Delafield, WI, May 24, by Roger Carpenter / Greg in Wild
In two days since leaving Delafield, I hiked 45 miles to IAT milepost 956. With only 198 miles to the eastern terminus, I have a strong case of Potawatomi Fever. My goal was to finish the hike on June 7, but it is likely I will finish on June 5 or 6. My InReach map shows my current location and tracks and 30-minute intervals.
May 22: From Delafield, the IAT enters the picture-perfect suburban town of Hartland. A residential neighborhood features large, perfect lawns, huge homes, and wide, curvy streets. After crossing a busy arterial street, it was business parks with nice green grass framing the expansive parking lots for the workers, who were arriving as I hiked on sidewalks. Soon, I arrived in Hartland, where I stopped for a snack at a nice coffee shop and walked on a paved trail along the Bark River. “These are easy miles,” I told a local resident, who was walking to clear her head after a stressful remote meeting for her IT job. The paved trail turned into a paved rail-to-trail. Creeks and rivers in areas with concentrations of residential, commercial, and agricultural properties can be contaminated, and I avoid collecting water from such sources. This time, I walked into an automotive tire shop to ask if I could fill my water bottles in their restroom. They kindly permitted me to do so. Soon, I entered a moraine area with forests and prairie grasses. I found a nice grove of pine trees that made a well-sheltered campsite. I cooked a pasta and tomato sauce dinner with the water from the tire shop.
May 23: With 25 miles to West Bend, I needed an early start. Hiking at sunrise gave me the opportunity to get some nice photos of the basilica at Holy Hill, a place I never knew existed. It resembles a church more typical of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. Wildflowers are emerging this time of year. I was especially pleased to see Trillium, one of my favorites that I see often in Portland, and I recalled seeing Trillium on the Appalachian Trail in Maine in 2021. The afternoon hiking in the moraines was pleasant and informative. Signs are placed on the trail that describe how the glacial features were formed during the Ice Age that ended 10,000 years ago.
I saw more people on the trail as I approached West Bend, another suburb of Milwaukee. And, why not? It was Friday afternoon to start the Memorial Day weekend. I have walked past many memorial parks in Wisconsin that pay tribute to the soldiers lost in wars going back to the Civil War. A great uncle of mine from Three Lakes, Wisconsin died during World War I. Seeing the tributes to those who sacrificed everything is another important connection to my Wisconsin roots.
I decided to take a Double Zero in West Bend. More on that in another post.
Hike on!
Nice photo of the basilica… would never have guessed Wisconsin.
Also did not know you had so many childhood connections.
This one is so unlike any other trail you have
done. Will be curious to read what personal insights this hike will produce in your rear view mirror