It was great to finish on a connecting road route yesterday and know that I could squeeze in some easy miles today. Maybe that’s why I slept so well last night!
So, we needed to get back home today by mid-afternoon at the latest. Since this spot of the NCT is about 4.5 hours from our home, and we wanted to stop in Eau Claire on the way back to see Tim, our son, we needed to be on the road by 10 a.m. That meant getting on the connecting road around 7:30 a.m.
Connecting Road Misstep
Last night, we realized we’d erred on the connecting road route. About four or five miles out from the trail, you’re walking west along County Hwy. M and need to take a right on Jackson Box Trail. The connecting road routes have been marked at intersections, and I did check the Hwy. M/Jackson Box Trail intersection pretty thoroughly, but there was no blaze. I even asked a man outside his home if this was the NCT connecting road route, but he had no idea. So I continued on M and that’s where I ended last night.
Well, when we had internet access last night at the bar, I went onto the NCT website and discovered the correct route is along Jackson Box Trail. So that’s where we started this morning.
It was a beautiful morning, sunny and cool. There were a few annoying deer flies out again, though, so I had to put on the bug net.
Like yesterday, Ed drove ahead a mile or two, then got out and walked back toward me. A bunch of men were out running their dogs in preparation for bear-hunting, which is September. One duo stopped us to make sure we weren’t lost.
It was pretty easy to hike three miles per hour, as I had only a light pack and the road wasn’t too hilly. So I got another six miles down.
Not sure when we’ll be back to finish our NCT-Wisconsin miles, but hopefully next year at the latest!
Snowshoe and Stubs
WI NCT miles today: 6
WI NCT miles to date: 163.8
Total NCT miles to date: 879.7
Total NCT miles to go: 3,720.3
