Author Archives: lovesmichiganoutdoors

Pictured Rocks Through Hike

Sunday, August 27 we arrived at Munising Tourist Park in the afternoon, using several sites on the western edge of the campground. I went for a swim in Lake Superior and found the water pretty comfortable, a result of being in the bay where the water is a little more shallow. After everyone in ourContinue reading “Pictured Rocks Through Hike”

A sense of awe

“Sometimes there’s so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can’t take it and my heart is just going to cave in.” This line from the film American Beauty has always resonated with me–it’s exactly how I feel sometimes when I witness natural splendor–an overwhelming sense of awe at the beauty, perfection, andContinue reading “A sense of awe”

Pigeon River Youth Backpacking Trip

Today I completed guiding my first of three “Wilderness Adventures” for a local summer camp, spending three nights in the Pigeon River State Forest. My 11 campers were between 13 and 15 years of age, from all over Michigan, and a couple from out of state. One of the things that I love about guidingContinue reading “Pigeon River Youth Backpacking Trip”

NPS Sawyer Training

I did not ever imagine that I would put a chainsaw on my Christmas wish list, but last year, I did: a 16” Ego electric saw. I had volunteered to be the steward of several local nature preserves, and part of my duties included trail maintenance. I could either do the maintenance myself, or reportContinue reading “NPS Sawyer Training”

A solo winter’s day hike on the NCT

An unexpected day off and a decent weather forecast: Where should I go hiking? I decided to fill in a gap in my NCT progress through Emmet County, along a stretch that contained enough road walk that I didn’t want to do it when there would be a lot of traffic. A Monday morning seemedContinue reading “A solo winter’s day hike on the NCT”

To build a fire

Starting a fire in your fireplace or a backyard fire pit is a skill that many people feel confident in, but how about starting a fire in the backcountry, without a Duraflame fire starter and a foot-long fire stick lighter?  When I first began backpacking, I hadn’t started a fire in years. I had aContinue reading “To build a fire”

Two Flatlanders Attempt Mountains

“Do you still want the shuttle?” appeared in my Messenger alert. I watched the rain hitting the window pane, the tree limbs blowing in the early morning light, and wondered to myself if I did indeed want to be shuttled from this warm and dry place to the southern end of Shenandoah National Park atContinue reading “Two Flatlanders Attempt Mountains”

Out of the classroom and into the woods

“Does anyone want to play ‘Mafia’?”  Not something you typically hear on a backpacking trip, but this time, I was chaperoning a group of 13-15 year olds, so nothing I heard really surprised me.  When I signed up to lead a couple of wilderness trips for a local summer camp, I felt like I wasContinue reading “Out of the classroom and into the woods”