09/24/06

IAT Thru Hike

John Bauer and Bill Rhodes - 2006 Ice Age Trail Thru Hike Journal

2006-08-07 / Monday

Log Entries For Day 54 Thru Day 59 - Brunet Island State Park To Trail Terminus At Interstate State Park

(Photographs Are At End Of Log Entry - Scroll Down)

Hi Friends of the IAT,  

Day 50-55 Final Log Entry - On the day that I was supposed to rest due the extreme heat I decided to at least cover some ground.  I walked from the Suds Hub Laundromat in Cornell across the Chippewa River and up to Hwy CC.  Then I walked back to Brunet Island and enjoyed the afternoon relaxing and occasionally dipping in the river at my killer campsite.  Joe Knight from the Leader Telegram newspaper came out and interviewed me while he treated me to lunch.  Later Joann Parks came by to take me out for ice cream and hang out for a while.  We stashed some water out on the trail for me to pick up the next day on the hike, which really helped me out.  I slept well.  When Joann came to pick me up the next day to drop me at the trailhead she warned me of heavy rain forecasts and asked if I should sit out another day. I knew that was out of the question and told her that if I stayed another day I would never leave so I pressed on amongst the gloom in the sky.  It rained on me all-day and hard as I made it through to the Chippewa Moraine National Scientific Reserve.  The helpful staff there kindly let me use the phone to check in with Biscuit among others. I was dripping wet and hung out there until they closed trying to beat the rain.  I stayed in a primitive campsite not far from the visitor’s center.  It poured all night long and into morning.

The next day I woke to hard rain and packed up.  My clothes were still wet from the previous day and now everything was beginning to become soaked.  The rain persisted; over 7 inches in 12 hours came down. As I hit my last big road walk toward Weyerhaeuser along the Blue Hills a woman yelled out of a window, "Would you like some hot coffee?"  "Yes ma'am" I exclaimed as I walked up toward the voice.  It was a Woods and Water realty office.  This woman was working and she was nice enough to offer me to come in get her floor wet.  Her name was Annette and she saved me from the rain.  That  coffee was great.  Annette was awesome we talked for a while.  She was very interested in my quest.  She offered to take me to her home to dry out my clothes.  I accepted.  When we arrived her husband Terry was just about to leave but upon seeing me he visited for a bit.  Terry was an interesting guy.  He is an accomplished photographer and he told me about how he hitchhiked around Canada in his younger days.  I enjoyed Terry and Annette very much.  And I was able to dry out all my stuff, take a shower and eat some brat's.  Nice. Thanks to the Schoenberg's!

I made it to Weyerhaeuser where I met up with Stuart Preston, a local IAT member and volunteer.  He invited me to stay at his place that night.  His family was great. I enjoyed a nice Steak made by Stuart's Wife Tracy.  I played pool with Colin and Caitlin who were very interested in what I was doing on my hike.  Maybe some future IAT members and Mobile Skillers?  I slept nice on a futon.  Thanks to the four Preston's.   I had a lot of people to thank that day. 

Stuart dropped me off in the morning where I left off near Weyehauser.  We planted some water about halfway through where I was planning to make it for the day.  My boots were now in dire straits.  After getting them soaked and then dried one too many times they were now almost completely falling apart from the souls.  Not to mention the wear and tear from walking 1,000 miles.  I was now duct-tapping them together hoping that they would last me at least that day, but they didn’t make it.  I was tired of having to re-tape them almost hourly.  I decided to leave them.  It was a hard decision to make.  As I took a break and thought about walking the last 100+ miles in sandals wondering if they would even make it, then what would I do? Psychologically I was questioning myself.  So I kept my Super Feet insoles that Sharon sent me at the beginning of my trek just in case I would need to duct tape them to my socks to finish the hike or at least get to somewhere I could find footwear.  I made it that day to the Murphy Flowage and enjoyed a nice bath in the river and dinner.  The Prestons came to visit with me at the shelter for a while. 

