezzq1PZOWBvmdEsgUfIAGHk/s400/P8310077.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming fun! This is Graham, me and Rachel trying to get a group self-shot underwater. It took a while to get in synch!</td></tr>
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We head back to camp and made dinner, then as a group, we all head back towards the lighthouse where we were able to get a better view of the sunset. The spot we picked was where a few remnants of a shipwreck laid along the sandy beach, so we were able to snap a few cool photos of the waves crashing up over it with the sun lowering in the background. It was beautiful as it always is along Lake Superior. This was our first night on trail, and our sunset show did not disappoint. There were no clouds so we just got a gradiated pastel sky after the sun actually sunk down below the horizon, but it was so clear that you could actually make out the waves of the lake in front of the sun as it slowly disappeared.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaBLgYhWri_KpFn-8pbfOHCbLdPaKEclTEaUwuiV1X8Tm3C4_9eX4gKXv8ab7sCSpAsFOyGdz4g4fN6D0qwz7Wc48ASKv1bUuhr92sSPFdTRRUZ-EiIzT5rHcYnqZflpGtQH6kyH23pA/s1600/P8310140.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYaBLgYhWri_KpFn-8pbfOHCbLdPaKEclTEaUwuiV1X8Tm3C4_9eX4gKXv8ab7sCSpAsFOyGdz4g4fN6D0qwz7Wc48ASKv1bUuhr92sSPFdTRRUZ-EiIzT5rHcYnqZflpGtQH6kyH23pA/s400/P8310140.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just before sunset. Waves crashing over the shipwreck.</td></tr>
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On our walk back to our campsite, we were able to witness one of the brightest moons I've ever seen. It was actually a blue moon (2nd full moon in August) and it was amazing. My camera doesn't always capture the best nighttime photos, but this one was so bright it actually came out okay. We spent a little more time on the beach ooohing and aaaahing over the moon while playing and throwing giant stones into the lake and listening to them crash and echo.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmVKNeznUIZwA7uMdEB47HizYBya99fMaJavVPv1QP2SWe2ki8n9Z8_56JxTzR8yKgaEcw_-VI42VIGhEWC3_xsE38k6nxInqVNHqvKZfoU4abIsoP2zfZ27riaTxr76xArvbSe9dzH0/s1600/P8310171.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmVKNeznUIZwA7uMdEB47HizYBya99fMaJavVPv1QP2SWe2ki8n9Z8_56JxTzR8yKgaEcw_-VI42VIGhEWC3_xsE38k6nxInqVNHqvKZfoU4abIsoP2zfZ27riaTxr76xArvbSe9dzH0/s400/P8310171.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Incredible blue moon!</td></tr>
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<b>Saturday, September 1, 2012</b></div>
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<b>Day two on the trail.<br />
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<b>Au Sable Group Campsite to Trapper's Lake Group Campsite</b></div>
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<b>11.3 miles (10.9 to the trail junction + .4 to the campsite)</b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5PjUfoYl6wXsd8BbptcOyihnXYXOav1VGLNvAbrxNqlvIJneaWQTPirq-kMdmJUZN2EN35uyYngEMuB4p-tRjbfblCPx7UGiBtNZl2CUAhyphenhyphentAbcJGXDLLFYK_Cucdsx_l_mxhRCfYOA/s1600/P9010188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5PjUfoYl6wXsd8BbptcOyihnXYXOav1VGLNvAbrxNqlvIJneaWQTPirq-kMdmJUZN2EN35uyYngEMuB4p-tRjbfblCPx7UGiBtNZl2CUAhyphenhyphentAbcJGXDLLFYK_Cucdsx_l_mxhRCfYOA/s400/P9010188.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in my happy place!</td></tr>
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We all woke up and kind of got going on our own. We took turns leaving the campsite, and I was among one of the last. After Rachel and I super-hiked this same trail in two days in July, we were both pretty excited to take it easy and enjoy the sites and stops along the way. Not long after we got going in the morning, we stopped at Hurricane River - it's a pretty stop along the beach. I treated some water to make a Gatorade drink, we snapped a few photos and hiked on.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusIi6NgK6pa4dzWFNy9axgVdsyKN9KlWw-FGdDncSWV-TmxjToCeR_1ZkyQbLaOrnYftMNiQWQAK4GSfARHbFXU25lnj-E0ZUBKchlR0syQ7v20qZESskqCWCfQf0Um3WjxpKlmV2_hI/s1600/P9010178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiusIi6NgK6pa4dzWFNy9axgVdsyKN9KlWw-FGdDncSWV-TmxjToCeR_1ZkyQbLaOrnYftMNiQWQAK4GSfARHbFXU25lnj-E0ZUBKchlR0syQ7v20qZESskqCWCfQf0Um3WjxpKlmV2_hI/s400/P9010178.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hurricane River outlet.</td></tr>
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We made a group stop at the Sevenmile Group Campsite where we knew there was a pretty sweet beach to hang out at. We swam, ate lunch, and Rachel even flew a kite! It was a perfect sunny, breezy day for it!</div>
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After a nice long break we head on out back on the trail to our campsite, which was only about 4 more miles. We passed by the "junky ol' car" and snapped photos of it as we do every time we pass by it. It's been there a long time, and rumor has it that, well, there's not really an exciting story to it. But there are bullet holes in the side of it, so we came up with own story that linked it to the mob. We were much more satisfied with that story.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AZlJMA-iiO0/UEeYsnHbOyI/AAAAAAAADqo/_QN5ZHMhb3o/s1600/P9010200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AZlJMA-iiO0/UEeYsnHbOyI/AAAAAAAADqo/_QN5ZHMhb3o/s400/P9010200.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tisa, Robin and Rachel in front of the ol' car.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5XK724RQA-8/UEiw23240XI/AAAAAAAAD4o/l-Mf5qsFcAg/s1600/Trappers+Lake.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5XK724RQA-8/UEiw23240XI/AAAAAAAAD4o/l-Mf5qsFcAg/s400/Trappers+Lake.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trapper's Lake Group Campiste. 1/2-mile hike from Lake Superior.</td></tr>
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Once at camp, we set up tents and got organized to head to Lake Superior for dinner, which was about a 1/2-mile hike. We were camped right on Trapper's Lake, which is a beautiful lake surrounded by thick forest, but it's also very silty, hard to filter from, and snapping turtles have been spotted in past years. We all wanted to swim (again!!), so we abandoned camp for a few hours for dinner, swimming, playing and the sunset on the big lake.</div>
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As I was getting ready to go, and organizing my things, I happened to see something peeking through my miscellaneous gear that I didn't recognize. It was a darned giant PICKLE! I was totally pickled! I knew this was Rachel's doing, and I could hardly be upset about carrying if for the whole day because first of all, it's a great prank... second of all, we got to eat it! I passed my pickle around and a few of us that were still hanging around got a big bite, and then I drank the juice, which tasted even better than the pickle itself! It was a nice treat. But... now I have to get Rachel back! Hah! Love this stuff...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best dinner table on earth.</td></tr>
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Once at the beach, I swam, treated some water and made one of my new favorite dinners -- spinach and ricotta-stuffed tortellini with pesto sauce - it took a while to make since I had to simmer it, so it's a fuel-sucker, but it was sure a treat!</div>
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While we waited for the sun to go down, we all had a chance to nap, swim, lay around and play. I drew giant designs in an untouched section of sand.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbNWnFYad8rlpEKf9dMpSBKogoUp_YciXSboN98cgtb3h-kwLC6RresBcUz3MfCAnzIBVkGjY77Oip4ERoahbvk4_5pYF970zDU1Adp0lm1iME-RLA-qID8itvXKTKBhvDq4gesPrAAw/s1600/P9010222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbNWnFYad8rlpEKf9dMpSBKogoUp_YciXSboN98cgtb3h-kwLC6RresBcUz3MfCAnzIBVkGjY77Oip4ERoahbvk4_5pYF970zDU1Adp0lm1iME-RLA-qID8itvXKTKBhvDq4gesPrAAw/s400/P9010222.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand angel!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand art.</td></tr>
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And then the sun set. We had a few whispy clouds for this one, so it lit up the sky a little more and provided a little more color than the night before. It was like it was trying to outdo itself each night, and that was okay with us! The moon that night was really bright again, too. At night while lying in the tent, it was almost like someone was standing outside your tent with a headlamp on! It created some cool shadows, too. The nights were pleasant, and so far, the only condensation we dealt with was the first night when we camped at the Munising Tourist Park Campground... so the trail was being very kind to us and showing us a perfect weekend so far.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWP_l-L5eCIv6FBvr8oqknxGrrBT81nUVoUBa0ALg5_PMALktCM3B9u4WntseSGFS3EVHwZkZIe_ttDHuVbIwj06k4yeZXaYhyphenhyphenVQq4qnHgNb0tZgcsrLJ-1kiufgtgVVbuFVdVbkDuNo/s1600/P9010253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWP_l-L5eCIv6FBvr8oqknxGrrBT81nUVoUBa0ALg5_PMALktCM3B9u4WntseSGFS3EVHwZkZIe_ttDHuVbIwj06k4yeZXaYhyphenhyphenVQq4qnHgNb0tZgcsrLJ-1kiufgtgVVbuFVdVbkDuNo/s400/P9010253.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturday's sunset.</td></tr>
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<b>Sunday, September 2, 2012</b></div>
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<b>Day three on the trail.<br />
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<b>Trapper's Lake Group Campsite to Mosquito Group Campsite</b></div>
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<b>12.9 miles</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cliffs begin. Chances to horse around before they get too steep!</td></tr>
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Sunday was my favorite day. We rounded a corner and the view opened up. This is where Pictured Rocks gets so spectacular. The first few days were great - we had a lot of beaches, lakeshore, smooth trails and just great hiking. But it just gets better and better on this trip. You start to climb and before you know it, you're looking over a sheer cliff hundreds of feet above the lake. Looking down you see teal and bright blue waters that are crystal-clear -- so clear that you can see almost every rock below the surface and the orange and brown colors of them all ripply through the water's surface. Tour and recreational boats zoom past every once in a while, giving real perspective just as to how far down the lake actually is. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isn't this amazing!?</td></tr>
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Our first stop was at the beach near the Coves campsites. I had to do some laundry and it was time for second breakfast. The problem was that a very short time later we reached a spot on the trail that I've passed by every time I've been to Pictured Rocks, and have always wanted to stop at. It's a tiny little cove with a small beach and rocks along the edge that are maybe 10 feet above the water. There are a couple of holes you can jump off into, and I've always seen people swimming and playing here whenever I'm hiking through. But it always works out that we've just stopped for a break, or just started out hiking, or some other dumb reason to not stop anyway. This year I promised myself I'd stop here, but I couldn't remember exactly where it was. We did just stop for a break, and I actually, for one second, thought about passing it by. But then I turned back and said, "Nope. I'm stopping. I don't care. We've got all day to hike." Rachel, Brian and Kevin joined me. We were the last in the pack, so we didn't really have a chance to let the others know we were stopping, but we had plans to meet up at Chapel beach later on.</div>
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I'm pretty sure that we were all glad we stopped. We explored around the edge where we've never really gone before, and there was some pretty freakin' spectacular rock formations under the clear water. There were giant potholes that were created when smaller stones got inside and the waves caused them to swirl around inside, and some were big enough that we could sit in them, or swim underneath and pop out through them. It was like an underwater playground! I kind of wished I'd brought along a snorkel!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underwater pothole created from those rocks that are in there and waves.</td></tr>
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Then Brian and I cliff-jumped. We jumped a few times and it was SO MUCH FUN!! Cannonball after cannonball we jumped. I didn't really want to leave this spot - it was so amazing. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0M0gl6tM8awFqe5YLekA-GJGlFGj-ZlN1MkthNmfUH5SzmLCHjvghRl9e3VmjoepeTHtRtxyx3sGlnIbnkVq6QF6CFqDkwKOwnI6U7oI_5tu_lRFmzraPIksWOSvparpMgS1zWomlGvA/s1600/P9020312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0M0gl6tM8awFqe5YLekA-GJGlFGj-ZlN1MkthNmfUH5SzmLCHjvghRl9e3VmjoepeTHtRtxyx3sGlnIbnkVq6QF6CFqDkwKOwnI6U7oI_5tu_lRFmzraPIksWOSvparpMgS1zWomlGvA/s400/P9020312.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jumping, swimming and exploring the crazy-cool rocks.</td></tr>
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On one of our jumps, Brian and I jumped at the same time for a photo op. Kevin was standing on the shore taking the photo of us, and he snapped one of the funniest pictures from the entire trip. For those that might not know me like those from my backpacking group do, I am kind of known for (and I guess I'll admit this) talking about poop a lot. It's something that backpackers find themselves talking about - since we have to take care of waste in a certain way, so the discussion of Leave No Trace comes up, and we all need to learn it... well, whatever. I talk about poop more than the average person. So anyway, when Kevin snapped this photo, it seemed appropriate that it looks like Brian is pooping me out. What makes it even funnier is that I'm plugging my nose! So the saying went, "Robin was reborn."</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hws-AsfCrJA5w3_WrxWw5KP_FTFDa23S6XZMLvliqra4TH2C91M_6ClgD7xnJDVMt2sueSXbqh2wkviS9imUO_-uG2hnOP9jVsVZzROc30XEXhxX-LTNWfAmaEcAoObhLz0gI5X5QnI/s1600/Reborn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7hws-AsfCrJA5w3_WrxWw5KP_FTFDa23S6XZMLvliqra4TH2C91M_6ClgD7xnJDVMt2sueSXbqh2wkviS9imUO_-uG2hnOP9jVsVZzROc30XEXhxX-LTNWfAmaEcAoObhLz0gI5X5QnI/s400/Reborn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photographic evidence of my being "reborn!" Thanks for the photo, Kevin!!</td></tr>
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We laughed and laughed. These are the crazy moments that will last forever and make trips like this so much fun. And I'm glad everyone in our group has such a good sense of humor about this kind of stuff! Hard not to, since it's so silly. :)</div>
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Also on this amazing, super-awesome day of hiking, we hit a section of trail that goes along the edge of a sheer, kind of scary cliff that resembles almost a desert terrain. It's just layered sandstone that juts out and drops straight off into Lake Superior. Kevin set us up for another really fun photo. He, Brian and I went out to the edge and posed for a mid-air jump shot. Thanks to Rachel for taking such a great photo!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkZFLCvnvBtposeo3qFwd41nD1stoA-XCfMLFQoSViAJR9O7YfBya4_D1xf8j1zlvnl3ZAnRR31C45f1pLDFiix3J7yG29xDaarSj-SO9NfLfo7Yx9AYoOVfC9BE0aYnxWoB-NqwNJ4g/s1600/JumpJumpJump.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkZFLCvnvBtposeo3qFwd41nD1stoA-XCfMLFQoSViAJR9O7YfBya4_D1xf8j1zlvnl3ZAnRR31C45f1pLDFiix3J7yG29xDaarSj-SO9NfLfo7Yx9AYoOVfC9BE0aYnxWoB-NqwNJ4g/s400/JumpJumpJump.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy, happy hiking jumps!</td></tr>
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The most spectacular hiking day was just starting to wind down a little when we reached Chapel beach and finally met up with some of our group. With our stop at the cliff-jumping section, we were way behind everyone else, and some had already swam and moved on. We stopped for a swim anyway, and I got brave. A pontoon pulled up and a huge family was milling around by us with can koozies containing frosty, ice-cold beers. I thought to myself, "I'll probably never see these people again. If I ask them for a beer, the worse thing that can happed is they say 'no.'" So I walked over and asked them if I could buy a beer off of them for a couple of bucks. I told them about how we're two days into our hike and a cold beer would really hit the spot. He didn't take my money, but he did give me a beer! It was a frosty cold Labatt Blue. And between the few of us that shared it, it didn't last more than five minutes. It was tasty!!</div>
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Then we hiked on to our next campsite - Mosquito River Group Camp.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jn5JpFUZtdU/UEiwz0-A6sI/AAAAAAAAD4U/9Ebn0hEDivg/s1600/Mosquito.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jn5JpFUZtdU/UEiwz0-A6sI/AAAAAAAAD4U/9Ebn0hEDivg/s400/Mosquito.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosquito River Group Campsite</td></tr>
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Oh, and a lesson was learned on Day #3. Bacon is only good the first two days. After that it gives you a bubbly stomach and a trip into the woods. My analogy was this: Bacon on days #1 and #2 is like a superhero with super powers, but on day #3 turns into a villian and makes you miserable. It's a fine line, I tell you. I got really tired toward the end of the day. I hadn't drank enough water through the day with all the fun stops and awesomeness that went on, and with the bacon episode I was pretty dehydrated by the time we reached camp. But I perked up. A third swim in Lake Superior will cure any ailment!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aAxbht6qdHY/UEeZERnMpMI/AAAAAAAADxs/lvJKk853kGU/s1600/P9020385.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aAxbht6qdHY/UEeZERnMpMI/AAAAAAAADxs/lvJKk853kGU/s400/P9020385.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laundry drying on the beach by Mosquito River.</td></tr>
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Once again, we followed our normal routine. We hit the beach, swam, hung clothes to dry, snacked, and head back to camp for dinner. A short while later we were all back on the beach for sunset. A few of us head around the rocky point to a really neat spot for the last sunset show on the trip. And again, it was an improvement over the last two nights' sunsets... if you can believe that! A few more clouds lit up in florescents than the previous nights and the colors stuck around for quite a while even after the glowing sun had disappeared. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmg_Kf9DY6_oA9I0lZcqKua4_-YBZm0n4EGWVxJDCMwbJujaNT8jOmp57yZQVoQ-kNq2fgpgmyVCAk4aMOLTyasFRCbu4QHg5Me7lvYhd4cHLYZdg4eZYyMUjpxW9pvdC4NZSNi2u3Qk4/s1600/P9020393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmg_Kf9DY6_oA9I0lZcqKua4_-YBZm0n4EGWVxJDCMwbJujaNT8jOmp57yZQVoQ-kNq2fgpgmyVCAk4aMOLTyasFRCbu4QHg5Me7lvYhd4cHLYZdg4eZYyMUjpxW9pvdC4NZSNi2u3Qk4/s400/P9020393.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watching the sun set our last night on the trail.</td></tr>
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<b>Monday, September 3, 2012</b></div>
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<b>Day four on the trail.<br />
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<b>Mosquito Group Campsite to Munising Falls Interpretive Center</b></div>
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<b>12 miles</b></div>
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We had 12 miles to hike and a few of our group had to get home earlier, so Graham, Sheila, Jen and Tisa hit the trail before the rest of us even woke up. They did a great job being super quiet, because I don't even think I woke up when they were getting packed up. When the rest of us woke up, we ate our breakfast and hit the trail for our last day.</div>
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We stopped at Miner's beach for a break, and Gary, Jon and I took one more swim. I just couldn't get enough of swimming on this trip! It was overcast and you could see some weather was moving in. After Miner's beach we stopped at Miner's castle and learned that a short series of storms might be passing through, but it sounded like it could be hit or miss, and would only last about 30 minutes. The seven of us that were left hiked on and took a couple more breaks together as we worked our way to our cars and the finish of our trip. We must have all had burgers on our mind (milkshakes for me!) because we were cruising right along!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKEiMEN0RXblHlEqDdv0sq4xt-YVkGUgbluF7mvr-eeqwQF2kixmf9FC65_thsTAVDm2jepEKljAnFYns5GBZGftkqACytU2OWw5AW3ikCPxYgb9QmqZLtZfqIV5LpkBxt5HoI4ue3WY/s1600/P9030422.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDKEiMEN0RXblHlEqDdv0sq4xt-YVkGUgbluF7mvr-eeqwQF2kixmf9FC65_thsTAVDm2jepEKljAnFYns5GBZGftkqACytU2OWw5AW3ikCPxYgb9QmqZLtZfqIV5LpkBxt5HoI4ue3WY/s400/P9030422.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A very comfy break spot!</td></tr>
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About a half an hour before we reached the end of the hike, thunder started to roll above us and over Lake Superior. We smiled and enjoyed the sound as it cracked through the air. We started to feel a few raindrops, but we must have all been in the same exact mindset, because not one of us stopped to put on our raingear. It had gotten super humid out, so we were all sweating profusely. Dripping wet sweaty. So when the rain started, it actually felt pretty good. Then it rained harder. And harder. And harder. And then we were soaked all the way through. The trail turned to river and we splashed through like little kids. It was fun! We were smiling and just kept on hiking right through it. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLA4Hkzz3mKk7mhhZx_ByI79Cfy6Byea3b4Q5lHR-i56Wj9qqzf54v6y8icVLSRw1bD5igDKr1BaeXs9K3BPXafXHqOW2puskr1EZ5UqZQUgMqxzIdYOs7sqwISTlDcHoHPOeN3rjY9M/s1600/P9030432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdLA4Hkzz3mKk7mhhZx_ByI79Cfy6Byea3b4Q5lHR-i56Wj9qqzf54v6y8icVLSRw1bD5igDKr1BaeXs9K3BPXafXHqOW2puskr1EZ5UqZQUgMqxzIdYOs7sqwISTlDcHoHPOeN3rjY9M/s400/P9030432.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Huge smiles, enjoying the downpour!</td></tr>
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When we reached the end, we threw our packs down next to the bathrooms to protect them from more rain, which probably didn't even matter at that point - they were soaked through, anyway. Thankfully this rain storm hit during the last mile of the hike and not the first, although we'd have sucked it up and dealt with it just fine if it had.</div>
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It was raining so hard that Gary actually was able to soap up in the parking lot and shower! I stripped down to my "swimsuit" that I used on the trip, which consisted of a sports bra and shorty underwear -- and I didn't care. I was so soaked that it was just easier that way. We all changed in the bathroom, had a celebretory beer in the parking lot, then head to the Dogpatch for dinner. Burgers, beer and milkshakes were consumed, and as a group, we decided to forgo the camping for the evening and we split a couple of hotel rooms. Good call, too. We were able to dry out, sit in a hot tub and watch some TV. What a way to relax after a happily exhausting weekend of backpacking! And the next morning was foggy and damp, too... so we appreciated the warm, dry rooms even more when we woke up. The waffles weren't bad, either.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2ztNlj4SqiZOAQ_PhFa4V7OD2AJp6mAOPk64wmzKB7lVzsekqwy-BoavnylFTbPOARN2qLAot3bsxy27i54aWkFdCsiMDnD-C5HarmqvNUE0DhHxRLUCy8BLlhFyBL_knY7hTZULtKs/s1600/P9030437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd2ztNlj4SqiZOAQ_PhFa4V7OD2AJp6mAOPk64wmzKB7lVzsekqwy-BoavnylFTbPOARN2qLAot3bsxy27i54aWkFdCsiMDnD-C5HarmqvNUE0DhHxRLUCy8BLlhFyBL_knY7hTZULtKs/s400/P9030437.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The seven of us SOAKING wet and happy... and SUPER excited for restaurant FOOD!</td></tr>
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We had a smaller group this year than we expected, but it was a great group of people. We all laughed, carried inside jokes along the trail for all four days, and just bonded and had a great time. We shared food, talked about pack weight, dealt with blisters and pains together, carried or pushed each other along when we needed it, simultaneously complained about sand-hiking (there's a lot of it on this trail!), swam and relaxed. We enjoyed fires, campfood, Clyde the chipmunk, Apple Pie (thanks Brian!!), feet-washing (well, jokes about it, anyway) and great trails. The best part of this trip is always the people that are on it and how awesome they all make it as a whole. The second best part of this trip would have to be the views. They can be mind-blowing. We were in Upper Michigan and it felt like were in a completely different world.</div>
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I'm sure next year will be just as spectacular. Or better, because it does seem to get better every year!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IJYjql4mPY0/UEeY9xO5peI/AAAAAAAADvs/nM8iwg8cZfk/s1600/P9020345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IJYjql4mPY0/UEeY9xO5peI/AAAAAAAADvs/nM8iwg8cZfk/s640/P9020345.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bye, Pictured Rocks. Until next time!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-58511842400964133562012-08-20T17:24:00.000-05:002012-08-21T08:17:14.971-05:00<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j47MzxrcySM/UDK3EA59jfI/AAAAAAAADh0/-EzT5PLlxj0/s1600/StashHike.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j47MzxrcySM/UDK3EA59jfI/AAAAAAAADh0/-EzT5PLlxj0/s400/StashHike.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A weekend full of mustaches, hiking and live Christian music.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Oh, the weekend. It
started with a mustache-wearing manly-man movie night. The next day was full of
sunshine and watching local Christian bands perform live on stage, and the last
day was a long day hike! It was a full weekend of random fun things. The only
bad part of it was that it went by way too fast!</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PAXN2KKYFME/UDK3LNkvzDI/AAAAAAAADh8/sj9RmDuXcXY/s1600/Stash.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PAXN2KKYFME/UDK3LNkvzDI/AAAAAAAADh8/sj9RmDuXcXY/s400/Stash.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">On Friday night, I
attended “Manly Man Movie Night.” It’s a night of grill-your-own steaks, facial
hair and a “shoot-em-up” movie meant for men only… but women have also kindly
been invited, as long as they wear facial hair. I didn’t want to miss out on a
steak, a movie and some popcorn. And I’m not one to pass up the opportunity to
look like a total dork wearing fake facial hair! So I went along with Adam’s
fun event (admittedly this is my 3<sup>rd</sup> time going!), and we met up
with friends in Green Bay at the Prime Quarter. We grilled our steaks – mine
turned out perfectly delicious – and had a couple of drinks before setting out
to the movie theatre. We watched “Expendables 2” which has a lot of big stars that
you might recognize – there’s Arnold Schwarzennegger, Sylvester Stallone, Dolph
Lundgren, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, and even a few appearances from Chuck
Norris, among others. The best part of the movie was the dialogue that picked
up from previous movies these guys have been in – very funny stuff. There was a
lot of fire and several explosions, many manly modes of transportation by way of land,
water and sky, and guns, knives, chains and fights. Skulls, too. It was pretty
manly. I ate too much popcorn, so that added to my fun night!</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6hkUJAbDfSY/UDK3XL9qJRI/AAAAAAAADiE/FE0yNBsQLa0/s1600/Random.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6hkUJAbDfSY/UDK3XL9qJRI/AAAAAAAADiE/FE0yNBsQLa0/s400/Random.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Random group of guys that dug our fake mustaches.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zd_ZXOYlpPo/UDK3jZkuLMI/AAAAAAAADiM/idFTTsmFV5I/s1600/Praise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zd_ZXOYlpPo/UDK3jZkuLMI/AAAAAAAADiM/idFTTsmFV5I/s400/Praise.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adam on stage singing with the Trinity Lutheran Praise Band! Rock on!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">On Saturday morning, Adam
and I got up and head over to the Leach amphitheater in Oshkosh to attend
Praise Fest. He and his praise band from our church were going to perform a few
songs. I was excited to see them get a chance to play on a big stage. And it
was pretty darned cool! They had the chance to really jam and sing as loud as
they wanted – and they looked like they were having a great time! They sounded
awesome as always! We stayed to see all the groups perform, and I stupidly didn’t
bring sunscreen, so I got a nice burn on my left arm and the back of my neck,
as well as a pretty tan line on my legs again. Yippee! It was a fun day. I
mostly enjoyed having a whole entire day to spend next to Adam. We don’t get a
lot of that lately, so it was really nice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O___RwxZJsqYcSQPeDwh_nTdkMIYiRaMb1V_SFCpdg7DS9VnM1ubH9tcKY9w2-_7xzvoB6u-Tscv6QVX27FAGiXzYpO_QeNjqSteyFj7DplGiHZTyvw4QM31WALhGhS06j5yuWnY6Uw/s1600/P8190152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6O___RwxZJsqYcSQPeDwh_nTdkMIYiRaMb1V_SFCpdg7DS9VnM1ubH9tcKY9w2-_7xzvoB6u-Tscv6QVX27FAGiXzYpO_QeNjqSteyFj7DplGiHZTyvw4QM31WALhGhS06j5yuWnY6Uw/s400/P8190152.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of another 20-mile day hike!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Sunday was a day of
hiking. I head up to Rachel’s house at 5:30am and we head out from her place
over to Waupaca to hike around Hartman Creek State Park. Neither of us had ever
visited the park, which is strange since it’s fairly close – and it was great!
