Started the day off in the middle of the Madison segment. When I got to the connecting route to Cross Plains, I tried a new path. In 2013, I hated the stretch along a road with a quarry; trucks were constantly coming and going, and it was loud, noisy and dusty. So I took a side road and then hiked on the railroad tracks into Cross Plains. Think I shaved about a mile off, too. Much nicer, although it’s hard to hike on railroad tracks.
Stopped in at the IATA office, and the only one there was Matt. What a nice guy. I filled my Camelbak there, dropped off a trail journal I’m donating and then left. Then Matt helped my parents figure out how to meet me at Table Bluff, since downtown Cross Plains is under construction.
En route to Table Bluff, I ran into IATA volunteer Tess Mulrooney, who had been painting blazes at Table Bluff and trimming the trail. Had a wonderful stroll through Table Bluff, then headed over to the new segment at Springfield Corners. You walk in through a lumpy farm field, which isn’t much fun, but then the trail picks up and is wonderful. I saw a buck, which is always fun.
Back in Madison, I tried to go to urgent care with Unity, our new insurer. I was afraid I had cellulitis once again, a skin infection that I got on the bottoms of my feet in 2013. There was a 90-minute wait, which they said was normal, but I wasn’t even guaranteed to get seen. Gee! We had Dean Care for 25 years, and never waited more than 20 minutes in urgent care. I decided to leave and try to see my doctor tomorrow morning.