Natalie on the IAT: My brother comes to visit, beach walk? And Two Rivers VFW

The night with Cheryl and her family was great. It was a great night followed the next morning by getting to meet Jenni's aunt and uncle who came to spend the day with her.

Blair then took me to a parking lot where I would end up that day. I had tried to make all the road miles into Manitowoc, but fell short with the rain.

It's just going to sprinkle... I have NO accuracy when it comes to how much its going to rain.

The reason I wanted to be done with the road was because my brother Mick came to walk with me that day! He lives in Virginia and we had been talking about this for months. Definitely something I was looking forward to a long time. We staged Mick's car and Blair then took us to where I had made it to on the road the day before, Mick had to suffer through only about 4 miles of hot county road before we got into Manitowoc and then into a short actual trail segment.

Thanks Blair!

We then stopped for a yummy lunch and then went to the maritime museum and toured the WWII Submarine. We ended the day with a few more miles up to his car but took a detour out to one of the wave breakers with a little light house at the tip. When we got to the car we headed toward the hotel and then out to eat where we both got Lake Michigan caught white fish. YUM!

My brother! It's my brother!!!!

The next morning we went to breakfast, and our visit came to an end with Mick dropping me off back at the lake shore parking lot. A sad way to start the day.

I was walking along the lake shore all morning and was so caught up in my thoughts I completely missed the turn into the dunes segment! I was two miles past it by the time I realized what I had done. Uhg. Oh well, I wasn't going back, so I thought when the VFW picked me up that weekend I would ask if they could take me there (which they did). I instead went into the library and spent a few hours writing blogs I was behind on.

After all that blogging I continued on my way and only made it a mile before I chose to stop again for o get an ice cream Sunday from the Washington House which is supposedly the home of the Sunday. If you haven't noticed from all the Ice cream pictures I've posted, and will continue to post... I like ice cream. A lot.

Okay, after ice cream it was on to the beach walk segment which I had heard can be challenging due to Lake Michigan's water level being very high. Ummm. Yes. I strapped my shoes and poles to my bag and walked at least 2 out of the 3 miles right in the water that was at times passed my knees in height. My shins and thighs were burning. It was a good workout. I liked walking in the water more than the slice your legs up and quick sand dune grass area. That is also a very fragile environment and I felt bad trampling it. Anyway... It was a different type of segment and it also made one of my lingering toenails mostly come off. The count is down to 7 attached toenails.

Very high water... No beach to walk on

As beachy as it ever got

More accurate

That night I happened upon the walk-in camp ground for the IAT that I hadn't realized existed. It was fantabulous!!! There is also a kayak camp site there. It's about 40 feet from the beach and is pretty new. I plopped down, made some food and lived it up. The next morning I did something I hadn't done the whole hike. I got up before sunrise so I could watch the sun come up over Lake Michigan. Worth it! I had intended to then start hiking, but I made the fatal mistake of crawling back into my sleeping bag. A couple hours later I actually got up and started the day.

Yaaaa... I'm not really a morning person

Here comes the sun....

Do do do dooo do....

Here comes the sun

do do dooo do do (song)

One thing was bugging me that morning. I had first broke my 6 dollar sunglasses the day before and I then lost them to boot. I wasn't looking forward to a squinty day of hiking. But my extreme luck kicked into high gear that day. About 3 miles into my hike that morning, a few miles from the nearest road and in the middle of the grassy trail I almost stepped on something... A pair of sunglasses!!!! Someone else had lost a pair, not even scratched up or broken and way better than my 6 dollar pair! Seriously?! Did that really happen? Did I lose/break my glasses and find a nice pair the very next day a few miles before reaching the sunny road? How am I so lucky???!!!!! Unbelievable.

Along the road walk I ran into Jared again. A section hiker I had met in Cross Plains. I had to tell him about my glasses and the extreme amount of biting flies he was about to encounter in the upcoming segment that day. (They drive me bonkers!) He told me how he had been asked for directions three times already that day! I have been asked for directions about 5 times this whole hike and always think it's hilarious that people ask the random hiking girl in the middle of nowhere directions. Many people seemingly leave their house without GPS still, and also... maps. Back in the day before I had GPS, I had about 20 maps in my car (not an exaggerated number. I'd go into AAA and stock up). I get it, I still ask for directions too, but it doesn't change the fact I think it's funny. Also, all ages have asked me just as an FYI.

Alright, so that brings me to getting into Mischicot where I got to eat a town fair corn dog for lunch and walk right through a car show. That was an unexpected treat!

So happy I finally hit the timing of a town fair!

I went a few miles more and called Mike, the VFW contact to pick me up. He found me on the side of the road and after picking up some farm fresh corn for the cookout that evening, he took me to the Dunes segment I had walked right past a few days prior. It was an easy two-ish miles and took less than an hour. But at least it wouldn't be weighing on my mind that I hadn't finished!

Proof!

Mike picked me up again and took me to Donna and Fred's house where I would stay that night. Donna is part of the Auxiliary and perhaps every other volunteer organization that exists. She is in her upper 70s and incredibly active! Her and Fred were amazing hosts. I got cleaned up and we headed to the cookout the VFW put together for us. A big friendly group of people were there and I proceeded to cook one of the most delicious steaks I've ever eaten along with grilled corn and a ton of sides that members brought. I literally had 2 plates of food in front of me and I then went up for desert (all 4 of them). I just don't understand how I've only lost 5 pounds hiking ;) Its a mystery.