Day 48: Parrish Hills Segment (Part 1), Langlade County
Day 48: Saturday April 3rd, 2021
Total Miles covered for the day: 4.4
Location: Western third of the Parrish Hills Segment between the trailhead to the west and a remote intersection with a logging road north of Five Cent Rd to the east.
4.4 miles of trail covered.
Location: Western third of the Parrish Hills Segment between the trailhead to the west and a remote intersection with a logging road north of Five Cent Rd to the east.
4.4 miles of trail covered.
Saturday morning, up and 'running'. Or at least, up and walking. Having just completed Lincoln county to the west, we immediately set our sights on Langlade County, a tough 60+ miles of rugged, remote wilderness.
We had taken to printing copies of the trail maps to take with us on the hikes, and using Google Maps or the IAT Resource Map to get coordinates for various points along the trail. This makes for great hiking when you can ask the question, 'How far is it to...?' and actually have an answer. 
We started out by dropping a vehicle at the parking area on the Lincoln/Langlade county line on First Lake Road, then took our launch vehicle to the place where the trail crosses County H. It was here we started our day at 12:10 pm, temperature 60 degrees and overcast. This first 1.5 miles went quickly, except that Theresa's feet were hurting again from what turned out to be ill-fitting boots. What I remember most about this was fairly easy hiking except for the hike up and down the shoulder of Baldy Hill. Come on, people, WHY?
Baldy Hill is a nice hill. Lovely view from up there. But there was no point in climbing it. At Baldy, the path (an otherwise enjoyable stroll through the woods on troads and lovely trail) went 100 feet straight up one side, only to careen 100 feet straight down the other side at an unreasonable and ecologically unsound pitch. Just a slight detour on to this glacial 'feature' to suck the life out of you. If you want to avoid this - walk the troad at the bottom of the hill.
The rest of the walk was fairly easy, with only a few muddy areas, and we soon found ourselves at the car. The time was 1:10 pm, and it was 64 degrees. Thank goodness it was overcast.
We drove ourselves to the next launch point, parking along Pine Road at 1:35 pm. Just as we were parking the car, we saw the same group of three hikers passing us on the road. "Wow!" we said. "You guys made great time!" I mentioned that we saw them headed up Baldy Hill again, and one of them gave a sheepish grin and said, "Nah - we got halfway up and decided to come back down and walk around." Apparently once was enough for them, too, and I couldn't blame them.
They told us they were headed all the way back to the end of the segment at Townline Lake, and we wished them good travels, knowing how far that was. Later on I regretted not asking them about the ford. Oh well.
I was concerned about the next part of the hike. Our plan was to drive to a spot along the Logging Road north of Five Cent Road, parking at N 45 24.797, W 89 22.340, or actually a little southwest of there. From there we had 1.6 miles of hiking, then fording the Prairie River, then a final 0.4 miles back to the car. With Theresa's feet in such pain, I didn't think we could do it. But she decided to change shoes and just wear her water shoes the entire way. They're pretty good shoes, really, but have very little traction. I kept it in mind we could always turn around if needed.
We got to our parking coordinates and took off about 2:45 pm. Before I go any further, I want to talk about Five Cent Road, and the Logging Roads that fork off of it. I don't know how Five Cent Road got it's name. Maybe it's because someone at the Town Hall said 'We should call it Five Cent Road, 'cuz it ain't worth a dime!' Or maybe they called it that because that's all they spent building it, or because that's all your car will be worth if you drive it. Five Cent Road, while drivable, isn't easy or enjoyable. It's downright hard on your car. And then the Logging Roads... The IAT Guidebook advises you not to drive on the Logging roads because they are only maintained for ATVs. I'd say that's sound advice. You really, really don't want to get stuck out there. If it's been raining - I would stay off of Five Cent Road, too, just to be safe. Go somewhere else. Save yourself the headache.
But - it had been dry, and we didn't bust an axle getting to our parking coordinates, so we grabbed our trail lunch and started following the yellow blazes. I haven't mentioned those yet, because they were well-done. Never a concern that you would lose your way, except that one part walking the troad when you come to a no-trespassing sign, and you don't see the next blaze immediately... but I digress.
One notable feature was a rather outstanding camping area we passed that was built by the local snowmobile club, with a firepit and a covered structure. There was a tent there, doubtless belonging to a hiker we never met, in the middle of the large, open field at the end of what was probably the logging road to the south. It would be a nice place to stay if you're through-hiking. In fact, as I think back on the day one thing I remember is there were numerous places where it would be easy and pleasant to set up a tent. You can find this one at N 45 24.916, W 89 22.559.
