Day 15

West Bend hotel to KMSF Pike Lake Unit Backpacker’s Campground. 14.2 miles

I slept sooo well. Got seven hours instead of eight or nine because I stayed up too late texting with people. Wish I could have slept in, but it was another hot forecast and the best way to beat most of the heat is to start early.

I ate the free hotel breakfast (a lot of it) then hit the trail. A 7:25am start. That’s kind of late for me.

The rest of the West Bend segment was pretty. Nice wooded trail along flowing water. Got to a section that had recently been reopened from logging and zoomed along. I felt good. Really good. I think my body had been more dehydrated and deficient in certain nutrients than I had realized. After all the food and water I consumed yesterday and this morning, I felt replenished and strong.

Got to a 5.4-mile road walk section that had been hyped as incredibly dangerous. It wasn’t. Plenty of space to step off the road when needed 95% of the time, and over half of it was shaded. No different than any of the other road walks on my hike thus far. The first couple of miles (westbound) were also very pretty, with a nice lake and lovely homes and beautiful flowers. I was grateful for the reality of the situation. 

The Cedar Valley section was a stroll through woods, fields, and corn. I liked it.

A short road walk, which included a bridge over I91, and it was on through the Slinger segment.  Paved bike path leading into town (where I bought and ate some cheese curds), then a wooded trail into the first part of the Pike Lake area and my home for the evening, KMSF Pike Lake Unit Backpackers campground.

I got to my site and groaned – an open field in the hot sun! Nooooo! I called the reservations number and asked if I could switch to one of the neighboring wooded sites. I could. Yay!

The other campsite is huge and gorgeous with a fire ring and a picnic table, plus there’s a clean and well-stocked privy close by.

After getting water from the main campground a few tenths of a mile away, I spent some time looking at the route between the top of the bifurcation all the way to Cornell. I need to reach out to trail angels in Merrill and some other places for assistance with resupply and possibly lodging along a two week stretch in October. I will start researching that more when I get to Janesville.

I noticed the heat didn’t bother me as much today. I think I am acclimating to it. 

Lay down for what I thought was going to be a very peaceful night when…hooot HOOOOT! No, not an owl. A train. There are tracks nearby, but I didn’t hear anything all afternoon. As soon as it got dark, however, trains came by and blew their horns loudly and long. Earplugs did not help. Every time I started to nod off, another train would come by and HOOT.

The good thing about being kept awake by the trains all night was that I had ample time to appreciate the beautiful full moon. It was indeed gorgeous.

Day 16

KMSF Pike Lake backpacker campground to East Kilbourne Rod (mile 229.9 westbound). 18.5 miles

Barely slept last night. Every time I would start to drift off, a train would come by and blow its whistle/horn loudly, multiple times. Earplugs did not help. I did notice the beautiful full moon though.

Gave up/got up at 4 and packed up. Left at 6:15am, not feeling rested at all.

Yesterday I felt strong and wonderful. This morning I felt exhausted and weak. Sleep is important.

Zombied my way through the miles. I took photos and remember fields, woods, streams. Got turned around twice early in the day and had to backtrack a few tenths of a mile. Experienced some apt hills in the Holy Hill section. Lots of mosquitoes in the Monches section. 

At least I get to sleep in another hotel tonight, thanks to my accidentally booking the nonrefundable price for a hotel during the early planning stages of this trip. I remember trying to figure out where to spend the night around the 230-mile mark and not finding anything legal. When I checked Booking.com, the closest place was a Best Western in Waukesha. That is not close to the trail, so I reached out to a woman named Joan who, along with her friend Charlotte, helped my friend Arlette when she did her thru a couple years ago. Joan said she could give me a ride to the hotel today and then another ride back to the trail tomorrow. I am so grateful! Now I know there are other, much closer options for lodging, but I did the nonrefundable thing so it is off to Waukesha I go this evening.

I made good time getting to our meeting place, the 229.9 point eastbound, even with stopping at Ox & Cat in Monches for a break.

Met Joan and Charlotte at Eastern Kilbourne Road at 3pm. They drove me to my hotel, waited while I freshened up, then took me out to dinner. Had my first custard shake, which is like a milkshake but with custard instead of ice cream. Tasty!

I enjoyed conversing with Joan and Charlotte about their own adventures on the Ice Age Trail. Genuinely kind, genuinely good people. So great to get to know them! After dinner, Joan took me to a store so I could get some resupply for the days ahead.