GPS Track File Download
In my blog
entries I have waxed philosophical about the Pacific Northwest and I have
gushed about the emotions brought forth by Northern Wisconsin, but there is yet
another place from which I have some of the best memories of my life –
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The U.P. is a
large area with several state, county, and national forests. Wilderness areas cover large tracts of
land. Lake Superior and Lake Michigan
provide shoreline dramatic enough to equal any in the world. My memories come from a part of the U.P.
known as the Ottawa National Forest.
In 2002, 2003,
and 2004 I was part of the support crew for an adventure racing team that
participated in the Trekineer. The
Trekineer was a 36 hour adventure race that took place in the Ottawa National
Forest around the Black River, Presque Isle River, and the Superior shoreline
near those two world class rivers. The
racers would trek, bike, paddle, crawl, and slog their way through the forest,
rivers, streams, and lakes of some of the deepest country east of the
Mississippi.
In 2002, with
my family, I took in the falls along the Black River. That year found all the support crew sitting
on a logging road bridge over the Presque Isle River on a 70 and sunny
afternoon. In 2003 I hiked a 7 mile
section of the North Country trail between the Black River and Presque Isle
River. 2004 would be the best of those
three years. Before the race I biked 33
miles of logging roads on one day and then hiked 22 miles in the Porcupine
Mountain State Park the next. Two days
later I helped the race director take down part of the course. That little three hour jaunt with Leo would
prove to be one of the more memorable adventures of my life. Leo took me to an emerald canyon, wading into
a swampy lake, and getting into parts of the forest few people ever find.
Ruth had never
been to the U.P. and we decided we’d spend a few days up there this
Summer. We took along our camper and
made Gogebic State Park our headquarters.
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| Gogebic State Park - site #22 |
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| Our backyard! |
This entry
will not just be about a single hike we did, but cover a little the four little
adventures we undertook in the five days we stayed.
I was very
anxious about this trip. I had some
great memories and I wanted to share some of those same places and moment with
Ruth. I had a daily itinerary set out to
make sure we could get to these activities.
But, the failure of either weather or body was strong in my mind. The forecast looked very promising, with only
one day of rain. Would my hip and leg be
able to manage the exertions? I was
indeed worried.
Paddling the
Sylvania Wilderness
I looked
around for some good paddling. We were
not going to attempt Lake Superior, although at Little Girls Point we could
have a couple of days. We camp on Lake
Gogebic, so that was an option, but I was looking for something more remote.
I had never
heard of the Sylvania Wilderness Area and that has been so much my loss. Over 18,000 acres of lakes, swamps, and hills
than can only be accessed by kayak/canoe and foot. There is only one person allowed to use a
motor boat on the lakes of Sylvania.
Don’t know why, but it is by a court order. A couple dozen campgrounds are sprinkled
along the lake shores. Sylvania is
surrounded by the rest of the Ottawa National Forest.
There are a
few places to rent from, but the closest and most prominent is Sylvania
Outfitters. There are a couple miles
down the road from the wilderness area entrance station. I’m not endorsing them, but they did have
good information on a place to get our trailer tire fixed, and they are pretty the game in town from my research. We had our own boats. We were there for maps and information.
The entrance
fee is $5/day. I think the annual pass
is $30.
At the
outfitters pick up a waterproof map of the wilderness area. This is a very detailed and excellent
map. Well worth the $5.
There are
exactly two boat launches in the Sylvania, one on Clark Lake and the other on
Crooked Lake. The other lakes are
reached by portages, some short and some look very long.
The lake is
populated by loons, eagles, beavers, and plenty of fish. Ruth kept looking for them and all I saw were
minnows in the shallows. One father and
son we paddled by said they hit their limit of 50 each. The fish are out there.
We put in at
Crooked Lake. The north end of the lake
is private property and the houses are visible from the boat launch. We were going to put in at Clark Lake but the
wind was less than friendly. The ranger
and the station said they’d had reports of white caps on Clark Lake, the
biggest lake in the Sylvania. Crooked
Lake is much smaller and narrower and it turned out to be perfect for our
paddling temperament.
Despite the
wind the day was sunny and warm, but not hot.
This was a spectacular day to be out on the water. We did not plan to make any portages (and did
not), but having been there I’d suggest portaging from Crooked Lake to another
smaller lake or two. Being a “launch”
lake there were many boats and lots of people.