We had new trails that we weren’t familiar with to hike on, and we kind of just
decided as we went along on which trails we’d take at junctions. We ended up
spending the majority of our time on the fabulous Ice Age Trail. We started on
park trails, jumped on the IAT, went north out of the park, turned around and
walked back into the park, though the park, the looped around and rejoined the
IAT south of the park and out, following it even further. Then we took a little
loop off of the IAT and hiked back into the park, took a few more loops within
Hartman Creek and ended at the car with just a hair over 20 miles, which was
our goal for the day. We ended up hiking quite a bit of the Hartman Creek and
Emmons Creek segments of the Ice Age Trail, and they were incredible. They were
very well-maintained, well-marked, and the variety of scenery blew us away. We
had farm fields – full of different crops – corn, grass, cabbage, pumpkins,
sweet corn, cow corn, gourds… all kinds of things. We hiked through meadows,
pine trees, woods, tall grasses, over a creek, through grassy hills… and all
with a variety of terrain, too. We will definitely be back to hike more some
other time. We even thought a winter hike would be fun, so that might be
something coming up later in the year, too!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwO9rQsewJ9FjbCFVLyq7HRCUJN9wNTNVYIaVXVjLT9p9SjTnVKfdrykmneDfLhDP4LEJ89oDf5EpuGQBCAAxUC5Ea1vR5SMXcWzxDQ3WNtEnQKiQ4_c1z4aOtBZ8TaKsJ9FuhIpwolk/s1600/P8190168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwO9rQsewJ9FjbCFVLyq7HRCUJN9wNTNVYIaVXVjLT9p9SjTnVKfdrykmneDfLhDP4LEJ89oDf5EpuGQBCAAxUC5Ea1vR5SMXcWzxDQ3WNtEnQKiQ4_c1z4aOtBZ8TaKsJ9FuhIpwolk/s400/P8190168.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ice Age Trail rocks. For reals.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">So it was a packed
weekend, and I enjoyed it all. But each time I go hiking, I once again confirm that
it’s just definitely my thing. It was on the drive home that I was already
thinking about where and when I could hike next. Even though my feet hurt, and
my legs were tired, and I was tired… I didn’t care. I just wanted to wake up the
next morning and hike again. I feel really fortunate that I found my passion,
and that I hopefully have a ton of time left to pursue it more and more. I’ve
actually been giving up a few other things I like to do to hike more this
summer, and I’m loving every minute of it. It’s making me even more obsessed
with it, in fact! Whenever I’m at work, I wish I were hiking. When I’m running,
I’d rather be hiking. When I’m eating, I’d rather be eating a Snickers on the
trail. When I’m sleeping, I’d rather be tossing and turning and twisting myself
up in my sleeping bag.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-size: 10.0pt;">Another thing I’m really
lucky to have? A supportive husband. He is my rock and makes me feel stable. He
is the reason I’m always happy to come home. I miss him every time I’m out, and
I’m always excited to see him, and I’m so lucky to have a guy that’s always
super excited to see me when I walk through that door with my dirty backpack
and gnarly used socks… and he will even give me a big hug and kiss, no matter
how terribly I smell. I love you, Adam.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQU0OxiANg2uiAZwod7bQ0YeIycLu_oHDp6IvhgXvdUuwmuhDjq3aMg-f87zrx9mhp-TEXqSDmUTKvTEjcbWXn5pPVGXWXqn3flNJq3d9BtBOzguT2enPa8ZtC1LqyCWD_PSnrKrRhyphenhyphenvY/s1600/P8190200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQU0OxiANg2uiAZwod7bQ0YeIycLu_oHDp6IvhgXvdUuwmuhDjq3aMg-f87zrx9mhp-TEXqSDmUTKvTEjcbWXn5pPVGXWXqn3flNJq3d9BtBOzguT2enPa8ZtC1LqyCWD_PSnrKrRhyphenhyphenvY/s400/P8190200.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This was probably my favorite section of the trail that we hiked. I actually bent over and pet the grass. It was so soft-looking! This part of the woods was just magical!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-49465111776828177932012-08-14T09:48:00.000-05:002012-08-14T09:48:16.138-05:00Oh, to go backpacking.
<br />
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsf56kfPEy7_Wm0PSXzYIEj9h5YVP-nt5wLHMGOKZ8Kt3Ais1mSUSMP1Q_0NRAW85VY8TRlaCVEwdNloFt2McqjzoeqVrFt8TQLDZ4gJksJLOHFCRIugf10zwiJrMUVQkTaPOqaFx9Hf8/s1600/backpack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsf56kfPEy7_Wm0PSXzYIEj9h5YVP-nt5wLHMGOKZ8Kt3Ais1mSUSMP1Q_0NRAW85VY8TRlaCVEwdNloFt2McqjzoeqVrFt8TQLDZ4gJksJLOHFCRIugf10zwiJrMUVQkTaPOqaFx9Hf8/s400/backpack.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Before I thru-hiked the American Discovery Trail with my
mom in 2006, I had only been on a handful of backpacking trips, none more than
a few nights long, and most being a night here and there. My first trip ever
was to the Porcupine Mountains in Upper Michigan, and despite the name of the
park, there really aren’t any huge mountains. Government Peak is probably the
biggest hill you’ll climb and that sits at about 1,850’. But it was my first
trip, and it was pretty rough. I still think it’s pretty amazing that I’ve gone
back to backpacking after that experience. But it wasn’t the hiking and the
cooking and the freezing (it unexpectedly snowed 3 feet a couple days before we
went), or even the nature. It was the camaraderie, the courage and strength it
took to push through something very difficult, and mostly, it was the
accomplishment of coming out on the other end, alive and well.</div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Since then, I’ve logged quite a few miles. Besides the
nearly 5,000 miles backpacking across the country on an epic mother/daughter
charity hike, I’ve thru-hiked the Tahoe Rim Trail (165 miles), thru-hiked the
Lakeshore Trail at Pictures Rocks National Seashore a few times (just recently
in only two days, 43 miles long), and gone on countless numbers of weekend
excursions with our awesome group of backpackers in the Fox Valley Backpackers
Meetup Group.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I’ve met some of my very best friends through Meetup and
backpacking, and I have to say my life would not be the same without all of it.
I love putting my pack on and heading into the woods to live off of only what I
carry. Sleep on the ground, stare at the stars, drink from the rivers, swim in
the lakes, keep warm around campfires, sip from random flasks that friends
bring to share, eat highly carbohydrated and salted meals, eat Snickers bars,
get dirt under my fingernails, dig catholes, put my greasy hair up into a pony
tail, try not to smell my socks, push through muscle pain and sometimes blister
pain, walk and pray, laugh, and just simply enjoy my surroundings – people and
places.</div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
My plan is to never stop backpacking. I love it. I learn
something new almost every single trip I go on. It’s not always related to
backpacking directly – what gear is best, how to use a stove more efficiently
or how to make tiramisu on the trail – a lot of times I learn something new
about myself. Or a friend. Or a chipmunk named Clyde. Either way, it never,
ever, ever gets old.</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>I have much to learn, and that is something I
hope never changes.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-78089361577292348722012-08-02T16:02:00.001-05:002012-08-02T16:02:58.040-05:00Pictured Rocks Crazy-Hike<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nVRiF74mHII/UBm2iHSNL1I/AAAAAAAADEc/gM1lJ2nf-J0/s1600/P7280051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nVRiF74mHII/UBm2iHSNL1I/AAAAAAAADEc/gM1lJ2nf-J0/s400/P7280051.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>Thru-hiking the Lakeshore Trail at the Pictured Rocks
National Lakeshore. 43.2 miles. 2 days.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So we decided to hike 21.7 miles. Then we woke up the
next day and did it again. It was challenging, beautiful, and as always, worth
every bit of energy it took us to accomplish.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I set out on this trek with Rachel again, as you all
probably know, my best hiking buddy… the newest member of what is a small
endurance-craving junkie population. She may not realize it yet, but she’s as
addicted to this as much as I am (sorry, Rachel – you are one of us now!). When
you can eat 5 pieces of bacon and not feel the slightest bit guilty about the
calories and fat you are putting into your body because you've just burned 8 times that hiking, it doesn’t take much to sell
this type of adventure. It really comes down to one question: “How much does
bacon mean to you?”</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsIYWbsZhSl_O1P7HBfluhyP2Zzyqs923BGLCaEy9XVcszOybOWOH0lBxKhsTQFb7VKMKz-O8ybyr1uPLKOOeowy9WXQ48xqt9PIOpkHJMeTXNzr2cVdGEKnpnRiqYwS0yWtHyAqIZQ4/s1600/P7300232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwsIYWbsZhSl_O1P7HBfluhyP2Zzyqs923BGLCaEy9XVcszOybOWOH0lBxKhsTQFb7VKMKz-O8ybyr1uPLKOOeowy9WXQ48xqt9PIOpkHJMeTXNzr2cVdGEKnpnRiqYwS0yWtHyAqIZQ4/s400/P7300232.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How do you really feel about your bacon, Rachel?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
With kidding aside (not really kidding about the bacon thing, though!), we did
hike 43.2 miles in two days with our full backpacks on, which weighed in at
about 30ish pounds each. It’s a tough job, and we were happy to do it. Well,
maybe all except for that last .8 miles that we didn’t expect. I wouldn’t give
them back for anything in the world now, but then? Yes, I would’ve teleported
to the finish if I’d had the option.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We drove up to Munising, Michigan after work on Friday
(with a stop in at Mickey Lu’s for delicious fire-grilled butter burgers!), so
we got up there quite late. We didn’t have any plans, so we drove down to Sand
Point Beach and parked the car. We got out, walked out on the beach and sat
down, enjoying the stars in a clear sky, a bright moon, and gentle waves along
the Lake Superior shoreline. We could see the lights of Munising off in the
distance, and we were even gifted some shooting stars and a bunch of
satellites! It was a very active night sky! </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbUvTT4jr35iKk7JNgvYMB8fSJS1jKDM_wKdm47d8meJ_qzROIVAYnsvKgEbaAQP3_I9QxnjJnY9vQmGr5xORmQhapH94w47VBFHni4uiVG-3pO5iNDL1y3K6KF-On06noeGnbUZ2BVw/s1600/P7270008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbUvTT4jr35iKk7JNgvYMB8fSJS1jKDM_wKdm47d8meJ_qzROIVAYnsvKgEbaAQP3_I9QxnjJnY9vQmGr5xORmQhapH94w47VBFHni4uiVG-3pO5iNDL1y3K6KF-On06noeGnbUZ2BVw/s400/P7270008.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Munising in da' moonlight, eh.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We decided we’d just crash in the car for the night –
it’s cheap, and we’d be close to our shuttle pick-up in the morning. I took the
passenger seat and Rachel spread out in the back of the car. It didn’t take too
long and we were both out, ready to start our first of two long hiking days.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2Zjv_OPhSOXhymE0eDPvzwq556fsx-T5ogPTItr0jZG9yBEfDylnCOCsNXzu1VkpE32I1ZvwTxqhSpYX0bjnhCuBYwo28eEao2feLL4h_YaJcQGrIpojCSUgpPLlomV-xcZumvPiszY/s1600/P7270020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX2Zjv_OPhSOXhymE0eDPvzwq556fsx-T5ogPTItr0jZG9yBEfDylnCOCsNXzu1VkpE32I1ZvwTxqhSpYX0bjnhCuBYwo28eEao2feLL4h_YaJcQGrIpojCSUgpPLlomV-xcZumvPiszY/s400/P7270020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In-the-car camping.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We woke up early and had coffee and oatmeal on a bench by
the parking lot. We had a little extra time before catching our shuttle, so we
visited a small waterfall before stopping in at the Visitor’s Center for our
backcountry camping permit. After that we drove a small distance to the
Munising Falls Visitor’s Center where we arranged to be picked up by their
regular shuttle. We were the only ones on the shuttle and it was an hour drive.
Rachel started to feel pukey about halfway in, so she went up front and took a
seat, holding her head against the window just trying not to get sick. It’s a
curvy, long road, and it’s a big, open shuttle bus with nobody else in it! We
made it without her getting sick! Whew!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoZclzPzS5uBH6r8ESD0h7XIvC9NSJ_4MgcGKu0X6IxUUxYNlQ_sin9O8z2ot8HOOu3YjHgF3uz0UNoq7wyRPx2YL92BYeuEJ7nQxIWORW2XH7TvfDH_rqaTornVOSvvS6JzKiTtka8c/s1600/P7280048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEoZclzPzS5uBH6r8ESD0h7XIvC9NSJ_4MgcGKu0X6IxUUxYNlQ_sin9O8z2ot8HOOu3YjHgF3uz0UNoq7wyRPx2YL92BYeuEJ7nQxIWORW2XH7TvfDH_rqaTornVOSvvS6JzKiTtka8c/s400/P7280048.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Start!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The hike began at the Grand Sable Visitor’s Center near
Grand Marais. We snapped a few “begin” photos and hit the trail. We were hiking
fast, but certainly weren’t passing on any of the pretty views! We enjoyed a
leafy trail to start, with huge patches of giant ferns lining the trail. The
leaves above were bright green against a deep blue sky, and there were no bugs!
We hiked on with our first planned break stop at the Log Slide, which was 5.8
miles in, according to trail signs. When we arrived at the Log Slide, there
were a TON of tourists and a group of other backpackers there already, so we
head down a little side trail and sat in the shade to eat our snack and rest
our feet. It wasn’t long after that we got up, had a photo snapped with our first
view of Lake Superior in the background, and head back on down the trail.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jVKs0CSxOl8/UBm2kTAwwyI/AAAAAAAADFQ/y3dZei74odM/s1600/P7280060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jVKs0CSxOl8/UBm2kTAwwyI/AAAAAAAADFQ/y3dZei74odM/s400/P7280060.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking back at the dunes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We took our second break at Hurricane River, which was
8.7 miles into our hike. We treated water, ate bacon, pastrami, cheese and mayo
bagels and took our shoes off and walked them through the cold water a bit. It
was really nice. I laid back with my head on my backpack and got really tired.
There were so many people milling around at this site, though, that we were
quickly antsy to get up and get moving. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_MsZ298_5-cuypwcPpY-ccN0c7K5vl5IZUrEfGvfrcdbuVH9uAW4tPO3Fn47NMEiDqslCiOz7PYHG-UBnFF1vT933yTNeTWZF80CDqmXHwiF4RzWlL0ViV2HK52bLTArgEtAwvIjD9o/s1600/P7280069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_MsZ298_5-cuypwcPpY-ccN0c7K5vl5IZUrEfGvfrcdbuVH9uAW4tPO3Fn47NMEiDqslCiOz7PYHG-UBnFF1vT933yTNeTWZF80CDqmXHwiF4RzWlL0ViV2HK52bLTArgEtAwvIjD9o/s400/P7280069.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Heavenly cold water.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We both had our battles for the day. I was battling
feeling tired, and Rachel was dealing with a cold and what we were calling
“cement snot.” This turned out to be sort of the regular for the entire trip.
But we still pushed on and despite our little “issues,” we still felt pretty
darn good!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We had fun naming all the animals. You have to do
something when you’re hiking so many miles! You tend to get a little crazy. It
all started with our backcountry pass stating that no domestic pets were
allowed on the trail. Rachel asked if her undomesticated pet squirrel was
allowed, and I thought it would be fine, so the first critter we saw, a
chipmunk, became Rachel’s undomesticated pet. We named him “Clyde,” and we saw
him off and on quite a bit through the entire trip, sometimes jumping down the
trail in front of us as if to say, “Hey, come this way!” A couple of times he
stood inches away from us, letting us snap photos. He became our buddy. We
later also met Reggie the red squirrel, Gordy the gray squirrel, Sully the
seagull, Caldwell the crow and Dora the deer. We also named Billy the bear,
even though he never made an appearance.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cG6E0afwyl4/UBm20QjwMPI/AAAAAAAADLQ/r55dhQKKCFA/s1600/P7290169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cG6E0afwyl4/UBm20QjwMPI/AAAAAAAADLQ/r55dhQKKCFA/s400/P7290169.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi Clyde!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
A little under 3 miles later, at Twelvemile Beach
Campground, we took another short break to use the pit toilet. Hard to pass
that up on a hike! We were now 11.5 miles into the hike and well over half way.
