6/11  –  After a night in the motel-within-walking-distance of the bus station in Green Bay ( imagine your own colorful details here) we got up early to meet up with Dan, who heads up the local chapter of volunteers who maintain the Ice Age Trail.  Dan had volunteered to drive us about 45 minutes north to the trail head at Potawatomi State Park, so we could start the trail right at the eastern terminus.

After admiring the view of the bay, we started walking south.  

Almost immediately, we were attacked by hordes of mosquitoes, necessitating the donning of our fashionable bug hats, purchased just for this occasion.

We walked 14 miles on a tranquil, if buggy, trail, in an intermittent rain. This section, the Ahnapee State Trail, is a former railroad bed, straight and flat. Just at dinner time, the trail intersected with a road that had a bar & grill on the corner. What luck! After a hot meal, we walked a little farther to pitch our tent for the night.

6/12 – We broke camp after a coffee and oatmeal breakfast and we’re back on the trail by 5:45am. No more rain, but plenty of bugs and lovely, fragrant purple wildflowers.

Here’s a sign we haven’t seen before:

10 miles later, we reached the town of Algoma, where a hot shower and a comfy bed awaited us at Hotel Stebbins. Now it’s time for a nap!