Day 17. September 19, 2024

East Kilbourne Road to KMSF Lapham Unit Shelter 18.2 miles

Sleep is so important! Woke up feeling hydrated and refreshed after a solid seven hours of slumber. Joan picked me up at 6:15 and took me back to East Kilbourne Road. I was hiking by 6:45.

Another 85 degree day today, but I made good time in the morning before the heat set in. Pretty woods, pretty meadows, pretty fields. 

Hartland was more urban with sidewalks through parks with playgrounds and a paved path along a pretty waterway. Someone enthusiastically waved at me from a car as she passed – I waved back but it happened so fast that I probably looked more startled than amiable – if the woman who waved at me is reading this, know I appreciated your friendliness, thank you!

Some nice short wooded bits between Hartland and Delafield, and then…paved bike path in the blazing sun for what felt like a verrry long time. Then open meadow trail in the hot blazing sun before I reached the Evergreen Lodge. I appreciated that lodge! Running water and flush toilets inside, plus a water fountain outside. I sat in there for a while enjoying not being in direct sunlight. After half an hour, I filled all my water bottles and began the mile hike to my home for the evening, the KMSF Lapham Peak shelter. The hike up to the shelter is on wonderfully maintained trail (thanks, Charlotte – loved the water bars!).

The shelter area is huge with plenty of outside camping options. I chose to sleep in the shelter since the forecast called for light rain overnight. I put my ground cloth on the dirt floor and my air pad on top of that. Mosquitoes thankfully stayed away.

Though it was very hot today, I think I am acclimating. The heat still isn’t fun, but I don’t feel as miserable in it as I did when I first started out. I am getting better at constantly hydrating and snacking as I hike, so maybe that is helping. Still, I’ll welcome the cooler temps when they arrive.

Note, some of these photos are out of order.

Day 18

Sept 20, 2024 Ice Age Trail KMSF Lapham Unit shelter to KMSF Southern Shelter #1.  15.3 miles

Slept on my groundsheet and airpad in the shelter last night. The forecast called for rain so I didn’t set up my tent outside. Couldn’t set up the tent in the shelter either since the floor didn’t support stakes. That would have been too hot anyway. My bug repellent seemed to keep away the mosquitoes as I slept.

Again, I barely slept. Maybe four hours total? I think I need cooler weather for better sleep. And that is coming in just a few days. Yay!

Got on trail just after sunrise, though I did notice it never got that dark overnight. It wasn’t the moon – too much light all the way across the entire sky. I’m guessing light pollution. Too many towns nearby?

Lapham Peak Tower was just a few tenths of a mile from the shelter. I climbed it and enjoyed the view.

It felt ever so slight cooler today (low 80s instead of upper), but the humidity – ugh.

Pretty woods and lovely fields, a paved section (Waterville) that wasn’t too torturous since I did it before the sun rose too high in the sky, quite a few really nice boardwalks, only a teeny tiny roadwalk that was lovely and mostly shaded. Plenty of water sources today. No stores/restaurants, but I have enough in my bear canister to last a few days.

Met Eric today. He is an eastbound thru-hiker from Wisconsin. I had connected with him via Messenger a few times, so it was nice to meet him in person. We took a break and talked for a bit before continuing our separate ways. He lives near the northern Kettles, so he is almost home! I wish him a happy and safe rest of his hike. 

The shelter tonight is farther away from the trail than I anticipated, but it seems in good shape. The floor is incredibly dusty, so I spread out a wool blanket someone left in the shelter before I put down my groundsheet and air pad. It’s cool in the shelter too. 

Tomorrow is going to be the hottest day yet with temps close to 90. Then it’s a lot of rain followed by cooler weather. For tomorrow, I plan on hitting the trail extra early and getting in as many miles as possible before the sun rises.

I still have two blisters. The old two are gone, but two others have replaced them. Arg.

Day 19

Sept 21, 2024 Ice Age Trail. KMSF SU shelter #1 to KMSF SU shelter #3. 18.6 miles

Total IAT miles: 282.1

The goal today was to beat the heat. 88 degrees forecasted for 1pm in the area in which I was headed. Lots of hills and exposed fields on my route. Also, water sources within five miles of my shelter for the evening were perhaps nonexistent (conflicting reports on FarOut).

I do sleep deprivation better than I do heat exhaustion, so up I got at 2am to be on trail by 4am. I had gone to bed at 8 and only woken up once at 10:30 to pee, so I probably got 5 or 5 1/2 hours of real sleep. That would have to do.

I enjoy hiking in the predawn hours. It’s cool and quiet, and I usually see more wildlife (or hear them as they scamper away). I saw a bunny and a ton of deer this morning. Also an USM (unidentified small mammal) scurry across the trail in front of me.

The woods felt peaceful in the glow of my headlamp. The meadows and fields looked dreamy. The stars and moon shone above me as I hiked. My photos of the stars and moon never turn out well, so I won’t include them here.

I managed to get half my distance today covered before the sun rose over the horizon. I was comfortable and barely broke a sweat. The early daylight hours still felt cool, so that was another few miles feelin’ fine. I didn’t start to feel the heat until about five miles from the shelter. Mission accomplished.

Woods, fields, boardwalks, a little ridge walking, a tiny bit of road. No shops. But hunters! I wore my orange vest once it was time to turn off my headlamp.

My favorite segments today were:

 Eagle (in the dark). Meadows and boardwalks in lamplight. Lovely.

Blackhawk (in daylight). Nice ridgy hill with field views.

Water strategy today. Stop at the three water opportunities, drink half a liter whether I felt thirsty or not, and refill. At the horse campground (6 miles from the shelter) I drank and replaced a liter.

There was indeed a muddy spring close to the shelter. I didn’t need to get much from it though as my water strategy today left me feeling pretty good.

I got to the shelter at 10:52am, just as the previous night’s guest, a group of seven young adults, were leaving. We exchanged greetings, and I spent the rest of the day in the shade of the shelter successfully avoiding the heat.

If I sound proud of myself, it’s because I am. Getting up at 2 this morning didn’t feel pleasant. It was the right choice for me, though. I never got too hot today, and the predawn hiking hours were quite enjoyable. I figured out how to make this hot day work and I got in my 18.6 miles.

Problem solving is part of what draws me to thru-hiking. It’s empowering to know you can handle certain challenges.