That perked me up a little bit. This is where Rachel spotted a giant caterpillar! He
was bigger than my thumb, and I let him walk across my hand, but he left behind
a nasty, sticky slime. Thank goodness for hand sanitizer!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cwt0Mme3phg/UBm2or9qw4I/AAAAAAAADG4/gnl8DbLxsCg/s1600/P7280083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cwt0Mme3phg/UBm2or9qw4I/AAAAAAAADG4/gnl8DbLxsCg/s400/P7280083.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ginormous caterpillar!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We really enjoyed some pretty views of the lake and the
sand dunes back from where we came from. The sky stayed clear and blue the
whole day, and we didn’t encounter any mosquitoes or flies at all until way
later in the evening, and even then there were maybe five. Yeah, five. That’s
all. It was a great day for weather and bugs!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We took our next break at the Sevenmile Group Campsite
with less than 6 miles to go to our campsite at Coves. On this break, Rachel
accidentally set her backpack on her bladder mouthpiece and it leaked out onto
her pack, but thankfully not through it. Her reaction to it warranted a giant
f-bomb that was appropriate and funny. “Son of a ****!” We laughed about that
all weekend. For some reason, when we get out into the woods, we pick up the vocabulary of a sailor. It must have something to do with getting away from everywhere that we are supposed to act "civilized" or something. But we've both been working really hard on limiting the use of our colorful vocabulary while in the woods to only important and warranted situations. Having your bladder water leak out all over the dirty ground and through your pack is one of the perfect times to drop the best-of-the-best curse words. Hey, we never claimed that these hikes are kid-friendly, folks! ;)</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h5s_2cYOQEQ/UBm2qfillzI/AAAAAAAADHc/ULn6WXiNNGU/s1600/P7280098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-h5s_2cYOQEQ/UBm2qfillzI/AAAAAAAADHc/ULn6WXiNNGU/s400/P7280098.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hot, sunny break!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We took our next break in a random overlook with the sun
beating down on us. We took maybe 10 minutes and were up and back on the trail
in the shade. We started to race for the sunset. We really wanted to reach camp
so we could head to the beach and sit down, relax and watch the sun sink into
the horizon. We got there right in time – 8:00pm (we stayed on Central time, even though we were in Eastern in this section of the UP).
We dropped our packs, grabbed our water bottles and Aqua Mira and head to the
beach with plenty of time to fill our bottles and watch the show. We took a ton
of pictures, then head back up to camp, anxious to get the tent set up and
dinner rolling.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zORYjSOhFiw/UBm2vI0BalI/AAAAAAAADJA/aTlpHl68GdA/s1600/P7280122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zORYjSOhFiw/UBm2vI0BalI/AAAAAAAADJA/aTlpHl68GdA/s400/P7280122.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A perfect sunset, as always.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We shared a firepit with what turned out to be two groups
of folks from Ohio that didn’t know each other. They were all very nice. I had
some sort of chicken noodle side with tuna in it, and Rachel had fried rice.
After dinner we head back down to the beach to wash off our nasty hiking grime
from the day. It was a perfect time to swim – the moon was super-bright, but it
was dark enough that we had some privacy when it came time to change.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Then we got back to the fire, stoked it, had a little
celebratory mini plastic bottle of wine, and hit the tent and crashed. Again, I
don’t think it took long for either of us to fall asleep. We were TIRED!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We hiked 21.7 total miles from 10:05am – 8:00pm. Our
lunch break at the Hurricane River was a full hour, and we had a few smaller
breaks scattered in there, so our actual hiking time was under 9 hours, and we
were pretty excited about our pace for the day. We hoped we could match that
the next day, so we’d get out in time before restaurants closed.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xVrWefdMbJY/UBm2x0a99DI/AAAAAAAADKY/pIii8mH39P4/s1600/P7280147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xVrWefdMbJY/UBm2x0a99DI/AAAAAAAADKY/pIii8mH39P4/s400/P7280147.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Night-night!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We were up at 5:30 on Sunday morning, and it somehow took
us a whole two hours to get onto the trail. But we ate our breakfast, chatted
with the others around a morning fire they’d built, packed up and hit the trail
at 7:30.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After about 4 miles we stopped at Chapel beach with the
thought of maybe swimming. It’s a beautiful, sandy beach, but we felt it was
too early to swim, so we opted to wait until the Mosquito beach for our longer
break. We grabbed a quick snack and hit the trail again.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The trails delivered a LOT more deep sand to hike
through, and this became more and more challenging as the day wore on. Our feet
were sore and the balls of our feet were taking the biggest beating, because
apparently that is where you naturally dig your foot in when hiking in sand.
Rachel even discovered later in the day that a blister was forming under the
callus on the ball of her left foot (this is after 33.5 miles total, by the way!!).
But we stopped and duct-taped it up before it got out of control. It should dry
up and callus just fine, and in the end it will only be able to take more of a
beating! I bet her foot curses her for the thought of that! We really do have
some tough feet, though. The long day hikes we’ve been taking have been really
paying off, and we’re both starting to notice greater hiking strength. This
makes us very happy hikers!!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTXexlSynh60rUnKVZB8BPl9dvHzM7f816kwjvr6BFY9lFknIUPNreso4qs6hMxrFizjv9gBqPsYPI7hrc7L8D8DTD6d736O1J9k7cd3F0zonbzhLF1eJJm4iyhmXKAUH5jXL4i7f5-I/s1600/P7280088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRTXexlSynh60rUnKVZB8BPl9dvHzM7f816kwjvr6BFY9lFknIUPNreso4qs6hMxrFizjv9gBqPsYPI7hrc7L8D8DTD6d736O1J9k7cd3F0zonbzhLF1eJJm4iyhmXKAUH5jXL4i7f5-I/s400/P7280088.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deep sandy trails are difficult!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Our views were instantly spectacular from the start of
the day on Sunday. We were able to view the typical bright blue and teal waters
of Lake Superior from the trail, with incredible cliffs in the distance. Once
we reached Grand Portal Point, we stopped for a second to just gawk at the
views. A ferry was going by loaded up with tourists on the top deck. We were in
the wide open, and we noticed they were waving. Then their camera flashes
started to go off. So Rachel and I naturally posed for them by giving them a
nice side-shot with our backpacks in view, then a cheesy paused high-5 with
a leg up in the air. So if you happen to be visiting Pictures Rocks and see
two crazy backpackers in the brochure high-fiving on Grand Portal Point… yup,
that’s us nutters!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fAB4Nt0BuYY/UBm2z74xr3I/AAAAAAAADLI/-e0Vt1mOrdU/s1600/P7290166.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fAB4Nt0BuYY/UBm2z74xr3I/AAAAAAAADLI/-e0Vt1mOrdU/s400/P7290166.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No enhancements here, folks. That's what it looks like for reals!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Mosquito beach was a great break. When we arrived we had
the whole beach to ourselves except for 2 kayakers. We’d been hiking only 8.7
miles for the day, but we were already sweaty and completely ready for that
swim we’d talked about. We took an hour and half break there, and it would have
been longer had we not been chased out by more kayakers. We swam in our
underwear and sports bras (colors purposely chosen to resemble swimming
bikinis) and by the time we ate lunch (more bacon!) and needed to change there
were probably 20-plus kayaks that had pulled up and scattered along the beach
to eat their lunch. Changing became a real challenge, but we faced it with our
standard, “I don’t give a crap” hiker attitude. I figure "I’ll try to kind of
hide under this tree when I change into my dry sports bra, but if you want to
watch that badly, then whatevs. Have at it!" So we changed – and I don’t think
anyone really saw us, so I think we did a pretty good job being discreet enough. We put on our
sun-dried socks and shoes and head out once again.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ee_kjPXPHQc/UBm21DZLmhI/AAAAAAAADLg/prMVv1VO9g8/s1600/P7290175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ee_kjPXPHQc/UBm21DZLmhI/AAAAAAAADLg/prMVv1VO9g8/s400/P7290175.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rachel under the crystal-clear water at Mosquito Beach.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG514watz0MnHnLvxK61cEZNTeWjrU1LQgUtprz4e9UIem2TEzimiV3X5jWgUh8baHyz4tIlBkyKxoofQgztWjWpxqo79L3DNBQNdU1ZbHoSJ6sd-4U-llG4NHyGs59R9GdKY3grb6yQ/s1600/P7290178.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIG514watz0MnHnLvxK61cEZNTeWjrU1LQgUtprz4e9UIem2TEzimiV3X5jWgUh8baHyz4tIlBkyKxoofQgztWjWpxqo79L3DNBQNdU1ZbHoSJ6sd-4U-llG4NHyGs59R9GdKY3grb6yQ/s400/P7290178.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super-clear underwater. And super-pretty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Our last significant break was at Miner’s Castle, which
was littered with loud tourists. We tried to enjoy our break, but were again
quickly chased onto the serene trail – well, mostly to get away from the
terribly misbehaved 8-year old that would not stop screaming everything he had
to say to his mates at the top of his lungs. Gah! So annoying to everybody
around! Anyway, we sat on the grass and enjoyed our smorgasbord of snacks we
had left, used the flushy toilets (such a treat!) and head into our next
challenge. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The last miles after Miner’s Castle are mentally tough.
You enter pretty much forest just enough away from the cliff edge that you just
get peeks and teases of the lake, but rarely too close to the edge for a clear view. It’s a
beautiful forested area full of ferns, trees, soft trail, shade and small
critters. We even encountered a super-friendly deer that didn’t care that we
were there talking to it at full voice and taking pictures. In fact, Rachel
almost ran into her! She just walked across the trail right in front of us
without a care in the world. But the challenge is the drastic change of scenery
from the lake to pure forest, and it being the last stretch of 7.8 miles. We
were tired, our feet hurt, and we were craving burgers like nobody’s business.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vDyDdfLUXk4/UBm25bHbasI/AAAAAAAADNk/2uz_IucpzRM/s1600/P7290202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vDyDdfLUXk4/UBm25bHbasI/AAAAAAAADNk/2uz_IucpzRM/s400/P7290202.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorgeous forest trails.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We hiked. And hiked. And hiked. We took two small breaks
to try to break it up (one out of a trowel-trek necessity), and I even put a
headphone in one ear for the first time hiking. A little Tom Petty and Neil
Young helped me through those last miles. Rachel called this stretch “the
trudgery.” We were starting to have a hard time enjoying much around us because
we were tired, and this is when you know it’s time to be done. We were also
hearing thunder rolling in the distance, and even though we were prepared for
wet weather, we hoped to beat any rain that might hit us.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Once we finally reached the Munising Falls Interpretive
Center where the car was parked, we looked back at the trail sign and it read,
“Sand Point, 3.7 miles.” No big deal, except that we thought it was 2.9 miles.
At the end of two long days like that, when you’re starting to calculate your
pace and finish time in a terribly obsessing fashion, and drooling and
daydreaming about cold sodas and burgers, .8 miles is too much farther to have
to go. Except you have to do it. Because there’s trail that lies between you
and those sodas and burgers. And the only way to get past it, is to hike it. So
we did. Grumpily, to be honest, but we did. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As always, we were proud of our accomplishment, and still
mustered up the energy to lift our packs over our heads to show our success.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ADrO4lny-MA/UBm27do5saI/AAAAAAAADOI/F-JaUbJ_VWM/s1600/P7290222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ADrO4lny-MA/UBm27do5saI/AAAAAAAADOI/F-JaUbJ_VWM/s400/P7290222.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Success once again!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was a quick succession after that. We got in the car,
drove to Sydney’s in Munising, ate burgers (still sweaty from the hike, even!
We didn’t waste any time!), then drove to the Munising Tourist Park campground
where we got the LAST campsite available! We bought firewood, set up the tent,
swam in the lake, took showers, and finally…finally relaxed around the fire
with a couple of drinks. We were both so tired. It wasn’t long and we were in
our sleeping bags. Rachel claims I was asleep in 30 seconds and I believe it.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The next morning we woke up and took our time since we
had the day off work and time to go at our own pace. We swam again, packed up,
had a giant, delicious breakfast with an extra side of bacon and lovely brewed
coffee at the Navigator restaurant, then hit the road for home.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<b>It was hard. But if it wasn’t, it wouldn’t have been as
awesome as it was. Mission joyfully accomplished.</b></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kE9XJPoqUj4/UBm20kjhW8I/AAAAAAAADLU/mJKsnKO345A/s1600/P7290170.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kE9XJPoqUj4/UBm20kjhW8I/AAAAAAAADLU/mJKsnKO345A/s400/P7290170.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you haven't been to Pictured Rocks, I recommend you add it to you bucket list. It is really this gorgeous and magical.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-35507009419348936282012-07-16T11:34:00.002-05:002012-07-16T11:34:42.979-05:00Summer Porkies Backpacking<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a60493W4I9U/UAQ3x4V8s1I/AAAAAAAACVg/nwM3Lsswpdk/s1600/P7120065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-a60493W4I9U/UAQ3x4V8s1I/AAAAAAAACVg/nwM3Lsswpdk/s400/P7120065.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Just another super-perfect weekend in the woods.</b><br />
<br />
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There were blueberries, thimbleberries and raspberries.
There were minimal mosquitoes, zero biting black flies and snorting deer.
Curious deer, too. There was a small road walk and feeling like a thru-hiker.
There were crazy, root-stepped hills and sweating profusely. There was a great
group of friends, old and new. There was an awesome dog named Lombardi, our
newest non-human Meetup member. There was a backpacker’s version of a rock spa
on the beach. And the warmest Lake Superior in history, making for a long,
refreshing swim. There was a fluorescent sunset and aurora borealis!! There
were moonshine blueberries and euchre. A midnight waterfall slide and hundreds
of tiny leeches. Fire, woods, friends, laughs, dirt, sweat, trail, sky, trees,
mud, swimming, stinking, eating…</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The Porcupine Mountains in Upper Michigan hold a very
special place in my heart. My very first backpacking trip ever was in the
Porcupine Mountains, and afterwards I was pretty sure I’d never be doing it
again. Can you believe that!? I was a senior in high school, and I took an
outdoor class. We learned all kinds of cool stuff, and for our final we had to
spend a 4-day, 3-night trip in the backcountry in May. Looking back, I’m pretty
certain I was showing symptoms of Aplastic Anemia, but was totally unaware what
was happening. I struggled through that trip, but I still look back and
remember it as an amazing adventure and great accomplishment. I also still
remember sitting down for a break with knees that felt broken and 8 cans of
Spaghettios in my backpack that our teacher, coach and leader made me eat. I
told him I wasn’t going any further… they could all go on without me. But I got
up anyway and finished it out. I had to. That’s how it works, and there’s
something incredible about that. I learned. And I later learned that I loved
all of it. Even the pains of it all. It all adds up and created this giant ball
of incredible adventure and feeling strong and accomplishing something amazing.
Being a strong backpacker makes me feel like I could survive anything. I know
it’s getting a little mushy, but it’s my second love, Adam being my number one, of course!</div>
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<br /></div>
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So this is why I chose the Porkies as my destination of
choice to spend my birthday weekend this year. I took some vacation and planned
a four-day trip. The first two days were mine by myself, and the second two I’d
be meeting up with a group of friends, old and new, from our Fox Valley Meetup group. I’d never been solo backpacking before and I’d been
wanting to try it for a long time. I figured it was the perfect time for that.
One night in the woods by myself, and everything at my own pace. I even chose
to push the miles as an added challenge during the daytime.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The plan I came up with worked pretty much how I planned it
with a few tiny route changes, and that was it. It was perfect. I drove up
Wednesday night. I drove up with Randall and met Pete and Piotr up at the
Presque Isle Campground – they were able to take the time off to take a couple
of extra days and asked if I minded they go early, too – I wouldn’t turn down a
carpool! On Thursday morning we all head to the Presque Isle Falls, and we
parted ways. The three of them drove around looking at points of interest
through the park via car, then hiked in 2 miles that night and camped at Lost
Lake. I’d meet up with them again the next day.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I hiked a little over 20 miles to Mirror Lake, camped, then
hiked 14 miles (including a 2-mile road walk) the next day, Friday. I walked to
Union Bay Campground where I met up with the Meetup group. We woke up early
Saturday morning and hiked the Lake Superior Trail and camped after 12 miles.
On Sunday, we hiked out the last 6 miles to Presque Isle where my car was parked,
and we shuttled drivers back to the start to get vehicles. We stopped for
burgers, then parted ways. The plan went as good as it did in my head. It’s
just cool when that happens… with anything.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drdJDLZtQBI/UAQ3m_K8MCI/AAAAAAAACTI/asSzoZU9IBY/s1600/P7110013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-drdJDLZtQBI/UAQ3m_K8MCI/AAAAAAAACTI/asSzoZU9IBY/s400/P7110013.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Presque Isle River's pretty falls.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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I got a bit of a later start than I’d wanted on Thursday.
Getting packed up while car camping somehow sucks time away. But I still had
most of the day to get to camp, and even if I had to hike into the dark, I was
okay with that, but I was going to do all I could to avoid that. During the
hiking portion of backpacking, while enjoying the scenery and the exercise,
it’s hard to not dream of camp… where you can relax, eat, rehydrate, and who
knows… maybe even take a swim. I dreamed of having enough daylight to take my
time doing all of these things… and still hanging my food in a tree without use
of a headlamp. But I had 20 miles in front of me with a late start. On top of
the late start, I accidentally took the “scenic route” around the Presque Isle
Falls. It’s the East and West River Trails, and it added 2 miles to my day
right off the bat. But it was a gorgeous detour, and I was happy with that
mistake. After those 2 waterfall-filled miles, I got onto the Lake Superior
Trail and headed out. My first wildlife encounter was a little buck that must
have been napping right along the trail. I think I nearly stepped on him. He
shot up and out into the woods, stopping on a dime a few leaps in to look back
and assess the situation. He stared at me through the trees and snorted a huge,
snotty, whistley snort. Then he snorted again, and again, and again. I was
going to take out my camera with the intention of capturing his antics on
video, but he wasn’t having any of that… and he took off.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I hiked straight through the first 8.3 miles strong. I
stopped at the mouth of the Little Carp River, where it flows into Lake
Superior. I crawled under the bridge there and took a nice break. I took my
shoes off and soaked my feet in the water, ate a couple of backcountry deli
bagels – mini bagels with deli chicken, cheese and mayo. I treated some water
for a cold coffee and and electrolyte mix. I filled up with fresh energy and
moved on. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwdBirYwKkmKEDPxRDtL11lDT6M_As9dtuHNppFJ74CPcrGBDoNno8tOJaUSGBhVZ88y4_VKOOO2TLplbN2v0Fg9jxTya5KKqjoAPxJkObQmgmpnBbokRTV3phnVvhsLRIbugJWp20Lo/s1600/P7120055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigwdBirYwKkmKEDPxRDtL11lDT6M_As9dtuHNppFJ74CPcrGBDoNno8tOJaUSGBhVZ88y4_VKOOO2TLplbN2v0Fg9jxTya5KKqjoAPxJkObQmgmpnBbokRTV3phnVvhsLRIbugJWp20Lo/s400/P7120055.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My break at the mouth of the Little Carp River.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvozvsV5sqf9F-YDoTFJa6_rPL56C9rari45i90-VsGj-Qv9Df23S2zRf7p2t6QUdr1qbnpvyaA7Pv3c1hEJzIyA9cfyH1qFmOf67f-Qb3EsH2IUSW4-AIwDZ8B6GYnzn644W-8st5zc/s1600/P7120054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHvozvsV5sqf9F-YDoTFJa6_rPL56C9rari45i90-VsGj-Qv9Df23S2zRf7p2t6QUdr1qbnpvyaA7Pv3c1hEJzIyA9cfyH1qFmOf67f-Qb3EsH2IUSW4-AIwDZ8B6GYnzn644W-8st5zc/s400/P7120054.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deli bagels with a view.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I then took the Little Carp River Trail. I was moving fast.
I wanted 20 miles that day… I was hoping to get to Mirror Lake to camp, happily
exhausted from a long-mileage day. That was my plan. So I found a good, strong
hiking pace and kept that up all day. It was tough, but it was perfect. I
passed by Trader’s Falls, Trapper’s Falls and Greenstone Falls along the Little
Carp River. They were all small falls, but still very pretty… and inviting. I
could have stopped at each one and taken a swim, if I’d had the time. Maybe on
the next trip – I can make that my goal. I’ll stop at all the swimming holes
along the way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here is where I made a few route changes. It was getting
later in the day, and as I calculated my pace and my remaining miles, if I
stuck with my original route, I’d be ending the day with about 22 miles and
getting to camp after 7:00pm. I hoped to get there sooner than that, so I
passed on the 1-mile detour to Overlooked Falls and the side trail to Summit
Peak… which I would have climbed, even though I was going to be exhausted at
that point. Again, next time!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I stopped for a break at a campsite just before Lily Pond,
took my shoes off, picked a wood tick off of me – which ended up being the only
wood tick I got, except for one deer tick later in the trip… but he wasn’t
attached, I don’t think. He still had his head attached and no skin in his
microscopic pincers, so I think I’m safe from his threat of Lymes Disease.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I got turned around heading back out from that break. The
mistake only cost me about 10 minutes, so it was okay. I came into that break
pretty tired. My mind was focused on Lily Pond – I knew there was a boardwalk
there with a bench, so I was planning to stop there for my break and wasn’t
paying attention to how the trail entered the campsite where I decided to break
instead. On my way back out I ended up going the same way I came in. I realized
it when I hit a swampy, muddy patch of trail and stepped over a tree that
looked eerily familiar to one I stepped over going the other direction. There
was even a group of tiny moths that fluttered up around me as I stepped over
it… same as last time. I turned around and decided to backtrack to be certain,
before going to far. Sure enough. I came into those campsites the same way as
the first time! Whoopsy! This was the result of a tired mind. And<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a reminder to keep myself fed and hydrated
well in order to keep my mind sharp. I should have stopped a little sooner, but
I was in a low area and the mosquitoes were coming out. They weren’t terrible,
but the ones that were out still attacked as fiercely as they could. It was
enough to push me to a breezy spot where they’d be less of an annoyance. I felt
pretty lucky, as the skeeters could have been much, much worse. And I could’ve
had biting black flies, but there weren’t any.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9kU8LR0X8XCKIiDevkVOyYQ8rq4XJGqA9Qo3bhMk5M-am5eMnEyJLITcEAAkofNIDUHvUtOtL5VrmWADUNU8f31nET5fSljg278iXEut5v4utlnfDzdbO8fNTkk9s99q4CL7Xg7FLPk/s1600/P7120071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ9kU8LR0X8XCKIiDevkVOyYQ8rq4XJGqA9Qo3bhMk5M-am5eMnEyJLITcEAAkofNIDUHvUtOtL5VrmWADUNU8f31nET5fSljg278iXEut5v4utlnfDzdbO8fNTkk9s99q4CL7Xg7FLPk/s400/P7120071.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lily Pond.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I took a small break at Lily Pond when I arrived, and
enjoyed a nice breeze coming off the pond, then continued on the Little Carp
River Trail until I arrived at Mirror Lake. I got there at about 6:00pm, which
I was thrilled with. I had plenty of light to do all the things I wanted to do.
