Miles Hiked 41
Elevation Gains 1,941 feet
Miles Hiked Today 15.8
Up at 6:30 AM and I slept well last night. This is really a great campsite at the Horse Riders Campground. I’m glad no one showed up in the middle of the night to kick me out since I really wasn’t supposed to be camping here.
I took down my tent and packed up everything. Before returning to the trail, I got three liters of water. I have yet to use my water filter since I filled up with water here yesterday and now today. A rarity on any trail is to find potable water.
Earlier, I looked at my navigation app, Far Out. I didn’t realize I was so close to the trailhead. In a text exchange with Angela yesterday evening, she asked if I would still finish on Wednesday and I told her I would. However, I think I can easily finish today. I’m not going to let Angela know until mid-day just to be sure. If she is tied up and can’t pick me up later, there is a camp by the trailhead where I can stay.
So, off I go. I’m getting somewhat frustrated by the constant up and down of the trail. The ascents and descents are not that big, but they are steep and constant. I have to say, I’m surprised at how well I’m handling the hike. My legs are not hurting at all and I’ve been able to maintain an overall average pace of 2 miles per hour. I’ve never been able to do that on any other trail. I think part of the reason I’m doing so well, is my backpack weight. I left a lot of usual gear at home, which seemed appropriate for the short duration of the planned hike. Now I have to figure out how to do that on my longer hikes.
Around 2 PM I stopped for lunch and looked at Far Out to see how far I was from the trailhead. I had about 6 miles to go. I texted Angela and told her I would be at the trailhead between 4:30 and 5:00 PM. She texted back to let me know she could pick me up, so that works out great.
I stepped up my pace to ensure I reached the trailhead at the agreed upon time. As I got within a mile, I didn’t recognize the trail from the short walk Angela and I took on it the preceding Friday. Had I looked at the wrong trailhead on Far Out? Nope! When I reached the trailhead, it was where I was supposed to be. Angela pulled up a few minutes later and that was the end of my Ice Age Trail hike.
Epilog: The IAT hike was nice. I like being in the forest. As for the trail being a destination for a lot of thru-hikers from around the country and internationally, it is doubtful it will draw much attention. The biggest negative is the fact that approximately 500 miles remains unfinished. But equally important is the availability of campsites. No thru-hiker can afford to pay more than $30 a night to camp every night. Those who oversee the IAT need to decide if they want to keep the trail primarily for local residents who do short sections or try to attract the long distance hiker nationally and internationally.