The next morning I left early in my sandals still with doubt in my mind about them.  I hiked to the Tuscobia Trail and through Brill where I encountered a bear just north of Hwy V.  It was awesome as the bear was walking down trail toward me sniffing around.  As soon as he saw me or smelt me or heard me he took off quick into the woods.  He was a pretty large guy.  I headed toward Haugen where I was pleased to see the town was blazed.  As I was walking through the L.E. Phillips Boy Scout Camp I stopped and asked a counselor where I could find some water.  She was helpful and interested.  Her name was Gabrielle. Her and a couple friends came down the trail later that evening to hang with me.  Gabrielle brought some good chicken from their dinner that night.  We were up until 12:30 talking.  I got a late start the next day. 

After leaving in the morning I ran across Keith Veldhuizen and his wife doing some maintenance.  I took a quick break with them and had a brew.  Keith offered to drop off some water ahead for me, which really helped me out.  They commented on my sandals.  I guess they heard in e-mail about my boot situation.  It was a rough day for me and I didn’t even make to the water Keith left for me.  I camped near the Timberland Hills Ski-Lodge.  My feet were hurting. 

The next day I made it to the water early, but it ended up being a hot day so it went quick.  I was to walk over 30 miles that day.  I had a ride set up and didn’t want to end up changing the plan.  Which was to finish at the Western Terminus Monday evening around 6 P.M. The McKenzie Creek segment was spectacular towering above the creek and then descending several times.  I found my way to the Pine Lake Segment where I walked past a house and an older gentleman named Warren hollered to me from his porch if I needed some water or anything.  I did.  Trail magic happens this way and I ended getting fed a tasty pork chop and using their phone.  I called Dean Dversdal who had left a message for me to contact him.  I soon found out I was only 3 miles from his house.  He came out to meet me as I chatted with Warren and his wife Gwen.  Dean and Cora fed me again when I got to their place.  I got a nice shower and my clothes washed.  I enjoyed talking with Dean and Cora.  One of the best aspects of my journey was that I was able to meet and converse with so many interesting people.  It was nice to have meaningful intelligent conversations.  I don’t seem to find that often in the “real world” I reflected that evening before I slept that tomorrow would be my last day on the Ice Age Trail as a thru-hiker in progress.  My journey was almost complete.  Tomorrow would be an emotional day. 

I left for my last hike at 6:15 a.m.  I was to walk 36 miles, my longest day ever, if I was to make it to the Terminus.  I had my work cut out for me.  I tried to make good time and barely took a break as I went through some great sections near Luck and then hit the Gandy Dancer Trail.  I had a quick lunch at Café Wren and charged my camera battery, which was exhausted.  So was I.  Somebody took care of my bill; I still don’t know whom exactly.  I made great time on the Dancer never stopping from Luck to Centauria.  I would only occasionally have to pick a pebble out from my sandals.  I began to slow down and savor the last 7 miles of my Hike.  That or I was slowing down due to being tired.  Dean was checking in on me every now and then to check my status.  I took a moment at a bench in Zillmer Park to reflect again on what this journey has meant for me personally as a man.  A great sense of pride was overwhelming me.  Teary eyed I walked through St. Croix falls.  As I reached Interstate Park I was told that Biscuit and his daughter were there as well as Nancy Frank and Hannah, Buzz Meyer from the local media was waiting, Dean and Cora and my friend Crystal who was giving me a ride home.  It was nice to have people there as I walked through my last mile with Biscuit.  Gorgeous surroundings and the sense of accomplishing my goal after two long months of walking made for an overwhelming aesthetic.  I reached the Terminus at around 7:30 P.M.  I cannot say in words all that I felt as I read the plaque on that rock overlooking the mighty Mississippi River.  All I endured and went through was worthwhile.  All the pain and suffering would be numbed by the beauty I would encounter daily on the Ice Age Trail.  That is I how I kept going when I was down.  I was able to hike every segment of trail and I now have an intimate knowledge of the I.A.T.   I never doubted myself even if I did have other doubts.  All the random acts of kindness and help from our I.A.T. infrastructure made it possible and a rewarding experience as I was able to meet new people, make new friends and get to know the friends I had even more as I stayed at there houses and spent time with them.  It all flashed across my mind as I sat there near the rock.  I was happy that all of my gear except for my boots had performed well and also had a correlation with my success on the trail, especially my Gossamer UL pack.  All of us had a quick dinner and I left for home to relax finally.  Thanks to everyone involved.  I have one more overview I would like to write, but I will wait a day or two to reflect before I put it out so stay tuned. 

-John Bauer 8/9/06