I hiked around to the back side of the lake where I knew there were a couple of
sites with small “beaches” to swim out from. The first site had a tent in it,
so I hiked past and came to the second one. There were two tent pads, but no
tents. I claimed it as my own and started to unpack.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TKmBQusDllc/UAQ31llevTI/AAAAAAAACWg/YeA0tkoz1zE/s1600/P7120086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TKmBQusDllc/UAQ31llevTI/AAAAAAAACWg/YeA0tkoz1zE/s400/P7120086.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mirror Lake campsite, view of the lake with a small beach.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It was interesting and fun to work out in my mind all the
things I needed and wanted to do being out there by myself, and then put them
all into a perfect order. I’d take my shoes off, then head into the water to
fill up my bottles before polluting the water with my stank while swimming. I
set up my tent with the door facing the lake for a clear peek of the sunrise
the next morning. I found the perfect tree to hang my food in and threw my rope
over a high branch right away so I wouldn’t have to do it later. All I had to
do was tie my bag on and pull it up. I changed into my running shorts and
jumped in for a swim. The water was pretty warm, but it felt amazing to rinse
off the sweat, dirt and deet from the day. I got out, and feeling secluded, I
stripped down and dried off with my bandana, and just as I was getting my shirt
on, a couple of guys came walking into my camp looking for a site. There
weren’t any past me, and the first was taken. I pointed up the hill, letting
them know of the third site there. Even though I was excited to camp alone, I
felt good inviting them to camp down by the lake on the other tent pad in my
site. I know it’s awesome to camp on Mirror Lake, and I wasn’t going to deprive
them of that opportunity… I would hope a camper would do the same for me had I
been the one walking in on the same situation. They crawled up the hill to
check out the other site, and came back down quickly and took me up on my offer
and set up next to me. Adam and Derek were quiet, nice camp-mates. Later in the
night Ken stopped over, our neighbor from the other site. He brought some
firewood and asked if we’d like to join resources since the firewood-picking in
the area was slim. We later did join up for a fire, and as it turns out, I had
some really nice company for the evening. And I was given props for being a chick
hiking solo. That made me feel pretty awesome. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">:)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I made dinner and ate while the two guys took a swim. They
were in longer than I was, and apparently Derek had a giant leech on his foot
when he came out. So now we know there are big leeches in Mirror Lake. I drank
my one Keewenaw beer that I packed in while the guys drank tea. I brushed my
teeth, hung my smellies up in the tree, and sat around the fire until about
11:00 with Ken talking about some of his travels. He was an artist that has
traveled all around the world drawing and painting. He was super fun to talk
to.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The next morning, I woke up and snapped a couple of photos
of the pretty morning lake from my tent, then rolled back over and fell asleep
again. About an hour later I woke up for good, got my food out of the tree,
made breakfast and packed up all with a steady, comfortable pace, moving from
one fun chore to the next. I loaded my pack on my back, said a parting farewell
to my camp-mates and head out for the day’s 14 miles.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5hx4NyFfiPA/UAQ39xaKWDI/AAAAAAAACXs/bO_74piO0_Q/s1600/P7120108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5hx4NyFfiPA/UAQ39xaKWDI/AAAAAAAACXs/bO_74piO0_Q/s400/P7120108.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a break at Government Peak.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvguZrcBt_YQ1baRkS6gvrWyJr0M3KY6-MlheDxN2Nc6JKdSCuIBiDnOaEZa3K18FEPumtNAWxVsscERWnyHmVaiLAotF7SfjhBy5pO96gC6JnUqzhzp47MCTUexNpfbVmGQEoboI4Mc/s1600/P7120111.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvguZrcBt_YQ1baRkS6gvrWyJr0M3KY6-MlheDxN2Nc6JKdSCuIBiDnOaEZa3K18FEPumtNAWxVsscERWnyHmVaiLAotF7SfjhBy5pO96gC6JnUqzhzp47MCTUexNpfbVmGQEoboI4Mc/s400/P7120111.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
About four miles in, I stopped at Government Peak for a
break. I was missing Adam, so I pulled out my phone, curious if I had any
signal. I had a bar, so I sent him a quick text letting him know I was doing
well, that I loved and missed him. I shut it off and stuffed it back into my
pack. Then after about another 3 miles I stopped at Trap Falls, where I knew
there was a bench and a gorgeous little falls. I took my shoes off again,
snapped some photos of a posing frog, filled my water bottles for coffee and
electrolytes, then dipped my stinky, dirty feet in the cold water. It felt
amazing. My feet were sore from all the miles, but were holding up beautifully.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My next stop was a really quick one at Union Spring. I’d
never been on the Union Spring trail, and it was my first time seeing the
spring itself. It was really, really cool! It was a small, deep, crystal-clear,
aqua-green pool of freezing cold spring water. There was a floating boardwalk
that went out a little ways, and I leaned over the edge, looking down at the
white surface, wondering if it was sand or a white muck. Then I noticed a
bubbling – I could see where the water was coming into the spring from the ground underneath! It was just really neat. I took some underwater photos and I started hearing thunder
rolled across the sky above me. An ominous sky loomed overhead, so I pulled my
poncho out and within easy reach just in case it opened up on me.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhYw5EcM0dTAazZshZkkD_3DbrFf2Zj1AAgezh-S873ihwpvViKqhlRx1zkqixuVVNImp4NBDaEUleGPZAd4erow0ZhmXAzWJ-21fyw5UiWDcl9tEKfuMrksbiqqFFCuj542-77OiHHM/s1600/P7130150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPhYw5EcM0dTAazZshZkkD_3DbrFf2Zj1AAgezh-S873ihwpvViKqhlRx1zkqixuVVNImp4NBDaEUleGPZAd4erow0ZhmXAzWJ-21fyw5UiWDcl9tEKfuMrksbiqqFFCuj542-77OiHHM/s400/P7130150.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Union Spring.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6qjI2NOu6hU/UAQ4Gyv95WI/AAAAAAAACZ4/WzvLpuVtz7U/s1600/P7130161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6qjI2NOu6hU/UAQ4Gyv95WI/AAAAAAAACZ4/WzvLpuVtz7U/s400/P7130161.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underwater photo at Union Spring.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I hiked on until I came out to the South Boundary Road at
the Union Spring Trail trailhead. As was my plan, I turned onto the road and
took a two-mile road walk to the Visitor’s Center. I felt like a thru-hiker
entering civilization. I thought about trying to hitch a ride as I walked on
the hot, hard road, but I stunk pretty badly, and I was alone – I figured it
was only two miles, so I kept walking. It went by quickly.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
At the visitor’s center I bought the backcountry pass for
our group for Saturday night, and explained to them about my car being parked
at Presque Isle – in the window was a self-registration slip saying I was going
to return that day… which I didn’t think about until that morning… I was going
to return on Sunday. So I cleared that up, and the two people working at the
visitor’s center asked me twice where I came from. They were pretty shocked
that I’d hiked a 20-mile day and a 14-mile day. Aw, shucks… quit boosting my
ego, folks! Haha! My and Rachel’s crazy-long day hikes were paying off. I was
able to do the miles pretty comfortably. They wiped me out, but they were still
awesome!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I then took a foot trail through the woods that let to Union
Bay Campground. I came out on the road right across from an outpost where I
would again feel like any of the thru-hikers I was following on trail journals.
I took my pack off and set it on a picnic table, then stepped inside the small
store, trying to give as much space between my stinky self and the tourists and
campers mingling around looking to purchase overpriced t-shirts. I found what I
was looking for. Campsuds. A big bottle. I stood in line and drooled when I saw
the soft-serve ice cream machine. I walked back out to my pack with a tall ice
cream cone in hand, loaded my pack onto my back and head down the road to the campground,
smiling and eating my cone.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I arrived at the campground, stepped inside the building to
check into our three sites we had reserved there, and that’s when the sky
finally did open up. It POURED rain. I could not believe the timing -- perfect time to be under a roof! I just
laughed out loud at the whole situation.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I walked over to the sites and met back up with Pete, Randall
and Piotr, who were already there and set up. They waited for me to get my
stuff set up, I took a quick shower, and we head over to the Porkies Pub for
giant burritos and a couple of beers at the bar. Tim, Charisse and Brian came
through, having just finished up a dinner in the restaurant.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We all head back to the campground, where the rest of the
crew eventually arrived… Marcin and Anna showed up at 3:30am from Chicago – I
didn’t wake for a second when they came in, though. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>And here began part two of the trip! And was it ever a good
one!</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-Wum08R73cvvG5Kd95DftibN90espXBz9BC0JJ1HaqmipcTIj3bqLL2VlHnbYaBAcau1XVketNQyulD3bsHcHDNqaXgprR5J09rQLI1ke6pFgUesozpa6hhm5_Y_6Hg8PL_uSEyLFOE/s1600/P7130177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq-Wum08R73cvvG5Kd95DftibN90espXBz9BC0JJ1HaqmipcTIj3bqLL2VlHnbYaBAcau1XVketNQyulD3bsHcHDNqaXgprR5J09rQLI1ke6pFgUesozpa6hhm5_Y_6Hg8PL_uSEyLFOE/s400/P7130177.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Randall, Marcin, Anna, Piotr, Pete, Heidi, Colleen, Me, Charisse, Tim, Lombardi, Mary, Ross and Brian</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tim and Charisse brought their amazing dog, Lombardi. All
three were on their first trip with our group, and they were all really fun to
hike with, and Lombardi was one of the best behaved dogs I’ve met. It was more
than a pleasure having him along. Charisse gave my “mystery berries” a name,
too. Earlier on my solo portion of the hike I munched down a few giant berries
that resembled raspberries, but after eating them and thinking they tasted
funny, I decided since I was by myself that I’d stop eating them just in case
they were something I shouldn’t have been eating. They weren’t raspberries…
turns out they were thimble berries and totally edible. They were pretty tart,
but tasted amazing. They were gigantic and juicy, so I stopped whenever I had
one within easy reach along the trail. We also came across blueberries within
the first few miles, too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Anyway, our crew was now 13 (plus one dog) strong. It was
me, Randall, Pete, Piotr, Brian, Charisse and Tim (and Lombardi), Mary, Ross,
Marcin, Anna, Colleen and Heidi.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We all packed up and got going early. We got to the Lake
Superior Trail trailhead on M-107 and the first thing I did was head into the
woods to pee. I found a spot by a big downed tree, and noticed that standing right
next to me was a deer! He just stood there, still… staring at me. I said out
loud to him, “Hey there, buddy… how are you doing?” expecting him to bolt. But
he didn’t. He just stood there staring at me, flicking his tail and twisting
his ears. I said, “Okay, well, I’m gonna’ pee… hope you don’t mind…” and he
stood there the whole time… in fact, he even took a couple of steps towards
me…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Whatchya’ doin’ there, buddy?? This
isn’t your kind, so keep yer distance…” He stayed there the whole time I did my
business, then I walked out of the woods, grabbed my camera, and Colleen
followed me in and we took photos of him until he finally spooked and took a
couple leaps deeper into the woods. What a friendly deer!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h9gINx7fUYc/UAQ4ICnobDI/AAAAAAAACac/c6gS154YA0E/s1600/P7130174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h9gINx7fUYc/UAQ4ICnobDI/AAAAAAAACac/c6gS154YA0E/s400/P7130174.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Friendly deer.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We head down the Lake Superior Trail, hiking over the loose
shale-like rocks and picking the berries as we came across them. We all met up
at Lone Rock for a nice, long lunch break. We ate, waded in the water with our
bare feet, rehydrated and enjoyed the sunshine and cool breeze off the lake.
Then we hiked on with about 5 more miles until camp. I stuck in the back and
took my time… the others ahead were going to find us a good camp spot with
enough room for all of us. But when we got to where there was a line of
campsites, one after another was taken. It was only 3:00 in the afternoon,
which is really early for us to get to camp. I was shocked how busy it was. But
eventually, after a couple of extra miles, we came upon the rest of our crew
setting up camp right at the mouth of the Little Carp River where I’d taken my
first break on Thursday during my solo hike. It was a great spot.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Camp-time fun began.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I set up my tent on a nice little patch of grass next to
Pete and Randall, and Brian later joined our little mini community, too. We
prepped for a swim… meaning we stripped down to underwear or swimsuits or
whatever we had to swim in, and head to the lake. Pete, Randall and I swam for
over an hour. Tim, Charisse and Lombardi came out and joined for a bit, then
sunned and dried off in the sun on the warm, rocky shore. Brian came by for a
bit, too. We sat up on a rock with the waves crashing into us and just soaked in
the whole awesomeness around us. The lake was incredibly warm. Lake Superior is
famous for being ice cold. You would never, ever be able to stay in as long as
we were during a "normal" year. But we took it for what we could and enjoyed the crap
out of it. The three of us shared two beers, then went back up on shore and
dried off.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NL7FYkxLWXo/UAQ4Rpdy37I/AAAAAAAACdQ/Bv-_gGZHZyM/s1600/P7140217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NL7FYkxLWXo/UAQ4Rpdy37I/AAAAAAAACdQ/Bv-_gGZHZyM/s400/P7140217.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swimming in Lake Superior!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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Colleen came over and went in to rinse off, and Pete took
off, but the three of us came up with the idea of doing our own version of a
rock spa. I layed across a giant driftwood tree as Colleen laid sun-heated,
round rocks all over my back. What a way to relax after carrying a heavy pack
for miles! Randall went next, then Colleen. We all got our hot-stone massage
in, then head back to camp.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jijjigwzjiU/UAQ4U-Z9kFI/AAAAAAAACeU/xp5uqPL8BTg/s1600/P7140237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jijjigwzjiU/UAQ4U-Z9kFI/AAAAAAAACeU/xp5uqPL8BTg/s400/P7140237.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting a hot stone massage.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The rest of the crew was sitting around the fire pit
laughing about an empty jar of moonshine-soaked blueberries that Marcin
brought. Mary gave me a taste of her drink – it was pretty tasty, but I felt it
go down and quickly realized where all the giggling stemmed from! I missed out
on that! But later Ross had a few extra blueberries and let me try them, too.
Eat too many of them and I think you’d go blind! They actually burned on your
tongue… but they still tasted good. Crazy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I ate my mashed potatoes with bacon for dinner, and we all
hung out until sunset time. There was a gigantic tree on the shore that we all
sat on in a row to watch the sun disappear over the lake. It was a spectacular
show. There’s no movie in the world that could beat the scenes we were watching
there, sitting on that log. We were all the luckiest people in the world at
that very moment. And it was only going to get better.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zmrW5Z95lNc/UAQ4bxPsnGI/AAAAAAAACgw/_95NrbZeIPU/s1600/P7140274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zmrW5Z95lNc/UAQ4bxPsnGI/AAAAAAAACgw/_95NrbZeIPU/s400/P7140274.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beginning of sunset. Then my camera stopped working. :(</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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After the sunset, back around the firepit, we started a fire
with the tons of wood that Brian hauled in. He was our wood-collecting dude on
the trip. He was on a mission and found us plenty to last through the late
night. We sat around, drinking wine and talking about whatever we were talking
about, and slowly, one by one the group would get a little smaller and a little
smaller. Randall, Pete, Anna and I played Euchre – they were teaching me. Half
way through the game, Randall made a comment that got our attention. “Wow, the
sky is really bright. It looks like the aurora.” We bolted for the beach. Sure
enough. We had a light show in the sky. It didn’t have color but it spread out
across the entire night sky, rising up over the lake horizon. It flickered,
danced and waved. Anna woke up Marcin – it was their first time ever seeing the
aurora. We all laid there, ooohing and aaaahing like a bunch of teenage
stoners. “Wooooowwwwww…. Did you see that one flutter around? Oooooooohhh,
lookit that one!! Woooooowwwwww…. Niiiiiice. Duuuuuuude. This is aaaaaawesome.”
We sat out there for quite a long time and soaked as much of it in as we could…
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We came back to Euchre and finished the game (Pete and I
beat Anna and Randall! Beginner’s luck maybe?). We talked of late-night
swimming. I have no idea what time it was. Pete wasn’t game for getting wet
again and having to dry off so he hit his tent. Randall, Anna and I head for
the little falls on the river to swim. We head in and slid down the waterfall
on our butts a bunch of times. It was our own mini water park. But we were
alone in the woods, under a canopy of silouhetted trees against a starry night
sky above. The water was warm and refreshing. It was the perfect dip before
bed. But then we got out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Leeches. Everywhere. They were tiny little baby leeches, but
we had them all over us. We squirmed and twisted and reached and flicked and
picked and “ewwwww”-ed as we frantically searched them out on ourselves. We
giggled the whole time, peeking at each other’s butts to be sure they “looked
good,” then we raced to the lake for one more rinse for good measure. We waded
in and sat in Lake Superior in the middle of the night, stars above bright as
ever with a translucent light show still flickering across the sky, and the
sound of soft waves on the rocky shoreline.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember walking back to my tent after that, throwing my
hair up into a knot, tugging my camp-jamas onto my wet skin… what I don’t
remember is crawling into my sleeping bag. I think I was asleep halfway diving
into my tent. I slept like a rock until someone else’s tent zipper woke me in the morning.
That’s the kind of alarm clock I like.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was feeling a little “under the weather” that morning. I
couple too many camp-cups of wine the night before. But every bit was worth it.
We all hiked out at our own paces for the day and met up by my car at the
Presque Isle area. Seven of us stinky hikers squeezed into my car, and we drove
the 30+ minutes back to where the rest of our cars were parked at the Lake
Superior Trail trailhead. We arrived to one more tiny snafu. There were tickets
on several of the cars, but we were all paid for. A quick stop at the visitor’s
center cleared it up – turns out, in addition to the “recreation passport”
required for parking in Michigan State Parks and the backcountry permit I
carried for our group, we needed a simple piece of paper on the dashboards to
let rangers know we were legally backcountry camping. It didn’t cost extra, it was
just a slip we needed – so next time I’ll be sure to get a car-count and get
those. They took our tickets and we didn’t have to pay with no trouble at all.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We all took the long drive back, then caravaned to a small
café for dinner. Burgers and carbonated sodas and cake was consumed quickly with pleasure. After dinner, in
the parking lot, we hugged, said our good-byes and parted ways.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s Monday, my birthday, and I have the day off work. I’m
typing up this blog, and still giggling about all the fun stuff that went on.
I’m smiling about the hard miles I put in the first two days, and I’m tearing
up at the beauty that Lake Superior delivered to us, and the friendships I’m so
blessed to have – old and new – but all so perfect. Our group had great
chemistry and I think we all left feeling satisfied. I know I did. A hundred
times over. Until next time…</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And ya’ know, I could’ve done without the leeches, but that
memory of us jumping around like crazy people in the middle of the night was
worth the grossness that they are. I wouldn’t give that up for anything in the
world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Thank you to all of you that were able to join me on this
trip. You are all awesome and I can’t wait for next time!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7ukP-C8MeVc/UAQ4afNp3_I/AAAAAAAACgg/Z3WEs3hRrZg/s1600/P7140267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7ukP-C8MeVc/UAQ4afNp3_I/AAAAAAAACgg/Z3WEs3hRrZg/s400/P7140267.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One happy birthday girl!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-14041217902327917942012-07-09T13:54:00.000-05:002012-07-09T13:54:08.505-05:00Burp-chunk and Swatchel Day Hike<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-su2J8A7J4J8/T_sihuvYQhI/AAAAAAAACN4/WrIOCwXKgrI/s1600/P7070571.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-su2J8A7J4J8/T_sihuvYQhI/AAAAAAAACN4/WrIOCwXKgrI/s400/P7070571.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
“Just another one of Robin’s crazy ideas” was Rachel’s
response to a recent facebook post. I love it. Although, I have to say, she
didn’t seem to hesitate at the idea of hiking 32 miles either. So she’s just as
crazy as I am… and that’s why you’re going to see the two of us hiking together
so often. It’s been a great summer so far. It’s nice to use just a day or a day
and a half, for a long day hike like this, then go home, shower, eat and rest
for an entire day before heading to work again on Monday. Normal weekend backpacking
trips usually involve leaving as soon as we can on a Friday, being out all
weekend and getting home late on a Sunday, quickly unpacking gear and hanging
tents and sleeping bags to air out and dry, then getting to bed late, waking up
early and struggling through the next couple of days at work. It’s always worth
it, but these day hikes still get us out there, make us “feel” like we’re on a
bigger trip, keep our legs in shape for bigger upcoming trips (Pictured Rocks
over Labor Day, for example), and give us a good opportunity to truly test out
some gear. And this all gives me a little more time with Adam, which is
super-nice. We miss each other when I’m away on trips, so this is kind of a
compromise for us, too. And it’s working pretty well. So that’s what this
spring and summer so far has been about. And I have to say… it’s been a blast.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We ended up hiking 30 miles in 15 hours (including our breaks). Not bad averaging 2 mph over a long, hot day! We were on the trail from 5:30 AM - 8:30 PM. </div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We woke up at 3AM on Saturday so we could drive to the
northern-most trailhead (Hwy P) of the N. Kettle Moraine Unit of the Ice Age
Trail. We left Appleton about 4AM and were on the trail at 5:30AM. Not bad! It
was cooler than the previous days have been – but it was still very warm and
already starting to feel humid. We were both sweating in no time at all.</div>
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We hiked like pros for the first 7 or so miles as the
morning sun peeked through the leaves overhead and lit up the woods in patches
of orange. Morning hiking is incredible. Our first break stop was for a quick
second breakfast about 3.4 miles in. Our stop after that was at the Greenbush
picnic area where we made use of the pit toilets and had a snack while sitting on
a picnic table. Rachel texted Randall to let him know where we were
because he was hoping to meet up with us at some point along the way. We hiked
on feeling good. </div>
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Our next break was just after the Parnell shelter. Again,
make use of pit toilets when available, right? There was also a bench at the
top of the hill we were able to sit on and enjoy. We were sweaty, hot, hungry,
thirsty and getting silly. We laughed hysterically pretty much the whole time
we sat there. I had indigestion and somehow made up a random new term. I think
what I meant to say was, “I’m burping up chunks,” but instead I said, “I’m
burp-chunking.” And that stuck the rest of the hike. Rachel was sweating all
over, so instead of just swass, it was swatchel. These became our daily nicknames,
or trail names. Once we were rehydrated and fed, the giggling subsided a little
and we got down to business and moved on down the trail. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRf3BMBM7iaauYxbHVEdax3cnZ5RoggzlLKe0iKXjSMOSk6eONLMyTCZtZKwX9kbXfhvtRZ7DnWNOxtwE1vTV4S11cySpNqYqdDLbmWvAz29bFrNl5qh4prtJVkjVOcEVXrqjyAJ2Exmc/s1600/P7070575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRf3BMBM7iaauYxbHVEdax3cnZ5RoggzlLKe0iKXjSMOSk6eONLMyTCZtZKwX9kbXfhvtRZ7DnWNOxtwE1vTV4S11cySpNqYqdDLbmWvAz29bFrNl5qh4prtJVkjVOcEVXrqjyAJ2Exmc/s400/P7070575.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Break on the bench near the Parnell shelter. About mile 11.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Rachel fashioned a makeshift knee brace with duct tape,
but it didn’t work. Her knee was pegging on down hills, so it was worth a try!
