Tag Archives: Camping

A ukelele, beads, and rubber chicken on the trail

Over the last ten or so years, I have hosted many backpacking trips for adults, and since retiring from teaching three years ago, I’ve been guiding backpacking and canoe camping trips for a local camp. This past week I took a group of twelve teens aged 13-15 on a 30-mile trip on the NCT beginningContinue reading “A ukelele, beads, and rubber chicken on the trail”

A few of my favorite things…

There’s a saying with expensive hobbies, “Buy nice or buy twice.” In some cases, I’ve found that to be true, but as a beginning backpacker, it just didn’t make sense to blow a bunch of money I didn’t have on expensive gear before I even knew if I liked backpacking! Over time, I have upgradedContinue reading “A few of my favorite things…”

Mason Tract Pathway Trip Report

A hike that offers river views, few people, and ruins of a castle? Sign me up!  The Mason Tract Pathway is a nine-ish mile hike near Grayling, beginning at the Chase Bridge parking area, ending just beyond the Canoe Harbor State Forest Campground. While it doesn’t hug the Au Sable river bank closely enough forContinue reading “Mason Tract Pathway Trip Report”

Pictured Rocks October 2023: Not quite a saunter, but definitely not a speed hike. 

John Muir once said that he didn’t care for the word “hike,” but preferred “saunter,” with its origins of making a pilgrimage to the holy land. I think that many of us who hike consider nature a holy place, and regardless of your religious beliefs, the views at Pictured Rocks certainly make you pause andContinue reading “Pictured Rocks October 2023: Not quite a saunter, but definitely not a speed 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”

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”