This Sunday had a couple groups of younger folks (15 to 22 yrs old) and
they were very loud, easily audible from a mile across the lake. We found a quieter part of the lake and just
paddled around. We stopped for lunch on
a rock by the High Lake portage.
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| Boats at portage take-out |
We only spent
a couple hours on the water and then drove down to check out the Clark Lake
campground. The campground has no water
or electricity, but has some nice sites.
Hiking the Porkies
The Porcupine
Mountain Wilderness State Park is the largest state park in Michigan,
Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and just about any state I know of. There are larger national parks to be sure,
but covering 60,000 acres the Porcupines are large. The park is surrounded on three sides by the
Ottawa National Forest and Lake Superior on the fourth.
Although there
are several trails and some campgrounds in the Porkies, they are most noted for
Lake Superior, Lake of the Clouds, and the Escarpment above Lake of the
Clouds. On a sunny day there are few
sites as pretty as those from the Escarpment.
In 2004 I
hiked a 22 mile route in the Porkies. I took in one end of the Escarpment at the end of the hike as the sun was
going down. The lake shimmered gold from
the setting sun. That was a good hike,
back when I could put on some miles.
Our hike this year would be a 13.1 mile trip
starting at the Escarpment and then immediately dropping down to the lake
outlet to the Carp River on the Mirror Lake trail. Following the Mirror Lake trail we’d
gradually climb to the Government Peak trail.
We’d follow that trail to Government Peak and then along the ridges to
the Lost Lake trail. We’d follow that to
the north as it descends gradually to the inlet to Lake of the Clouds. Then we’d join the Escarpment trail that
winds along the edge of the cliffs high above Lake of the Clouds.
Planning the
hike we were looking at about 6 or 7 hours of hiking. We knew we’d be a little beat up, what with
her knees and my left leg. We had no
idea what was in store for us.
We got our
start at …. oh, yeah, the park is in the Eastern Time Zone. We got our start at 12:46PM EST. We spent a little time on the rocks of the
Escarpment with the other tourists, but not much. Ruth was really itching to get going. I was not too worried about time. She must have known something I did not. The Mirror Lake trail drops very quickly down
to the swampy outlet. The trail is very
very well travelled. Many people walk
down to the bridge, cross it, then turn back round to climb back up to the
parking lot (about a 1 mile round trip).
We hit that at 13:12. The Bridge
Over the River Carp.
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| Escaprment - early afternoon |
The trail
heads straight through some low lands and then begins a more than moderate
climb up to campground. At 13:22 we made
the first less steep climb to a lower ridge.
At several spots the trail crosses through muddy run off. We
crossed the second creek at 13:30 and began the longer steeper climb to the
higher ridge that houses Government Peak.
The trail
winds between pine trees as it sticks close to ever deepening canyon with a
small creek. I kept stopping to look
into the canyon, but Ruth kept prodding us along. The creek had a few small waterfalls and the
temperature difference was markedly lower next to the canyon. As the trail winds between the trees there is
very little ground cover. The trail
blends in nicely with the rest of the forest floor as it hops over tree roots
and dodges around mud puddles. The trail
is marked on the trees either with a painted blue spot or a metal blue
diamond. In this section it is advisable
to navigate by the trail markers. The
tendency is to veer to the east which will only take further and further from
the trail.
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| Follow the blue!! |
We finished
the climb about 14:00 and the trail leveled out just a bit. Less roots and less mud and less climb. We stopped for a break on fallen log in a
clearing to have a sandwich and whatever else.
We had now
become aware that the only people we’d seen had been coming towards us. We had passed no one and no one had passed us
in the same direction. Some of the folks
were very likely coming from Government Peak or more likely Mirror Lake. One group may have come from the Escarpment
but they had done it in the reverse direction that we had. Ruth had asked about the elevation profile of
each direction. Certainly the way we
were going had the harder climb up to Government Peak, but up to the Escarpment
it looked about the same. We’d find out
otherwise.
There were not
many people once we pass the Carp River.
A family of four, two couples, and a lone hiker to this point.
We hit the
intersection of Govt Peak and Mirror Lake trails at 14:44. The sign read 2.5 miles to Govt Peak.
A half hour
later we had crossed a creek (and several small muddy run offs) and the climbed
up to the campground. This was a very
deceptively steep climb. On the map it
is a single 50m contour line. What it
doesn’t show is that that entire 50m came in a near vertical ascent (well not
quite).