So many uses for that stuff! We also came up with a warning when people are
approaching on the trail. Last weekend we had a few embarrassing moments when
someone would come up over a hill as we were discussing something like poo or
airing out our pants. So we came up with a secret code word that we would say to warn each other. Conversation could stop and resume once the stranger
had passed. It came in handy a few times! Also works when one is using the
facilities just off-trail. They’ll know when to hurry it up or duck down
further and hide. These are the fun sorts of things we learn on day hikes.</div>
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We had to stop and quickly put on our headnets at one
point because the mosquitoes came out in force. They and the deer flies teamed
up and swarmed our heads and bit at us where they could. We quickly covered our
heads and slathered on some repellant as quickly as we could so we could get
moving again. I learned that my new spring ring headnet was not working for me.
The mesh was shimmery, so when the sunlight came through the trees, it would reflect off the netting and I couldn’t see, and the seam
and the ring were both in my line of vision. One when I looked down at the
trail and the other when I looked straight ahead. It was irritating, but I kept
it on to keep the bugs off of me. I decided I was going to go back to my cheap
Walmart bug net. It did the trick just fine. And it’s lighter.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We hiked on anxiously looking forward to a longer break
at Butler Lake. We even thought about walking in the water at the boat landing
there. Just before we got there, we hit the bridge with the overflowing creek again –
same one as last weekend. Without any hesitation we walked right through. That
water became more swampy, gunky and muddy over the super-hot week so it was
smelly and not as cold as last weekend, but we trucked right through anyway. We
got to Butler Lake and found the water at the landing to be kind of mucky and
nasty, too, so we just walked in a little way to rinse off the mud. That water
was warm like bathwater, too. So much for cooling off the feet!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We set up under a shade tree by pulling out our Z-Lite
Thermarest pads. We pulled out all of our “lunch” food, took off our socks and
shoes and relaxed. I discovered I was getting a pretty heat rash on my waist
line where my hip belt sat. I was blotchy all the way around, and I had patches
on the backs of my arms, my feet, my calves and my thighs. It didn’t hurt, burn
or itch, it just looked nasty. And with the heat, humidity and sweating, there
wasn’t a whole lot I could do about it. I put some of Rachel’s Lanocane on it,
but I don’t think it did too much. Worth a try… </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7AnL_FgYgpOI97xWjzDHm27G4UoZPZJGGSjfhvW_okRqXLO-UbNGuSX9WYQexg1tZLWg5HCsUK1_K8X80SvGzffvB52_2GDG4iE2Vp69Q3iQhrVgI28rPxJ5dhbxcyjG7YW-KDu0Iz4U/s1600/P7070596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7AnL_FgYgpOI97xWjzDHm27G4UoZPZJGGSjfhvW_okRqXLO-UbNGuSX9WYQexg1tZLWg5HCsUK1_K8X80SvGzffvB52_2GDG4iE2Vp69Q3iQhrVgI28rPxJ5dhbxcyjG7YW-KDu0Iz4U/s400/P7070596.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nature's clothesline at Butler Lake. Drying out the socks and gaiters.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
As we were eating a guy walked up to us and started to
talk to us about how he and his wife (I assume) were section-hiking the entire
IAT. He saw our big packs and thought maybe we would be heading the same way and hoped we could all hike together for a bit. Which would have been pretty
cool, but they were heading north and we were heading south. Very cool guy,
though!</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Randall also met us at Butler Lake and sat with us until
we had to head out. He gave us cold, clean water to fill our bladders with, as
well as a few snack-size Snickers bars. Randall was Snickerlocker. It’s always
great to get the chance to be Snickerlocker – and it’s great to be on the
receiving end of that deal, too. He hiked with us for quite a ways after our
Butler Lake stop, which was really nice. We talked and chatted about all kinds
of stuff, and it really helped pass the time. We were starting to feel the
fatigue of little sleep and a very early rising that day. After he left us we
just trucked on, still aiming for 32 miles.</div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Our next break was at Mauthe Lake. We enjoyed the toilets,
snacks and electrolyte-spiked water, as well as a sock-change. It was a much-needed
break. We had another 9 miles to go, and we both knew this was where we were going
to struggle. Our feet were hurting and we were just feeling exhausted overall…
the constant extreme sweating wasn’t helping our situation, either. But we kept
hydrated.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlKlGKFwOIlTVgOxjxIk4mCwiBRr0kPjEy6-YymvgINrRw5cv6dxXfHjTt4KIXXYtxPtGxQ2_mm1GN8j-Qw0QJfgRnIyfBW5yGluVjUEu-FfAgaxrfi7hAyXF4esXu5HqIX1YoECMKN4/s1600/P7070607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnlKlGKFwOIlTVgOxjxIk4mCwiBRr0kPjEy6-YymvgINrRw5cv6dxXfHjTt4KIXXYtxPtGxQ2_mm1GN8j-Qw0QJfgRnIyfBW5yGluVjUEu-FfAgaxrfi7hAyXF4esXu5HqIX1YoECMKN4/s400/P7070607.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spectacular wild tiger lilies along the trail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
We took another small break at an overlook and pushed for
our last stretch. Our plan was to call Randall when we reached Hwy 28, which is
2 miles from our intended finish point. About 2 miles from Hwy 28 we were
talking about all kinds of fun stuff to keep our minds off of our aches and
pains. We were still giggling and having a good time, but we knew we were
pushing it a little bit at this point. But in order to improve, you need to
make your body uncomfortable, right? Well… I suppose to an extent. We were
still doing pretty well. We had no blisters (yet), and no pains that felt as though
they’d cause any lasting damage. Just tired muscles, fatigued minds and sore
feet.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I think it was maybe 2 miles from Hwy 28, so about mile
28, I realized I had a hot spot on my heel. I was kind of bummed at the thought
that my “perfect” shoe could have caused its first blister. But then again, I
did have 35 pounds on my back for 28 miles, so I couldn’t really complain… or
blame my feet, or my shoes. It wasn’t long after that when Rachel and I both contemplated
calling it quits at 30 miles. We decided we’d stop, take off our shoes, eat,
drink and see how feel. We’d decide from there if we’d go the extra 2 miles.
The decision to go on would also put us finishing at about 10:00PM. When we got
to Hwy. 28 we both felt 100% satisfied with what we’d done with our day, and I
think we were both dreaming about Randall’s camp that he had set up for us in
his backyard. So we called him and had him pick us up.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RB-_ATfvUbcJMDKQdJaPve-CsBAFxi6Zb0Atxh_Q5ZuS_fFFXA2Nis56uIUMS6cX0z2se9nfIKDPPsyrrToGbgaYKyoKMnjBLwMGinICKtpjGRVp1lsp9yoXhf-l-3oLFvqu5cvHc-o/s1600/P7070617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RB-_ATfvUbcJMDKQdJaPve-CsBAFxi6Zb0Atxh_Q5ZuS_fFFXA2Nis56uIUMS6cX0z2se9nfIKDPPsyrrToGbgaYKyoKMnjBLwMGinICKtpjGRVp1lsp9yoXhf-l-3oLFvqu5cvHc-o/s400/P7070617.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We were pretty proud of making it a 30-mile day! Just enough energy for a crazy photo with our packs held over our heads.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
He drove us back to Hwy P where we picked up Rachel’s
car, and followed him back to his place. We took a shower (which was AMAZING!),
headed out towards his tree farm in the back of his house – and he had a tent
already set up for us. We threw our sleeping bags and pads in and the beds were
made. Instant camp – yay! Then he started a fire for us, and we had cold water,
cold beers and he brought out some chips, salsa and bean dip. A little while
later he cooked brats for us. I kept falling asleep in my camp chair, so soon
after the brats were gone, Rachel and I both hit the tent. I was out before my
head hit my dirty-clothes-stuffed stuff sack-pillow.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMGm8ynnAxPbgXmmj0C0UoYIRZjb8ZBy1mCaD_E3aL4a0b0cAAiPPv9R8SrHkc3wqKQNsIXubmhI5GeO7iSKxAM0qe3rvzqeBTbYROH5PctOv_eskpCIzuN12qaycujf6iJ0Bnd4OhIE/s1600/P7080635.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMGm8ynnAxPbgXmmj0C0UoYIRZjb8ZBy1mCaD_E3aL4a0b0cAAiPPv9R8SrHkc3wqKQNsIXubmhI5GeO7iSKxAM0qe3rvzqeBTbYROH5PctOv_eskpCIzuN12qaycujf6iJ0Bnd4OhIE/s400/P7080635.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Randall's 5-star camping accommodations.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
In the morning Randall made us breakfast. What a guy! He
made us beer banana walnut apple pancakes and bacon! After breakfast the sun
came out and I think our bodies were rebelling against the heat. We had to get
going. Thanks to Randall for the amazing trail support!! </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It was a great hike, and it pushed us to a quitting
point, which is pretty awesome. It’s Monday now, and I’m feeling really good. I
did have a teeny-tiny little blister starting on my heel where I had that hot
spot, but it’s already nearly non-existent. It was a good time for us to stop.
If we would’ve decided to move on and try to complete the last 2 miles, I would’ve
slapped some duct tape on there, but I’m glad we stopped. The blister forming
was definitely not my biggest concern… fatigue was. So I’m recovered with only
a few sore muscles here and there. The bottoms of my feet even recovered
quicker from this trek than the 23 we went last weekend. This makes me believe
that with more and more hiking, hopefully this will bother me less and less. If
not, I will get insoles. There’s always options.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Here’s to happy hiking, a warm summer, great hiking
partners, a supportive husband and great friends/trail angels!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-80946608640178002912012-07-06T11:48:00.000-05:002012-07-06T11:53:02.243-05:00Don't judge... love instead.<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">This
blog entry is a little bit
off-topic from what I normally write about, but the mood struck me. So I
wrote
it. I don't require anyone to read it. To be honest, posting these types
of entries scare me. I've got several drafts that I just haven't had
the courage to post. I guess I'm feeling courageous today. As the saying
goes, "Do one thing every day that scares you." Well, maybe this is my
one thing today.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Sometimes
people say “don’t be judgmental.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
some confidently spout out, “I don’t judge.” I’m guilty of this myself. But if
you’ve ever had an opinion about anyone, you are judging them in some way, aren't you? It
might be small, but I think it’s still judging. So let’s face it, we all do it. It’s
human nature. It’s God’s job to judge, not ours. Yet we still do it. It’s just
us being imperfect humans. It’s humbling to just think about that sometimes. We
can try all we want to be perfect. We can try all we want to not judge or not
sin. But we do. And we will. We are human.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I think the
best thing to do is just love <b>everybody.</b> No matter how much they ‘bug’ you or
no matter what they do to you. Love them. And all you can do is hope they would
do the same with you. It’s the golden rule. Treat others as you’d like to be
treated. Nobody wants to be left out. Nobody wants to be picked on. Nobody
wants rumors spread about them or to be talked about in a negative way. Nobody
wants to hear someone say, “I don’t like you.” It is possible to not see
eye-to-eye with someone and still love them.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">So let’s just
stop the crazy and try to always love instead. As best we can, anyway. As I
said before, we’re human and none of us are perfect. We can’t all love all the
time, but we can try… and it might be easier to try to love everyone than to
never judge or never sin. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
<span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Next time
you find yourself thinking negatively about someone, or judging them, big or
small, quietly in your own mind our outwardly to someone else… stop for a
second and just think, “they have the same types of feelings as I do. I can
respect that and love them for what they love themselves for,” or whatever little
saying you can come up with in your mind to remember that there are many more
wonderful things in life.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="color: black;">
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<b style="color: #990000;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _MailAutoSig;"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Just LOVE.</span></span></b><span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Disclaimer: This is a random rambling by me. Take it for what it’s
worth. If you don’t agree, that’s okay. Just remember to not judge me for it.
;)</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-54415828960435777972012-07-02T12:28:00.001-05:002012-07-03T16:56:20.078-05:00Day Hikes<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0PVsISocHNI/T_HZHhvM_FI/AAAAAAAACH0/PUk_yrxrInI/s1600/P4140187.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0PVsISocHNI/T_HZHhvM_FI/AAAAAAAACH0/PUk_yrxrInI/s400/P4140187.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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At the beginning of this year, I decided I was going to
try to get in as much hiking and backpacking as I could. But it’s
hard to be away every weekend since Adam doesn’t share my passion… well,
obsession with backpacking, so I always try to balance my free time between my
two loves, but that can be difficult sometimes. To solve this problem, I
decided that on some weekends, instead of traveling hours and being gone all
weekend, I’d just take day hikes with a full pack. It was kind of like I was
pretending I was on a bigger trip, so I’d get my “fix.” And I figured these
could be sort of like training hikes for the weekends I <i>do</i> go away and hike
back-to-back days. I also thought it would be interesting to see how my hiking
fitness improves.</div>
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Well, it’s now half way through the year. I’ve done a
few weekend trips, one that was particularly tough, and I’ve done three “training”
day hikes. There’s one more planned for this weekend, too! Rachel has been my
partner in crime on these day hikes, as our schedules seem to match up, and it’s
always nice to have someone to laugh and complain with on longer hikes.</div>
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<b>Day Hike #1: High Cliff State Park</b></div>
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<b>10 miles</b></div>
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<b>April 7,
2012</b></div>
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I met Rachel at her house really super early. It was like
5:30am or some crazy time like that. And it was April (Easter weekend), so it
was still dark when we started out on the trail. I didn’t have a completely full
backpack, but it probably had 20-25 pounds in it. I was wearing my running tennies
because I was thinking about switching over to trail runners instead of heavy
hiking boots. I thought a 10-miler would be a good test to see if my feet were
okay with something with less support. I think, or I hope, that running in FiveFinger
shoes has helped with this, because it went quite well. The running shoes weren’t
big enough for hiking, though. Whatever I ended up getting, I had to be sure to
get at least a whole size bigger.</div>
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I remember it was a pretty chilly morning, so I was wearing
my jacket and hat the whole time, but I was comfortable. We cruised through 10
miles in just under three hours.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWK84ciyKzs4HIv2mMbDl37vua7Uk4h3rrdRNKY1EssdV3QnnhJFKI2cIgvgGst3qmB_bYaCe1CgXU5U5AMXd5aIE84Dph_yDs0XJ4sqZXvJvrkvXNY0DtnGPnTEol0UfOnrCLQLNJcngv/s1600/P4060160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWK84ciyKzs4HIv2mMbDl37vua7Uk4h3rrdRNKY1EssdV3QnnhJFKI2cIgvgGst3qmB_bYaCe1CgXU5U5AMXd5aIE84Dph_yDs0XJ4sqZXvJvrkvXNY0DtnGPnTEol0UfOnrCLQLNJcngv/s400/P4060160.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a break.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7CgE9QT7uwc/T_HYVidjspI/AAAAAAAACG8/vt6MnwN9Ei4/s1600/P4060161.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7CgE9QT7uwc/T_HYVidjspI/AAAAAAAACG8/vt6MnwN9Ei4/s400/P4060161.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hiking in running shoes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>Day Hike #2: Southern Unit Kettle Moraine, Lapham Peak
segment of the Ice Age Trail</b></div>
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<b>10.5 miles</b></div>
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<b>April 14, 2012.</b></div>
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It was the next weekend, and we both had another
Saturday free, so Rachel and I head south. We went to REI first thing in the morning
so I could return my too-small Merrells. I tried on a shoe that I had done a
ton of research on and was very excited to try out. Brooks Cascadias. I tried
them, they fit, they were comfortable, and I got them! Rachel tried them on,
too, and was also convinced, so she got the same pair! I did try on a few
others to be sure I wasn’t just settling for the first pair I tried, and they
were the best fit.</div>
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After our REI visit we hit the trails. Full packs this
time. I didn’t weight mine, but I guessed it was about 25 pounds with water and
snacks for the day. These little day hikes were sure teaching me a lot about my
pack weight, got me thinking about how I can minimize some of my gear, and I
was finding out some things that worked and some that didn’t. Maybe by summer’s
end I’ll have it all figured out! Haha, doubt it!</div>
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Anyway, we hiked 10-1/2 miles in about 3-1/2 hours and had
an unusually hot day for mid-April. We were hiking in shorts and short-sleeves
and we both got a light sunburn from the day! The trails were new to us, so it
was really fun.</div>
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Best part of it was the new Brooks Cascadias passed with
flying colors! No blisters. Just a little foot fatigue was felt at the end, but
having not only new shoes, but an entirely new shoe style, and just starting
out on these day hikes, I figured that was to be expected. The hope is that
maybe by the time our big Pictured Rocks trip rolls around in September, our
feet will be seasoned and ready to roll so we can dance around the fire when we
get to camp each night!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lX95HXFnrPo/T_HYgJjuwyI/AAAAAAAACHE/OQdNwlPPSsU/s1600/P4140168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lX95HXFnrPo/T_HYgJjuwyI/AAAAAAAACHE/OQdNwlPPSsU/s400/P4140168.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying out the new shoes - Brooks Cascadias</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KxhH5Xt0N4fJz4RS9p6lcdhOXNwKQRrgupW-_xUdEf-zuuqXwh6DNoVUceD_2joDnxly1USPhQLV9lL_cEtVVl8Y8X_2VEr3XJ9Xfct4ZxgluLXbx_FPK0FuPiAxipSYxHxZsw2WTPGY/s1600/P4140169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KxhH5Xt0N4fJz4RS9p6lcdhOXNwKQRrgupW-_xUdEf-zuuqXwh6DNoVUceD_2joDnxly1USPhQLV9lL_cEtVVl8Y8X_2VEr3XJ9Xfct4ZxgluLXbx_FPK0FuPiAxipSYxHxZsw2WTPGY/s400/P4140169.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love breaks.</td></tr>
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<b>Day Hike #3: Northern Unit of Kettle Moraine, Ice Age
Trail</b></div>
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<b>23 miles</b></div>
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<b>June 30, 2012</b></div>
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Between our 2nd day hike and this one there were a few
backpacking trips sprinkled in. One was a biggie – an 18-mile day followed by a
12-mile day. Again the shoes held up great, no blisters, just sore feet that
was better the next day. I also did a few smaller trips (lower miles) in Kettle
Moraine with our Meetup group – well, one of them had a couple of 12-mile days,
so I guess that’s something! Each time I felt as though I was “testing” my
shoe/sock/gaiter combo... and each time I was really happy with it.<br />
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This day hike was again a “test” of these shoes, and
after this one I am fully convinced I found a happy situation for my feet while
backpacking. This is a super-hard challenge, so the fact that I think I have it
figured out makes me so, so very happy!</div>
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Rachel picked me up early and we drove to Mauthe Lake
Campground where we parked and left for our 23-mile out-and-back hike. We hiked
23 miles in 12-1/2 hours. Not a great time, but we weren’t shooting for speed
records on this one. We had distance to cover and that was the goal.</div>
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It was buggy, so we wore our bug nets on and off through
the day, and it was really freakin’ hot out, so we sweat buckets. We drank lots
of water and took a few longer shady breaks.</div>
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We hit a spot in the trail that was flooded from a creek,
so we walked right through with our trail runners and continued on with wet
feet. There’s some controversy with this hiking style. Some say it’s a really
bad idea because the moisture in your shoes will cause blisters. Others say
that’s why you wear trail runners – because they breathe so well, they dry out
in no time as you hike. I’ve read about so many other backpackers that swear by this strategy, so we
tried it. Guess what!? It worked! We hiked on with our wet shoes, and in about
30 minutes, while our shoes weren’t completely dry, our feet inside our shoes
FELT dry. No blisters, either! We stopped a couple of miles past our turnaround
point and changed into dry socks and that felt awesome.</div>
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23 miles was sure a hike. We were sore and tired by the
end of it, and we’re looking forward to doing another long one like this next
weekend. It’s fun to get out into the woods, and each time we go, we learn
something new. Like the wet shoes thing. What a great time to test that out.</div>
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Not this weekend, but next, I’m going to the Porkies for
my birthday and hiking for 4 days. 2 days solo, then I’m meeting up with some
meetup peeps and hiking Sat-Sunday with them. I cannot wait, and I’m looking
forward to seeing if these day hikes help my performance on a multi-day trip! More
on that later!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhNO4tX6RnXWRzHUd0PBSfckPO-Yc39bwdulGVnJfKMVR9wbD1pJv6tFbbOppp6P2krtwKPoUtGFshPAuR0l2XidoZZIoyAwx4rAqnL4He_w9-WPDjiNOrMuJc4uBWahia5zEd7yIHR-q/s1600/P6290017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhNO4tX6RnXWRzHUd0PBSfckPO-Yc39bwdulGVnJfKMVR9wbD1pJv6tFbbOppp6P2krtwKPoUtGFshPAuR0l2XidoZZIoyAwx4rAqnL4He_w9-WPDjiNOrMuJc4uBWahia5zEd7yIHR-q/s320/P6290017.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mosquito net. Bugs are out!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qGcWBopQO0LEhyNlRXcUIytLhzCRGmrHx2UJwtsXPcDrTJQ5GKx5w2_02sg0Frao-jLQg4vTEQ11VZi9-xnA2hgAl8u0ZvhCw5mOBn8L5zU-99fugS5Xx5NrrmyF2tx00Ph4PrD1sp-w/s1600/P6300034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8qGcWBopQO0LEhyNlRXcUIytLhzCRGmrHx2UJwtsXPcDrTJQ5GKx5w2_02sg0Frao-jLQg4vTEQ11VZi9-xnA2hgAl8u0ZvhCw5mOBn8L5zU-99fugS5Xx5NrrmyF2tx00Ph4PrD1sp-w/s320/P6300034.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Overflowing creek on trail.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0h5fn0djwJ-m7QIi_3j2Uqop_h44SWaeIClJqzE3M-GzGfUhYwWOHesHFcerTb_sound94YETSRJoanyN2xbKZsxg9nUcuqj1_MTPXgRvmQV6dfILBHcyhjPS3CnWnPWXp9Lps8BDbAM/s1600/P6300042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga0h5fn0djwJ-m7QIi_3j2Uqop_h44SWaeIClJqzE3M-GzGfUhYwWOHesHFcerTb_sound94YETSRJoanyN2xbKZsxg9nUcuqj1_MTPXgRvmQV6dfILBHcyhjPS3CnWnPWXp9Lps8BDbAM/s320/P6300042.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing out the trail runners in the water with great success.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-29218147525466175102012-06-25T14:08:00.000-05:002012-07-02T12:36:46.847-05:00A random trail run<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0dhmBqEUZ5k/T-iz2cl_lLI/AAAAAAAABz0/DSszIPYI34M/s1600/P6240047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0dhmBqEUZ5k/T-iz2cl_lLI/AAAAAAAABz0/DSszIPYI34M/s400/P6240047.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I haven’t written in my blog in a long time, and I’ve been
meaning to put up and entry to catch up. The problem with that is I have so
much I want to say that it overwhelms me. So maybe I’ll do a little recap of my
most recent adventures soon. They haven’t been anything ginormous or anything,
but a bunch of little “close-to-home” weekend excursions and things of that
sort. This entry is about a simple trail run I did over the weekend, and I
thought it was a good opportunity to try getting back in the habit of
journaling things.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Adam switched to some 3rd shift hours, so on Sunday he
needed to sleep during the day. We live in a teeny 2-room studio apartment, so
I decided to hit the woods for some trail running while he sleeps… it would be
difficult to keep quiet enough for him to sleep in such a small place. Hey, any
excuse is a good excuse for me to hit the woods!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I packed my small running pack with 2 liters of water, half
of a PB&J sandwich, a Ritz cracker bar and a small bag of mountain-style
trail mix. At first I was thinking about hiking, but decided I wanted to get
some miles in, so I decided to trail run instead… this mattered for footwear
choice. Hiking would mean Brooks Cascadia trail runners. Trail run would mean
Vibram Five Finger (VFF) shoes. So I wore the VFFs, my running capris, a
sleeveless shirt and a bandana because it was hot and I knew I was going to get
sweaty.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Off I went… drove an hour to the Parnell Tower parking lot
in the Northern Unit of Kettle Moraine.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7KUIz3beIlI-fTA1pB_PolzDMKcv158E_b0YQi5aI7e6OQjnm9RArZ-VRWxaTbd5CoGq43y-uSOsJXPVgZMjWWaIj5F_NuM9ibGBtLIGJt6SD5j3MkpktPTyr4HnNgayRNRXQi5iIkkg/s1600/P6240015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7KUIz3beIlI-fTA1pB_PolzDMKcv158E_b0YQi5aI7e6OQjnm9RArZ-VRWxaTbd5CoGq43y-uSOsJXPVgZMjWWaIj5F_NuM9ibGBtLIGJt6SD5j3MkpktPTyr4HnNgayRNRXQi5iIkkg/s400/P6240015.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Trail on the Parnell Loop</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;">The Parnell loop is a nice, single-track hiking trail that
winds through the woods for 3.5 miles. There are lots of rocks, roots and hills
on this loop trail, and I was really excited to hop-jog along the trail on such
a nice day. There’s also one gigantic steep hill that I remembered from
backpacking there, and I wanted to run down it really bad. But because I wanted
to run down the hill, I decided it would be pretty tough to run UP the hill,
too. So what does Robin do? Runs the loops two times, once each way. That way I
got to run up and down that crazy hill. And it was great both ways.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I started running the route so that the hill would be at the
end, and I’d run UP first. Then I’d climb the Parnell tower, and run back the
other way, running DOWN that same hill. On my first time around the loop, I was on the trail for maybe 2
minutes and found a blackberry bush with about 10 beautiful, plump blackberries
ready to be eaten. So I had to stop and pick them. They were delicious! What a
great way to start! The sun was shining through the leaves onto the trail and
there was just a slight breeze. It was hot, but I was mostly in shade… this is
one of the reasons I LOVE to trail run!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I enjoyed hopping from side to side around rocks and leaping
over large roots, quick-lunging up hills and loping down others. I was sweating
like a crazy-person, too. Ahhh, yes.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Then I rounded a corner and there was something moving in the trail ahead of me. I realized
that it was 2 little baby raccoons. I had to stop and get pictures – they were
SO cute!! The pictures weren’t turning out too great, so I took a little video,
then I was able to snap one good photo of the two babies sitting on a log. I
know coons are kind of nasty animals, but these little guys were so adorable I
wished I could’ve taken them home with me! But I’m sure Peanut (my cat) would
NOT have been happy about that. Adam probably wouldn’t have been a fan, either.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IrHLLLfASpY/T-izoA1lrII/AAAAAAAABzQ/ivs4RgIr2bA/s1600/P6240011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IrHLLLfASpY/T-izoA1lrII/AAAAAAAABzQ/ivs4RgIr2bA/s400/P6240011.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cute baby raccoons!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Then I wiped out! My right foot JUST grazed the top of a
root and my left foot was still too far behind to come up and catch me, so I
went down. I was able to roll my body so that I didn’t face-plant, though. I
thought I was pretty smart for thinking so quickly! I landed on my shoulder in
the middle of the dusty trail. I wasn’t hurt AT ALL. I felt great, in fact! I
laughed, stood up and looked back where I fell. For how many rocks and roots
stick up on this path, I was feeling pretty lucky that I hadn’t landed on one.
