The directions had me going over railroad tracks just outside Weyerhaeuser, but of course there was road work on the intersection (par for course for Wisconsin it seems). So I had to backtrack around and come in a different way. Got onto the trail about 10:30am - pack weight of 28.5lbs.
The trip took me on the Northern (8.3mi) and Southern Blue Hills (6.3) sections of the trail, with about a 2 mile connecting route via a gravel road/county highway. The trail was a mix of ATV trails, logging roads, and two- and one-track footpaths. The one-track paths are my favorite. About an hour in, the trail follows the south and west shore of North Lake. The south shore has a scenic primitive campsite with picnic table and two old rowboats. Wildlife included grouse, turkeys, chipmunks, squirrels, birds, woodpeckers, and geese. The northern section also had a small side trail to check out an old heron rookery lake. The day was near perfect for weather (t-shirt and hiking pants), with a couple drizzles in the afternoon but nothing too bad. Also had the TEAM 42 official holiday song "Must Be Santa" pop into my head several times during the day. Stopped for good Saturday about 6pm, and figured I had gone about 15 miles - averaged just over 2mph. Knees were starting to hurt towards the end (actually, most any time the trail went downhill, it was painful). Set up camp in a grassy clearing just off the trail, and was able to keep my membership in the 8 o'clock club!
Woke up once during the night, but slept pretty well overall. Up at 6:30am, packed up and on the trail again by 7:15. I had wanted to be about 4 miles from my car, but instead it was going to be 9. Knees were really bad all day, any downslope was bad. The route back including following Devil's Creek, then through an area I called Fern Gully. The trip was very scenic, but I was in so much pain I just wanted it to be over. Finally back to my car at noon. Ending pack weight was 23.4lbs, and total trail distance 24.5mi. Approximate cost - $20 in gas, and about $20 in food.
