Upper Peninsula – Exploring Michigan and other cool places

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. “

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”

Getting to the trailhead: The quickest way is not always the shortest way

When trying to get to the trailhead is one of the most challenging parts of the backpacking trip…

You can plan all you want, but…

In which a planned 50-mile hike on the North Country Trail goes a little off the rails.

Becoming a Backpacker, Chapter 5: Pictured Rocks

I was feeling practically like an expert as I prepared for a long weekend hike of Pictured Rocks in May. I expected that it could be at least as cold in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula as it had been on my two previous backpacking trips in lower Michigan, even though it was later on in theContinue reading “Becoming a Backpacker, Chapter 5: Pictured Rocks”

Becoming a backpacker, chapter 1

We were sitting on the beach at a campsite at Munising Tourist Park, eating s’mores, drinking beer and watching the sunset when we hatched the idea. We’d spent the day hiking at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, and had returned to our car-camping site for a swim, campfire, some beer, and bed. Robin asked, “So what’sContinue reading “Becoming a backpacker, chapter 1”