I fell on a totally flat spot in the trail. I was just dirty from being super
sweaty and landing and rolling onto a dry, dusty trail. I squirt a little of my
water onto my hands, rubbed them together and trucked on, smiling the whole
way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">After I got back to the start, I ran up the Parnell Tower
and ate my PB&J, drank some water, then head back the other way and DOWN that huge
hill. It really was fun both ways. The second loop went better for me
speed-wise, though I wasn’t really keeping close track. I didn’t even set the
chrono on my watch. I also didn’t stop for baby raccoons or blackberries the 2nd
time through – although admittedly I was keeping my eyes peeled for more
berries… I did have a deer spook me, then leap off into the woods and snort at
me a few times. That was pretty cool. Once through the second loop I climbed
the tower again, enjoyed the high-up breeze, snapped a couple of photos and head
back down to the car. I filled my water, ate my trail mix and head over to the
Greenbush Picnic Area. I wanted more!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I picked the largest loop at Greenbush (why wouldn’t I?). It was
5.1 miles. So that would give me a total of 12.1. I figured that was probably more
than I should do since I haven’t been running big miles and haven’t trail run
in a while… and my legs were already sore from muscle conditioning the day
before… but whatever, I did it anyway. One of these days this will catch up to
me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Anyway, off I went. The trails I was on this time are
cross-country ski trails in the winter, so they are nice and wide, and the
hills aren’t quite as short and steep, but I still had a few good hills to work
with. It was labeled as “Most Difficult” as far as ski signs go. During the
Parnell loops I concentrated mostly on my running, but on the Greenbush loop I
found myself working through some issues I had going on in my head. I was so
glad I took this trail, even though it hurt my legs pretty bad. Working through
life as you run sure helps the time fly! Before I knew it I had to wrap up all
my hypothetical conversations in my head because I only had another half mile!
It was therapeutic, for sure. I felt balanced and happy after all 12.1 miles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I sat on a picnic table, snapped a few photos, picked the
weeds from between my toes and cooled off in the breeze. I then jumped in the
car, ate my last snack, drank a bunch of water, and decided to head home. Great
day, great run.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkeOX-D5df9vmgNvcdFmwEv_AXhhzc5OR8N64f6c3XxvjE6P1SUGgugXsnO6nIipBoK_s5VWZB-95j_t4ncer0k_uADl7kZq3VO2gc_T9YmvAmvQsFeYVe2FEXaVYT95HSAAFeVngh1wW/s1600/P6240049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigkeOX-D5df9vmgNvcdFmwEv_AXhhzc5OR8N64f6c3XxvjE6P1SUGgugXsnO6nIipBoK_s5VWZB-95j_t4ncer0k_uADl7kZq3VO2gc_T9YmvAmvQsFeYVe2FEXaVYT95HSAAFeVngh1wW/s400/P6240049.JPG" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Grass between my toes</span></td></tr>
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-41814935421367395122012-02-09T13:34:00.003-06:002012-02-09T13:37:36.304-06:00Frozen Otter 2012<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YGDLZqsMIK4/TzQZOeTSJhI/AAAAAAAAA78/kQK5RI-MujI/s1600/P1210021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YGDLZqsMIK4/TzQZOeTSJhI/AAAAAAAAA78/kQK5RI-MujI/s320/P1210021.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I was hoping to add my name a 2nd time, but 2012 wasn't my year. I am super proud to be on this plaque even once, though! Incredibly, 11 others were added this year!</span></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, it’s taken me long enough to get my journal written up
about my 2012 Frozen Otter Ultra Trek attempt. I think it’s mostly because I
didn’t finish it, so I had to think more about why and what went wrong. I’m not
upset about stopping early – I felt confident in the decision I made when I
made it. I do feel a little disappointed because I feel there are some things I
could’ve done differently before the race even started that probably would’ve
made the full 64 miles a little more doable for me this year. And, as always, a
lot of that is mental. Most of it is mental.
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">I planned this 64-mile trek almost the same way I did two
years ago when I completed it. I figured it worked then, why wouldn’t it work
again? Truth is, it probably would have, if I’d have prepped the same
beforehand, too. I had all my clothing picked out for the race. I had my
clothing picked out that I’d carry with me, and I had my clothing picked out
for the 32-mile halfway point where I would have the chance to change
completely if I needed or wanted to. I had my food lined up and ready to roll,
all individually wrapped, separated into two nearly equal piles – one for the 1st<sup></sup>
half, one for the 2nd<sup></sup> half. My gear was laid out and packed, and I
had additional gear stashed with my extra change of clothes in case I needed to
add or replace anything at the halfway point.</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hQaURKZ0U4M/TzQZPIVT-0I/AAAAAAAAA8E/RM_ndy4gySA/s1600/P1210022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hQaURKZ0U4M/TzQZPIVT-0I/AAAAAAAAA8E/RM_ndy4gySA/s320/P1210022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Before the race start, staying warm in the car.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Gear, gear, gear...</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">To break it down, my clothing consisted of double-layer
socks – a pair of Injinji’s with a pair of Smarwool liners on top. This is my
favorite sock combo and it’s gotten me through every hike I’ve been on mostly
blister-free. The footwear I chose were my trusty Merrell Moab Gore-Tex mid-height hiking
shoes. Most people have moved on to trail runners for stuff like this, but I
just didn’t want to change what’s worked so well for me in the past. (I
realized after 40 miles this year that these boots need to be retired, even if
replaced with the same exact boot. The poor things are just worn down.) I also
had a pair of Yaktrax that help with traction in the snow, along with tall gaiters to keep the snow out of my boots. I wore a pair of
Patagonia capileine undies and long underwear with hiking pants on my lower
half, and my upper half was a random-branded sports bra, silk-weight Patagonia
long-sleeve moisture-wicking shirt and a
Patagonia R2 fleece over it. I wore cheapo cotton gloves and a simple beanie
hat that I got at a local fun run. I was a mismatched hiker/endurance racer.
That’s me! Along with me in my pack I had an extra set of long underwear
(required gear includes a change of clothing), an extra pair of undies, Injini
and Smartwool liner socks, my Patagonia Nanopuff down jacket and a rain shell.
I also toted a set of mittens that I keep strapped over the hip belt of my pack
in case my fingers get cold and won’t warm up quick enough. I learned from past
experiences to not suffer with cold fingers. Get ‘em warm and be a happy hiker!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Clothing laid out the night before.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My food was planned out the same way as I’ve done in the
past for this race. After 4 years, one of the coolest and most important tricks
I’ve learned is to be sure everything is cut up into bite-size pieces. That way
if it freezes, you can at least suck on it until you can chew it. Full-size
Clif bars are impossible to even nibble on when frozen solid, and they take way
too long to warm up when you’re on the move and need fuel pronto. This year I
packed more of a variety of food, as well as some Hammer gels in case my
stomach got funny toward the end. Two years ago, on the way back from the
48-mile checkpoint, my stomach rebelled (just a little bit) and I didn’t want
to eat any of the stuff I brought. So for this year, I thought the gels would
be nice to just slam if I needed something quick. Specifically, I packed
pretzels & cashews, peanuts & candy corn (tastes like a nut roll!), cut-up
Luna bars, jelly beans, M&Ms, pepperoni & string cheese cut up into
small pieces, peanut butter roll-ups (tortilla with peanut butter, ground
almonds and walnuts with mini chocolate chips, rolled up and wrapped in tin
foil to keep it’s shape), and egg salad sandwich. I had enough food to eat
every hour, and I had enough for both halves of the race.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2cZwVk-dyzKpNvbtgIJNdnd3FNfILG1WRd2ddIxYoNy-DZGTcej8BA0l8Hq8NnRlQdsqSVI7Pgqaf-aEcWxgPC4xZO8QTeTi-Qq5Ook2S1JAhGh3bi_jy6wtQyqMg7__LNeS-CjrFz9k/s1600/P1200004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy2cZwVk-dyzKpNvbtgIJNdnd3FNfILG1WRd2ddIxYoNy-DZGTcej8BA0l8Hq8NnRlQdsqSVI7Pgqaf-aEcWxgPC4xZO8QTeTi-Qq5Ook2S1JAhGh3bi_jy6wtQyqMg7__LNeS-CjrFz9k/s320/P1200004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Food all organized, ready to go... just had to cup up the Luna bars.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Cut-up Luna bar.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My gear was pretty minimal – it mostly consisted of what was
required of us for safety. I carried a GoLite pack, a 70-oz. Camelbak water
reservoir (bladder), trekking poles, hand warmers and duct tape (to heat up and
tape to my bladder hose if my water were to freeze up!) cell phone, headlamp,
extra headlamp and batteries (my main lamp is on the fritz, so it’s duct-taped
shut – thus the entirely spare headlamp!) , lighter, fire starter, emergency
shelter, heat blanket, mini knife, first aid kit with blister care and
ibuprofen, chap stick, whistle, map,
toilet bag with TP, wet ones, girly items and NO trowel. The one time I don’t
bring the stupid orange trowel……. Damn Murphy.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XAQr_9PSNm8/TzQZN8uhzyI/AAAAAAAAA70/JCO9juYSszE/s1600/P1200011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XAQr_9PSNm8/TzQZN8uhzyI/AAAAAAAAA70/JCO9juYSszE/s320/P1200011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Pack with all the gear that went in it.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I was proud when I weighed my pack in the morning, with 70
ounces of water and enough food to eat every hour for the first 12 hours, it
weighed just under 13 pounds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">*****</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So, before the race… what the hell happened? I can come up
with a million excuses, and a million reasons why maaaaybe things didn’t work
out like I wanted, but it all comes down to one simple thing: I wasn’t mentally
prepared. For my own opportunity to whine about all that went wrong up until
race day, I’m going to go for it here.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Me and Anthony at the start line</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I was really on a roll with training and feeling pretty
awesome. I was doing double workouts with some seriously hard stairs and I
remember telling myself, “If I keep this up, I’ll definitely feel ready for the
Kettle Moraine hills!” I think it was my next workout, and record-fast, cold
outside run, when I broke my little toe. I know, I know… it’s just a little
toe… but it hurt really bad!! I took a week off to let it heal (probably
should’ve been more), and during that week my mental preparedness went on a
downward spiral. I actually started feeling depressed not being able to work
out with the intensity I was getting used to. After a week I said ‘screw it’
and started running again, with my last two toes banded together with a hair
tie. I realized that the weekend of the race (plug your ears boys, shut your
eyes, whatever), I was going to have my period, which is always an
energy-sucker and just a plain pain in the ass when doing anything outdoorsy.
In addition to these few things, my diet fell apart for whatever thousand
reasons, and I started to lie to myself. “I’ve done it before, so it's no biggie.” I
took the stress off of myself that usually fuels me. Honestly, I knew that if I had to
quit early this year, I wouldn’t beat myself up about it, since I had already
finished the full 64 miles before, but telling myself that before the race even
starts isn’t like me. I already had that ‘quit’ in me. See? All mental!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">This lack of mental preparation put me in this strange “I’m
invincible/I don’t care” mode. Not good. Friday night before the race, at 5:00,
which is happy hour, Adam and I joined the girls for drinks. I even joked that
I was “just carb-loading!” After three absolutely delicious beers and no dinner
I was feeling very smiley and very hungry. Adam and I headed home and ordered
sloppy, greasy Papa Johns delivery. I hammered down enough pizza to make me
feel ill and passed out on the couch watching TV. I moved to the bed and tried
to get a good night’s sleep on a grease-filled stomach... the night before the race! (Stupid!!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Now to be fair, I normally have butterflies the morning of
any race day, accompanied by frequent trips to the bathroom. It happens every
single race I do. 5Ks, 1/2 marathons, full marathon, frozen otter… doesn’t
matter. So when we arrived at Butler Lake and I had to take a pre-race hike
down the trail and into the woods I wasn’t really surprised. One interesting
side note… I did learn that a window ice scraper can double as a poo trowel, in
case you were wondering… </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So skip ahead 32 miles and two “into the woods with an ice
scraper” trips later, then skip ahead <i>again </i>to about 35 miles and yet <i>another</i>
“into the woods with an ice scraper” trip later (this time just a little more
urgent and unexpected), I stupidly wondered what went wrong. I now think back
and blame the beer and Papa Johns pizza situation. However, if I had been
properly mentally prepared, that wouldn’t have happened. My guts gave out on me
at the 32-mile mark. I pushed past that hoping it just needed to do its thing,
but an hour past the 1/2 way mark I realized this was an issue that wasn't just going to go away. I was no longer
tolerating any of the variety of food I brought with me. Sweet, salty, mixed,
gel… my stomach was having none of it… and when the body blatantly asks for
fuel, and you just can’t fuel it… well, you fall apart. And I did.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I forced down a peanut butter roll-up (my favorite snack),
drank some water and felt another small burst of energy. I called Adam, who was
waiting at the next checkpoint, to let him know I was going to turn around when
I got there and head back to Butler lake – the thought of it almost brought tears
to my eyes. Me? Settling for just 48 miles when I came here to finish 64? Oy. But once I told him my plan I felt
happy. It was the right decision. I hung up the phone and my burst of energy
lasted about another mile or two. My next swig of water started to come back up
and so did the next. And the next. Then the burning in my throat was too much
and I stopped drinking water all together for the last mile. I was stumbling
like a drunk on dark, snowy trails, lit only by about a 4-foot diameter circle
of light from my headlamp. I tried singing out loud to help time pass, but the
last few miles to that 40-mile checkpoint just dragged on and on and on.
Somewhere in there is when I decided I was done at 40 miles. I knew what that
meant, too. It meant a “DNF” next to my name, which means “Did not finish.” In
order to be a finisher, I’d have to hike back to Butler Lake. Another 8 miles,
and that’s it -- but not being able to tolerate food… or even water… I knew I
was done.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And this is precisely why the decision I made is okay with
me. I knew it was what I had to do. And I’m happy that I made it 40 miles. I’m
proud of that. I will not deny the disappointment and frustration, either,
though. There’s a lot of feeling and crazy crap that goes through your head
during something like this, and I pretty much reached the gamut this year. I
had some super-awesome friends from our local backpacking meetup group
volunteering for the Frozen Otter this year, so they were at the 40-mile mark to
support my decision to stop and smother me with compliments for enduring what I
had already endured. They made me truly feel as though I deserved it. 40 miles
is still a whole helluva lot of miles! Also waiting there was Adam and one of
my newest awesomest friends, Anthony, who hiked a lot of the first half with me
until I totally bailed on him… maybe I went too fast and would’ve done better
if I’d have taken it a little easier – see? I will be questioning this
experience over and over again! </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I sat there in front of the nice warm fire with great
friends, cheering on other racers as they came and went, and settled into my
new, never-before-reached “DNF” ranking. That may sound sarcastic, but it is kind of
cool. Why? I’m one of those annoying people that tries to find something
positive in everything. It helps me cope with my own self-pity. A “DNF” is
something I haven’t had before during the Frozen Otter. So that’s a first…
firsts are always cool. But most importantly, the Frozen Otter broke me. I know
that sounds bad, but it’s totally not. I love the crap out of this endurance
race because it forces me to push myself beyond what I normally think I can do.
Two years ago when I finished the full 64 miles, there was quite a length of
time where my body was shut down and my mind was running everything
full-throttle. It’s almost like there’s a switch, well, maybe it’s more like
one of those little dimming dial thingies. Your body starts to shut down on
you, and you slowly switch it over to your mental state. I have, in more than
one occasion, talked to my legs directly. “Listen here, legs… you have to keep
moving… and if you want to stop, I am going to make you keep moving… so you
might as well cooperate with me.” Then once I get to where I want to be I say,
“Thank you, legs, for sticking with me and putting up with me. You rock!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">And so, as it turns out, it wasn’t my legs that did me in, it was
my stomach. And I wasn’t able to reason with it. Who knows, maybe that’s my
next challenge… to see if I can get past that if it happens again. Or… maybe I
just won’t down 3 beers and sloppy pizza the night before a race!</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1HFm94nxVsM/TzQZRyWjR8I/AAAAAAAAA8k/EkgCd1FnUkk/s1600/P1210032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1HFm94nxVsM/TzQZRyWjR8I/AAAAAAAAA8k/EkgCd1FnUkk/s320/P1210032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Line of racers making their way up the hill at Butler Lake.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">*****</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">After all that “what went wrong” stuff, what went right?
