May 21-22, 2019
17 miles (got lost)
This is a wonderful 15 mile (ish) loop in Vilas County, Wisconsin. This is one of my favorite areas to backpack and camp in Wisconsin. It is a well-marked trail with plenty of peace and quiet. Midlifer bonus: Mostly flat! Hills are spread out and fairly mild.
I love loops. This one is fantastic! Very peaceful and manageable for old legs. Since it is fairly flat I could carry more weight and opted to bring my camp chair. Ahhh.
Highlights: Throughout this loop there are many "Northern Wisconsin" lakes, which are primarily uninhabited and lined with beautiful Evergreens. The beavers were abundant and fun to listen to when they did their "slap dive". Part of the trail goes along a ski trail and there was a cute shelter with an "Old Style Blog" (notebook), which made me laugh. There are several places to camp along the way. I settled on the sites near Luna and White Deer Lake. Good choice. The site had a fire pit and there was a privy nearby. This was my first trip with Maggie. She is a natural trail dog. She loved every step of the way. I only saw two people the entire trip. It was amazing.
Lowlights: Harriet Lake has flooded the trail. I read online that this has been the case for a while. I could either re-route and road walk for several miles, or trudge through. I chose trudging. This was early summer (May) and it was a wet winter, so this possibly affected the water levels..but...the water came up to my knees. It was not the worst water crossing I've had, but still not pleasant. Maggie doesn't swim so I carried her through some of it, then I fell, so she tiptoed through the rest. She was not happy. But when she finished she was super proud of herself. Nothing like teaching grit to a dog!
Tips: I parked on the south side of the trail and headed west and did the loop clockwise. I did not want to pay to park at Franklin Lake. There is a small parking lot on FR 2008 off of FR 2179. I started later in the day (2 PM) so by the time I was ready to stop for dinner I was at Franklin Lake and there was a little picnic area there. It worked out well. When you get to Franklin Lake the trail signs dry up for a bit. Just head to the nature trail at Franklin Lake and you will see the signs pick up again.
Comentarios