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| Along the Govt Peak trail |
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| Just another stream crossing |
At 15:40 we
were at the campground just below Govt Peak and we still had some climbing to
do. The nature of the ridge was 2 levels
up and 1 level down. This roly-poly was
not quite as brutal as climbing snow packs around the trees in the mountains,
but that at each low spot there was a muddy crossing of a stream and on each
ascent and descent there were roots to negotiate, this was quickly becoming a
challenging hike.
We took a
break on Govt Peak at 15:53. The bugs,
to this point had not been too bad. A
few flies were my constant companion and a regular reapplication of deet was
keeping the skeeters at bay.
I was
expecting a nice overlook and grand view of Superior and Lake of the Clouds
from Govt Peak. There isn’t. There is a cleared out area for the
campground near the crumbling foundation of an old shelter building. The map shows an overlook but we did not see
where that would have been.
We stopped for
about a 15 minute break to stretch and water.
I had made some of this instant tea that I swallow prodigious amounts of
in the summer. We brought along 1 32oz
bottle of this on the hike. Normally,
Ruth avoids this nasty stuff like it was ebola, but today that bottle was
nearly drained by the time we left Govt Peak.
An hour later
we were still poking along the trail along the ridge between Govt Peak and the
intersection with the Lost Lake trail. I
had thought we should be nearly there by now, but the going was slow and
tough. Although the trail is high up on
a ridge, it actually rolls up and down the terrain between larger hills on the
ridge. The map in the newspaper from the
park office does not show terrain very well.
The area of this trail is very wet, very muddy, strewn with fallen logs
and rocks, and full of mosquitoes. The
best way to describe this trail is “Around the , over the roots, through the
mud, under the log, and up the hill.
Repeat.” This is one of the more
rugged trails I’ve ever been on. Only
bush-whacking would be more difficult.
At this point our weaknesses (knee and leg) were making themselves
known. Seem like 6 miles is all my leg
will take without substantial rest of 45 minutes or more. We were right about the 6 mile mark. My boots are about done in as well. I noted that in the previous couple short
hikes I’d done the week prior. So, in
addition to my leg, my feet were beginning to hurt, something I’m not
accustomed to having happen.
The mosquitoes
found me here as well. Deet was merely a
suggestion to stay away for the clouds that existed in the spot. I had to break out the head net a couple
times.
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| Around the rock. Over the Log. Through the mud. Up the hill. |
Finally, at
17:15 we made the intersection. We took
a 10 minute break here and discussed how this was the fun part of the
hike. The fun begins when the pain sets
in and you eventually overcome or adapt and keep moving along. Sure, it’s not fun at the moment, but four
months later around a campfire, shoot, you’re heroes. Suppose that depends upon the ilk that is
sitting around the fire with you, now doesn’t it?
At a lake just
past Govt Peak there is a campground. On
this day it was occupied by two young men.
Somewhere in the mires that was the way we had come we met another hiker
(coming from the opposite direction of course).
He was outfitted for camping and looked like he wanted nothing more than
to crawl into a ball and sleep. I didn’t
think he could look any unhappier until he asked about the campground and told
him it was occupied. He also asked about
water between us and Govt Peak. The lake
is the only water between the intersection and the peak. Oh, there are several streams. I know.
We crossed them all. None are
suitable for gathering water unless you really really REALLY need it.
After the
intersection the trail begins a downward route.
Mostly downward. There are still
some ups in order to go down again. The
same story as the last part of the trail – mud, roots, logs, and rocks. Shortly after the intersection the trail
sticks along a creek that flows down the hill.
The creek has a couple of smaller, very nice waterfalls, before the
named Trap Falls. We thought we had hit
Trap Falls only to discover the real Trap Falls 12 minutes down the trail.
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| Trap Falls |
We met the
next trail intersection at 17:53. This
left us about 2 miles of flatter (and muddier) hiking before we would undertake
the climb to the Escarpment. Spirits
were dipping just a bit. We were not
making quite the time we had hoped and our body issues were becoming larger
issues. Ruth’s knees were even bugging
her on downhill sections. My hip was
very tight and my left thigh was pretty much done in. I needed a long long break, but we were now
chasing daylight. There was no time for
rest. That section between Govt Peak and
Trap Falls was a very tough trail and left us tired and a bit demoralized. We’d been on the trail for five hours and had
not yet made 10 miles.
Past the Union
Springs intersection the creek becomes increasingly enveloped by a canyon. At one point there is a waterfall that looks
to be at least 30ft.
