2020 - Continuing the North Country Trail Hike across the Upper Peninsula

Way back in 2017, I started on a bucket list adventure to "day hike" the North Country Trail from the Mackinaw Bridge across the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan. The total trip from the Bridge to the Wisconsin Boarder is 544 miles. Realizing accomplishing the total trip was unlikely, I adjusted the goal to hiking from the Bridge to the shores of Lake Superior, which is approximately 132 miles.

Being from Iowa, accomplishing this means making several trips to the UP, and figuring the logistics of hiking, transportation to my car after each hike, and hotel accommodations each night in a nearby city/town.  In 2017, I was able to get in 3 day hikes totaling approximately 30 miles. In 2018, I was able to get in another 2 days of hiking, completing another 26 miles. Unfortunately, due to commitments in 2019, I was unable to get any NCT hiking completed.

Not getting any younger (67 at the time of writing), I was determined to get some more miles in on my quest. So I planned three days of hiking in August, 2020. 

I was fortunate enough to convince my wife to go with me, acting as my "trail angel" during the trip. A "trail angel" is someone who provides transportation, accommodations, and food/drink to hikers during their hike. In this case, my wife would drop me off at the starting location, and meet me at the ending location each day - a HUGE deal for me. My 1st NCT hikes involved biking on forest roads 15-20 miles from the end point of my hike (where my car was) to the starting point, hiking 15 miles back to my car, and then driving back to the starting point to pick up my bike. After doing that 3 times, I (or should I say "my body") decided that wasn't doable anymore. So having a "trail angel" was a must. 

Planning

The trip plan was as follows:

• Day 1 - Drive from Waterloo, IA to Manistique, MI, (~500 miles)
• Day 2 -
• Drive from Manistique to 1st day hiking trail head (~80 miles)
• Hike ~13 miles. 
• Drive to Sault Ste. Marie, MI (~40 miles) for overnite stay
• Day 3 -
• Drive from Sault Ste. Marie, MI to 2nd day hiking trail head (~40 miles)
• Hike ~16 miles
• Drive to Sault Ste. Marie, MI (~50 miles) for overnite stay
• Day 4 - 
• Drive from Sault Ste. Marie, MI to 3rd day hiking trail head (~50 miles)
• Hike ~14 miles
• Drive to Escanaba, MI (~160 miles) for overnite stay
• Day 5 - Drive from Escanaba, MI to Waterloo, IA (~430 miles)

The goal was to be on the trail hopefully at 7am (the 1st day's hike started at 8am due to the 90 minute drive to the trail head). Once the hike was completed, we'd return to the hotel to cleanup (and do a check for ticks), and then head out for a mid afternoon meal, or more importantly, my carb loading (eg. beer!).

Day 1 - Waterloo, IA to Manistique, MI

We started Day 1 by dropping off our 14 year old dog Chester at the vets for boarding. Its always hard to do this, but necessary to make our short getaway. We hit the road about 8:30am, and made it to Manistique, MI at about 5:00pm EDT. Rain started to fall, so we decided to grab dinner before checking into the hotel. 

Dinner was in Downtown Manistique, at Tap21, formerly the Harbor Bar. Its always fun to check out the local establishments, especially their unique decor.

Day 2 - 1st Day of Hiking 

We hit the road to my 1st day of hiking at about 6:30, after grabbing breakfast to go from Hardee's (only place open at that time of day). It was approximately an 80 mile drive to the trail head, so I didn't start the hike until a little after 8:00am. Other than it being overcast, it was a great morning to hike - approximately 60 degrees, and a light breeze. Foremost on my mind was my previous early morning hikes, where everything was wet with dew. This morning was no exception. Within 10 minutes, my pants (and boots) were soaked. No biggie, as I knew as the day progressed, the winds and the sun would dry things out. The good news was that there we few "wet areas" to traverse thru. But those dang ferns! I also learned that the ferns of the Upper Peninsula have an inherent trait which unties hiking boots a couple times a mile! I think its a conspiracy with the mosquitoes to get hikers to stop long enough for the mosquitoes to make their attack. Needless to say, the spray came out after the 3rd stop, and any exposed skin was treated. 

Approximately 10 miles into the hike, the woods disappeared, and an open field became the hiking route. As I traversed the field, it became apparent that this was at one time an area burned by forest fires. Clumps of trees along the route showed the tree trunks blackened, but the tops growing. It was obvious that Mother Nature had already begun the renewal.

