Up Hill

Last week the spouse and I spent four nights camping at Governor Dodge State Park.  Hiking at Governor Dodge was a an interesting contrast to our mid-September camping trip to Hartmann Creek in 2019.  At Hartmann Creek the campground was pretty busy.  At Governor Dodge there are two campgrounds, and we were at the smaller campground (if over 100 sites is small) on the north of the two major loops.  On Monday there were only nine or ten other campers on the north loops of the Cox Hollow Campground.  As at Hartmann Creek, we did a good deal of hiking, but there is a big difference--hills.  Gov. Dodge is in the driftless area, an area not touched by the four glaciers that came across what is now Wisconsin, with the last being about 10,000 years past.  That means hills and valleys on the hiking trails. It also meant a good deal of up hill hiking.  Hartmann Creek sits at the moraine, and is blessed with lakes, and hills, but its uphills are not as steep or as high as you will find in the driftless area.  

Gov Dodge Trail Map
Source:  WI State Parks website

We put on quite a few miles, and had some good adventures. On Monday, we had our longest day of hiking, first taking the Meadow Trail to Twin Valley Campground.  In an attempt to find a shortcut to the Cave Trail we meandered off the marked trail.  We took what was once, at least according to a sign, a service road, but was essentially a rock strewn drainage way that was probably used mainly by wildlife.  That route split into two animal trails.  The right seemed to end, but we took the left route and we finally found a major trail, which we assumed to be another part of the Meadow Trail.  But, where were we on the Meadow Trail?  We did not know, so we looked left and right, but turned right and from this spot hiked about 30 to 40 minutes or so to the Cox Hollow picnic area trail head.  The Cave trail is a loop off the Meadow Trail, but we did not find it.  When we turned left we thought for sure, given compass direction and estimated distance that we would come to at least one of the Cave Trail loops, but we did not.  Heck we came across a trail that was closed by a barricade but that trail was not even on the trail map.  I realized that would be the last time, on this trip anyway, that we would go off a marked and known trail.  The short cut I had planned fell short of its mark.

Out fall of Cox Hollow Lake Dam

On Wednesday we headed from Cox Hollow picnic area on the Meadow Trail and found the Cave Trail and took its full length loop that gives some nice views of Twin Valley Lake. We also took the detour route to the caves, which contain bats.  Due to Covid and white nose syndrome, the caves are closed, so we stayed distant from the caves.  It is interesting that we did not notice anything to indicate cave closure (except signs at the beach and the trail heads), which we thought was odd.  On the way back we had not seen the animal trail which we took to reach the Meadow Trail, but as luck would have it, given other landmarks, we realized we were probably only 200 to 300 feet from the southerly Cave Trail loop off the Meadow Trail.  Getting to the cave trail involves a long hike with a number of ups and downs, and watching out for both horse and dog droppings.  The Meadow Trail went through meadows, and woods, near marshes and had a few lake views.  

Rock Outcropping, common site at Gov Dodge

Upon arriving Sunday, since our campsite was not yet available, we hiked the Pine Cliff Trail, although we skipped the nature loop.  That trail was very busy, and the thing is we noticed horse prints, and feces, even though the trail is for hikers only. It was a crowded trail that late Sunday morning, showing how weekend use contrasts with weekday use.  On most of our hikes during the week we came across only a few other persons.

Land Girl Trudging along Stephen Falls Trail
to connect to Lost Canyon Trail

Many of the summer trails are for both hiking and mountain biking, and some are even shared, as is the Meadow Trail with horses.  Although we did not see any bikers or horses, we saw plenty signs of horses having been present.  Most all of these trails are used in the winter for cross country skiing.  To ski and bike you have to go a particular way, and often times we hiked counter to better be able to see potential bicyclist, if one happened to be present on the trail. The idea was to hike against vehicle traffic, as you would do on a street without sidewalks.

