Day Two: Beach Harbor Resort to Ahnapee Campground. 19.7 miles
I’m on trail just before sunrise. The temps are cool, and the miles go quickly. Sturgeon Bay is a cute town, and I take a selfie with the Wooly Mammoth statue by the water. There are a couple of parks where I drink from the water fountains. I am determined to stay well-hydrated. I buy a bottle of milk before I head out of town and quickly drink it. I am also determined to get enough daily calcium and protein.
Next comes Ahnapee State Trail, which is a rail trail that goes fairly straight for the rest of my day. I pass marshes, farmland, and forest. The scenery is pretty and the trail is flat, but my pace and spirits start to flag when the sun is in full force. Hiking in direct sunlight is difficult for me since I am used to the near-constant shade of the Northeast’s trails. I take a break in some rare shade after ten miles to eat sunflower seeds, drink water, and stretch. The next five miles feel more difficult. The terrain is exactly the same, I am just hot. The temps are in the mid-70s, but again, direct sunlight and I don’t do very well. At some point I luck out with an apple tree that doesn’t seem to have an owner, and I eat a perfect apple that tastes so very good.
I take another break in the shade. More food, more water. Just another five miles to go, but I take a break three miles into the five, this time near a culvert with lovely clear water. I filter a ton and drink almost a liter. I sit there for a while on the foam roller I bring with me everywhere, eating and drinking and resting and enjoying life. The next two miles feel difficult as my feet are starting to hurt, but I arrive at Ahnapee Campground at 1pm. 20 miles in seven hours including a few decent breaks. Not too shabby for someone who doesn’t yet have her trail legs.
I charge my phone in the campground’s laundry area while I wait for the host to come back to the office. He is really nice and gives me free bottled water, and he lets me check in early. I then spend a lot of time pitching my tent against the wind instead of into it because I am too tired to fix the situation once I have started the process. I cross my fingers that all the stakes will hold (they did). There’s a shower here, but I am too tired to take one. I clean myself with baby wipes instead and quickly rinse my hair.
My neighbor, a professional Santa Claus who calls himself Moose, invites me over to his RV to chat and offers me a beer. I accept the chat but decline the beer, and I listen on his RV porch as he tells me about his 35+ year career as Santa. He’s a nice guy (apt), but I am so tired that after half an hour or so I tell him I need to lay down and rest.
I go to bed before 7 and though am comfortable and the campground is quiet, I don’t fall asleep for over an hour. I keep waking up in the middle of the night, too. Hopefully I’ll start getting consistent good sleep within the next week.
Day Three: Ahnapee Campground to Harbor Lights Lodge in Kewaunee. About 15 miles.
I pack up at 5am and leave the campground just after 6. Hooray for cool mornings and pre-sunrise hiking! I zoom toward the town of Algoma which is just a couple miles away. When I arrive, I take a two block detour and resupply at a grocery store.
I buy too many things, and it won’t all fit in my bear canister. I decide to carry the angel cake-peanut-y thing I bought as a treat in a plastic bag and eat it along the way. It’s a bit difficult holding onto my hiking pole along with that bag, but I manage.
Algoma just joined the Ice Age Trail community, which means its trails will soon become part of the required category. On the IAT, there are required segments and connecting routes. The connecting routes are suggestions; one can choose-your-own-adventure and get to the next segment however you like as long as you’re walking. Algoma’s trails used to be part of a connecting route, but now – or soon – they will be required, so I walk them and end up strolling along a lovely boardwalk by the Bay.
After the boardwalk, it’s roadwalking for the entire rest of the day, all the way into Kewaunee. I feel good, even with the heavy pack filled with food, until the sun rises higher into the sky. There’s nearly no shade to be had, and I walk by large open pastures and one cattle farm with a pungent smell. The direct sunlight and heat (over 75 degrees, which is hot for me) plus my heavy-with-way-too-much-food backpack is hard to deal with. I take breaks every few miles in whatever shade I can find, but I start to feel nauseous and headache-y. I realize I haven’t needed to pee since I left the campground, so I drink more water. Oops – I’m running low, and I am still five miles away from the next source. I ration the rest of my water and my headache and nausea won’t leave.
The road walk seems like it will never end. Flat and straight and asphalt with very little shade For.Ev.Ah. I try to use Jedi Knight powers on passing motorists in the hopes at least one will pull over and offer me a cold drink. Alas, my efforts are in vain.
