First hike of my new adventure

5 miles done ~ 2275 miles to go. 

Cushing Memorial Park to Cty Road C in Lapham Peak Unit. 

My new challenge is to hike the Ice Age Trail again; I have done it once. In order to do it mostly on my own I will go out and come back the same way. Thus in the end I will have hiked the trail two more times.

Last time we hiked 11 miles a day, which was pretty hard on the body. It will take me longer, but I might hike shorter distances, unless I get lost along the way, which will most likely happen multiple times.

I have hiked Lapham Peak multiple times in the past; this bench under a large oak tree is one of my favorite spots. On the way back, I paused to eat part of my peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

It was a very nice day so I encountered many people along the way. One thing I noticed was that when I passed a couple the women were usually hiking behind the men. I wonder if that is a protection thing? One couple stayed side by side.

The prairie is not very colorful this time of year, but the tall grasses and dried plants are interesting to look at. I also heard the bugle of some cranes in the distance.

This should be an interesting experiment retracing my steps because even on this short hike, as I returned the trail looked different and I would swear I hadn't come the same way on the trip out. But I also found myself not paying as much attention on the way back, so I will need to catch myself as I walk in the future.