Category: travel
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Isle Royale National Park 05-28-2025
My Darling B was surprised to learn there are outhouses in the wilderness areas of Isle Royale. If you have to answer the call of nature while you’re on the trail, you’re allowed to poop in a cathole. I didn’t have to on this trip, and I’m pretty happy about that, to be honest. I’ve… Read.
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Isle Royale National Park 05-27-2025
My day started with a toad and ended with frogs. I’m not saying it means anything, but it’s an odd coincidence, don’t you think? Right out of Lane Cove campground, after crossing the plank bridge and just as I was starting the climb up the first ridge, a toad as big and fat as my… Read.
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Isle Royale National Park 05-26-2025
I’ve wanted to visit Isle Royale since I heard about it while I was a Boy Scout. (That was a few years ago.) I’ve been planning this trip for months. I almost didn’t make it! I booked a crossing on the Ranger III, a ferry operated by the National Park Service to take visitors and… Read.
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Newport State Park 4-29-25 — 5-1-25
Hello from Newport State Park in Door County, Wisconsin! I visited recently for a two-night stay to try out my new backpacking gear, as well as some of the oldest gear I have (my spindly old legs), all to make sure I’m ready to hit the trail this season. Here’s an obligatory selfie at the… Read.
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morning walk 4-26-2025
It was a good day for a morning walk through the UW-Madison arboretum. It started out cold, with temps in the forties, but a clear, sunny sky quickly warmed everything and by the time I left, about two hours after I arrived, temps were in the fifties. Very pleasant weather for a long, slow stroll… Read.
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IAT Sauk Point Segment
After drinking my morning coffee Sunday morning, I dressed for a rainy day outside, jumped in the van with my backpack, and headed for the Sauk Point segment of the Ice Age Trail. There was rain forecast for the afternoon but it wasn’t supposed to arrive until one o’clock or later so I figured I… Read.
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IAT Blue Spring Lake Segment
Today was a beautiful day to hike the Ice Age Trail! It started out crisp and cool but ended up delightfully warm and was sunny all morning and afternoon. I was a little concerned the warm temps would thaw out the frozen ground and turn the whole trail into a muddy bog, making today’s hike… Read.
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One of these days
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IAT Whitewater Lake segment
This was a very pleasant afternoon walk in the woods. Moderately easy, but still a satisfying hike over gently hilly terrain. I parked my van in the lot on Clover Valley Road and walked as far as Esterly Road, 2.8 miles, before turning back. I would have liked to go as far as Highway 12… Read.
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The Porcupine Mountains
I’m back home from a three-day hiking trip to the Porcupine Mountains in the upper peninsula of Michigan. I left Madison last Sunday morning, hiked the back country Monday and Tuesday, and returned home this afternoon. I didn’t camp in the back country. Looking back now, I kind of regret not doing that, but this… Read.
This Is Drivel 