Originally printed April 21, 2017.
48 days. That’s how long it had been since I was on the trail. While a lot of singing kept me off the trail, the big reason for my absence was injury – two injuries, actually. In February I had injured the inner thighs on both legs. After trying in vain to treat myself,I was forced to go under a physical therapist’s care (Frank Fantazzi at PT Plus is a miracle worker). Up until Wednesday, I was making fitful progress. But we made a big breakthrough on Wednesday, I received permission to try the hike, and Jane and I made the trip through dense fog on Thursday to hike in Door County.
I was going to hike a chunk of the 13.7 mile Sturgeon Bay segment. My hike would be six miles and change on what was originally a rail bed. The trail would be fairly wide, groomed with fine gravel, and flat – just perfect for my coming out party. Jane dropped me off at the trail head in the town of Maplewood, and I started my trek at 12:25 pm. Jane made her way to Sturgeon Bay in search of a yarn shop.
Had the weather conditions been dry, the mid-40s temps would have made for primo walking weather. However, a steady mist was my companion for the entire hike, and the penetrating damp caused my hands to stiffen. Otherwise, I was very comfortable.
My primary goal for this hike was to finish it without injury, so I was very focused on my form. Take short steps. Try to make my foot strikes the same each time. Avoid the feeling of “crazy legs” that can occur when I get tired and sloppy. Use my gluteus muscles as the driving pistons to push through each step. Rinse, repeat.
I would guess that I was walking through swamp country for nearly 80% of my hike. Lots of standing water was present. While tall trees lined my trail, the majority of the country was a lot of tangled saplings, bushes and scrub brush that would be nearly impassable if one was inclined to step off the trail. I came away with the impression that this would be a fairly warm and very buggy walk in warmer weather.
But on this day, my dominant impression was that this was a bird watcher’s paradise. The trail was full of them – at least two kinds of woodpeckers, countless sparrows, and doves, robins, blue jays, hawks, turkeys, and, I think, a turkey vulture. The tall trees had not leafed out; as a result, the birds were relatively easy to spot. It was a feast for my eyes and my ears.
Sooner than I expected, I arrived at the pickup point at Neenah Avenue. Happily, my legs had that “good tired” feeling. Jane and I made our way to Sturgeon Bay to celebrate my return to the trail.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 