Day 52 – IAT Mile 1033.0 to 1060.3


“Walk on the beach for 2.1 miles” was the sign that greeted Brianna and I first thing this morning.  Brianna wasn’t ready to hike a full day, was ready to jump on for a couple mile beach walk.  The IAT bought me this box of chocolates in the form of a beach after a fight we’ve been having that I thought might never end. This walk on the sands of Lake Michigan is a top 10 feature of the entire trail.

We did our best to wake up early and make it to the beach before sunrise and kinda sorta made it.  The sun was halfway up the horizon when we pulled in to Neshotah Park on Lake Michigan.  Most people reading this have seen the sun rise over the water and can appreciate the light show of deep oranges and hot pinks turned red.  We enjoyed what was left of the sun rise before heading over to the two mile beach walk we were so looking forward to.

Sand is not the easiest terrain to walk.  We were fortunate to have a low tide during our walk, which allowed us to walk on the harder packed part of the beach near the water rather than the loose sand above it.  Waves were washing up snails and seashells as we walked, we even saw a baby snapping turtle no bigger than my thumb.  Brianna turned back for the car about a mile in, it was good to walk together again, even if for only a few miles.

I started the day knowing that fast morning miles would make for a better day.  Uncle Tim and Aunt Susan flew into town and are staying with a good friend, Trisha, that used work with Tim in Colorado, and me as well for a time.  Whether we were to gather for a long lunch hang or do an evening hang out, I needed to get as many miles in as possible.  As it turns out, we were able to do both hang outs!  We met for lunch at a diner in the town of Denmark.  Trisha invited us to crash at her place for the evening, so I finished my final 8 miles for the day and drove into Green Bay for the night.

It didn’t matter that we haven’t seen Trisha in over 10 years, she treated us as old friends reunited.  Our year in Colorado was too short with memories that are mostly blurry.  I do remember spending a lot of time with her and family camping, barbecuing and meeting at random bars.  Having everyone together again 10 years later feels right.  Getting to see Uncle Tim and Aunt Susan at the end of my trip reminds me that they treat me better than I deserve.  Fortunately, Brianna is here and more than deserved the love and special treatment! 

😀