Halfway thru the field section, I came upon a hiker heading south. We stopped to chat. I learned her name was Carman, a Military Nurse from southern Michigan currently between deployments. She and some other friends had hiked all of Lower Michigan and the UP except one section that she was currently hiking. She had just received her next orders. She only had the next 3 days to complete the section, or wait until 2022. Unfortunately, she hadn't had any success at that point finding a "trail angel" that could give her a ride back to her car once completing the section. I thanked her for her service, and wished her luck on finding the help she needed. (UPDATE: I learned on Facebook that Carmen had to end her hike due to not finding a rid back). Here's a photo of Carmen from a post on Facebook. 

I finished the final 4 miles of the 1st day's hike, and found my "trail angel" waiting for me. Tired, but not feeling too bad, we loaded up and headed to the hotel in Sault Ste. Marie to check in. Its amazing what a shower and a fresh set of clothes does after 5 hours of hiking! 

We finished the day by grabbing pizza and beer at 1668 Winery and Lockside Brewery. It was around 70 degrees, but the wind had picked up. So we opted for the indoor dining. It was only us and one other couple. We complied with the "masks required" edict by the State of Michigan, which it appeared most were adhering to. After a day of following the mask rules at stops up to the UP, it became a "non issue" for us.

Day 1 was in the books. 13 hiking miles completed, and another 29 to go!

Day 3 - 2nd Day of Hiking

Day 2 began with several spots on my body aching. The good news was that none were anything to worry about. We followed our normal morning routine, with a stop at McDonalds for the pre-hike meal of Sausage McMuffin with Egg, hashbrowns, OJ, and coffee. The 45 minute drive to the trailhead was just right to "enjoy breakfast" on the road. The weather on day 2 was to be like the 1st day - cloudy and around 70 degrees. However, the morning was starting out really foggy. We arrived at the trailhead about sunrise, and it was a bit eerie, looking at the trail disappearing into the fog. But off I went. Of course, Sue had to take a photo of me disappearing in the fog (must have been for the insurance company if I was never seen again!).

Today's trail started out with alot of hope, as it was open and easy to traverse. But soon "those ferns" reappeared, and were their usual wet selves. Within minutes, I was soaked again, but was now used to it. The trail was relatively flat, so I was able to make good time. This section also had ALOT of boardwalks, which was a godsend in some pretty marshy areas. Shout out the the Hiawatha Chapter of the NCT for their outstanding work! I'll bet there was 200-300 feet of new boardwalks installed, likely in the last couple years. To all involved, WELL DONE!

After about 10 miles I began to feel the fatigue starting to catch up with me. My place slowed a bit... time to consume more Water and Gatorade. Soon, I hit the Whitefish Bay Naomikong Overlook, which was a great mental boost - only 4 miles to go! The 1st portion was hiking the shoulder along the Lake Superior Shoreline Road, before heading to the Whitefish Bay Shoreline. Portions of the trail were on the beach, but due to erosion in some areas, the trail was forced back into the woods. 

By now, I was really running on fumes, and had really slowed down. Its at times like this, you question why the heck you are out here doing this at 67! But soon, I could see in a clearing up ahead my "trail angel". I had finally arrived at the Bark Dock Parking area. After plopping down in the passenger seat of the car, getting some help removing my muddy shoes, and snarfing down a protein bar and bottle of Gatorade, I settled in for the ride back to Sault Ste. Marie. Life was returning to my body. 

Back to the hotel to clean up, and head to The Palace Mexican Restaurant & Saloon in downtown Sault Ste. Marie. My "trail angel" was in the mood for a margarita, chips & salsa. Of course, I had beer on my mind. Needless to say, it was a good Mexican meal and refreshments to top off Day 2 of hiking... almost 28.5 hiking miles in the books. One more day to go!

Day 4 - 3rd Day of Hiking and begin the drive back to Iowa

Day 3 started with alot of aches - neck, shoulders, hamstring, ankles. Nothing that an 800mg Ibuprofen couldn't handle. Of course the pre-hike McDonalds breakfast also helped to get the body ready for the last 14 miles of hiking the NCT.

We returned to the Bark Dock, along Whitefish Bay, to begin my hike. Day 3's hike appeared to be an "easy" one, relatively speaking. the 1st 4 miles were thru the woods over to Hiway 123. Then, it was 4 miles of "shoulder hiking" (the shoulder of Hiway 123), due to the surrounding land being mostly wetland areas. Finally, the hike would be 6 more miles of trail in the narrow wooded area between the Tahquamenon River and Tahqua Rd. How hard can this be??

