Hike 1

Starting point—Trailhead in Potawatomi State Park
Ending point— Maplewood
Distance—13 miles
Cumulative Distance—13 miles

We finally started our adventure today! It was a gorgeous fall day, although it was a bit windy at times and chilly when the sun hid behind the clouds. Still, it's a good day in Wisconsin when you can be comfortable in a long-sleeve shirt at times (and a fleece the rest of the time).

We really enjoyed the trail through Potawatomi State Park as it heads through the woods and along the shore. We took the side trip up the lookout tower to see Sturgeon Bay and the last of the fall colors. This was the only section of the trail that had any vertical climbs or descents, and none of it was too substantial.

All the restaurants in Sturgeon Bay were tempting as we hadn't eaten lunch yet, but we stopped just outside of town at Cherry Blossom Park for lunch and a quick visit to the swingset for Kerry. By this time, the trail had piggybacked with the Ahnapee State Trail. (Sidenote: Ahnapee is the Ojibwa word for "when." Our logic for naming a trail that is it's a lot shorter than, "Are we there yet?")

The trail takes you through the countryside and follows an old railroad bed most of the way from Sturgeon Bay to Maplewood. One of the nice things is benches every couple miles, and the trail is well maintained. This section would be gorgeous in full fall colors, but we managed to find a Black-Eyed Susan still in perfect bloom, intriguing purple leaves, two grouse and two deer along the trail. We didn't encounter any other hikers, although we crossed paths with a few people walking their dogs.

We took our time (between Kerry's random pains and wisdom tooth extraction yesterday and the fact that we are out of practice for hiking) finishing the segment in 5.5 hours, with a couple rest stops and a lunch break. Oh, and don't forget the 254 picture breaks!

DEER!!!

It was a great hike to start our adventure!