At 18:17 we
hit the first bridge to cross the Carp River once again, but this time on the
other side of the lake. A note was
pinned to the bridge, “Bryce. 10:10am. I need leaves of two.” We were not sure what this meant but I
remarked that I usually need at least four or five to get the job done.
The trail
strikes through the muddy and swampy bottom lands and in many places the trail
is a set of two by sixes laid in the mud side by side. Thank Heaven for those.
We began our
climb at 18:40. The parking lot is 4.3
miles away. We were beat. We were wishing that sign said 1.3 miles.
After 15
minutes of steep climbing the trail levels out, but only for a short bit. We topped the first of three points on the
Escarpment trail at 19:10. We ran across
a campground with some teenage girls and their 20-something group leader. We were probably the only people they had
seen in a few hours and asked us to take their picture. I grabbed their camera and was so tired and
out of it. I could not figure out how to
use the view finder. One of the girls
remarked that I had the camera backwards.
Yes, indeed. Well, they have a
picture of some grisly looking middle-age dude on their camera. To really age myself I told them, “well, you got a picture of me on your roll
now.” Your roll. Yep.
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| Along the Escarpment Trail - Looking towards Govt. Peak |
By the time we
had topped the second point at 17:52 the going was very tough. Ruth asked me where the words of encouragement
were. She was really looking for me to
motivate her those last two miles.
Unfortunately, I had to concentrate very hard to make sure I did not
roll an ankle or pull a calf muscle. My
left leg from hip to toes was not working well at all. I could move it, but only in a limp. Then, shooting pains in my ankle. Never had that happen before. All of this simply from the sciatic nerve
causing the muscles to tire quickly.
Once tired they being to tighten and cramp. Once that happens the
tendons join in and they do not want to flex.
This is an excellent time to roll ankle or twist a knee. Plus, the pain was not much fun either. I was in a very very unhappy state. I’d been there once before on a climb up the
side of a ridge in the Olympic Natl Forest back in 2005. I knew I could make it, but I’d need to pay
very close attention. Sorry Ruth. She kept up the pace and kept looking back to
make sure I was okay. She was hurting
quite a bit as well, but she took up the reigns and kept moving ahead.
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| Heading west on Escarpment trail |
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| Lake of the Clouds |
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| Even my hat was tired. |
We hit the last trail junction and 0.3
miles to go at 20:55. Finally, at 21:09
we were finished. We threw our gear in
the car and promptly left. We stopped at
the first place we could find food. We
had soda and cheap frozen piece at a bar just outside the park. The kitchen closed at nine. Pizza was all he had. One of the best pizzas we’d had in a while. Well, at least it went down easy. We needed that.
Now, for as
much pain and distress I was in the last 3 miles of the hike, sitting in the
car for 15 minutes, then getting up and walking around for 2 or 3 minutes,
sitting again for 20 minutes and then getting up again (to the bathroom) was
pretty much the rest I needed. My hip
and leg relaxed. They were still very
tired and feet hurt, but if I had need to go another 2 miles right then I could
have. I needed a 45 minute break on the
trail where I could sit, lay down, stretch and really rest. As bad as I had been on the Escarpment you’d think I would be laid up for days. Only
laid up for 45 minutes. Lesson
learned. I need rest.
Even besides
our aches, that is one tough trail. The park
office has that route at 14 miles. It is
Route E on their list of overnight hikes.
In actuality it is 13.1 miles. We
used the map that is in the newsletter.
Except for the contour markings this is a good map. There is another map that can be downloaded
that has the mileage of the sections marked on it. I neglected to print that off. Had we had that we may have been able to keep
our morale up on the ridge. We’ve done
some tough hikes and I done my bit of bush-whacking. This trail is very rugged and although the
individual climbs themselves are not like climbing in the mountains, the
constant up and down takes a hard toll.
There is a
reason we did not see pass people on the trail in our direction. People do not go that direction for the
entire loop. They take the Escarpment
first and head east towards the Lost Lake trail and experience an entirely
different elevation profile!
There is
usually a however, and this time is no exception. Despite physical suffering, walking west
along the escarpment into a setting sun is a not just beautiful, it is hard
earned privilege.
Deep in the Forest
There is a
great deal of “open” country in the Ottawa National Forest. I put open in quotes because most of it is
under the protective arm of various logging companies. They create a number of the roads, maintain
them, and gate them at their own discretion.
