Rocky and Rugged - Day 297

  This morning was first frost in intermittent spots. But the day warmed to the mid 50s, and was quite pleasant. Marie hiked the first 4 miles with me, and we crossed the SHT covered bridge. It's just fun!


Once again, there were a number of beautiful overlooks. It must have been hazier than I realized because most of the pictures aren't nearly as nice as the actual view. But this one from Horseshoe Ridge is decent.


I wish these little guys weren't such devils because they are just about the cutest animals in the northwoods. Red squirrel. Instead of immediately running away, this one was curious about me.


Lots of beautiful waterways and waterfalls again today. I'll just share this one, the bridge at the Manitou River. There was a long, steep downhill to get here, and then you had to climb over rocks to get to the bridge. The water raged below.


In contrast, this bridge was not far past the one above, over a small tributary of the Manitou. This picture looks so peaceful, as if it were taken in a park.


And I just liked the looks of this tree with the branches all reaching out to one side.


Now for the guts of today's hiking. The middle six miles of what I did today were rocky and rugged. I barely managed 2 mph. Constant ups and downs, and quite often, this is what the trail looked like, and this is not even a steep hill. This is not a complaint... it's just the way the trail is in this section. But I wanted you to know that I'm earning my dinner (of which I ate a truckload!).


After lunch, the topography flattened out, and I thought I was going to be able to make better time. Ha! Can you say "cedar roots?" Even so, I managed to cover the last 4 miles in 1 hour and 40 minutes. Better.


Miles today: 14.0. Total miles so far: 3515.0

See Just for Giggles