Day 111: Connecting Route, Langlade County
Day 111: Saturday, October 16th, 2021
Total Miles covered for the day: 0.6
Location: Connecting Route between the OLD south trailhead of the Kettlebowl Segment and the NEW south trailhead of the Kettlebowl Segment
0.6 miles of trail covered
Today we were busy most of the day in Minocqua, so we weren't able to do any real hiking. By the time we got back to the trail, there was only enough daylight left to take an investigatory swing past the south end of the Kettlebowl Segment, to see just how closed it was, and to see if it would be possible to talk to a landowner about hiking there.
All was quiet as we drove to the south trailhead, which was 0.6 miles further down the road than it had once been. Back when we covered this connecting route the trail ended just south of the cemetery, but since then a reroute has extended it around the corner and much closer to the large parking area on Sherry Road, or Oak Road, depending on which source you use.
We were merely scoping out where we would park for some future hike, and decided on a whim to at least cover the additional 0.6 miles of connecting route that now existed. When we parked on one end we met a hiker coming down the trail, having just completed the walk from the north. He informed us that the only area being logged was the three quarters of a mile or so on the very south end, and that all the equipment was idle. He was a little sheepish at having been caught walking the clearly marked and obviously Closed trail, but got over it quickly and was even hinting it might be nice to get a ride. We played dumb and pointed him in the right direction.
"Trail goes that way, up the road," I said. "Head toward Polar."
He was a nice enough guy, and I suppose we could have offered him a ride, but I wasn't in the mood. He got himself there, and he had a ride coming eventually. I figured he could walk himself right back out again.
The only photos I took that day were of a grave marker, visible just off Sherry Road, and well north of the cemetery. It's on an enormous rock, and I was in the mood to visit gravestones that day. This was a tribute to 'Papa' Fred Braun. We would learn much more about Fred later that week, but for now it just felt right to pay a visit and wish him well.
Brock's Progress on the Mammoth Hike Challenge: 42.7 miles
Theresa's Progress on the Mammoth Hike Challenge: 44.2 miles
Running Total: 778.3 miles of trail covered, 10.8 miles of trail half-covered; 126.6 miles 'extra' hiking/biking. End of Day 111.
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