The tolerate tourists and hunters, but only so much (and that’s not
much). What tolerance they impart is
only because they themselves are hunters in those same woods. Those that I’ve met don’t understand
recreational activities beyond hunting and fishing. Still, the woods are open and offer solitude
and surprises around each bend of the road or river. Preparation is very important. Although this is not huge country it is large
enough to get yourself into huge trouble.
There are
points at which you can be 4 to 5 miles from pavement, 7 or 8 miles from
another person and more than 30 slow miles from a medical facility. The logging roads twist and turn. New ones are created while old ones become
muddy two tracks rarely travelled. Foot
paths disappear when the local hunter retires to Florida and no longer visits
his favorite spot.
In 2004 Google
Earth did not exist. Mapquest and
navigation software did not extend past state highways. Trekking into the Ottawa National Forest was
done with maps last updated in 1983 (and in one quad 1972). Not only had the logging roads changed, but
the forest itself was drastically different in places. “Ok.
Beyond that creek crossing we’re going to come to a clearing. Looks like it’s about a ½ mile past the
clearing.” A half mile past the creek
the path disappears in stand of plantation pine. The trail lost in a 14 year old mass of pine
needles and deadfall.
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| Driving along M-64 |
There are some
great resources these days. The visitor
centers sell an Ottawa Forest map for $10.
Spend your $10 towards a DeLorme atlas.
The forest map is pathetic at best.
It shows pretty much just paved roads and nothing else. The DeLorme shows everything and matches
another great resource nicely: Google Earth.
The combination of the two, along with a little bit of Google Maps and Microsoft
Maps will give you everything you need to head out. Take along a GPS and compass. Even if you are in a truck, take along stuff
to get you through a cold night in the woods.
A flat tire on Camp 4 Rd at 6pm means you might as well park along the
side the road and set up a shelter.
The falls
along the Black River are a well visited destination. Well they should be. I would not leave that part of the U.P.
without having followed the Black River from Great Conglomerate Falls to the
harbor. The trails to the falls are well
maintained, but in wet weather are muddy and buggy. Even on a summer weekend the falls are
visited by many, but do not expect crowds.
You will run into a family or two or three along the way. If you are even more adventurous you can find
logging roads and foot trails to Chippewa Falls and Algonquin Falls. Beware, private property abounds in that area
and you’ll get more than a harsh word if you stumble on their land.
Black River
Harbor is a beautiful park where you can watch fishing boats coming and going,
stroll along the rocky/sandy shore of Superior or hike into the woods to the
falls. A young family can easily spend
an afternoon at the harbor.
One of our
transition areas during either ’03 or ’04 was at the harbor, just as the sun
was setting. After the team was fed,
watered, changed, and sent back into the woods, Mark and I went down to the
boat piers and met some guys cleaning their haul. Not only cleaning, but frying it up right
there at the table. We helped clean a
few and were well fed for our trouble.
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| Beach at Black River Harbor |
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| Black River Harbor |
There are a
number of places between Rd 519 and Rd 505 that serve some good memories, but
the two best are a bridge of the Presque Isle River and a small canyon. I knew we’d have time to find just one of those
and I thought the canyon might be the best one.
This was a huge surprise to me (and to Leo) when it was discovered. Leo was just looking at a topo map for a
small canyon. When they went into the
woods to find it, wow. The canyon starts
at a logging road as a trickle of water into a culvert. The opening is about 25ft wide and is mud,
boulders, and thorns. The first 5 yards
of the canyon are rocks and some dead fall.
The canyon narrows a little more as the walls climb to about 20ft
above. The grade becomes slightly
steeper and the canyon narrows sharply to about 10ft wide. At the same time the walls are still 20 to 25
feet above. Then… the canyon opens into
a 30ft deep bowl hanging with ferns and moss, dripping water, and surrounding
by towering birch and maple. We couldn’t
stay and I wasn’t able to get a picture, but the image is seared into my past
indelibly.
I wanted to
find that canyon. I was able to track
down Leo, but he was unable to locate the actual coordinates. Using Google Maps, Microsoft Maps, and Google
Earth I found two likely candidates. We
knew the region and the logging roads this canyon was along, so it was again,
looking at topo maps to find the one that fit the description. I confirmed with Leo the coordinates and he
agreed that was it. We would see.
There is a
large stretch of forest between Rd 513 and Rd 505. This area is all forest and is dotted with
logging roads, and little else. On the
east side there are some private residences, but the rest of the forest is home
to trees and logging companies… and us!
The day that
we took in the falls along the Black River we thought we might have enough time
to track down the canyon from the east.
