Day 186: Highland Lakes Segment, Langlade County

Day 186: Monday, June 6th, 2022

Total Miles hiked for the day: 4.7; Net Miles 0.0

Location: The 'Road' portion of the Highland Lakes Segment, along Forest Road and Kleever Road. 
4.7 Miles of trail covered

I don't know where the line is between 'hobby' and 'obsession'. It might be good to find out because I think I may have crossed is a few weeks ago. We've done an awful lot of hiking recently. 42.1 miles so far this month and it's only the 6th.  

Last night we got a good night's sleep in our own bed, which always helps to lift our spirits. Today, while I was at work, Theresa was busy creating graphs and charts and distances and coordinates and plans for how were were going to finish off this insane quest as quickly as possible, and thus get our lives back. 

One of the advantages of hiking as far away from home as possible during the weekends is that it leaves behind things that are a bit closer to home to do during the week. After all, it is June, and the days are about as long as they are ever going to get. We want to make use of the sunshine while we have it. 

And so we directed our attention to the Highland Lakes Segment, which is now considered a single 12.8 mile segment broken in thirds, with the middle third being a 4.7 mile chunk of roadway. We biked that road just a year ago on June 23rd, and it was time to go walk it. The near end of this road was only an hour's drive from our house, and so it was just possible to do it after work. I took off as early as I could and we took a single vehicle out there to do a crisscross hike. 

Kleever Road is a short, level gravel road. The last time I was here I remember the deer flies being intolerable. Not tonight. No - tonight it was the mosquitoes. They were incessant. They were voracious. They were legion. I couldn't kill enough of them. 

And I didn't have any repellent with me. 

That didn't mean I was unwilling to take a photo or two. I thought this was a particularly interesting trillium, turned a deep pink in color as it aged. 

Then I spotted Theresa down the road.

"Do you have mosquito repellent?"

She did, and she had her mosquito net, too. That is the absolute LAST time I'll go out walking after work without wearing my fanny pack. I looked like this walking down the road on a warm summer evening. 

The reason it's so buggy here is the Bogus Swamp. Despite it's name, it's a very real, and very large swamp. And it has plenty of vegetation to protect the little nymphs from being eaten by fish. 

When I got to the car I grabbed my fanny pack and immediately put on my mosquito netting. 

Then I went back to pick Theresa up for the second leg. 

It's actually a beautiful walk, once you eliminate the distraction of the insects. The way is beautifully paved, and even though it's the only decent road through here, there aren't a lot of cars passing through. 

There are pretty streams to look at, and beautiful woods. 

And even lake-like things. 

I got to the car only a half-pint low on blood, and went back to pick Theresa up. Neither one of us trudged in through the poison ivy to go touch this sign. It wasn't worth it. 

By the way - the point on the road near Deep Woods Lake where there is a 'P' for Parking showing on the atlas map? Yeah - I couldn't find it. I have no idea what they were talking about. Right where the trail cuts into the woods there is enough room to pull a car off the road, but it's hardly a proper 'Parking' area. Just thought you should know. 

Here is that stream again in motion. 

The tally:

• No new Snails
• Completed map 33
• Completed the Highland Lakes Segment
• Converted 4.7 miles of biking to the 'hiked' category
• 198.0 miles to go

Running Total: 1212.2 miles of trail covered (939.0 hiked), 233.8 miles 'extra' hiking/biking. End of Day 186.

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