Spring Has Sprung - Lapham Peak & Havenswood

Fresh off a great few days planning my upcoming Saunters program with a wonderful group of educators, it was time to enjoy some fun in the sun exploring with the family. As my previous post mentions, the first stop was Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay, a place I regularly visited as a youngster and a phenomenal place to spend time outdoors.

After a nice night of rest, it was back to adventure as the family headed to one of our favorite stops, Lapham Peak. Here, along with many other Ice Age Trail volunteers from the Waukesha/Milwaukee County Chapter, we had an excellent appreciation lunch to recognize those who lead hikes and take care of the segments for all of the hikers and walkers who trek it throughout the year. Not only did I learn a great deal about what the responsibilities of segment leaders, I was able to connect names to faces and have an overall appreciation of all the time and effort everyone does to help the trail be such a great resource.

And, we couldn't just go to a state park for a lunch and meeting, we had to hike. :)   We took a quick jaunt to the tower, headed down the trail a bit and meandered through the mud to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine before heading home.

Then, the final day of the weekend meant a final day to explore.We were able to hook up with some excellent friends and have two terrific toddlers lead us through the urban forest of Havesnswood, a state forest smack dab in the middle of Milwaukee. It was my first trip there, but most certainly not my last. The fallen leaves served as a protective barrier from the otherwise muddy ground and the many fallen branches helped entertain us as we took several trails around, sidestepping a wide array of scat along the way.

Overall, an amazing and adventurous last few days. 2015 is setting up to be quite an exciting time!