Rock Outcropping near Cave

We went counter to prevailing movement on Tuesday morning when we decided to hike the 3.3 mile Mill Creek Trail.  The trail description says "you will encounter several steep grades, but the majority of the trail is quite level."  Hence we were expecting some up and downs. However, to my spouse, it seemed that the trail was pretty much steep grades--all going up.  After a while she even started to "complain"about the constant uphill climbs we had encountered.  I was expecting to hear the common child question, "Are we there yet?!" Luckily she had her Fitbit on which she tracked the course and remaining mileage.  Perhaps technology dissuaded her from using "Are we there yet?!" Her calculation at one point of 1800 steps remaining, would turn out to be uncannily correct.  At this point she realized, if we had taken the loop as intended, we would be going down hill most of the way.  Of course, what goes up has to come down, but much of the downhill for us turned out to be a paved trail that connects the Military Ridge Trail to Cox Hollow picnic area.  The other few hikers we saw were all going the bike direction, that is uphill on the paved route and downhill on the trail.  Since we hiked Wednesday, our hiking of the constant uphills on the Mill Creek Trail on Tuesday did not dissuade her from hiking again. Or, perhaps, she really wanted to see the Cave Trail.  When I first introduced her to cross country skiing over 30 years ago, our first trip involved a major uphill climb right near the start. At that point, she was turned off to cross country skiing.  I hear about how I made her climb a big hill on cross country skis on her first cross country ski adventure every winter.  That occurred at Anvil Lake near Eagle River. Unfortunately, with snow, that long paved down hill run at Governor Dodge is for cross country skiers going uphill, but as I was walking down I kept thinking it would be a great toboggan run.  As we got back to the campsite, the Land Girl, did comment that given the wet conditions of the trail, due to all of the rain the week prior, perhaps going down hill would have been more dangerous due to possible slippage.

Near Stephen's Falls, someone left a bag
of garbage

Of course, we also hiked the Lost Canyon Trail and visited Stephen's Falls.  We have done that trail quite a bit, and it ran right behind our campsite, so we hiked down to the end of the campground to take the trail, but took a path short cut through the unoccupied site next to us on the way back. We hiked this on Monday afternoon, after our (mis)adventure.  Stephen's Falls became quite popular this past spring.  During the time the State Parks were open, but without requiring a vehicle permit, my wife showed me a photo of the main road and the parallel parking for the Stephen's Falls/Lost Canyon Trail, which had cars parked as far as the photo horizon.  Apparently not much social distancing.  Many of the cars at that time, and during our visit, were from people down south--our Friendly Illinois Brethren. 

View of Twin Valley Lake from Cave Trail

Land Girl was not pleased with the uphill climb on the Mill Creek Trail. But she soldiered through those and the other many topographic changes that are so prevalent at Governor Dodge State Park.  Sitting at the beach one afternoon I saw two people climb the hill to the Cox Hollow picnic area on their bikes with little or no effort.  While not near as steep as the trails or even other roads, it would take some good effort to climb. I then realized they had electric bikes, which are becoming more common as baby boomers age.  At Governor Dodge, as for me, I will stick with hiking, even if it is uphill, both ways.

Cave entrance

Sole

Years ago I visited a company in Madison, right next to Fitchburg, owned by a person who was the then Parks Commission Chair for Fitchburg.  Being in that position he also sat on the Fitchburg Plan Commission, and hence the reason for the visit.  One invention of his Company, Bjorksten Research Laboratories, was a machine that mimicked the human foot movement.  I recall that it was funded in part by the US Army so boots and soles of prospective army footwear providers could be tested.  It would be a neat machine to use to test varied footwear, particularly to see the effect of pavement on the sole of a shoe.

Rock Formation near Enee Point

Over the past several years, since coming down with planter fasciitis, I have become more aware of the state of my footwear.  I used to wear my shoes well beyond their point of providing support. This may have been the factor, and if not the factor a contributing factor to developing planter fasciitis. What I learned is that not all shoes are made equal, and not all name brand shoes.  For example, a New Balance tennis shoe at Kohl's is not the same as a more expensive, though different, New Balance shoe, at Morgan's Shoes.  In particular, I pay attention to the outer sole. I walk a good deal.  When I worked I walked about two miles at lunch and when home, I walk a 2.7 mile route.  I do that 2.7 mile route to this day. The route is all pavement, and it well wears my shoes and in particular, the soles.    

Meadow Trail on a foggy Monday Morning

I had a pair of tennis shoes at work and a pair at home.  My shoes at home were also my daily wear footwear. My kids would shake their head at my white tennis shoes, but to me it was function over form. They get their head shaking from their mother. She is particularly fond of shaking her head at somebody.  Since I developed fasciitis in 2013-2014, the tennis shoes I bought, after recommendation at Morgan Shoes, came in two colors, white and brown.  I wore white at home and brown for walking at work.  I pushed to get just under a year of my home pair, and a little more than a year out of the work pair. Perhaps I pushed more than I should have.  

Meadow Trail

I got a Fitbit for Valentine's Day in 2019, and due to that device I perhaps walk even more.  For example, my walk, which I try to do in the morning, will gain me about 5,200 steps.  Sometimes less, sometimes more.  If by early or mid afternoon, I find my self well short of the 10,000 step goal, I will do about a second walk of just over a mile, or, depending on steps required, I extend by another seven tenths of a mile. This is accomplished to get to that magical non-medical derived 10,000 number. This is where the issue of the sole comes in.

