Wisconsin

I’m using a zero day again to catch up on my route planning, buying shoes and getting them sent up the trail to me, shopping, uploading new videos to my YouTube channel, and now finally jotting a few notes in my blog. This poor thing, I show it so little attention. But of course its the same issue on every hike, the times when I’ve got stuff I think is interesting to say, I’m nowhere near a library or such where I can sit in front of a computer and hash it out. Based on my route calculations, I’ve walked 2,026 miles so far on this hike and have about 860 remaining. On the one hand it sounds like I’m getting there, but on the other (and it’s always this feeling toward the end of a hike) it still seems a long way away. The miles remaining number is a bit fluid because I fine tune route specifics as I plan each week and that throws it off. I’ve picked up some extra miles this week (30-50?) to cut a wide berth south around Chicago and the cities in it’s immediate orbit as I’m more comfortable walking through less densely populated locales.

I’ve started to conclude that I made certain assumptions about this hike that turned out to be off the mark. I figured it would be easier than any of the previous wilderness hikes I’ve done, which were significantly more strenuous and featured a lot of natural-world dangers and risks. But having now spent three months on this hike, I’m fairly convinced it’s as tough as that stuff, less on the pure physical side- except for my feet, which have taken a massive pavement beating- and more substantially on the mental/psychological. The absence of other hikers has shaped the hike in a certain way, though on the other hand, I’m getting a couple people each day stopping to ask me what I’m doing, whether I need water and so on and those interactions end up being great, though brief. But having said that, in another week when I stop for a day again to route plan for the next section, I’ll be only 700 miles from the finish line and definitely feeling the motivation and excitement of nearing completion.

Hopefully as you’ll see from the pictures and videos, I enjoyed my walk through Wisconsin, especially the towns along the eastern bank of the Mississippi through Pepin, Stockholm and others. It was great hiking, mostly good weather and the people were wonderful and accommodating. I’ve been in Illinois for a few days now and will add that post later-perhaps combined with Indiana- once I’ve walked the walk. I don’t have much more to say for now as I sit here in the public library in Rochelle, Illinois, other than to wish you all a great end to the summer. Which reminds me I’ll probably need to consider slightly warmer hiking clothes soon. I don’t know about you, but autumn has always been my favorite season. I love the crisp afternoons, fall colors, the occasional smell of a bonfire, mmm, I can almost conjure it. Cheers!

P.S. Apologies for posting pictures without captions, ran out of time.