I was dropped off to start walking after the radio interview and breakfast. Joe and Peg were nice and let me drop my bag about six miles down the road from the start point. I take slack packing whenever I can. No shame. I finished out the last six miles in my flip flops which made it 24 miles total on flip flops. Now, you may remember I had gotten new shoes. Well... My socks were so thick that the shoes were very uncomfortably tight. Same socks I had always used, but with swollen feet and thick socks I just couldn't hack it. So that morning Joe also took me to Fleet Farm where I bought some new thinner hiking socks. I was doing better feet-wise than I have been my whole hike!
I walked out of Langlade County and into Marathon and was on a very pretty path for most of it. There was an awesome boardwalk built.
However, the segment was far from a dry one... And it didn't help that it was raining for a good 2+ hours of my hike that day. But, with happy feet I was moving right along, and then.... Pain.
All of a sudden the front of my left leg was hurting and it felt like a shin splints! But it came on so quick! I thought that was unusual... And besides I still had about four miles to go until the camp ground I wanted to stop at. So I loosened my shoe because someone mentioned to Jenni that maybe her shoes were too tight when she was trying to figure out what was wrong. Then I started yelling at myself... "Why did I just walk 24 miles in flip flops?!" Well, by the time I got to the camp ground, my leg was feeling better, tight shoes hadn't been Jenni's problem but it was mine. And I went back to believing I can walk for days in those flip flops. (I could you know... I've done it)
I got to the campground - The Dells of the Eau Claire River. I was the only one at the campsite and a camper van drove by in ultra slow motion... Then it drove by again, and I was getting some major heebie jeebies when two kids popped out and yelled "camp site four grandma!!" Phew... Not a creeper, just looking for the best camp site since they had their pick (besides the one I was at)
Everything was wet from the rain, so no camp fire and the next morning I laid all my stuff in the sun to dry a while before heading out.
Toilets, garbage water spout, one millionth the amount of mosquitoes at night... That is luxery and days always start so happily when I have them.
So I'm happy happy and then I proceed to actually walk through the county park on the trail and I think it's the prettiest place I've been to yet on the trail. It was great. Passed by a stone bridge built in 1927 and then onto see the Dells and the river.
The day was starting out good and then I proceeded to go though a segment I got a little lost in... over and over, and that was also flooded. And it happened... I stepped into water. I was trying so hard but into my right shoe it went. "EXPLITIVES!" I kept walking until I hit a tiny road with a small patch of sun, took off my shoes and socks and proceeded to put my hanky into the shoe to soak up water, let the hanky dry and just kept doing it. My feet are so messed up I just can't afford to walk in wet shoes for hours. But, as luck had it, it was about 85 degrees out and I was back to walking in about an hour. The rest of the day went smoothly although I didn't get to my desired destination.
I ended up camping not too far from the Marathon dump. I could smell methane every so often and kept thinking... I could die in my sleep. It would be a calm way to go, and I've had an awesome life, but it would suck. So I went up a small hill with my irrational thoughts so that the methane would settle lower than me, IF it were to settle in such a high quantity as to get to death level. Anyway! I obviously didn't die of methane poisoning AND that night for the thunder/lightening/ rainstorm, all the wet went downhill. So it worked out.
It rains (as you may know)/seemingly every other day. I'm a prune.
The great news I got that night however was that a good friend Aaron, from my deployment wanted to come hike with me and asked if to join. Without Jenni around, company is very much so appreciated... but dissapointingly I had only road walk ahead of me... About 30 miles worth. But then it gets better because my mom was already going to pick me up that night! So Aaron met me in Hatley, after I had gorged myself by eating almost a foot long subway sub AND about half of a gigantic flurrie ice cream thing! It was huge!
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| I got to the cup and couldn't go further... It's twice the size of the cup! |
I was busy digesting when he showed up.
We parked his car at the library and proceeded with our road walk. There was very little cool stuff to see, but we were so busy chit chatting that time flew by.
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| Great weather for a road walk! |
My mom picked us both up and drove us back to the car. Then we all went out to eat at the Red Eye Grill in Wausau and played cards at my cousin's house. Like my mom's cousin's daughter, whatever that equals in family tree world.
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| This place was awesome! But I totally missed out on a group photo and I was focused on yummy food... |
Aaron crazily joined me again the next day. I say crazy because that was the flash flood warning day so it rained
all day. Although we got less than an inch, not the four inches everyone was calling for. I only planned for 9 miles that day since it was raining and I was ahead of schedule. Wonderful mom took Aaron to stage his car at the pick up point and then drove us back to the previous day's pick up point. She then left for home. The day STILL went fast with all our jibber jabber even with the cold rain. I had my rain coat, but poor Aaron had a garbage bag! What a trooper.
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| Not such great weather for a road walk, but misery loves company! |
By the time we reached his car we were absolutely soaked and colder than we realized. We stopped to eat and change into dry clothes on the way back. He took me back to my dad's place in case the flood happened. It didn't happen.
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| Willingly walking in the rain with me... He's into getting the real hike experience! |
That night I got to dig around in my red suit case and I changed out some gear. I now have a tank top with me. Looking forward to the sunny days and getting rid of the farmer tan and just having weird tan lines. I also slept in my own bed, and based upon me waking up in the morning and the entire right side of my body being tingles... I think I slept like a rock.
Dad made sausage, eggs and toast for me in the morning to fill my belly for the walk. Soon we were back on our way to the trail. I seriously considered staying home because of being ahead of schedule, but it was a beautiful day and had to get back. Dad dropped me off at the boarder of marathon county. So I was no longer in his county. Dad also went down the road for me about 10 miles and hid my bag behind a bush :) hooray for more hiking on roads without a pack. I was completely spoiled this section!
Another reason to head back to the trail that day is because my cousin Lacy and I had been planning to camp together! She had reserved a camp site at Hartman's Creek state park and would drive up to get me. The day hike was nice with mostly roads, but I did meet two section hikers!! One took a selfie on their phone, but the only one I caught of us three was when my phone once again
jumped right out of my hands and took a photo of its own from the ground. Exciting to meet others hiking the trail.
When Lacy, her fiance Roger and her daughter Milla (first time camper!) came to get me it was a pretty happy time. I had been looking forward to it about two weeks. And on top of the great company, I would get my first smore of the year. I had always wanted to try a peanut butter cup smore, but had not told Lacy about it... But what did she have with? Peanut butter cups!
Amazing! That night was great conversation, and so much giggling the rangers had to come tell us to keep it down... We all agreed they were very nice rangers though ;) Milla did awesome! First time camping outside and she fell asleep in the tent with some glow sticks all on her own. She is a natural camper.
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| Does life get better??!! |
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| Camping buddies! |
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Amazing! That night was great conversation, and so much giggling the rangers had to come tell us to keep it down... We all agreed they were very nice rangers though ;) Milla did awesome! First time camping outside and she fell asleep in the tent with some glow sticks all on her own. She is a natural camper.
I'm writing down that restaurant in Wausau!
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