North Country Trail, 76th Street, Lake County, Michigan

September 2, 2019  We took a day trip to hike a section of the NCT, new to us.  The trailhead is on 76th Street southwest of Baldwin.  We walked two hours south through Sterling Marsh, our walking distance was about 8 miles total.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  After the walk we took the back roads home (about 78 miles).  Great day for a hike. 

Somewhere in Manistee County Mid April 2012

April 13-15 Mike and I made a trip to the cabin, it was a rainy weekend but we had some good hikes.  We stopped in Hart for some great Mexican food at La Fiesta then continued up US 31. 

It is always hard for me to go away from home, I like home. But when I get to the cabin I feel I could stay there indefinitely. The cell phone works fine from the cabin so I can keep in touch with family. But no Internet which is a little bit of a break, I'm not saying I never want to go online again but it is much simpler without the frustrations of the computer.


We started our hike at the Hodenply Dam and quickly came to the pedestrian bridge over the Manistee River. We have hiked the Manistee River trail many times, it is our favorite hike. This time we decided to check out the North Country Trail on the west side of the river.

   Hodenply Dam

Pedestrian Bridge over the Manistee River

                 Woodpecker Creek

 You come to the Woodpecker Creek area this way and the trail stayed along the river for a while then headed more into the woods.  We enjoyed an apple sitting next to one of the creeks, there was a small waterfall and the sound was relaxing.  Birds singing, flowers blooming, nice. 

Manistee River
We went about two hours down the trail, sat again, where I fed a gnat to a spider.  Then back north to the Hodenply dam.  We will walk this section of the trail again some day.
After our walk we made a stop along M37 in a wooded area filled with wildflowers.  So much was blooming!  The leaves were just starting to leaf out here ~100 miles north of Ottawa County.  Still nature was ahead of the norm.

We made a stop in Hoxeyville Michigan for some food to cook over the fire.  I prefer to eat at the cabin, since I'm not a fan of restaurants (except La Fiesta).  
We found Norman Township Landing, this is south of Tippy Dam.

The rain had held out for the day and we even had sunshine.  Back to the cabin.

                               Inside the cabin
The next day, Sunday, We went up No 1 Road to the Hodenply Dam and parked in the same place as yesterday.  This time we stuck to the eastern side of the river on the Manistee River Trail.  Wow this place is great.

We hiked to the waterfalls (as marked on some  maps) then walked up through the woods wandering a bit as we made our way to the car.

Mike, well me too, wanted to check out the wildflower patch on M37 since it had rained over night and warmed up a bit.  The flowers were more open and blooming nicely.

Off we go home stopping in at Jones Home Made Ice Cream Parlor in Baldwin.  Yum, I had the chocolate malt with extra malt.  We drove home and hit some heavy rain. 

A great weekend, you just got to get out and do it.

Cabin Visit

2010 10 28 Our 33rd wedding anniversary, we will celebrate with a visit to the cabin. (Thanks AGAIN Bryan) To me this is a perfect place to be, it's quiet, secluded, relaxing.

We started with a short hike on the North Country National Scenic Trail, from Highbanks Lake (Lilley Twp Michigan) we went south, unfortunately Tilly (our 13 year old puppy) developed some foot problem and we had to turn around after walking a mile.

                            Highbanks Lake
We don't often hike the NCT because it is not a loop trail, at some point you have to decide to turn around and head back where you came from. Or you could spot a car if you are with more people. But the North Country Trail is huge, here are a few facts about this trail.


The North Country Trail — 4600 miles stretched Across seven states, a footpath linking communities from New York to North Dakota. 
Here is their website link, http://www.northcountrytrail.org/trail.php

                            Manistee River
We spent a couple of days at the cabin, and had the chance to walk our favorite trail, The Manistee River Trail.

We started on the trail near mile marker 3 and walked south 2 1/2 miles to one
of the big bends in the river. This is the point we had walked to from the south last month.

We crossed nine footbridges on this section of trail.

Sometimes the trail brings you high above the river, 

then you are down at the river bank.
We headed back to the real world Saturday night.