I will myself forward until my roadwalking miles are finally done, ending at a lovely park by Lake Michigan in Kewaunee. There’s a covered picnic area and bathrooms – and a water fountain. I fill up and drink over a liter and a half, making sure to also eat potato chips (salt) so I don’t risk water intoxication (too much water and not enough electrolytes). I sit and eat and rest and enjoy the view of the Lake. My headache and nausea go away.
There’s a storm coming – the sky is dark and angry, and I decide to cancel my campground reservation and book a motel. The motel (Harbor Lights Lodge) is only $48 more than my campground reservation. I feel it’s worth it to avoid the overnight storms.
Once in my room, I hydrate hydrate hydrate and am asleep by 6:30pm.
Day Four: Harbor Lights Lodge to Cedar Valley Campground. About 9 miles.
I fell asleep last night at 6:30pm and woke at 4:30am. Ten straight hours of sleep! Glorious!
I have a short day (around 9 miles) and it is supposed to be in the mid-50s – perfect hiking weather with no midday heat! – so there is no reason to begin at the crack of dawn. I lounge around in my hotel room until just before 10am. I eat both breakfast and second breakfast before starting the day’s hike.
I leave the Lodge and – wonderful!! – the temps are deliciously cool and the sky is overcast. I stop to take a photo of the World’s Largest Grandfather Clock in Kewaunee before getting on the rail trail that will take me almost all the way to my next stop for the night. My body feels good, and I enjoy the sights of fields and wildflowers. There is marshy water at one point, then a nearby river. It’s a scenic day. I see absolutely no one on the trail. The temps are so perfect that I barely break a sweat. Such a welcome difference from yesterday.
Since the campground check in is not until 2, I stop and take frequent breaks. I do not have to deal with direct sunlight or heat, but I make myself drink a ton of water anyway. Yesterday was a dehydrating experience I am not keen to repeat.
Thanks to a public comment on FarOut, I know where to exit the trail to avoid a river swim and take the 0.8-ish mile road walk to Cedar Valley Campground. I arrive just after 1, but the hosts are super friendly and let me check in early. This is an expensive place to camp since they charge the same for a tent as they do for an RV, but my site is gorgeous with ample room and lots of trees, and it’s close to the bathroom and entrance.
As I am setting up my tent, the owner drives up on his golf cart with a giant box of free firewood and starter. I probably will not use it since I try to get to bed at 8pm or earlier each night, but I thank him regardless. Later, he drives up again and asks if I would like to see the rest of the campground. I would, so I get in and and he drives me all around the property. It is humongous. There are lovely sites right by the river, which he said I could have if I wanted, but he and his wife had figured I’d want to be closer to the entrance so I wouldn’t have to walk far tomorrow morning (they’re right). This is probably the prettiest campground I have ever seen. Tons of woods, a river, wildlife, huge individual sites. The seasonal RVs each keep their areas in pristine condition. In addition, there is a heated pool, an arcade room, and a couple of playgrounds.
I do a quick clean up in the bathroom then try to connect with various folks over the internet, but the cell service is too spotty.
There’s a pub at the campground that serves pizza. I check it out but decide not to indulge. They only sell entire small pizzas and not slices; I already ate from my full bear canister and am not that hungry. It’s too early in my hike for “hiker hunger”…I’m sure that will kick in within a couple of weeks.
I play on my phone waiting for it to fully chargewhile using the electrical outlets. While it is charging, a couple from the pub who ordered a whole pizza come by and offer me some small slices. I accept. People are so nice in Wisconsin! And the pizza (veggie) is really good!
Once my phone charge finally hits 100%, I return to my campsite. It’s only 6pm. What the hell, why not make a fire? I can still get to bed by 8 or 8:30.
The fire ring is deep and the tinder avoids the wind and catches quickly. I have my first campfire in I-don’t-know-how-long.
This is the life.
I go to bed at 9pm and use earplugs since my site is close to the pub and the other guests frequently walk past my tent. The earplugs do the trick. Still, though I am warm and comfy, I lay awake all night. At least I think I do. When I finally get up at 4:45am the next morning, I feel fairly rested. Maybe I fell asleep and dreamt I stayed awake?
