Finally, we were able to carve out a few days to get away
from the grind! Terri and I have been
very busy the past few weeks with life, coming at us from every direction. However, the three days we had set aside on
the calendar over a month ago did not disappoint. Springtime in Michigan can mean anything
weather wise, but the forecast for our time looked perfect! And we took advantage of every hour!!
We had such a fun time spending a few minutes here and there
over a week or so organizing our equipment, talking and preparing food,
etc. (Dreamer thinks preparing to head
out is almost as much fun as actually leaving.)
Terri, Charlie & I were loaded up and headed “Up-North” first thing
Friday (May 11th) morning.
Terri was excited about checking out and leaving the grid behind. Charlie could hear squirrels and chipmunks
chattering in the woods. I simply wanted
to be consumed by the freedom and adventure of the trail.
Even though it took about three hours, our drive to the
Jordan River Pathway (actually part of the North Country Trail)
www.northcountrytrail.org seemed to
fly by.
Charlie especially liked our
only stop at McDonalds.
He eats very
little human food, so the sausage and scrambled eggs went down very quickly!
To get there; take Hwy 75 to Gaylord, go West
on 32 to 131, and from there go South just a few miles to Deadman’s Hill Road,
follow that a couple miles to the trail parking area.
Normally, the purpose of the “spring shake down trip” is
reacquaint ourselves with our packs and gear that we either: don’t take enough
of, or too much of, or forget altogether.
From a gear point of view, we packed and prepared for exactly what we
expected. If the weather had been what
we expected, the trip would have been uneventful. However, the weather forecast missed the
actual temperature on Sunday morning by about 30 degrees. More on that in a minute…
Our first day of 4 or 5 miles went by quickly. Perhaps, all the hours and time we have spent
hiking at Rose Lake since our return from Maui made a huge difference. Less than two hours after leaving the truck
and were making camp on a beautiful stream.
Charlie did great carrying his pack with four meals, treats bag and his
collapsible bowl.
Our camp was ideal, except for one thing the gnats and black
flies were a nuisance. Not overwhelming,
just bothersome at times. Terri wore her
head net. I simply applied some deet in
strategic locations. We have never tried
one of those freeze-dried meals before, but we did this time from
recommendation. It was Sausage and
Pasta. In a short, not too good… Perhaps after a pound of salt and pepper, it
would be palatable. Terri’s Chicken
Vegie Rice was much better indeed. It
was actually a meal we had left over from our AT trip a couple years ago. (Those freeze-dried meals last a long
time!) Team TNT slept nicely with the
stream signing all night long!
Continuing our hike South along the North Country Trail on the
East side of the Jordan River on Saturday was pretty uneventful, except for one
fall. I lost my footing on a slippery
log and fell right in the mud! No
injuries, just a muddy butt and right arm.
(Amazingly, after the mud dried, it simply brushed off like it wasn’t
even there.) After 2 ½ hours we arrived
at Pinney Bridge Campground. It was a
beautiful day! Some sun and clouds with
a variable breeze in the high 60’s / low 70’s.
The higher ground along with the breeze kept the flies somewhat in check
today. After making camp, we had all
afternoon to relax. Terri and Charlie
napped and I read. Terri & I both
cleaned up in a sandy bottom stream that runs a short distance from the
campground. Very nice indeed!
When we went to bed, it was chilly, but not cold. When we woke up in the night, it was
COLD! When I stepped out of the tent at
4am for an old man break, I was startled by white! I looked like it had snowed!! It was just frost, but it was thick enough to
shovel. Even though Charlie was wearing
his coat and my sweater, he as shivering.
Terri & I zipped our bags together and put on all the clothes we
brought with us. We zipped up the bags
and waited for morning.
It was 32 degrees when the sun came up. All four of our water bottles were frozen. The alcohol form the stove was so cold it
would not ignite with a match. (I didn’t
realize the ignition temperature for alcohol was close to freezing.) I had to hold the cat food can with some fuel
in it in my freezing hands to get it warm enough to light. I’ll tell you, the weatherman missed the
forecast big time. Lesson learned here
was always prepare for potential extremes no matter what the weatherman says!
Hiking the 9 miles back to the truck on Sunday was very
sweet for me! After being in the woods
for a couple days, I felt relaxed and shed of some of the burden of life. The plaguing feeling of the day however was,
after this hike today it is back to real life…
Walking near the Jordan River was exciting for me. Something about fast moving water in the wild
thrills me. Hiking through fields of
Trillium is always a springtime treat.
How can three days go by soooo fast? Before we even really started, it was over
and the truck was in site. All Charlie
wanted was the McDonalds cheeseburger and chocolate shake we had promised
him. He got them!
~Dreamer