That meant navigating a maze of logging roads, but we were game. Unfortunately for us, about a mile and half
in the road was gated. The logging
companies like to do that. That makes
sure that vehicles aren’t getting in their way or getting to their equipment.
A couple days
later we went in from the west. The
concern would be running into a convoy of logging trucks. These logging roads are wide enough for one
vehicle and there are precious fews places to pull off to the side. After about 3 or 4 miles we passed a notable
intersection and I knew we were close. I
stopped the jeep and pulled out the GPS and map. As I fiddling with them, the roar of an engine
came from directly in front of us and there was the first of four trucks heading
in our directions. The intersection was
200 yards behind us on a curving logging road with a steep drop off. There are many people out there who can back
up a vehicle better than I. In fact, a
blind man with no arms could back up a vehicle better than I. We made it without running off and the lead
driver reminded us that they’d be running trucks all day. I yelled out to him to ask how many were out
there, but he didn’t hear so I just waved and he moved on. He wasn’t happy. I wanted to know how many trucks they
had. The roads are not any wider for
them than anyone else. They need to
communicate their coming and going and time things so they don’t run into each
other where there are no turn-outs. The
dump trucks are heading from the quarry into the woods and then back out,
hauling gravel for the new access roads. They come and go far more
frequently. The log trucks head to the
mill and then come back. The mill is typically
further away. They’ll make a few trips a
day, but not nearly as many as the dump trucks.
If you know how many of each you can time when you leave.
The
intersection was actually an intersection of three roads, two gravel and one
dirt. There was space to park the jeep
where it wouldn’t be in the way of anything that happened to drive by. We started walking back up the road. Ruth was the first to spot the canyon from
the road. The opening was exactly as I
remembered. Ruth took a look at the
rocks, deadfall, mud, and brambles and figured this adventure would be
mine. We’d hiked the Porkies the day
before. This would be rugged and I think
she was rugged-ed out. I started making
my way into the canyon. Where the walls
started closing in there was much more deadfall than 9 years ago. Looking up at the top of the walls it was
obvious there had been significant blow down a few years ago. The bowl was littered with fall maple and
birch. The sides were far less fern and
moss and more thick vines and brambles.
The walls did not even seem that high anymore, likely due to the lake of
trees at the top. I was disappointed at
the lost beauty, but I was glad that I had come back and found that treasure
that once was.
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| Not what it once was. :-( |
We walked back
to the jeep and started walking down that gravel road. According to the map that road would find its
way to within 50 yards of Lake Superior.
We thought we’d follow and see if it would lead us to the lake, or at
least cliffs above the lake. The road
started out as well maintained gravel, but gradually it was obvious the road
was less used. We listened to the coming
and going of the trucks, but their sound gradually faded away. As we walked along the road a long canyon
opened up on one side. Not deep, but
still an unexpected site. Butterflies
played among the wildflowers. Birds
flittered about. A beautiful sunny day
with temps in upper 60s and we were miles from pavement. We were at about a point where we were
thinking about how much further we’d go before we turned around and then… 40ft
maybe 50ft at the most… a bear walked across the road. The creature glanced at us without breaking
its loping stride and continued into the woods.
We stopped dead and listened. The
thought was that we’d hear the bear continue to walk through the woods, but
there was no sound. 2 minutes, 3
minutes, another crack of a branch by the side of the road. We waited another 5 minutes and we did not
hear anything to indicate the animal had moved on. We figured that this was more his woods than
ours. We’d gone far enough and turned
around.
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| Walking along a logging road |
We topped off
the afternoon with a quick visit to Little Girls Point, another must-stop
destination.
On our way
back, just on the edge of Bessemer, seven deer slowly crossed the road from a
church yard across to a residence back yard.
The couple were out tending flowers in their yard while the deer stopped
traffic and walked within feet of the couple.
I yelled out “Hey! You need to
keep them on a leash!” The deer must be
frequent visitors. The couple was not really
all that surprised to see them there.
Still in the U.P.
I have been
very fortunate in the last dozen or so years to have visited some places most
people only dream about. Even more
fortunate that some of those are within a few hours drive of where I call
home. The forests of Northern Michigan
are not those of Ontario or Alaska, but they are some of the wildest country
one can touch in the Midwest. They offer
a variety of scenery and activity that few places can match.
Since 2003 I
dream of those woods almost nightly. I
cannot express the appreciation I have for being able to share that space,
those memories, with Ruth, my wife and best hiking partner.
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