Original Game Plan: June of 2017 around our 4 year anniversary Jason and I thought it would be amazing to get back to our wild selves and have an epic parents weekend out consisting of camping at a new State Park,  riding the Wild Thing Jet Boat and going Zip Lining for the first time. Purchasing tickets online to save some money we booked the amazing weekend for end of August that year.

What Actually Happened: Well the epic weekend was slowing approaching we squeezed in a 4 day backpacking trip just a couple weeks before the planned weekend as work was extra slow that year. Turns out a itty bitty tick hitched a ride on me without my knowledge. Not even a week after returning from said backpacking trip and a week before our “parents weekend out” I got severely sick. Severely sick being an understatement. I ended up being hospitalized for 4.5 days as my original infection turned septic. Kidneys and liver failing, not being eat or hold water down for 2.5 days, to top it off neck pain that was 10x worse than all natural labor. First Blog Post….Tick Bite changes everything. That was the point in my life things changed and inspired me to be even more adventurous with my days and blog the whole way hoping people wont wait for a life changing event. At that point it could be to late.

So needless to say we did not make it to our epic “parents weekend out.” Instead I spent the next couple months recovering. We did however use the Wild Thing Jet Boat tickets in September of 2017. Fast forward to the Memorial Day weekend of 2018 when we finally got around to using the Zip Line tickets. Thank the sweet lord they don’t expire.

Just Days before we are to leave for our epic 3 week road trip we finally pull off our “parents weekend out” more like a night now but we will take it along with accomplishing week 22 of the 52 Week Hike Challenge.

Rocky Arbor State Park is tucked away from all the hustle and bustle one normally finds in Wisconsin Dells, a famous water park town just 1.5 miles away. Seemingly secluded its very easy to even pass the entrance unknowingly. Arriving on Memorial Day after the first weekend of the summer rush we had no problems getting a campsite and the campground was in a more relaxed state. Even more relaxing was camping by ourselves for the first time in a couple years!! Amazing how fast camp sets up without a crazy toddler running about. Jason and I spent the night around the fire star gazing, reminiscing on the old days before our handsome lil man came along and our excitement for whats to come tomorrow. ZIP LINING for the first time.

Before our zip lining adventure we had to get our week 22 hike in. Rocky Arbor only offers a 1 mile nature trail but it was quite the adventure at least for us. Bug spray is a MUST on this trail they literally had us running this damn thing is pretty swampy majority of the way.

There are two large set of stairs that one has to either go up or down on either end of the trail.

Once at the bottom of these particular stairs the pic below is what the trail looks like. Not the most scenic but love the green tunnel feel.  You have also not entered mosquito hell, literally.  I have never seen so many mosquitos in my life there were hordes of them. Once you brushed past a few plants you could see them swarm in the air.

Check out the unique rock formations and the different kind of way a tree and its root system decided to grow, hanging on for life it is. The mad movement in video is me literally swatting those hordes of mosquitos off my hand. I mean one swat killed an average of 3 every time. Keep in mind we had bug spray on along with an OFF fan hooked on the back of Jason’s hat and one on my shorts.

This was by far the most unique rock of the hike. Standing proud and tall all by itself surrounded by swamp water. Best picture I got basically running past it. For being only a mile long we thought we had somehow gotten lost because it seemed like we were down there for ages. I guess mosquitos add time lol

Getting back to camp with an unknow mass amount of new bites and only god knows what mystery disease, we packed up. Ready for our next adventure.

Next stop Bigfoot Ziplines in Wisconsin Dells. I definitely recommend this place they have a very friendly high energy staff that proved wonderful on our trip through the towers. If we ever do this again I would want a group of friends to go, it was fun with all complete strangers and all but getting all our friends out of their comfort zone would have been amazing. Also they stop for a group photo and needless to say I did not purchase that picture as it would have been just a little weird to hang that on the wall. 7 towers, 2 of them racing lines all through a glorious wooded area one would not expect in this town along with lakes and a group break where pictures happened was all part of the 2.5 hour course. I was most nervous about the lake part worst fear falling from the zip line and drowning, probably should not put this in here but just my irrational thought process.

I love how I get all this awesome ideas but when it comes to following through on them I’m literally like what the hell is wrong with me sometimes. I was the very last one in the group to. When gearing up back at home base they give one person a helmet equipped with a go pro. Ready to witness some of that footage.

This was the first zip line of the day and let me tell you my nerves were nothing but on edge. I absolutely love adrenaline rushes like this though lets you know you are alive and vulnerable and that you must live each day the fullest possible.

 

I hope you all enjoyed following along on another one of our adventures. I seriously can not wait until Phoenix is old enough to try this out and truly really hopes he has our adventurous side and then some.

I write this blog exactly one year to the day I was released from the hospital from that horrible ordeal. One that changed my life forever. Please live as if there is no tomorrow and treat people the way you would want them to remember you.

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