Well, the first half went right. I started off with a great hiking partner,
Anthony. He followed behind me for most of the first 16 miles, but I kept
getting these crazy bursts of energy and would shoot up ahead. I eventually
lost him in the pack of racers, and we ended up about an hour apart at the
32-mile mark. At one point I was following behind a group of hikers that were talking
constantly, very loudly, and they had an uneven pace for me. On the downhills
and straight stretches it was fine, we’d all jog along at a good clip. Then on
the uphills, I’d try to keep my steady pace, which I practiced, and those in
front of me would slow to a near-crawl up the hills and I’d almost be stepping
on their heels. So the next straight-stretch was short, but I took the edge to
pass. There was a nasty hill coming, but I only had 2 or 3 more people to pass.
I took a jog up the hill – and boy, what a bonehead move! It totally wore out
my legs and I huffed and puffed to keep my pace for quite a while after that.
So looking back, I enjoyed the bursts of energy, but I sure wish I hadn’t taken
the hill pass and lost the company of Anthony on the way back from the first 16
miles. It’s incredible how quickly your mind gets lonely in the dark on a
single-track hiking trail when your feet and muscles start to really hurt.</span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HfnLbqk_t5c/TzQZPhXd8KI/AAAAAAAAA8M/PxjbaoFjShw/s1600/P1210024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HfnLbqk_t5c/TzQZPhXd8KI/AAAAAAAAA8M/PxjbaoFjShw/s320/P1210024.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Watching the group of 32-milers getting ready to start.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">I stuck to my plan to not take much time at checkpoints. I
flew through the first 8-mile checkpoint where my friends were volunteering,
and at the 16-mile checkpoint, I filled my water, went in the woods for a pee,
ate my egg salad sandwich (which I learned is awesome trail food!!), checked
out and hit the trail feeling great. I was actually smiling for some of the
next 8-mile stretch. The weather that Saturday was freakin’ gorgeous, too!!! It started out cold, but warmed up with a
clear blue sky and shining sun. My gloves were off for most of the race, and I
had my fleece zipped down as far as it would go… and I was still a sweaty mess.
There wasn’t too much snow, even though it was a slippery mashed-potato
consistency. But, again, this could always be worse! A few years ago we had
drifts that went all the way up to my hips! Nobody finished the 64 miles that
year. Another year that was dangerously cold – nobody finished. This year? 11
finishers. Almost doubling the total in the last 5 years. Needless to say,
weather makes a HUGE difference in this race. HUGE. And this is another reason
why it’s so freakin’ cool and hard core. Because you just don’t know until the
day of the race what’s going to happen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">So in the end of everything, I’m taking a lot home with me,
and trying to decide if this is something I’d like to attempt again next year. I’m
very unsure. I’d like to try to fix this year’s mistakes and redeem myself, but
at the same time, I’d like to retire and enjoy the volunteering aspect. That
was a whole different endurance challenge last year, and I certainly wouldn’t
mind doing that again. So we’ll see.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Until then, I think I’m cutting down on the “carb-loading.”
It doesn’t work. At least not my version of it. :)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP_i0xqjZgK_92m0QyLAz5TSgt3DufS3qGeED04VLF5fSjAOeif-1v_HPYIsruPJaGaFCw1qxvf4Vj_qiQQzwHx7iaSW0MZSER0Ryn8L5UW0IHekqz3yNABPRsK6bYE9JAikiTXWnzxs5/s1600/P1220047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtP_i0xqjZgK_92m0QyLAz5TSgt3DufS3qGeED04VLF5fSjAOeif-1v_HPYIsruPJaGaFCw1qxvf4Vj_qiQQzwHx7iaSW0MZSER0Ryn8L5UW0IHekqz3yNABPRsK6bYE9JAikiTXWnzxs5/s320/P1220047.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Rachel holding her breath to pose for a photo next to my nasty, pruney feet after 40 miles. Brave, brave girl!</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-76956786214646734112011-10-12T08:58:00.000-05:002011-10-12T08:58:17.448-05:00Why do I run?<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/> <w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/> <w:OverrideTableStyleHps/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I went for a run last night and my thoughts wandered, as they usually do. But I felt clear and happy with where they led me, so I thought I would record it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Why do I run?</span></span></b></div><b> </b><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span>To remind myself that I am in remission and because I can.</span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Runners are asked that question all the time -- by friends, family, internet forums, magazines… and for me, mostly myself! Why the heck DO I run? I’ve thought about what my answer to that question is, and my first thoughts are usually, “to stay in shape, keep from being overweight again, and being physically fit for backpacking – cross training for it, in a sense.” </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>Well, I struggled through what turned out to be an allergy/cold combination last week, but before I knew what it was, I found myself feeling nervous. I was lightheaded and fatigued. I actually “felt” like my blood counts may have been low. I felt that strange fatigue in my legs and throughout my body that reminded me of when I was sick. I was also feeling congested, so I kept making the excuse that it was all because I simply wasn’t feeling well. In the back of my mind I whispered to myself that if I was feeling the same the next week, I’d make an appointment. I’ve made excuses in the past and let simple symptoms pass me by. Was I doing the same now? Thankfully I started to feel better.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I ran a little more than 5 miles last night, and it was pouring rain the entire time. It was a great autumn run. The leaves were flittering down along the paths and sidewalks I ran along, and at times there were bright golden-yellow trees that would drape over the road and made it feel like I was running through a tunnel of heavenly golden light – from every direction -- as the leaves on the trees were still yellow, the sidewalk would be completely covered and the leaves falling around me were all the same bright color. I actually looked at my skin to see if it was reflecting off of me.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>The raindrops would land on my face, my arms, my lips and even around my eyes to the point where I had to squint a couple of times when it picked up, but the temperature of the water was so refreshing and cooling I couldn’t help but smile. My running clothes were completely soaked through to the point where I could feel little streams of water running down my legs and my back. There were puddles everywhere, and instead of dodging them, I worked to step into them -- jumping back and forth along my path. I even laughed a couple of times as the splash came up all around me. I felt like I was running in a dream. It was a great run, and I felt really strong. I felt really light and my breathing was almost effortless. I felt very much alive.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>I thought to myself, “If I were relapsing, there’s no way I could run like this. Aha! That’s why I run! As a reminder!” I went on thinking… I guess the first place I’d notice a problem would be in my regular physical activity. So I guess there’s a lot of reasons I run. The ones I mentioned earlier, to stay healthy as long as I can to hopefully avoid relapse or other health issues, but mostly to remember where I was, where I can go, and where I am now. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span>So now when I ask myself, “why do I run?” That is my response. It’s a reminder to myself that I am healthy and that I am in remission from Aplastic Anemia… and because I can.</span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-31543227845005603232011-09-02T20:39:00.000-05:002011-09-02T20:39:55.570-05:00DAY #10: Beartooth Mountains Backpacking Trip<link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="MsoNormal">Sunday, August 28, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal">DAY #10: HOME!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, I already explained our amazing breakfast! And from there it was a quick (4-1/2 hour) jaunt to Oshkosh. Randall, Leo, Rachel, Gary and I piled into the Vue again and made our way across the state back to home and went our separate ways. Everyone got home safe and sound. From there, I unpacked my stuff, threw all my stanky laundry in the washer, and laid my sleeping bag and jackets on my porch to air them out. Trip over… I was sad, but felt so refreshed. I realized I hadn’t thought of work the entire time we were out there backpacking. Just once, very briefly towards the end of the hike, when I quickly realized I had no idea what I’d been working on before I left… then I was distracted and the thought never entered my mind again until we were back in Wisconsin. Now THAT’S a true sign of a great vacation… well, one sign. The sore smile muscles (thanks Randall for that term), the tan lines, scrapes, dirty backpacks, empty bear canister, notebook full of notes and tons of pictures were also signs of a good trip. And the fact that I missed my “Beartooth family” the MINUTE we parted ways…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #cc0000; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">The Beartooth Mountain Backpacking Trip 2011:</span></div><br />
<div style="color: #cc0000;"> </div><div style="color: #cc0000;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #cc0000; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>The BEST Backpacking Trip EVER!</b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o8Ru8JlQsEw/TmGE5C_qulI/AAAAAAAAA6o/_zrXJXDq0mY/s1600/pancakes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o8Ru8JlQsEw/TmGE5C_qulI/AAAAAAAAA6o/_zrXJXDq0mY/s320/pancakes.jpg" width="288" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"> <i><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Manhole cover" - size pancakes at the Pelican Cafe in Montana.</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Saturday, August 27, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal">DAY #9: BACK TO WISCO!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We woke up early (and a few of us tired with a slight headache) and head out. The first stop was coffee and gas. The next stop was a short time later at the Pelican Café. A trucker’s café. We ordered breakfast. Little did we know we wouldn’t only needed to order half the breakfasts we did. The pancakes were the “size of manhole covers,” in Randall’s terms, and Leo’s omelets was bigger than his head! But it is incredible what kind of appetites backpackers can have even a day or two off the trail! We wolfed almost all of it down before heading back out to the cars holding our full bellies.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On the ride back to Wisconsin we switched drivers much more regularly, and took turns playing different kinds of games and things to entertain ourselves. Mad Libs, crossword puzzles, Pac Man, naps… it was enjoyable.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">We got to Hudson, WI at my uncle Jerry and Aunt Amy’s home at about midnight and we crashed in our sleeping bags on their living room and basement floors. In the morning we woke up to hot, brewed coffee, and an AMAZING breakfast! Eggs, biscuits and gravy, banana muffins, watermelon, orange juice. I think we all felt pretty spoiled. And grandma was there, too. It was neat to see all my hikin’ buddies meet her. She’s 92 years old and just as spunky as all of the Laatsch’s. We had a great morning.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-63998482454172237092011-09-02T20:35:00.001-05:002011-09-02T20:40:58.074-05:00DAY #8: Beartooth Mountains Backpacking Trip<link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZ9RBlCZH3B8cw3XOQEd1jpdU2oCPZcKcQHd_1nj8hvfmPXXTGGZfqenbm0l7SnP3ZlX4XfXz9ZsZecNPic3iKsOP8NFYAZNMI-9YD3EKxC7s3zW3HwOHEfKYDqh32HDbC8RvHPBryD56/s1600/backpacks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRZ9RBlCZH3B8cw3XOQEd1jpdU2oCPZcKcQHd_1nj8hvfmPXXTGGZfqenbm0l7SnP3ZlX4XfXz9ZsZecNPic3iKsOP8NFYAZNMI-9YD3EKxC7s3zW3HwOHEfKYDqh32HDbC8RvHPBryD56/s320/backpacks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i> Tired-out backpacks...</i></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Friday, August 26, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal">DAY #8: CIVILIZATION!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was our last day in the woods. Margie had the idea the night before to give Gary and I the keys to both vehicles, since we can hike pretty fast, then speed out, shuttle the cars and meet the rest of the crew at the ending trailhead. Gary and I agreed it was a great idea and would allow us to get to Red Lodge sooner, which would mean grilled meat cooked and served to us quicker, too. Not to mention an ice cold beer or two! Or three… or maybe even four. Anyway, you can see what was on our minds the last day!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As we were packing up, we were all giddy and feeling kind of silly. The four of us girls got into a line and were rubbing each others’ shoulders when, of course, some comments started to come out about our positions, and giggles to follow. With us all making a few small hip thrusts, it just got even more funny. After our line-up-shoulder-rub, there was a comment of make-up on trail… which none of us used, by the way. BUT… the idea arose of using dirt for eye shadow. And Margie had a shiner on her left eye from her fall a couple days ago, so to match that, and to look “perty” on our last day, my mom, Rachel and I rubbed our fingers into the dirt and applied a nice, natural brown to our lids. Then took the classy “kissy face” picture. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We hit the trail right at 9:00, as we did every day – naturally. It worked out great. Somehow, every single day, we were all getting our packs on at the same time, ready to roll, around 9AM. We never really planned it or felt rushed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"> I enjoy writing about the stuff I eat on trail, but my mornings are so boring. Oatmeal and coffee again… It just packs so small, weighs so little, and I never get sick of it! It’s totally my staple backpacking food. I mix up my own concoctions, too, so each day might be a little different, but I always enjoy it!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We stopped around 11:00 or so on a log where we could all sit down in a row. We ate our lunch and decided this was where Gary and would take off like crazy-hikers and try to get to the cars to speed up the shuttle-time-situation.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once back on the trail, we followed a wide, rushing river for quite a ways, then we’d reach a nice built-up bridge to cross… then we’d meet up with horse-back riders, then another wide bridge, then people with smaller packs. We knew we were close, then! But what really got us is when we could hear vehicular traffic, then we spotted some cars through the trees. We were at the trailhead! So many bittersweet feelings… it’s the same every trip. It’s also the same every trip when you feel the excitement of seeing a trash can to dispose of 5 days’ worth of nasty tuna packets, used Wet-Ones, and whatever-else-stinky-nasties you had to carry out of the woods. And… a pit toilet. It’s not quite a flushy yet, but it’s still nice to sit comfortably on a stool without miscellaneous grasses and weeds poking you in the behind every time you squat down to pee… yet still… I wouldn’t give up those experiences for anything in the world. It’s all part of it, and I strangely miss it shortly after being out of the woods… every single time I go.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We acted quickly, as we were both kind of hoping we’d beat the hikers back to the trailhead with both vehicles before they reached the trailhead. We’d been hiking our booties off for the past hour and a half, and were convinced we were making excellent time. We even hoofed it full-speed up a giant climb!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We ran and got the van from the Lady of the Lake Trailhead, which was now packed!! It was the weekend after all, so I suppose folks were heading out for their extended weekend trips. I felt envious for those that lived near here… it was like their version of our “Porkies.” I think I might have to move out here!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I drove the Envoy and Gary drove the van. We felt we were making such good time, we decided to drive down to Cooke City for a quick pit-stop. We ran into the gas station, grabbed a bunch of different cans of soda, a bag of ice, and threw it all in the cooler with the extra beer we had from before the hike. We refrained from having anything, as we wanted to enjoy it with the rest of the group.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When we got to the trailhead at Clark’s Fork, my mom and dad were sitting underneath a shade tree. We went out to meet them, and they said they’d been only there about 10 minutes. I asked it the others were far behind, and almost immediately I heard my Aunt Margie squeel with excitement! It was too funny… she must’ve seen the cars through the trees like we did!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Everyone gathered by the cooler and grabbed a beer or soda of their choice. It was soooo refreshing! We snapped a bunch of photos of the group, shed a few tears of pride, happiness and sad ones because it was all done… but overall we were all happy – and very excited to have a warm shower!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We piled in the two vehicles and made our way back over Beartooth Pass. We went almost straight back to Red Lodge and to the motel where we had our reservations. Rachel and I tried out the hot tub, breaking all the rules… we didn’t shower first (I know, it’s pretty nasty, but in our defense, the thing already had a ton of nasty-floaties before we got in!), and we took our bottles of Blue Moon with us after reading a sign that read, “No glass.” We were only in there for about 5 minutes, so we figured it was okay.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When I took my shower, I smiled at all the brown suds coming off of me. I love seeing the brown suds… it reminds me of all the fun dirt and earth I’d been playing in, and what a great hike it was.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We all showered up, then piled back into the van to Belfry, where we hoped to eat at a steakhouse and see some local pig races. Unfortunately the wait was an hour and a half, and we all quickly agreed that was way too long. We all wanted some cooked meat pronto. We made our way back to Red Lodge, passing by an abandoned mine, which was really cool. Once back in Red Lodge, we parked and walked down the street until we came across Carbon County Steakhouse. Without thinking, we filed in. We were seated, and quickly realized we were in a “fancy” restaurant. We also noticed from the price of the meals. Oh well – we knew it would be good – and it was! I really lucked out, too. I ordered the Sirloin, and the waitress brought me a delicious-looking salmon dish. She sat it down in front of me and immediately said, “I’m sorry, I know this isn’t what you ordered, but you can go ahead and eat this up while we make up your sirloin.” So I shared it with everyone, and it was amazingly delicious!! Everyone got quiet as they ate away at their delicious post-hike meal. Shortly later I received my second meal. Yum! Sirloin for dessert! It was freakin’ incredible, too. Melted in my mouth. On top of the 2<sup>nd</sup> meal for no cost, the waitress paid for a dessert, so I ordered the apple spring rolls with ice cream. Ahhh, full belly!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After dinner we made our way to the end of town to a brewery. It was called Sam’s Taproom. What a super-cool place! There was a blind dog roaming around, a private party in the back, seriously-awesome décor, and the best backpacking group EVER! We all ordered miscellaneous beers and passed them around so we could all try. The bourbon beer was a big hit! You could really taste the bourbon in it! Weird! Rachel’s brother joined us for a little bit towards the end of our visit there, which was cool, too. We were able to tell him all about our trip and the route we took.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The bar closed at about 11:00 (I believe it had something to with liquor license restrictions in MT), so we all left and made our way back to the hotel. Rachel, Randall, my dad and I decided we needed one more drink, so we walked downtown to a little bar. We hung our for a while, joked around, enjoyed our beers, and stuck a buck to the ceiling. The bartender taught us how to do that… so that was kinda’ neat.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As soon as we were back at the motel, we passed out on a soft, comfy bed with a ton of fluffy pillows.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Saying for the day, by Leo (while still on trail, talking about what we’d do when we got off the trail):</div><div class="MsoNormal">1<sup>st</sup> for thirst</div><div class="MsoNormal">2<sup>nd</sup> for pleasure</div><div class="MsoNormal">3<sup>rd</sup> for the buzz</div><div class="MsoNormal">4<sup>th</sup> for sleep.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yes, referring to beer.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-20624011589951562902011-09-02T20:33:00.000-05:002011-09-02T20:33:22.348-05:00DAY #7: Beartooth Mountains Backpacking Trip<link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mE9fElSTHBw/TmGDpSUl4PI/AAAAAAAAA6g/7pDcih7J_hw/s1600/yuck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mE9fElSTHBw/TmGDpSUl4PI/AAAAAAAAA6g/7pDcih7J_hw/s320/yuck.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> "Man! Check out this nasty-ass scenery behind us... I can hardly stand it. I soooo wish I was at work instead!"</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thursday, August 25, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal">DAY #7: TRAIL!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We woke up to a pretty big rain and windstorm again. I think we all enjoyed sleeping in a little later than usual… maybe just about 30 minutes worth. But once the rain stopped, we all rolled out of our tents and started our morning, which turned out to be gorgeous! The sun came out and dried everything up before we broke camp and took off hiking again. Breakfast was oatmeal with blueberries, and yup, you guessed it – coffee.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We were able to make our way up and around a cliff that was jutting down into Oly Lake (this was kind of becoming a regularly scheduled terrain-challenge for us!).<span> </span>We were all on fresh legs and in very good spirits with the clear blue sky and sunshine above us… and it helped that the valley we were heading down was PACKED with wildflowers and a couple of fun river crossings. The Crocs went on and made it much easier on the rocks. Finally, looking ahead, we noticed a well-worn trail. There were no cairns, which popped up every now and then as we made our way through the backcountry… they never seemed to make any sense… so we joked the whole trip about the cairns being placed by some evil being that wanted to mess us up! In all honesty, though, even though the cairns didn’t put us on any specific route or trail, it gave us peace of mind. I remember thinking, “Well, this can’t be the stupidest route to take if someone else has been here…”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We quickly realized where we were – the Rosebud Trail!! We were LOVING the backcountry, but tell ya’ what --- that trail sure looked inviting!! The rest of the day and the last day would be following this trail to where we had my mom and dad’s Envoy parked. It would require much less trouble-shooting, and would be a little easier on our feet and muscles… no more insane boulder-crossings. I think we all felt a little sad, too. Along this route, we’d meet up with a lot more people, and we’d sure miss the serenity and beauty of the true wilderness we just made our way through. But we were also aware that this was going to be an excellent part of the adventure, too. We hiked on down the trail with smiles on our faces. And the views certainly didn’t disappoint, either! Just because we were on trail, that certainly didn’t mean there was no more to see! WOW the views!!!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We reached the high-up Fossil Lakes section. What an incredible area. We stopped for lunch, and the sun was out and felt really warm, so Rachel and I quickly jumped into action… we stripped down to our “backpacking bikinis” which consists basically of whatever sport bra and undies you are currently wearing, and without even thinking about it, we waded in and DOVE! As we came up gasping for air as our hearts stopped from the coldness of the water, we realized there was a huge drop-off and neither of us could touch bottom and stand up. While shrieking like crazed animals, we doggy paddled our butts off until we could stand again. I turned around and dove one more time. We washed up quickly and got out back into the sunshine, dried off and laid back to enjoy our lunch. It was invigorating! And, just before we got going, a little rain cloud came over and sprinkled on us. So we hit that window of swim time just perfectly!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After our stop at Fossil Lakes, we hiked on pretty steady. We were trying to make our way to Russell Lake for our last night of camp. We came across a lot of other hikers, campers, and fishermen. We were definitely on the main drag again. Everybody was super-friendly, though, which is almost always the case on trail. We eventually did make our way to Russell Lake, but it was a long day and we were all pretty pooped. We set up camp, spreading our tents over what we thought was two spots, and settled in. A campfire was going, and we were all starting up our dinners.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then we experienced our first conflict with other backpackers. As we were setting up our tents, a couple of guys in the site next to us stopped over and were talking with my mom and dad – right as they were setting up their tent. It was a short conversation, and they shortly made their way back to their camp. About an hour before dark, they hung their food bags in a tree about 10 feet from my mom and dad’s and Margie’s tents. I was really irritated that they would do such a crazy thing! I avoid conflict as much as I can, but I had to ask them to move it. There were trees everywhere around us, and being from Wisconsin, we’d hung food in much trickier spots that the trees around us… it just seemed as though they could’ve hung their food anywhere else.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What we didn’t know was that the campsite was set up a certain way so that you could cook next to where you hang your food, and camp a distance away. We had half our camp set up in the “kitchen,” and were totally unaware. So we were wrong in how we set up, so we eventually had to move a couple of tents. Everyone ended up feeling better about it, but it was just a crappy situation all around. What I was SUPER disappointed in, was how one of the guys handled the situation. He became nearly aggressive after I politely asked if there was another tree they could hang their food in. He made a couple snarky comments… First he asked me, “Well, where do you plan on hanging your food?” as he looked around with his hands out (with about a million pine trees around him). I replied calmly, “In those boulders over there… we have bear canisters.” He replied back, “Hahahaha… nobody in Montana uses bear canisters.” Okay dude… whatever. I explained to him that we just came down from 3 days above tree line, and we felt safe having our food in canisters so we could stash them on the ground without worrying. Later on in the conversation, after things cooled down and we agreed to move, they explained that they were heading up towards Cairn Lake. We warned them about the snowfields and terrain, and they quickly talked about changing their route… then I asked where they planned on “hanging” their food… the snarky dude replied humbly, “Hmm, I hadn’t thought about that… that might be a problem.” I think that’s the first “meanish” backpacker I’d ever met. So weird and out of place.