Kewaskum hospitality on Mauthe Lake

 We could not have had a better fall day this past Saturday in the Kewaskum area! It was an absolutely gorgeous 50-degrees and sunny for our 2-mile walk along the Tamarack Trail on beautiful Mauthe Lake.  The trail is located just outside of Campbellsport, and is part of the Northern Unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest.

The most fun part of the walk was “bouncing” at what our guide called the “Bouncing Bog!” This is an area along the trail where the soil is perfectly saturated with water in a way that when half our group jumped, the other half could feel the ground bouncing up and down like a trampoline!  

If you look at the photos, you’ll see some great water pictures of Mauthe Lake, as well as a portion of the Milwaukee River headwaters, which our trail guide, Jackie Scharfenberg, said helps control flooding in downtown Milwaukee. She also explained that the forest is in process of thinning out some of the trees that were over-planted in the 1930s with the intention of producing pulp. She said sometimes it is best for trees to be thinned, like carrots in a garden, in order for others to grow as tall, straight, and well as possible. And after they are thinned, the understory will then fill in with native trees and plant life. 

Beyond all of the facts about the local nature, if there is one thing I learned from my time in the Kewaskum area, it’s that the hospitality of those in the Kewaskum area must be some of the best in the state!  As always, my favorite part of walking throughout Wisconsin is meeting local residents. This Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting Jessica Trunkel, owner of Coffee Corner Bistro in Kewaskum, who so graciously provided all kinds of delicious treats for the walk, from scones and fresh fruit, to walk-ready trail mix.

 And as if that wasn’t enough, Mike Desterhoft of Julie’s Country Confections provided snack packs of “Walk with Walker” edition caramel corn! I was blown away by the warm welcome of these folks, along with that of both the Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Kewaskum Area Chamber of Commerce. Thank you, one and all for showing me such warm Kewaskum hospitality!