View of one part of Cox Hollow Lake

In 2019, while working at a garden center, I found myself putting in a lot of steps, one day I had over 20,000 from working there, and my feet were hurting.  At that point, on the advice of the wife, I switched to wearing my hiking shoes.  Over the summer, I felt the feet get better, but the shoes started to wear.  I wore two different pair during that course of time, one which I had new heels put a year or so prior.  The other pair I wore until about mid April of 2020 when I threw them out.  Structurally they had broken down in more places than the sole.  The pair that had new heels put on I still have as a back up pair, but they are nearing the end of their heel sole extended life.  

Lost Creek Trail

When at REI last winter I bought a new pair of hiking shoes in anticipation of the other pair wearing out.  I started wearing that pair in mid April.  As I wore the shoes through the summer I could see wear on the sole, and by early August, the outer sole on the left shoe was worn through.  My left shoe heel always wears faster than my right shoe heel.  The thing is, hiking shoes have much better support than typical shoes (and the New Balance Tennis shoes), particularly the Oboz pair I bought last winter, but hiking shoes tend to have "softer"soles which are prone to wear.  As a guy at Oboz told me, the sole is not meant for wear on hard surfaces.  This I knew from my other pairs, although it seemed to me I should get more than four months of wear, regardless of surface.  That made me wonder how long a pair of shoes should last.

Part of Twin Valley Lake, viewed from Cave Trail

I was talking to neighbor, who runs, and she said one can expect a pair of running shoes to last about 400 miles. I did an internet search and found 300 to 500 miles, so her comment was right at the midpoint (per a health website).  I then wondered what about walking shoes, and I found higher variability.  One site said, they should be replaced every six to nine months, or about 1000 to 1500 miles.  Another site said, if you walk about three to four hours a week, expect to replace your walking shoes every three to six months, or by 500 miles.  I walk daily for a minimum of 50 minutes, so that alone is 5.8 hours a week.  Add to this that I wore them for most all other daily activity.  In other words, they go in the morning, and would come off at night. What I learned at Morgan's is that by the time most shoes show significant wear, the structural damage is already well in place.  Sole Science, another website, says that for most people shoes should be replaced every eight to twelve months, but they give no wear, other than to say replace running shoes at 500 to 700 km (310 to 434 miles).  Now, that is for athletic shoes, what about hiking shoes?  I found a similar mileage applies for hiking shoes, particularly those of lighter weight construction (300 to 500 miles), or 600 to 700 miles for a pair of hiking boots. I am quite sure, my hiking shoes would last longer if most of my steps had not been on a hard surface.  That then led to a question, how many miles did I put on my Oboz hiking shoes from mid April to the end of August?

Cave on Cave Trail

With the Fitbit I can easily access some data.  I started on April 26, due to a lost Fitbit, I have no record of the steps the prior week.  I ended on 9/1 which is the last date I wore the hiking Oboz (Firebrand II) I bought last winter for daily wear. What I found was I walked 1,917,449 steps from April 26 to Sept 1.  I know Fitbit calculates mileage, but it is wrong, since, it says my walk route is 2.3 miles, but when measured by Google Maps, and DCI map I get 2.69 to 2.73 miles, so I used 2.7 miles.  I know from the Fitbit that my route gives me about 5,100 to 5,300 steps a day, and so I will use 5,200.  Using 5200 steps for 2.7 miles, I get about 1,925 steps per mile. That works out to 996 miles!  Now, because I wear some other shoes, such as steel toed shoes when mowing and doing some yard work, or slippers when I am in the house at night, I reduced the total steps by 20% and 30%, which would provide 796 or 697 miles, respectively.  Given that, the Oboz Firebrand lasted about what a pair of hiking boots should last in terms of mileage is up to about 700 miles.  I guess this is good news, but still, to wear out a pair of footwear in four months seems pretty quick.  Of course, some of those steps were actually used for hiking, but that amount of miles is minimal compared to my total. If I wore them completely on a "softer" trail surface, I doubt the soles would have worn as much.  Trail walking, according to Oboz, also does not provide the consistent wear spots as what occurs from flat pavement.  

Rock Formation, Cave Trail

For just over four months, I walked a total of almost 1,000 miles, but I also noticed that for a period from Jan 1 to April 19, or three and a half months, I walked 710 miles.  Hence, I am pretty active all year around.  This year in particular since we started snow shoeing and that amount would add to my daily walk total, in some cases.  

