Ice Age Trail

My recent weekend hike on the Ice Age Trail was pretty good. The group was a bit big but the group itself was good, so no real complaints. The segment was also one I've never done before and I liked it enough that I might file it away as a nice local weekend destination. Here are a couple photos:


We hooked up with the Ice Age Trail from the parking lot of the Kettle Moraine South Headquarters. While prepping our packs we met a couple Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppies. Not exactly wildlife but hey they're cute so give em a break.


As expected, this portion of the Ice Age Trail was very well maintained and well marked. Honestly, that can take some of the fun out of it but I guess it does make for a comfy hike. The quality of the trail does vary widely though since the Ice Age Trail actually consists of 1,000 miles of interconnected trails, paths, sidewalks, and even roads.



I suppose any trail that cuts across a whole state will eventually require you to walk on a couple roads.


Big dead snapping turtle which looked like it was recently shot/lanced. One of the more depressing things I've seen on a hike.


We only hiked about 15 miles and I'd say about 5 miles of it cut through prairie land. Neat.


The site we stopped at had a nice Adirondack style shelter (apparently missing some shutters). Adirondack shelters generally consist of three walls, a slanted roof, and maybe a floor. Some of the group used it but the weather was nice so I setup a tent outside.


Obligatory. The shelter was on top of a hill with a nearly unobstructed westward view so we had great seats for the sunset.

(blank)

Paired

Damaged Head Disk Assembly

Backup your hard drives folks. Cathy's iMac's hard drive gave up the ghost last week and we've been going nuts trying to recover the data on it (mainly her photos and music). Had a MacMaster try all sorts of software solutions and he even pulled the thing to see if it would mount on another Mac. None of that worked so we enlisted the services of a data recovery company to see what they could salvage. We'll see how that pans out.

I'm not sure why I didn't backup her data. I got screwed over a couple times so I always backup my important/irreplaceable content on two separate drives. I guess I had a lot of confidence in Macs but a hard drive is a hard drive no matter what computer it's in. Anyway, backup your shit since it could - correction, it will save you a ton of grief in the future.


Damaged head disk assembly. Corrupted firmware. Busted Seagate.

Wave of the Future

Leaving for camping in a bit. Before I go though I gotta say that toy on head was good. But beer on head...man, it's the wave of the future.


Nick


Emily


Q

Have a good weekend everyone.

Short Hike

This weekend I'm tagging along with a decent sized group on a two night hike on the Ice Age Trail in Wisconsin. We'll see how I cope considering that I prefer going in a group of one, two, or three max. The section we're doing is routine and static so there isn't much to ooh and ahh over but that's never stopped me. Besides, I haven't been able to get out much this season so I'm taking what I can get.


Another one of many. Pentax p&s out the window, driving back to law school, 2006.

(blank)

Diseased

Fruit Tart

We hosted a surprise birthday party for Cathy's cousin Julie (planned by her husband Tim) over the past weekend. It went off without a hitch, although I did have to sneak Julie's sisters in at the eleventh hour through a series of daring maneuvers. It was a good time. Cathy baked this white chocolate fruit tart for dessert:


Delicious as usual.

(blank)

Intercom

Mich Again

Cathy and I went to visit my parents one last time before our wedding. Among other things, I helped fix a couple screen doors, removed a mud dauber wasp nest, went on a six mile trail run, found a yellow jacket hive in a Foreman grill, and ate some ribs, clams, dumplings, sushi, and dim sum.


Apparently this is a "Florida Room." Kinda like an outdoor room I guess? The Dad patched up the roof so for the first time in years we could actually hang out in it, talk, relax, drink some brews, etc.


Speaking of brews, my Dad strongly supports Michigan microbreweries. These days its all he buys so there's always an interesting selection every time I visit. This weekend he had some nice pale ales from the Michigan Brewing Company.


The gloaming from the back deck.


Ate breakfast out on the deck on Saturday morning. It was a fruit-filled morning.


Obligatory plant photo from the backyard. No idea what this is.


You know, I originally thought this was a yellow jacket but it's actually a European paper wasp. Related but distinctly different.

Speaking of yellow jackets though, here's a little story:

Years ago I went on a solo backpacking trip through Shawnee National Forest. One morning I accidentally stepped on a large nest of yellow jackets and was swarmed within seconds. Thankfully it was early morning, I had not taken my tent down, and I was nearby. I ran straight to my tent with a literal cloud of yellow jackets following me. Even after getting in my tent, I had to deal with the 10 or so that had followed me in.

In the end, I counted about 40 distinct areas I was stung and I was stung multiple times in most of those spots. For the next couple hours, I had trouble moving my left arm and leg (most stings were localized there) and pain resonated throughout my body for the remainder of the day. Despite this, I still think I was extremely lucky in an unlucky situation.

This was also the same trip I got bit by a 6-foot snake but that is a story for another day.