We were really hoping to see our three trail-friends again, to ask them about the ford, but after walking a while, and then sitting down to enjoy our lunch, we decided we must have missed them. But then as we kept walking through a rolling and largely uneventful trail, suddenly we could see them ahead of us. We were surprised, because they had been moving fast earlier, so we assumed we had missed them. We asked if they had stopped for lunch, and they said yes.
So we laughed about crossing paths so often, and finally had a chance to ask about the ford. "Cold!" came the immediate wide-eyed response. "Stick to the right side", was another piece of advice, meaning the upriver side. "Thanks for taking a lunch break", we said, so we could ask you about the river crossing." Grins and nods, and we were both off hiking. We would not see them again.
It should have been a hint to us that after so much time had passed, we encountered them again. That means something slowed them down, and it wasn't just the river, or even the lunch break. No, it was muck. Tree roots, and muck. There is a section of private land that needs to be walked around to get to the river, and as a result, the approach to the river isn't very nice. The last quarter mile or so takes you hopping through an alder bog, looking for ways to keep your feet dry. It wasn't quite as critical for Theresa because she was already wearing water shoes, but it was a little tougher for me in my hikers.
Just before the river we spotted a very nice painted rock talking about the ford, and we left it there for future hikers to enjoy. And then the river.
Just on the east side of the river is a large evergreen with exposed roots to sit on, perfect for changing your shoes. I sat there and changed into water shoes, actually taking my pants off because I heard the water could go as high as your knees, and I was in no mood to walk in wet pants. Once I had everything loaded, I walked along the many branches that had been laid down to minimize the mud and stepped into the river.
They said it was cold. I was thinking I would just walk my stuff across, lay it down on the other side, then come back to to take Theresa's bags across, or hold her had while she crossed. Nope. Nope, nope, nope. This water was COLD!! My feet were in pain by the time I reached the other side. Theresa was on her own. "Stay upriver and just keep moving!" I called out for advice. I don't think it was wider than 20 or 25 feet, but it felt wider.
Theresa plunged in, and to her credit, she made no complaints at all about the water. "How far to the right?" she asked. "Go!" I said. "Just keep moving!" She admitted to me later that the cold water actually felt good on her aching feet, and she made it across just fine. I count myself a lucky man, because I would have felt terrible guilt if she had fallen in.
On the west side of the river is the foundation of some old building, with concrete blocks sticking up like widely-spaced teeth, providing yet another perfect place to sit in the sun, change your shoes, or enjoy a picnic. A stamp in the concrete shows that this foundation was laid by the Alamo Cement Works, August Marmes Proprietor. We sat in the comfort of those blocks of concrete as many hundreds of travelers before us, and many hundreds to come. Most won't pause to thank August for his labor of many years before, but we sure appreciated it. Thank you, August. I changed back into my hiking shoes while Theresa kept going. Her feet were feeling better, having walked in different shoes* and getting that nice, cold soaking, but they were still sore, and we were very near the end.
The last quarter mile or so before we reached the road was along a wide-open grassy field, which was delightfully sunny and warm as it had now reached 64 degrees. A short walk back up the road to the parking area, and we touched the last sign for the day, ending at 4:45 pm.
Just as we were getting ready to leave, we saw a couple walking down the road, a garbage bag in tow. "Thank you", I said, "for picking up trash". He looked at us funny, and said, "I saw you two earlier walking that way (west) and now you just came walking up from that way (east)." We laughed and explained to him that we cover the trail in little snippets, always walking to a waiting car. We proceeded to chat for quite a while standing there on Pine Road, with him telling us about all the interesting people he meets who walk by his place while on the trail. We showed him our maps and told him we had already covered nearly 400 miles in our adventures, and he was quite impressed. He told us he had walked a ways in both directions, but wasn't keeping track. I'm not sure his wife ever said a word.
Running Total: 360.9 miles of trail covered; 36.7 miles ‘extra’ hiking/biking. End of Day 48.
* Post Log Note
There is a lesson here about footwear that is worth knowing. Theresa had been wearing boots that for whatever reason were causing pain. We discovered this by accident. Knowing that we had a water crossing at the end of our hike, she decided to change into her water shoes and walk the whole section in those. After only one or two tenths of a mile, she realized that her feet, which were throbbing points of agony only a short time before, were almost entirely pain-free. She was able to continue the rest of the hike with only normal foot fatigue.
The lesson is, that if you are experiencing pain with your boots/shoes, either in the toes or the balls of your feet, or your heels, or whatever - you're wearing the wrong shoes. Even boots you have used extensively that used to feel oh-so-good will break down eventually, and you shouldn't suffer along on bad equipment. If you're spending a lot of time hiking, be ready to replace your footwear occasionally to protect those all-important points of contact with dear mother earth.
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