Day 104: Connecting Route (x2), East Twin River Segment (Part 2), Mishicot Segment (bonus walk), Manitowoc County
Day 104: Tuesday, October 5th, 2021
Total Miles covered for the day: 7.7
Location 1: The Mishicot Segment between the western trailhead and the intersection of Oak and Randolph Street.
1.7 miles of trail re-covered
Today was day 2 of Theresa's planned hiking event with Mindy and Tim. The campground was a little more full, so the coyotes didn't get as close. Either that or Theresa put enough of a scare into them the night before that they decided not to come back.
Today was another day of hiking trail that I had covered over the weekend. But before any new ground could get covered, Tim and Mindy wanted to finish hiking the Mishicot Segment, so they set up vehicles and all walked together to complete the last 1.7 miles. For Theresa this was just bonus miles on trail already covered, but it all worked to add miles to the Mammoth Hike Challenge, so it wasn't all for naught.
Theresa, of course, was still suffering the effects of the previous day's hiking, hobbling along on a moleskin patch to cover the giant blister on the ball of her left foot.
Along the way, Mindy picked up a geocache or two, and discovered some wild ginger growing on the drumlin.
Apparently Tuesdays are a much better day to walk on Pit Road, because they didn't encounter anyone as they blew through. Once they reached the car, they all headed north for the second walk of the day.
Location 2: The East Twin River Segment
1.4 miles of trail other-half-covered
Theresa, Mindy, Tim and Mora (that last being a hiker of the four-footed variety) drove to the excellent parking area at the north end of the East Twin River Segment and proceeded south.
Theresa took a few photos through here that really emphasizes the need to be absolutely certain what you're looking at before you start grazing. The plant below, for example. Is this rough chervil (poisonous) or cow parsley (edible), or possibly even hemlock (deadly)? When the plant is this young, it's extremely difficult to differentiate.
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| Rough Chervil - or Cow Parsley - or Hemlock? |
Below is another great example. Is this Shepherd's Needle (edible) or Fool's Parsley (poisonous)? Or possibly even wild carrot (delicious)? The more I read about poisonous plants in the forest, the more amazed I am that I never died from stuffing plants in my mouth when I was young and ignorant.
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| Shepherd's Needle - or Fools Parsley? Or possibly Wild Carrot? |
Asked about her impressions on this walk, Theresa told me she really enjoyed the cedar groves. They all talked about how dark and spooky it would be at night, and what a great setting it would make for a Halloween event.
She also mentioned that she enjoyed the level, soft ground to walk on, especially since she was nursing a very sore left foot.
She remembered seeing the Thompson Family Maple, which was awesome.
But even more memorable for her was when she spotted one gloriously colored maple tree that had woven and wended its way skyward through the dense forest, and was now shouting its joy to the skies in brilliant, glowing gold and yellow. The tree was not large. It was not straight. It was not full or symmetrical. But it possessed a passion for life, and had found a way to succeed against the odds.
After taking a quiet moment to admire its presence, the three of them moved on.
Across the boardwalks in no time flat, they soon found themselves at the south end of the Segment. One more checkmark on the big wall map.
Location 3: The Connecting Route between the East Twin River Segment to the north and Mishicot Segment to the south.
0.7 miles of trail other-half-covered
Of course, they were still 0.7 miles from their car, and the only thing for it was to keep walking, which they did. It was a fairly pleasant, mostly sunny day and they were now back out on the road.
The only thing memorable on this leg, Theresa told me, was that she ran into another farmer to chat with, and in particular one who was raising guinea fowl.
Having raised a few hundred of these noisy creatures I have a firm grasp on the realities of actually owning and caring for them, especially through the winter, but at the same time I allow myself the rose-colored nostalgic moments that make me miss having them around. Theresa, on the other hand, does not have to work hard at all to love them. She takes to them like kids to puppies, and had a great time chatting with the farmer and sharing stories about guineas.
But seven tenths of a mile doesn't last long when you're walking with friends, and the car arrived before they knew it. It was here that Theresa had reached her breaking point, meaning it was time for her to take a break and give her feet a good, long rest.
Tim and Mindy decided they would keep making progress on the connecting route heading north, so the happy hikers parted ways and Theresa took a long, restful break.
Location 4: The Connecting Route between the East Twin River Segment to the south and the intersection of Holmes Road and County Road B to the north.
3.9 miles of trail other-half-covered plus 3.9 miles extra biking
By the time Theresa was done resting, it was still far too early in the day to quit. She knew that bicycling wasn't going to be hard on her feet, so she reasoned that if she went slowly and methodically, she would be able to cover some of the connecting route north of the East Twin River Segment.
Starting from where she was parked, using a combination of walking, biking, and repositioning her vehicle as needed, she managed to cover all the miles between the Hillview Road parking area and the corner of Holmes Road and County Road B. The distance was nearly four miles, and it took her the entire rest of the day.
By 6 pm she was back in camp. Tomorrow was going to be another long hiking day, because she was planning on meeting another local hiker to cover a portion of the Point Beach Segment.
Brock's Progress on the Mammoth Hike Challenge: 18.2 miles
Theresa's Progress on the Mammoth Hike Challenge: 18.5 miles
Running Total: 747.7 miles of trail covered, 3.4 miles of trail half-covered; 105.3 miles 'extra' hiking/biking. End of Day 104.
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