We were a group of 7 at the start – Renata Poetzl, Jay Hernke, Brenda Bland, Shayna Konarski, Karen Kolt, Jennifer Klawes, and Tammy Stroh. We started at 7am in Greenbush – Hwy P – and used cars as aid stations along the way.
Nicki Donahue met us about 8.5 miles in and joined us to mile 15 – Butler Lake – where Tammy’s car was. Tammy stopped there.
The Northern Kettles are super technical and hilly, and at this time of the year the wet leaves covering the rocks and roots make it for a very tough hike. It was a hazy cold day, high in the 30s, cloudy, windy. It felt like it was early evening all day long!
We had a car at mile 29.5, and that is where Karen and Jennifer stopped.
The 4 of us – Renata, Brenda, Jay, and Shayna - continued in the dark on the Kewaskum segment detour through town. The moon made a very quick appearance through the clouds. We decided to stop at McDonalds, right off the detour trail on HWY 45 for some burgers, fries and soda. Jay stopped at the end of the FKT route, but Brenda, Shayna, and Renata continued. Shayna stopped in West Bend, Brenda and Renata hiked all the way to Pike Lake, finishing a total of 58 miles in 24 hours. It was an unforgettable experience that inspired bigger adventures!