The beginning of the year hasn’t exactly started with a bang, but we are taking a couple of steps forward with every step back.
For a quick family update, my father-in-law Gene is out of ICU and in
a normal hospital room. For the most part, he has reached the point
where his vitals are all in a normal range. Gene is working on building
up strength, eating enough calories to get the feeding tube removed,
and moving into a rehab facility as soon as that happens.
As for my son Justin, he lost all of his caregivers from the first
semester and has signed up for an agency to manage his caregivers second
semester. It will always be a battle to have enough caregivers for
him. This agency seems confident about meeting his needs. Time will
tell. As happens to a lot of first-year college students, Justin fell
off the tracks a little bit with regard to schoolwork and doing the
things his doctors have told him to do to keep himself alive longer
(Example: Using his bipap machine at night). Justin seems confident
that the second semester will be better. We all hope for that. Actions
always speak louder than words.
My daughter Allie has been Justin’s caregiver during semester break,
earning some extra money. They don’t always get along, but she shows up
for work and gets the job done. Allie is saving up to buy Julia’s car
in the spring, so that she will have a vehicle for her summer internship
in Milwaukee.
Amidst the chaos, I’ve made time to hike almost every day with my dog
Callie. She pretty much demands it, not relaxing until she’s had at
least several miles of hiking and another half-hour of running up and
down our hill fetching a ball. After that, she’s quite sweet and calm.
And I’m ready for a nap.
Fern Glenn Segment (Ice Age Trail):
A short distance away from the popular Gibraltar Rock segment, Fern Glenn may be the least-traveled of the segments near Lodi.
I know that I often overlook it and haven’t hiked Fern Glen in
several years. Heavily wooded with steep ups and downs, I don’t enjoy
hiking this segment in the summer. It can be hot, buggy and without
many views. In the spring and fall, the trail is often muddy and not
much fun either. In the winter, however, the trail shines.
A fresh snow had fallen the day before, and no one’s footsteps were
visible. I went back a couple of days later with daughter Allie and dog
Callie. There were a few footsteps besides my own, but we didn’t
encounter a single person on the trail. Sometimes, not seeing other
people is exactly what I need. I wasn’t exactly alone. A couple of
dozen Canada geese, late for their wintering spot, honked loudly
overhead. Squirrels scolded us for invading their domain. Two
whitetail deer crossed my path and quickly moved beyond.
Because the fresh snow lay on top of slippery ice. I wore my new
Yaktrax Pros. I lost my previous Yaktrax on a muddy trail in North
Carolina. These devices are relatively cheap and effective-at least on
Wisconsin terrain. They aren’t meant for use in mud, rock or concrete
and should be temporarily removed when crossing those surfaces. It just
takes a minute to slip them off, and it was my own fault for losing the
first pair.
I’ll conclude with another excerpt from my Appalachian Trail thru-hike.
