Finishing the Mammoth Hike Challenge 2025

 

Here are some photos Travalon took with his good camera yesterday in Cross Plains:

I was sick all night and didn't get much sleep, plus I threw up so hard that it pulled a muscle in my side, so it hurts to move in many ways. We didn't go to Mass this morning, but around one we did go to the Springfield Hill Segment of the Ice Age Trail, which is a loop around a sort of natural bowl. Here are some photos.

With that, we are done with the Mammoth Hike Challenge - we have hiked 45.2 of the required 45 miles, and we didn't have to use any bonus miles. It was very lucky that we got time on Thursday and Friday to hike, or we never could have done it. 

I was too sore for Brazilian drumming or band practice, so the only other thing we did today was go to Mass at 7 pm north of town. Of course that was the prime time you could allegedly see the comet tonight, so we did stop at Schumacher Farm Park right before Mass but couldn't see it. I took photos with my phone, but I don't see it that way either. Good thing we saw it through the telescope at the star party! Then we were two minutes late to Mass, but that is a very no-frills Mass with no music, so they were already well into the Gloria. Oops! Afterwards we went to Bong Road, where Rich and I saw the Northern Lights about a year ago, but while my comet app told me right where to look, and Travalon thought he saw it through the binoculars, I didn't see anything in the photo I took with my phone. After that we just came home and watched the Packers beat the Steelers (now led by our old quarterback Aaron Rodgers) in Pittsburgh. That was very satisfying. I iced my pulled muscle, and tomorrow I'm working from home, so here's hoping that I'm recovered by the time I have to go back to campus on Tuesday.

Famous Hat