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">We enjoyed the rest of the evening with our campfire and the sunset over Russell Lake. The sky lit up bright pink over the treetops, and come to find out it was the sun reflecting off a giant smoke cloud from a fresh forest fire over the mountains. So scary, yet so beautiful.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-21199996938178114262011-09-02T20:29:00.000-05:002011-09-02T20:29:23.460-05:00DAY #6: Beartooth Mountains Backpacking Trip<link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-78TmbzU0dT4/TmGCoYS8bBI/AAAAAAAAA6c/DiVdwxb2XF4/s1600/cairn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-78TmbzU0dT4/TmGCoYS8bBI/AAAAAAAAA6c/DiVdwxb2XF4/s320/cairn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">On our way down to Cairn Lake, before we realized we'd have to climb back up. It's okay, the smiles stuck, anyway. :)</span></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Wednesday, August 24, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal">DAY #6: NO WAY OUT!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Where we camped last night was this smaller lake with a giant snowfield going right down to and hanging over the water. At one point as we were all sitting there, we heard a big “Crrraaack!” and a “Sploosh!” A section of the snow cliff hanging into the water cracked and started to fall into the water. It didn’t make it all the way, but it sure made a loud, eerie sound. Maybe all our chitter-chatter and flatulence helped it give way. ;)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the morning… I mean early, like at 2:00 in the morning, Rachel and I woke up to my dad yelling, “GET! Get OUTTA here!” … that meant GOATS!!! Rachel and I opened the flies on the tent and peeked outside. Two goats were roaming around between our tents looking for a pee spots to dig in. They like the salt. Apparently the baby one was digging around their tent where my mom stepped out in the middle of the night to pee, and the adult goat was sticking her nose under their tent fly and licking the salt off of my dad’s trekking poles! Too funny! Gary was up right away – he’d been so excited to see some goats. But when he got out of his tent, he realized the goats were sort of following him. He walked off a ways into the dark where we could no longer see him, and all we heard was him saying, “Hey… get…” then he’d make a fake goat sound, and you’d hear the goats kind of jumping around. Then Gary showed back up in our headlamp beams, watching behind him, with the goats still following him. He must’ve smelled like a giant salt lick to them! He was even flashing his headlamp at them saying, “Hey! I’m human!” I think that was enough goat exposure for Gary!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then Randall and Leo were up to go to the bathroom, and I have the funny scene stuck in my head. Both guys up on top of the hill past our tent, their backs to us, hands in front of them… as they went to the bathroom. The goats came closer and closer to them, and they both started to shift very uneasily and started “baaaahhhing” at them and hollering for them to go away. These sure were some persistent ones! They were really fun, though. We all got good laughs out of our early morning visitations by the friendly beasts, and the baby’s “MEH” sound he made stuck with us the rest of the trip. At any point (which was VERY often) that we were scrambling on tricky terrain, someone would usually let out a little “Meh…” and we’d all laugh. Rachel kinda’ started that, and it stuck for the whole week. We were just wishing we’d had the steady feet like the goats!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I ate breakfast, which was oatmeal and coffee, of course… I never get sick of the stuff, thank goodness! After I was done eating, I washed my hair in the FREEZING cold water. I felt like my brain shrunk to the size of a peanut! Then I washed a pair of my undies and a shirt. They hung on my pack for the first half of the day until they dried.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Margie rearranged her pack this morning and was commenting how she felt much more stable. She was crawling over boulders with ease early that morning! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Everything went to plan that morning. Gary and I were scouting out the route to a saddle we agreed looked like the most subtle incline and decline down to Cairn lake where we hoped to sit and have lunch, then walk around and back over to the other side (where we originally were going to camp), and then on towards Dewey Lake and the Rosebud Trail.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We did great… until we started down the loose rocky slope towards Cairn. It was super-slow going anyway, since the descent was so steep – I would guess at least 45 degrees – and so many rocks were loose, and smaller… some sections of scree even popped up making it a little scarier yet. Gary went ahead almost all the way down to the lake – he looked like an ant down there, and we couldn’t really make out what he was trying to communicate back. He started his way back up towards a different hill that we might be able to cross over, and when he got closer I heard him say, “We can’t get around that way. We’ll have to go up and back down the other side.” By that time I already realized this, and was feeling nervous that we’d have to climb back UP that crazy-dangerous rocky slope. That would be the WORST! So I told the crew to hang tight, have a snack, and that I was going to go around and see if there was another way around. Gary took the high slope, and I took the low route. There was a sheer cliff that jutted down straight into the lake. There would be no way to climb around it. The only way to get around the cliff would be to literally wade through the water while trying to hang onto a wall coming perpendicularly out of the water. I saw rocks and the possibility of stepping through, but it looked like it dropped off, so I had no idea of the depth of the water… I was familiar with the temperature of the water, and that was nothing to mess with, either. It was way too risky of an option. The second thought was to ascend up a huge snow field, which was even more steep than the rocky terrain we were crawling down, and one misstep would send a hiker sliding all the way to the bottom, dropping off about a 10-foot snow cliff, landing right in the water with their pack on their back. At the point I decided this was also a way-too-dangerous option, Gary hollered down that there was no way to get around from up high, either. It was a straight drop-off. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I was making my way up the insanely steep snowfield to save some time (and unfortunately alert the crew that we had to turn around – UGH!), and I stopped for a minute to catch my breath. I dug little steps in the snow for my feet so I could rest, leaning against my trekking poles, and I looked down just ever so slightly and realized I was looking straight down (waaay down) at the water from between my legs. MAN! That was STEEP! A fear crawled into my stomach and up into my throat as I visualized my foot slipping. At this point nobody could see me, either. I was too far past the rock slope for those that were waiting to see me, and I was too high for Gary to see me over the ledge. I felt really scared! I said a prayer – out loud – took a deep breath and just took my time, digging a step for each time I picked up my foot. I eventually made it across the snow field with a sigh of relief. Until… I reached the end of the boulder field. The boulders were ginormous, and I looked down between a couple of them and couldn’t really tell where the ground was below them. If I’d slipped and a rock shifted, I would have slid down in there and been stuck and nobody would’ve heard my scream or seen me. It was a super-freaky moment for me. The rocks (thankfully) were very stable, but each step I took led me to a new crevasse in the rocks. I was soooo happy when I saw Leo around the corner. I hollered to him to have everyone start back up the hill – there was no way out.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was a bummer to have to go back up that hill, and I had a sinking feeling having to tell everyone to turn around and redo all the work they just did working their way down… but it was the safest option. I felt good about the decision, felt as though we exhausted every possible option to save our steps, and I knew we were making the right choice.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once we were all back at the top of the saddle, we met up with two other hikers that were planning on heading down. It was weird to run into anyone back where we were – and it turned out these were the only two people we’d see the whole time we were off-trail, which was really cool. We told them the situation we found heading down to Cairn Lake, and they eventually chose to go back and try to make their way around the other side of the lake. The area that one would normally take around Cairn Lake was covered in snow. Normally we’d be able to boulder-hop all the way around… but not today!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We all met back up at the saddle on top of Cairn Lake. We ate lunch, laughed and enjoyed the afternoon. Even though our group had to scramble back up a tough slope, everyone was in a great mood. I was just looking around and realizing what an awesome chemistry we all had! A situation like that could so easily make someone a little crabby… but not us. I felt so blessed and thankful for having such a great crew to be hiking with. *smiles!*</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After Cairn the day just got better. We worked our way down a much more gradual slope into a valley spotted with little lakes. Each lake had an outlet that ran off the edge of a short cliff down into the next little lake. It was like we were taking giant steps down from lake to lake. The wildflowers were everywhere – and a quick sidenote: the two hikers we met earlier explained to us that one of the cool flowers we were seeing around – a white, upside-down, bell-shaped flower with purple stripes and speckles – was a rare Montana flower they don’t see too often. It was called an Arctic Gentian. We were even more careful not to step on any after we learned that!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once we made our way down the valley, we all started to feel fatigue. We weren’t going to make it to Dewey Lake and the Rosebud trail, but close. We were all okay with that, too. One more peaceful night in the backcountry… we looked down at Oly Lake and decided we’d find a place to camp there. My dad pointed out a spot on the north-west side of the lake and said, “See that there? There’s dead wood down there to maybe make a campfire with.” Yippeee!!! SOLD! And… it was closer to where we were than the spot across the lake I was originally scoping out. As it would turn out, it was a great decision, because the scramble to the other side of the lake was kind of tricky, and had we decided to go on, we’d have been doing some of it in the dark. This scenario happened to us pretty much every day. It was almost weird… we knew when to stop, and it was also the best decision we could’ve made each day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But, of course, the excitement still wasn’t over. On our way down to our sweet camp spot on Oly Lake, we came across a pretty waterfall… that we had to make our way down somehow. There was a steep, nasty-looking snow field we were avoiding, so we ended up taking what was probably even more dangerous than that snowfield, after looking back at it. We scrambled down a crack alongside the waterfall, and once I was half-way down I realized it was MUCH steeper than I’d thought it would be. I was first to head down, and there was a giant rock I was about to step onto, but before bearing my weight, something stopped me. Something didn’t look quite right. I tapped it really lightly with the tip of my boot, it gave way, and rolled down the hillside, crashing and shattering corners off of itself onto other rocks, before it smashed into the snowfield. It dug out a giant gash out of the snow, and slid the rest of the way down. The sound of that huge rock crashing, bouncing and rolling down that hill was really scary-sounding, but so incredibly awesome at the same time. It sure made everyone’s heart jump a little, that’s for sure. I think we were thinking, “That coulda’ been me!”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It took a long time for us all to make our way down the waterfall’s slippery, rocky slope, but we did it. My dad even stopped mid-way, put on his pant legs, and came down backwards, which I imagine was much easier on his hip (he had it completely replaced in March this year!!! He’s one incredibly tough dude!) That slope left us with a few scrapes and bruises, but once down, there were smiles all around and talk of war wounds to show off once we got home. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After our tricky slope, we worked out way down even further to a double river crossing that totally butchered our bare feet… even though Crocs can get slippery in the water, I vowed to use them for any more river crossings! At the end of the day, that was tough on our sore feet and our mental state. We were exhausted in every way possible. We all agreed, though… the adventures and views we’d had up to that point made it worth every single bit of it.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At our meadow, there was a rock fire ring already there, and plenty of room for all of us to pitch our tents. We set up JUST in time for a storm to hit. Rachel and I crawled inside and listened to the rain pelt on the tent (and we were staying dry!). The wind picked up and blew a couple of really strong gusts towards us, and the tent would lean one way, then the other. It held up perfectly. Then thunder would roll all around us, then hail! We just laughed at the crazy noise it all made. It didn’t last long, either. It was a perfect high-elevation mountain storm. Short, strong and really cool. We all made our way out of our tents after it passed and started our dinner. My dad already had a small fire going – I think he might’ve been working on it through the storm – because he’s just crazy like that!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For dinner I made up some mashed potatoes with real bacon bits. It was spectacular. I also enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa spiked with peppermint schnapps. Yummy!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once dark laid itself down on our pretty little campsite, Randall led some of us up the hill behind where we were set up and showed us where the space station would show up in the night sky… low on the horizon. Sure enough! It came into view and ran across the sky at a pretty quick pace until it fell back below the horizon and we couldn’t see it any more. Right on schedule once again! It was so neat to see that stuff so perfectly predicted. Thanks Randall!!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">With bear canisters securely wedged between rocks a ways away from camp, we all laid down in our tents and fell asleep to the sound of two rushing creeks off in the distance.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6969258951581558175.post-84208716168068370002011-09-02T20:25:00.000-05:002011-09-02T20:25:21.576-05:00DAY #5: Beartooth Mountains Backpacking Trip<link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRobin%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLi0PnX5uou_UBeziM6gn0UUcD2aItwrS0rEmAjyPBi55eqtWKhi59VTXIJOuGpluv6DANlETed199Raf-8ATa7i74FXpEOL4qxvQ62R3ZbIur1UTMmqc_PGeUl9Ddn0eJWDKOLrirxSZ/s1600/playground.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQLi0PnX5uou_UBeziM6gn0UUcD2aItwrS0rEmAjyPBi55eqtWKhi59VTXIJOuGpluv6DANlETed199Raf-8ATa7i74FXpEOL4qxvQ62R3ZbIur1UTMmqc_PGeUl9Ddn0eJWDKOLrirxSZ/s320/playground.jpg" width="320" /></a><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Our playground!</span></i></div><br />
<br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tuesday, August 23, 2011</div><div class="MsoNormal">DAY #5: MOUNTAIN GOATS!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So… Tuesday started out really, really early, but FUN. I awoke at about 4 AM to a “click-clackity” on the rocks outside our tent, and then a following “Meeeeawwwww.” It almost sounded like a cat. I whispered excitedly to Rachel, “CRITTERS! Think they’re goats?” She replied, whispering, “Not sure… sounds like it might be something smaller.” I guess we were both expecting goats to sound more like, well, a goat. She had to go to the bathroom, so she unzipped her tent fly and peeked out. “They ARE goats!!” We excitedly crawled out of the tent and watched them hop past our tent, jumping gracefully past us and almost out of sight around a boulder. I followed them with my camera, and they rounded the boulder towards Randall’s tent. When I came around the corner of the rock, I tried to snap a couple of photos, but all I got was glowing eyeballs and a fuzzy ghosted outline of a couple of goats. I watched them and tried another photo. The flash must’ve spooked them, because they took off running up the hillside. Well, that was exciting! We ended up with goats coming through that camp twice more that morning. How cool that was!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Before I left for this backpacking trip, I remember typing up a Facebook status that read, “I promise me that I’ll watch the sun come up over the mountains.” I held that promise. After the goat excitement, I crawled back into the tent and fell asleep for another hour, then woke back up, grabbed my sleeping bag, sleeping pad and camera, and found a comfy rock on the edge of the cliffside just off from our camp. I sat there facing East, cozy warm in my fluffy sleeping bag, in the dark with the clear sky chock full of stars above me and just zoned out. It was, well… ahhh. Just peaceful. Once the horizon above the mountains started to lighten up, I took a few photos. Before I knew it the whole sky had turned a pretty pink/purple color and the sky behind me was turning a faded light blue color. Then the mountains behind me started to take on the sun’s morning glow – a beautiful, indescribably golden hue. I kept turning around to look at the entire sky, the lake below reflecting all the colors, and the mountains that bowled up all around. I was in heaven.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It wasn’t long after I heard a noise behind me and realized it was my mom going to the bathroom! Haha! I softly yelled, “Hey, nice butt!” She let out a little “Whhoooop!” in surprise, then turned around and giggled. She had no idea I was there. I got up after that and joined the camp as another group of goats was making it’s way up the hillside just past our tents. We all watched in amazement as they bounded up the steep cliff and boulder with ease. I think we all had goat-feet-envy right then.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I decided to make up my one ‘non-oatmeal’ breakfast this morning, which was Quinoa with cranberries, walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, powdered milk, wheat germ… a bunch of yummy ingredients. It took a little while to cook, but it sure hit the spot! Also had my coffee, of course!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once we were packed up and ready to go, Gary and I came up with a game plan. He and I were the quickest boulder-jumpers and hill-climbers of the bunch, so he and I would study the map and lead the group, splitting off when necessary to scout out the terrain ahead of us. By the time we decided the route we’d take, the rest of the group would be caught up and we could take any difficult ascents or descents together. We found navigating to be much more difficult that I ever expected it to be. In a lot of the place on the topo map that looked promising, we’d find a giant, steeply slanted snow field that met up with giant, sharp boulders far below. Think of slipping and sliding all the way down that snow into one of the rocks quickly helped us decided to find an alternate route. When the snow wasn’t too steep, it was pretty easy to cross by kicking in little level steps for our feet. A few of them were even level enough to just walk across… and it was usually a nice break from the boulder-hopping/scrambling.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This morning we first had to navigate what looked like a giant canyon on the topo map, across a river that ran out of Lower Aero Lake where we were camped. Gary and I found a pretty fun way down, almost switch backing perfectly down long, stretched-out boulders and patches of soft grass. Once in the canyon, we realized the river actually ran underneath the rocks, so we were able to easily get across… well, except that the boulders were the size of Volkswagens, so we actually used out hands for leverage in most places. Once to the top of the other side of the canyon, we looked over a new valley. Gary and I scouted a few places to get down into that valley, and his was sheer cliffside, so he met up with me and followed behind me. The hill was steep, but with rocks you could step down on.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Suddenly I heard Gary yell, “WATCH OUT!!!” I heard a rock shift and thought he was falling down towards me. My brain immediately went into “I have to try to catch him or slow his fall” mode. As I looked up, I noticed a rock about the size of a small dog bouncing and crackling down towards my head. I leaned over and watched it pass me though the air. The rest of the group was just over the hill, so they didn’t see what was going on, but heard it. Gary got down towards me and we were both shook up quite a bit. It took a while to get rid of the adrenaline rush! From then on we made sure to have a little more space between us. Just one of those things you gotta’ deal with out here, I guess!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And a sidenote: when we were camped at Lady of the Lake, a guy hiked by with a helmet strapped to his pack, and I remember thinking, “Wow, cool. A climber.” After the rock nearly hitting my head incident, I was suddenly wishing we all had helmets strapped to our packs! Thankfully that was the last falling boulder towards noggins on the trip!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We continued down a steep side of the mountain until we hit green and trees started to show up. We could see Sky Top Creek down below and decided to head for that, as someone pointed out an actual trail below! We got to the creek where the trail started, and sat down for a wonderful lunch by the rushing creek. I had bagels and hummus with Babybel cheese. I love hummus any time of the day! Some of us filtered water and some of us napped in the grass with the sun beating down. It was a beautiful day, and the streams coming down the mountainside from the snowmelt were scattered with splotches of vibrant color from wildflowers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We hit the trail, most literally. It was nice to be on trail for a little while. We hiked up and up and up, following the creek full of waterfalls, and joked that it was “Cardiac Hill Jr.”. It was steep, but didn’t last quite as long.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Once at the top, we arrived at Lone Elk Lake, which was a pretty little mountain lake at around 10,000’ still. We hiked around the left side of it and crossed the wide, rushing creek at the north end, then worked our way around the east side of the next lake, which wasn’t that far… It was called Rough Lake. Appropriate!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was getting later in the day, and we were all getting tired from all the steep downs we hiked on the sides of our feet, shuffling one foot, then another, then another, and so on. Then back up we’d go, huffing in as much of the thin air as our Wisconsin lungs could take, until we’d have to heave over our trekking poles, catch our breath, take a drink and continue on.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We reached a boulder field that we had to cross to get across to where we might have a campsite. Our group got a little bit split up, as Gary and I went ahead to see what the terrain held for us. The rocks were getting a little bigger, some were getting looser, and the hill down to a rocky creek below was getting steeper. Crossing these boulder fields really took some time because we really had to get our footing before taking each step. It was really technical and tricky. At one point I stopped and waited for the rest of the group to catch up while Gary ran ahead to scout out the next section. I saw Margie sitting down for quite a while, and I realized she wasn’t just resting when Randall actually turned around and walked towards her. They stood there for a while, so I dropped my pack and head over there. Turns out a rock – a big rock – let loose below her and caused her to fall forward. She caught herself with different limbs, bruising her arm in a couple of places, and landing on her shoulder and hip. She was really shook up… and who could blame her!? If she’d kept falling, she wouldn’t landed on a scree slope straight down about 200 yards into a rocky creek bottom. And with 40 pounds on her back, she probably would’ve done a little tumbling on the way down. Scary stuff! Sometimes as adults, I think our imagination for visually the worse-case-scenarios might be a little too vibrant for our own good… but we all had these moments throughout the trip… for some it was falling into a rushing creek, or sliding down a giant snowfield, or tumbling down a loose, rocky slope, or even coming face-to-face with a grizzly sow and her cubs (which thankfully never happened, by the way!). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After giving Margie the time she needed to calm down, she got up and we all teamed up to help her over the next section of boulders. Her legs were shaky, as were everybody’s at that point in the afternoon. We scrambled in a team effort to the next little lake, which was the bottom portion of Sky Top Lakes and found a really cute little camping spot with just enough area to place all of the tents. Whew. What a day!! We were all very happy and smiling at camp… and mostly just glad to rest for a while.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Our original plan was to hike to Cairn Lake and camp there, but the terrain was in control of our itinerary. We weren’t far from it, though, so we figured after a good nights’ rest we’d able to tacked Cairn in the morning.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At this point in the hike we started to notice a few elevation side-effects as well. Margie had a slight loss of appetite, but we all knew that was something to watch for, so she forced herself to eat her backpacking meal, and we all drank a TON of water. Rachel was suffering from a headache and a little dizziness, or just awkward-feeling-ness. Gary acquired a nasty dry cough that got worse when he rested. If I had known then what that meant, I would’ve been much more concerned, and wouldn’t considered heading down in elevation the next morning. High Altitude Pulmonary Edema has symptoms like dry cough and chest tightness… we didn’t realize this until after the hike was over. I’ve thanked God a million times for getting Gary and all of us out of there safely. I feel like we got luck quite a lot. The blessed boot pins may have helped. <span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><span>J</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For dinner I had Mac & Cheese with tuna and hot sauce. It was incredible. I sometimes wonder if I’d eat the same thing at home and enjoy it as much as I do in the backcountry… ah, who cares. It was amazing!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thoughts from today: This is the most technically difficult hike I’ve ever been on with probably the most rewarding views. Even though we’ve only covered about five miles, nobody except for the 8 of us will ever know what we’ve encountered and what terrain we’ve dealt with. Those 5 miles were more difficult than any 17-mile day I’ve done on trails. It’s incredibly humbling. And I am feeling incredibly hard-core and pretty awesome, to be completely honest. I think we are all gaining a confidence from this hike that will never be taken away. We are strong individuals, and an even stronger team. We are becoming a family very quickly, and the love I’m feeling between all of us, and the deep friendship give me goose bumps. With sensory overload from the beautiful wilderness around us… well, that’s when I lose the words to explain it…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Tomorrow… one boulder at a time.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09657555700577167408noreply@blogger.com0