Waterfall, outlet of Cox Hollow Lake

The conclusion is that I walked a good deal more wear out of my Oboz hiking shoes than I had thought.  I also found out that while I noticed a good deal of wear on the soles of my hiking shoes, the overall wear appears to be within range of expected life span of the footwear.  It sure would be nice to have that Bjorksten boot tester, and open a business to test footwear longevity and steps.  Just put a Fitbit on the boot tester and one could get its steps.  Whatever the case may be, shoes wear at different rates, and it depends not just on the materials but where you walk.  Pay attention to your soles: both on your foot and on your footwear.

Tuesday Evening Sunset

Photos from Gov Dodge State Park, Sept. 13-17, 2020

Paint

Paint.  It is usually a product that is placed on walls, furniture, cabinets and molding to preserve, provide color, or protect wood, metal, or another material.  However, Paint is also the name of Jack Bartlett's horse in the Netflix show "Heartland."  Jack is one of the main protagonists in the show, which is produced in Canada.  The show revolves around him and his granddaughters Amy and Lou (Louise). Jack's daughter died in a car crash rescuing a horse in the first episode, and Jack's wife has long been deceased. Jack, with his daughter raised the two girls as the Dad was mostly out of the picture at that time of their lives.  The show revolves around people and horses, or it may be horses and people. You can usually tell the theme of a show by the situation with one of the horses or other characters introduced. In his last days on the rodeo circuit Jack got a new horse and named him Paint.  Upon winning the horse at the rodeo, the announcer had a grand-old time picking on Jack for giving his new horse the rather pedestrian name of Paint.

Jack ran a cattle ranch on the family homestead and his daughter was a horse whisperer who took it upon herself to help distressed, or abandoned horses.  Paint was Jack's faithful companion.  In the television show, Jack must at least be in his mid-70's, but the actor who plays Jack is about my age.  Jack had been out with his former son-in-law, Tim (who in the show is now back in the picture after his wife died), rounding up the herd of cattle they share.  On the way back to the barn Jack and Paint are moving rather slowly.  Tim picks on Jack for being too old, but when they get back to the barn, Jack says Paint was moving slow, not him.  They look at Paint and call in Amy's boyfriend, Ty, a vet student, who indicates that Paint's osteo-arthritis in one of his front legs is getting worse.  He says the joint is large and warm.  

As I was watching that episode I instinctively reached down to feel my left knee, which one can tell by simply looking at my two knees is larger than the right.  As I felt it, I noticed that it was warmer than the right one, too.  My wife, I think, thought I was imagining things, so I went over to her and she said well, it is slightly warmer.  She emphasized the term slightly. Here I am not unlike Paint, I move a little slower, ache more, and just not quite as energetic as I used to be.  Although there are some who think of me as being about as exciting as watching paint dry. 

Paint, the horse was reluctantly put out to pasture and Jack provided an eloquent speech to the horse about how the horse has done his duty and it is time for Paint to relax.  I guess, it is kind of like being retired.  I went self-imposed to the pasture just over two years ago.  

Paint is not long in the pasture when Jack, on his way back home from town sees him laying down, and with Ty's help  gets Paint back up on his legs and they walk him to the barn.  Amy, picking up where her mother left off uses herbs, and essential oils, and other alternative medicines, in addition to a steroid shot Ty gives to Paint.  Paint is doing well, and they decide to keep Paint up and about.  One of  the best things for arthritis is to keep active. They did the same thing with Paint.  Paint rallies.  

This past Saturday a neighbor was repairing parts of his lawn with sod, due to grass kill by dog urine, and his Dad, who is slightly younger than me was over visiting.  I asked his Dad, if he was supervising, and he said well, yes, to make sure the rake does not hit his car.  He then laughs and said he could get down and help, but the hard part is getting back up again.  I know I cannot do up-downs like I did when in middle and high school football practice. Come to think of it, I would be lucky to do one.  Heck, I am not sure if I can run anymore.  Last time I ran was in January, after which my knee hurt for a good month or more.  It has not been the same since. So, I am similar to the neighbors father.

I move slowly, as did Paint, and we both have an arthritic limb. But, unfortunately, Paint's rally did not long last. He goes down a second time, and a group of the Bartlett and Fleming clans were unable to get him up.  Paint was euthanized.  Here, I am still hobbling along on a bad knee.  It may take me longer to do certain things than it used to, but I can still get up.  In that sense I am better off than Paint. I doubt anyone, however, thought of Paint to be less exciting than watching paint dry.

