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Tuesday, August 23, 2022

Hubbard County Forest - Day 266

  I had to start the day with a road walk because there is such a serious blowdown blocking the trail that it is going to be salvage logged this fall. Meanwhile, there is a detour. Well, I can walk really fast on roads!

The best find on the road was an Io (say EYE-oh) Moth Caterpillar. Don't pick these guys up; the spines have a mild venom that will make you itch!
IO moth caterpillar

After I got back in the woods, I found several clumps of these elegant gray mushrooms. I'm pretty sure it's umbrella inky cap. umbrella inky cap

The trail today was mostly in Hubbard County Forest. This is all new trail since I hiked here before. Very pretty section. This is a wetland area, and I love the vertical trees with the abstract ponds and grasses.

My big news is that the mosquitoes were tolerable. I wore long sleeves, and kept a hat on for just a couple of hours to foil the divebombing deer flies, but it was heavenly not to have to be completely covered up on a fairly hot day. wetland

Gage Lake was a nice area of open water. A lot of the smaller lakes are getting choked with aging water lilies at this time of year. Perfectly natural, but sometimes they don't look as pretty. Gage Lake

At the end of the day, Randy Cadwell of Lakeland PBS came out to meet me to shoot some video. There will be a number of hikers included in an episode of Common Ground this winter.
friends

BONUS SECTION: Meeka's Story

Right at the beginning of the day Michelle and I saw a young woman, whose name we learned is Meeka, standing beside the road. She didn't seem to be hitching a ride, but she was pretty much in the middle of nowhere, and we weren't sure what she was doing. Well, she had been trying to get a ride home (a few hours away) because she is starting a job tomorrow, and the guy she was riding with just dumped her out and left her. I said maybe we could get her to the next town (I didn't want to volunteer Michelle for a big project). But Michelle took her all the way home.

I'll try not to preach here, but gosh, kids, choose your friends with some care.
friends

Miles today: 15.3. Total miles so far: 3121.9
See Detroit Lakes Fun

3 comments:

Ellie said...

Hiking with so many mosquitos can be so frustrating. Have you considered a bug jacket? REI has one from Sea to Summit that weighs only 4 oz. I also live in Michigan, and the mosquitos can get fierce. Sometimes the head net just isn't enough.

I look forward to reading your entries each evening. Thank you so much for sharing your marvelous adventures.

Ann said...

That caterpillar really stands out with that green color. Love the look of those mushrooms.
How sad that someone would dump that poor girl off and leave her. That was nice of Michelle to take her all the way home.

Sharkbytes said...

Ellie- anywhere the netting touches your skin, the skeeters can bite right through it. And they can snag and rip. I'd rather just wear a shirt.

Ann- The mushrooms were elegant and very fragile.