Off I went, full of adrenaline. About a 1/2 mile in, this "cake walk" thru the woods became a slow. focused trek around and over considerable mucky spots. After about 2 miles, the trail broke out of the deep woods, and followed what looked like a ATV/snowmobile path. Ah.. this should be a nice section. It was... for about a 1/4 mile, before it turned into a path filled with huge water holes... for the next mile.... No photos during this part of the hike. Too much concentrating on avoiding downed branches and stumps, and trying to avoid covering my boots with mud/water. Obviously not enough concentration, as I finally stepped in a spot that wasn't firm. And yes, my boots sunk into the mud, completely covering them! Shortly after that, I caught the toe of a boot on a hidden root, and stumbled forward. As I moved the leg forward to catch my balance, I could feel my hamstring cry out. Oh boy, that hurt~! That slowed my hiking pace down considerably until the hamstring calmed down a bit. 

The 4th mile out to Hiway 123 was a logging road thru a recently logged area. This was like a freeway after the 1st 3 miles of the day! Other than the mosquitoes noticing me, it was a pretty uneventful hiking section. However, the 4 miles of today's hike thru the woods became the toughest I experienced thru the 3 days.  

I began the 4 mile shoulder walk, and it couldn't have come at a better time. It gave me a chance to stretch out the sore hamstring. Also, since I was hiking early enough in the day, the traffic wasn't too bad yet. It did start to lightly rain a bit, which was a pain as cars, trucks and campers blew by me. A few of the vehicles were kind enough to move over to the middle as they passed. 

As I approached the mouth of the Tahquamenon River and the Tahquamenon Falls State Park Rivermouth Camping area, I'll be darned if the sun didn't pop out for a bit. The Tahquamenon River and Whitefish Bay were very calm, resulting in some amazing views. 

8 Miles down, and 6 to go, along the shoreline of the Taquamenon River. In addition to my hamstring still reminding me of my stumble 5 miles ago, the body was starting to wear out again. It was tempting to just take the dirt road for the last 6 miles. But being this close to the end of my 3 day hike, I hopped back on the NCT path. By now, the weather front had moved thru, and the wind picked up. That was a good thing as it kept the mosquitoes at bay, and kept the temperatures most comfortable. I ran into a few sprinkles along the way, but hey, I was already slightly wet, so no big deal. 

The trail was a nice meandering trail thru a somewhat forested area. It gave good views of the river, while keeping the road far enough away. Due to some ravines along the trail which drained into the river, the trail would occasionally return to the road allowing hikers to avoid the ravines. I also came upon a couple interesting boats sitting in the woods. Obviously, they haven't seen water in quite a few years!

As I approached 15 miles for the day, I was feeling pretty much spent. Another 3/10 of a mile and there was my "trail angel" and our vehicle. It was such a sight for sore eyes (and sore body)! 

I did it... I made all three days, and a total of almost 42 miles. I won't lie - I had alot of doubt that this old guy could make it that far in 3 days. Sure, my legs, neck, shoulders and ankles all were reminding me how old I was, or at least how out of shape I am. But I kept telling myself "its a good ache". 

Now it was time to change clothes and begin the drive back home. We hopped in the SUV, pulled out Gatorade, protein bars, and licorice for me to consume, and hit the road. Our drive would take us 150 miles to Escanaba, MI, arriving about 3:30pm. We made a stop at the Log Cabin Grill & Bar overlooking Little Bay de Noc, and had our last post hiking meal - a good ol' burger and fries, and my obligatory two LaBatt's beers. NOW I should get a great nights sleep!

Day 5 - Escanaba, MI to Waterloo, IA

With only 7 hours (430 miles) to drive, and gaining an hour with time zone changes, we slept in a bit, and hit the road about 7:30am. No plans for the ride home other that the obligatory stop for Spotted Cow beer (the "trail angel's" favorite). Found a great grocery store just past Madison, WI  in Verona, where we could grab a couple cases (Yes, I know its not legal to carry this beer across state lines, but we covered the cases up with stinky hiking clothes). We pulled in the driveway to our home about 1:30pm. The end of a very successful (and well needed) getaway during this COVID pandemic!

The Next Hike - 2021

One final point about my NCT hiking goal. This trip's hike brought me to within 35 miles of my goal of reaching Lake Superior. I am so close! So, one more road trip to the UP next year, and I should be able to complete this bucket list item. Finger's crossed that I stay healthy and in good enough shape to finish two more days!

Photos

Here are links to other photos taken during the trip to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to hike the North Country Trail

• 2020 August UP Hiking Trip
• 2020 August UP Hiking Trip - Day 1
• 2020 August UP Hiking Trip - Day 2
• 2020 August UP Hiking Trip - Day 3