 

Place, People and Covid

Our youngest son was married this past Saturday.  To say things changed due to Covid would an understatement.  Celebration of  marriage by family and friends at a feast is a function that crosses cultural lines.  It has deep roots. In the Roman Empire, for example, there was a celebration with a large feast; Jews celebrated too, as is evidenced by the Gospel account of the wedding feast at Cana.  Those traditions of a marriage celebration have carried on.  Since March, however, such weddings have been subject to cancellation or severe downsizing due to government Covid restrictions.  With Jamie and Joe's wedding, the main issue was not necessarily adjusting to Covid, rather keeping abreast of altered guidance/rules and interpretations.  In Dane County that meant no more than 25 persons for an outdoor wedding.  The couple chose to downsize the wedding to immediate family and the bridal party.  This represented a group of sixteen.  The photographer made 17 persons, and the celebrant, for the hour or so he was present, made 18.  The wedding was held at the place at which I grew up, and therein lies the issue of place. What made the wedding run smoothly is how varied members of each family and the bridal party did their part before, during and after event, in other words, the people.

All photos from Evening of August 28, 2020

Nearing late May things were looking good and the original planned venue and guest size, as the venue, who had been in contact with Public Health, was expecting a go. In early June the county moved to phase 2 of its reopening plan. However, the phase 2 increase to 50%, the protests and riots, and other events caused an uptick in cases by late June and the County moved back to Phase 1 in early July.  That caused a much more stringent level, as previously noted.  This led my son and his fiance to change the venue as it was no longer cost effective to hold a small wedding at that location.  Wanting to retain their vendors, they chose the home at which I grew up in Sun Prairie, about six miles from the original venue location. This meant a great deal of work to get the yard more presentable, and my son, my wife and I spent a great deal of effort doing that work.  Unfortunately, we could not find many flowers to plant since it was so late in the season, but we did find plants to place in pots for added decoration.  

That house and yard had held two wedding receptions before, one for a brother and the other for a sister.  Back then I was younger and could do yard work faster.  This time is was my son, the Land Girl and I who did the prep work of the lawn and house. The thing is, regardless if 17 persons or 170 the amount of work to get the yard in order is pretty much the same. 

The event went smoothly, due in large part to pretty most everyone doing a share of the required tasks.  The attendants, parents, and my daughter-in-law (spouse of my oldest son) all pitched in.  These would be tasks that at a normal venue you would pay to have accomplished.  For example, there was no bartender, and not staff to put out the food, or clean the tables. My oldest son made a brandy old-fashioned for all who attended.  It was my first time in my life, even as a full-fledged Wisconsinite, to have had an old fashion. So, in a sense it was a night of a first for me. Another example, the food was delivered to the backyard and two attendants helped layout the food on the table for persons to grab.  Salads were individually packed and I am still trying to figure out what gave the vinaigrette dressing its yellow color.

Covid changed the course of the wedding.  It affected how chairs and tables were placed.  It affected some interactions.  For example, it was a difficult at times to talk to a person at six feet distant. And it changed the size of the event and its place.  The significant downsizing did not dampen the joy and vibrancy of those present. The event also caused some joy in a little neighbor girl who saw the bride getting ready to walk the aisle framed to the east by grape vines.  

Geographer Yi Fu Tuan, who completed a distinguished career at UW-Madison, once said “What begins as undifferentiated space becomes place as we get to know it better and endow it with value.” In that sense it is the human interactions, the variation of beliefs, and experiences that create value which in turn form memories.  From the myriad methods of interaction space becomes endowed with value.  But, more important is that the values now inherent in place, combined with the experience, form memories. It is photos and memory that will give us a lasting images of the wedding on Aug 29, 2020.  

As the near full moon rose above the verdant evergreen line, the champagne had slowed, the dinner eaten, and the touching speeches completed, I took a few minutes to think of the place at which the event was held, how lives intersect, and how plans can be upended.  I thought of the two past wedding receptions held years back, and how life has changed. I thought of the go-cart riding by certain young boys around the yard, and some who drove over the fallen apples.  They are now young men. And one of them experienced, in a different manner than intended, but a day no less meaningful, one of the highlights of his life.

It has been a challenging several months, and no more so than making adjustments to wedding plans to comply with changing Covid guidance. The memories of the event may perhaps provide more meaning as a challenge provided by a global pandemic was met and dealt with.  Dealing with such challenges shows a measure of the person.  A roller coaster ride has come to an end.  More roller coaster rides will be experienced in the future.  Life and circumstance will pose challenges to their individual life and their marriage.  The young couple, and those around them, can look back at a job well done due to the love, nimbleness and resiliency exhibited in making required adjustments for such an event to take place. Place and people are intertwined, but the values shown are what made the day a success.  Well, that and the fact it did not rain.