The Ice Age National Scenic Trail ~ Part 15

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It was rain on and off again through the night, and in the morning with all the distinct smells in the house from home cooking, it seemed as if it were thanksgiving already. By one pm the rain had stopped and we were on track once more. Elephant Rock from one side looked more like a whale, and from the other side a pterodactyl. Chicken of the Woods and oyster mushrooms asked us to pick them, but we told them we were stoveless on this journey. A Prairie type of turtle smiled at Stacey as she removed some leeches from its shell. The Prairies of the Eagle Segment were fantastic and yet flooded from all of the recent rains. Synchronistically, we saw Ruth drive by us while on the edge of the Prairie that she maintains while we were eating the last of the vegetarian chili she made for us this morning. 

Amazingly, the rain on the face makes for a good natural alarm clock in the morning. It didn't take too long to get fully soaked again. Having reached an empty group campground, we ducked out into a bathroom until the rain tapered off. With pruned feet we entered the Lapham Peak area where an opossum came walking right up to me and was acting as if it were blind. At the peak one could climb a tower with views of lakes and the uptown village of Delafield where unique homes and their owners smiled at us noticing the backpacks we were carrying. One gentleman announced that we were doing it right. The timing was perfect in that we met another trail angel and thousand miler named Pat and another volunteer upgrading the condition of the trail. However, Hartland was to be home for two nights where we finally were able to meet Rebecca and her family for whom we connected online with several years ago through my nature blog. I have been loving the openness and deep and pertinent conversations we have been having while exploring Wisconsin.

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Tap Here for Part 16
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